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Like many West European nations, Germany established colonies in Africa in the late 1800s in what later became Togo, Cameroon, Namibia, and Tanzania. German genetic experiments began there, most no…

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For the Ancient Greeks, Homer’s Iliad was a guide to manliness, particularly manly courage. There's something all men can learn from Achilles and Hector.

Beyond the ‘barbarian’ tag, there was more to the historical scope of these ancient people, particularly the fierce Celtic warriors

After nearly 30 years of researching my father-in-law's WWII military service, which began on 7 April 1941 and ended on 18 June 1945, I now know where he was on almost every day of that time. My husband and I have taken many terrific trips visiting those places and learning more about where he served. So it's no surprise I like to write about the war experiences of my ancestors. From skirmishes with Native Americans prior to the Revolutionary War right through the Global War on Terrorism. However, I write most frequently about my Civil War, World War I and World War II veteran ancestors' experiences. Today, I'd like to share with you what I've learned about researching U.S. Army World War II veteran ancestors -- one of the millions of citizen soldiers Tom Brokaw called the "Greatest Generation." A great resource is World War II Research and Writing Center. 1. Order his military service records It's difficult to proceed with your research unless you know in which unit your ancestor served. The first thing I recommend doing is to order his or her military records. You can make your request for those records if you are next of kin of a deceased veteran here. If available, the information you will receive will include his DD 214, or separation papers; personnel records; replacement ribbons or medals; and medical records. The unit listed on this form includes the unit he was with when he was discharged. It may not be all of the units in which he served. Company morning reports housed at the National Personnel Records Center will include the transfers of soldiers to and from different units. Page 1 of my father-in-law's DD 214 form; personal collection Those military records are housed at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. There was a fire at that location in 1973, which destroyed approximately 16 to 18 million records, including: 80 percent loss of Army records for personnel discharged between 1 November 1912 and 1 January 1960 75 percent loss of Air Force records for personnel discharged between 25 September 1947 and 1 January 1964 (names after Hubbard, James E. alphabetically) Even if your veteran ancestor's records were burned, you will likely receive his or her DD 214 form if your are next of kin. This form contains enough information about the specific unit in which your ancestor served, military induction and discharge dates, special qualifications or schools attended, ribbons and medals received, and so on. 2. Learn about the specific unit in which he served Now that you have your veteran ancestors military records, you can begin to research the unit in which he served. Every branch of military service has an organization hierarchy. In the U.S. Army it is: Company >> Battalion >> Regiment >> Division >> Corps >> Army >> Army Group The division is the smallest unit that is capable of fighting completely independently. To understand more about how Army divisions were organized during World War II, I suggest reading a post I wrote on this topic on my Tangled Roots and Trees blog. Another necessary resource is the Order of Battle of the U.S. Army, European Theater, World War II. These resources are invaluable when reading Army histories to better understand if your ancestors were involved. 3. Understand the role he played in his unit Two factors will help you understand the role your ancestor played within his unit -- his rank and his MOS, or Military Operational Specialty. There are two types of soldiers in the Army, officers and enlisted personnel. Each have their own levels of ranks. To learn them and the general responsibilities of each rank, I have found these links extremely helpful: Officers Enlisted personnel Your ancestors military records will include their rank upon discharge and any military operational specialties, or special skills they acquired, on their DD 214 form. This link includes the list of current Army MOSs, but many from World War II still exist though they may have been renamed. I have found it's possible to find a similar MOS and at least get in the neighborhood of what duties my ancestor performed. For example, in Korea my father was a mechanic for wheeled and tracked vehicles. Those MOSs still exist. 4. Record the awards and decorations he earned Your ancestor's DD 214 form will include the awards and decoration he earned during his Army service. If he won an award for meritorious conduct or bravery, you will likely receive a copy of the original citation if you order a replacement medal. Other awards can provide clues to the dates on which he or she served if they are not provided elsewhere. If your ancestors received the American Defense medal, he enlisted or was drafted before Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, as did my father-in-law. If he or she received the Victory medal, they served in the Army sometime between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946. I will be writing about this topic in detail on Tangled Roots and Trees in June. However, you will likely find these sources helpful: Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards Awards and Decorations of the United States Armed Forces, which includes links to explanations about individuals awards and decorations Badges of the United States Army My father-in-law's ribbon "rack;" built using EZ Rack Builder[1] 5. Learn about the campaigns in which he served Your ancestor's DD 214 form will include any campaigns in which your ancestor participated. Campaigns are a series of large-scale, long-term operations or battles which required significant military planning and form part of a larger conflict. For example, during World War II, the U.S. Army fought in 38 campaigns. Knowing in which campaigns your ancestor participated will allow you to read the appropriate sections of the Army "Green" Books. These military histories are now online. When I began my research I had to order them from the General Printing Office. My Army "Green" Books; personal collection They are the very best, detailed history, often to the company level of the U.S. Army in World War II. If you are not a history buff, at least read the relevant campaigns or skim the index for his army, corp. division, and regiment (sometimes part of a combat team with the same numerical designation as the regiment). 6. Use unit societies' websites and books about units Websites for Division Societies such as the Society of the 5th Infantry Division are plentiful on the Internet. These societies will have a wide variety of information, personal photographs, and first-hand accounts from soldiers who served with the unit. Many include pamphlets and other propaganda published by the unit. Simply Google to find them online. Some will have the names of books that can be purchased about the unit. If the book is out of print, I have had great success finding them on Internet Archive, ABEBooks, Google Play, Amazon, or eBay. If none of those sources have the book available, I can usually find it on World Cat and either go to a nearby library or have it loaned to my local library. 7. Don't forget your women ancestors Many women served in various women-only military organization during the war. Don't forget about them in your research. General Douglas McArthur called the Women's Army Corps (WACs) "his best soldiers" and said they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined then men. General Dwight Eisenhower said their contributions were immeasurable. I hoped I've sparked your interest in digging deeper into your World War II ancestor's military service. Many in that generation would not talk about their experiences. This is your chance to find out about them. Good luck! _______________ Women's Army Corps (WACs) in World War Two Understanding the U.S. Army World War II Infantry Division Army Campaign Streamers

