Vasili Blokhin: Stalin’s Executioner

History has borne silent witness to many notorious killers; from Genghis Khan to Jack the Ripper and Adolf Hitler to Harold Shipman, all have entered the public consciousness and have remained infamous in perpetuity for their heinous crimes.

Image Credit: http://www.wikipedia.org

A conversation last week inspired me to look into this macabre world in a little more detail, in an attempt to find history’s most prolific perpetrator. To narrow the scope of the search further it was decided that only those who killed by their own hand should be included. As a result, initial suggestions like the crews of the Enola Gay, who dropped the Atomic bombs on Japan, were promptly disregarded. It is difficult, of course, to settle the matter with complete certainty; even so, what I found through my research was surprising and interesting nonetheless…

D-Day Part 3: The Chateau

Welcome everyone to the final post in my ‘D-Day’ short series. The feedback which I have received for this has been really good thus far, so thank you to all who have taken the time to give it a read and please let me know what you think of the conclusion!

The Chateau de la Londe, 1944

Image Credit: http://www.battlefieldhistorian.com

After the strongpoints at ‘Morris’ and ‘Hillman’ had been successfully secured, the men of the 1^st Battalion Suffolk Regiment played an important part in ‘Operation Mitten’, during which time they attacked the heavily defended Chateau de la Londe. The Chateau became a location of particular importance as it overlooked Caen to the south, which was one of the Allies principle objectives for D-Day due to both its size and its proximity to Carpiquet airfield. The task of taking it was originally given to the South Lancashire Regiment, however all did not go to plan and the 1^st Battalion played a much larger part in the early part of the operation than was originally intended.

D-Day Part 2: The Strongpoints

Although I only posted my previous D-Day article a couple of days ago, it has received an extremely positive response. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read it – and if you have clicked on this post without reading part one yet please do, since this article continues from where the last instalment concluded.

The interior of a machine gun position at Strongpoint Hillman, with landmark ranges

Image Credit: http://www.ww2-normandy.co.uk/

Once Sword beach had been secured, the 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment began their march inland, with their next objectives the strongpoints codenamed ‘Morris’ and ‘Hillman’. This is where we continue their story:

D-Day Part 1: The Beach

Back in 2009 I travelled to the Normandy region of France for a family holiday. While I was there I visited all of the D-Day invasion beaches as well as some of the more famous towns and landmarks like St Mere Eglise and Pegasus Bridge, surrounded as they are by a huge number of museums paying tribute to the lives lost in the area during 1944.

Tribute to the American paratrooper who played dead for several hours after his parachute became caught on the church at St Mere Eglise

Image Credit: James Simpson

My trip encouraged me to write about the Suffolk Regiment’s involvement in the D-Day landings for my dissertation, which I completed in 2011. Feedback regarding my previous Second World War posts on this blog have been very good, so I have decided to finish off 2013 by publishing some of my findings for those who are interested in the social history of this particular period. So please, give it a read and let me know what you think!

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

History is made up of a combination of factors. It records who, what, where, when, how and why. If any of those elements are altered, the end result can be drastically changed.

Gavrilo Princip

Image Credit: http://www.inserbia.info

For many, Sunday 28th June 1914 was a day which started no differently to any other Sunday. By its conclusion it had experienced an event of such magnitude that its repercussions are still felt to this day. By July 28^th the world had fallen into one of its bloodiest conflicts  – and the key to it all was one man with one gun.

Women at War

War is a great catalyst for change. It motivates production and industry; it inspires new inventions and developments in technology; it promotes unity and common purpose amongst the population; and it has a dramatic effect on the lives of men, women and children alike. Of these three groups men often comprise the greatest proportion of casualties  – but how much attention is given to the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters they leave behind?

Image Credit: http://www.buzznet.com

During the Second World War, manpower – in its truest sense of the word – was greatly reduced as the vast majority of fit and able men went to the front line. In order to keep the nation moving women were called upon to do their part in a variety of different roles. What follows is a brief summary of some of the better known positions that women made their own, which it is hoped will serve as a testament to their courage, skill and determination throughout the conflicts.

‘Operation Overlord’

Image Credit: http://www.tumblr.com

On 6th June 1944, approximately 175,000 men and 50,000 vehicles were transported by 11,000 planes and 5,000 boats towards the Calvados region of France. ‘Operation Overlord’, the codename for the largest combined Allied offensive of the Second World War, had begun.