Today is also the 62nd anniversary of the D-day landings in Normandy, France. On the 6th of June, 1944, a huge invasion force landed on beaches in northern France, an effort that heralded the beginning of the end of World War Two. After three months of steady progress, the march north towards Germany was halted after the abortive crossing of the River Rhine at Arnhem, Holland. It was another five months before a fortuitous crossing of the river was made at Remagen, south of Cologne. Combined with an onslaught of Soviet forces from the east, this finally brought on the demise of Nazi Germany on May 8th, 1945.
Those that lay down their lives in this campaign are remembered on Armistice Day, November 11th. It is important to include in those commemorations the millions of people who were exterminated as part of a premeditated act of mass murder in dozens of camps across occupied Europe. The name Auschwitz is synonymous with cruelty beyond imagination. The remains of the camp are still there, but I am not likely to visit it. Way too evocative.
This entry is to those that brought down Nazi Germany. And to those who fell to its evil. There are still those who seek to deny or negate what happened.
I'd still like to go to Germany and see the camp. I'd like to bring my son there. I'm not sure how much he will be taught in school about this horrible episode in our history but I'd like to make sure he knows what happened and why. He already sort of has a base of knowledge of Hitler. I'd like him to go there though. Nothing like seeing it and hearing it in person to make an impression. I figure when he's in 10th grade maybe we'll go.
ReplyDeleteGood entry....inspires thought.
Pamela
I did a tour of Eastern European in 2001 which included a trip to Auschwitz, it was the most horrible evil place I've ever been to, you could sense death there still. Jeannette xx
ReplyDeleteGod rest all those souls who died for us......thank God they dont see us now. Eve
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