Howard Pyle (1853-1911), American illustrator, painter and author, best known for the children’s books that he wrote and illustrated. Pyle studied at the Art Students’ League, New York City, and first attracted attention by his line drawings after the style of Albrecht Dürer.

Learn History visually with Interactive 3D Maps, Timelines, Images, and Videos with HistoryMaps. Use the interactive map and timeline to learn where and when something happened. The beautiful images and videos make it even better.

A chilling new book has unearthed the complicity of German women who could go from being warm-hearted mothers one minute to cold-blooded killers the next.

Battle of Władypol was an armed engagement between Poland and the Soviet Union during the Nazi German and Soviet invasion of Poland. It took place on 27 September 1939 near the town of Sambor. It was among the last cavalry battles of 1939 and one of the last large-scale battles in Central Poland. It was won by the Red Army.

After years of neglect and abuse from her husband, this queen raised an army and took over England for herself.

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Bed bugs are currently the plague of the western world. They have spread everywhere and proved extremely difficult to eradicate, and nigh impossible to control. They are possibly the most terrifying insect in the world, and here's why: the most disturbing facts about bed bugs: 10. Keeping Your House Clean Does Not Protect You When you are dealing with your average pestilential insect, such as the roach, keeping your house pristine is often an excellent way to keep them away. However, with bed bugs, the cleanest house in all the land will not avail you. Bed bugs care only about

[Photo] King Haakon VII of Norway, Crown Prince Olav, and Hans Reidar Holtermann inspecting a Sten gun, Scotland, United Kingdom, circa 1943

Read this newspaper clip below – where an Englishman described how kind the Boers were and that everything that was said in England about the Boers, was not true. From the Boer War Facebook p…

He was among Germany’s most accomplished flying Aces during WWII – though he hated killing. His success was valuable propaganda for the Nazis – yet he

A collection of "Old Blood and Guts’" unapologetic musings on duty, action, and the brutal art of war.

