Being a WW2 vet, would Higgins really drive an Audi?

[Pahonu]

I also know that he testified about the Nazi bad treatments in these camps and that he represented the French prisoners of war at the Nuremberg trial in 1946 (he was a professionnal lawyer too).

Hey, my same grandfather covered the Nuremberg trials as a journalist after the war. Perhaps they brushed shoulders.

That is a wonderful opportunity, Styles ! My grandfather's name was Paul Georges Le-Friec: maybe you could find out some archive about him. All his souvenirs are held by my Aunt. I should ask her.

Really small world here at Magnum Mania!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

I also know that he testified about the Nazi bad treatments in these camps and that he represented the French prisoners of war at the Nuremberg trial in 1946 (he was a professionnal lawyer too).

Hey, my same grandfather covered the Nuremberg trials as a journalist after the war. Perhaps they brushed shoulders.

That is a wonderful opportunity, Styles ! My grandfather's name was Paul Georges Le-Friec: maybe you could find out some archive about him. All his souvenirs are held by my Aunt. I should ask her.

Really small world here at Magnum Mania!

Hi Guys,
The above is very interesting, it is indeed a small world and it is good to remember Canada was in the war too. By the way the actor Christopher Lee - member of the secret Special Operations Executive -
was at Nuremberg as well and supervised some of the hangings(some say he actually did the hanging). He never talked about it or most anything else he did during the war. Patrick Macnee, supposedly a
MTB skipper and David Niven as well had "cover" stories about their actual war records.

[80s Big Hair]

I also know that he testified about the Nazi bad treatments in these camps and that he represented the French prisoners of war at the Nuremberg trial in 1946 (he was a professionnal lawyer too).

Hey, my same grandfather covered the Nuremberg trials as a journalist after the war. Perhaps they brushed shoulders.

That is a wonderful opportunity, Styles ! My grandfather's name was Paul Georges Le-Friec: maybe you could find out some archive about him. All his souvenirs are held by my Aunt. I should ask her.

Really small world here at Magnum Mania!

Hi Guys,
The above is very interesting, it is indeed a small world and it is good to remember Canada was in the war too. By the way the actor Christopher Lee - member of the secret Special Operations Executive -
was at Nuremberg as well and supervised some of the hangings(some say he actually did the hanging). He never talked about it or most anything else he did during the war. Patrick Macnee, supposedly a
MTB skipper and David Niven as well had "cover" stories about their actual war records.

My paternal grandfather witnessed five hangings at Darmstadt Germany in 1945. He was a doctor in the U.S. Army Air Corps so he had to confirm the deaths. I have an original copy of the "E-X-T-R-A-C-T" of the military commission orders for one of the accused to be hanged. According to the extract eleven "German civilians acting jointly, did, together with other persons whose names are unknown, at RUSSELSHEIM, Germany, on or about 26 August 1944 wilfully, deliberately and wrongfully encourage, aid, abet and participate in the killing of (four names redacted by me), members of the United States Army, and two other members of the United States Army whose names are unknown, each of whom was then unarmed and a prisoner of war in the custody of the then German Reich."

All eleven plead not guilty and only one was found to be not guilty. The others were all found guilty. The extract is specific to one guy and lists his sentence "As to (name redacted by me): To be hanged by the neck until dead."

The extract is marked "R E S T R I C T E D" which is why I redacted names. More amazingly, I also have nine photographs of the hanging complete with a detailed description of what is going on in the picture on the back of it. On picture 7 my grandfather wrote, "An excellent action shot taken just as the trap door was sprung - By looking closely you can see the prisoner just starting down. The black hood is right below the railing." Gruesome stuff to leave me, but I also got a kick-ass Luger.

[Gorilla Mask]

Yes 'Eighties', you're right, that is strongly sordid... However, we should replace it in context...

From what i was aware of , my Grand Father never talked about it. I was a kind of taboo for him. He must have written some report(s) about it, after he came back from Nuremberg. Will take the opportunity to ask. There were some press clippings about it too, somewhere...

