Monthly Archives: July 2016

This week in the War, 24–30 July 1944: Heil Hitler salute is made compulsory for the German armed forces

Posted on July 27, 2016 by secondbysecond

To confirm their loyalty following the 20 July bomb plot, from 24 July 1944 onwards, members of the German armed forces were required to use the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute, the  Hitlergruss. The salute had long been a common form of greeting throughout … Continue reading →

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The week in the War, 17–23 July 1944: The July Bomb Plot

Posted on July 20, 2016 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 20 July 1944, a German officer named Claus von Stauffenberg carried a bomb from Berlin to the Wolf’s Lair (Wolfsschanze) headquarters in Rastenburg, East Prussia, with a view to putting paid to Hitler once … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 10–16 July 1944: Liberation of Vilnius

Posted on July 14, 2016 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 13 July 1944, Soviet forces liberated Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The fighting was heavy and the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army suffered considerable casualties. Germany’s Army Group North was in danger of being … Continue reading →

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Book review: Spitfire Spies

Posted on July 7, 2016 by secondbysecond

There are two intertwining stories within the Second-World-War novel Spitfire Spies by John Hughes (Austin Macauley Publishers, 2016). One story could naively be labeled male, the other, female. The first concerns the men who are sent to England to spy … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 3–9 July 1944: Liberation of Minsk

Posted on July 5, 2016 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 3 July 1944, troops of Marshal Rokossovsky’s 1st and General Chernyakhovsky’s 3rd Belorussian fronts entered Minsk, the capital city of Belorussia. The German occupation of Minsk, which had lasted for three years, was finally over. … Continue reading →

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