Venice military hierarchy explains major rank structure of Venice army. specified ladder of ranks are categorized according to NATO rules and regulations.

Fashion Flashback: Given that fashion was instrumental in the creation of Canada, this blog series explores the development of what Canadians wore one era at a time. The Seven Years War (1754-1763)…

The architect of the Final Solution to exterminate the Jews met Marga Boden, a nurse seven years his senior, on a train to Munich. The sexually inexperienced and sickly Himmler was smitten.

The Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp lies just North of Linz, in Austria. It was one of the first large concentration camps created in Nazi Germany and

The "Knitting for Victory" group on Ravelry has been discussing what people knitted for the armed forces in Britain in World War II. I have come across an official booklet published in 1940 that sets out what type of garment was needed for the Army, with knitting instructions - and also what were not needed. I'm summarising the contents here partly for the benefit of that group. The booklet was produced in preparation for the 1940-41 winter (i.e. the second winter of the war, in this country). By this time, wool was in short supply although clothes rationing was not introduced until June 1941. The booklet begins by explaining that "There is just enough wool for the knitted garments needed for the coming winter. BUT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WOOL TO ALLOW FOR ANY WASTE WHATEVER" and says that waste of wool "was widespread in last winter's knitting efforts". Therefore knitting for the armed forces has to be carefully organized, to make sure that the garments produced are what's required, and of good quality. The booklet specifies four acceptable garments: a cap-muffler, a sleeveless pullover, fingerless mittens extending beyond the wrist, and gum-boot stockings in oiled wool. The gum-boot stockings can be any colour, but the others should be khaki, or grey if that is unobtainable. 1940 Garments An obvious omission is a Balaclava helmet. You get the impression that every knitter in the country rushed into knitting those when war was declared - but the Army did not want them. The booklet explains why: the cap-muffler combines two different garments into one, and a soldier could not carry both a helmet and a cap. It also says that Balaclava helmets don't allow ear-phones to be adjusted in a hurry (by radio operators, presumably) - though the cap-muffler doesn't really solve that problem, it seems to me. The booklet shows a cap-muffler in use. "A most useful two-in-one garment. Can be used as a cap and muffler, or a muffler alone. Comfortable to wear under steel helmet. Very easily knitted." (The model looks as though he has grown a moustache to disguise the fact that he's under-age - but perhaps that's me being old.) Cap-muffler Gloves, ordinary socks and pullovers with sleeves were not required because they were already being supplied - perhaps machine-knitted? Mittens, of the specified kind, were useful as well as gloves, for different purposes. A sleeveless pullover was felt to be "excellent for extra warmth and, being sleeveless, not too bulky under battle dress." The booklet finishes by describing the working of the Voluntary Knitting Industry. A complex array of orgaizations had been set up to pass wool from the Wool Controller down to local working parties, and to collect together the knitted garments and eventually issue them to the troops. There was a huge clerical effort involved in recording everything, to ensure that the working parties could get wool at wholesale prices (and presumably also to ensure that all the wool issued was returned, knitted up.) Since the Government seem to have been perfectly capable of providing soldiers with most of their kit, I do wonder how necessary it was to use volunteer knitters at all, when it required such a huge (voluntary) effort to organize it all. Maybe one advantage was just to off-load some of the cost of clothing the Army to the civilian population - though I'm sure that the knitters also benefited by feeling that they were making a contribution to the war effort.

Private Heath Matthews’ face is covered in blood as he awaits medical attention for his superficial lacerations. The blood, combined with the weary and astonished expression on the young soldier’s…

It's Friday, our brains are tired, and words are hard. So, here are some art memes.

The performance took place at St. Ottilien Archabbey, a Benedictine monastery that became a hospital for Jewish displaced persons.

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