[Mad Kudu Buck]

The above is very interesting, it is indeed a small world and it is good to remember Canada was in the war too.

Do people in the US actually forget that Canada was in the war? How is that possible? Canada was in the war in 1939 while the Americans waited until Pearl Harbour two years later. Canadians liberated The Netherlands. (My grandfather was there.) Quote from Wikipedia, "Canada was the primary location of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the largest air force training program in history." By the end of the war Canada had the world's fourth largest air force, and third largest navy. That's not bad for a country of only 11 million people. (at the time)

The Nuremburg trial wasn't a "beacon of justice" - it was a travesty. "Confessions" were obtained by torture, crushing of testicles with pliers - among other tortures. At least 137 senior German officers were found to have "severe testicular damage".

Now it might sound like justice to crush your enemy's testicles (...sometimes I would dearly like to crush my enemy's testicles...), but how could you trust any confession, any information received by these methods? It was a mistrial.

[Styles Bitchley]

The above is very interesting, it is indeed a small world and it is good to remember Canada was in the war too.

Do people in the US actually forget that Canada was in the war? How is that possible? Canada was in the war in 1939 while the Americans waited until Pearl Harbour two years later. Canadians liberated The Netherlands. (My grandfather was there.) Quote from Wikipedia, "Canada was the primary location of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the largest air force training program in history." By the end of the war Canada had the world's fourth largest air force, and third largest navy. That's not bad for a country of only 11 million people. (at the time)

The Nuremburg trial wasn't a "beacon of justice" - it was a travesty. "Confessions" were obtained by torture, crushing of testicles with pliers - among other tortures. At least 137 senior German officers were found to have "severe testicular damage".

Now it might sound like justice to crush your enemy's testicles (...sometimes I would dearly like to crush my enemy's testicles...), but how could you trust any confession, any information received by these methods? It was a mistrial.

How many cans of worms is that? Lol.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Hi Guys,
The above is very interesting, it is indeed a small world and it is good to remember Canada was in the war too. By the way the actor Christopher Lee - member of the secret Special Operations Executive -
was at Nuremberg as well and supervised some of the hangings(some say he actually did the hanging). He never talked about it or most anything else he did during the war. Patrick Macnee, supposedly a
MTB skipper and David Niven as well had "cover" stories about their actual war records.

My paternal grandfather witnessed five hangings at Darmstadt Germany in 1945. He was a doctor in the U.S. Army Air Corps so he had to confirm the deaths. I have an original copy of the "E-X-T-R-A-C-T" of the military commission orders for one of the accused to be hanged. According to the extract eleven "German civilians acting jointly, did, together with other persons whose names are unknown, at RUSSELSHEIM, Germany, on or about 26 August 1944 wilfully, deliberately and wrongfully encourage, aid, abet and participate in the killing of (four names redacted by me), members of the United States Army, and two other members of the United States Army whose names are unknown, each of whom was then unarmed and a prisoner of war in the custody of the then German Reich."
All eleven plead not guilty and only one was found to be not guilty. The others were all found guilty. The extract is specific to one guy and lists his sentence "As to (name redacted by me): To be hanged by the neck until dead."
The extract is marked "R E S T R I C T E D" which is why I redacted names. More amazingly, I also have nine photographs of the hanging complete with a detailed description of what is going on in the picture on the back of it. On picture 7 my grandfather wrote, "An excellent action shot taken just as the trap door was sprung - By looking closely you can see the prisoner just starting down. The black hood is right below the railing." Gruesome stuff to leave me, but I also got a kick-ass Luger.

Hi 80's Big Hair,
I would suggest, if you are so inclined, that you might copy the above post and send it to the most excellent "World War II" magazine. They are superior to most any such mags in the field and far more professional.
It's the sort of thing - going by their past articles on reader's stories - they would do a story on, as opposed to the 10,000th same old same old bit on Rommel or Guderian that others do.
Plus the magazine isn't littered with creepy ads for Nazi reproductions aimed at the cretins who want to don a faux German army greatcoat, stand outside in the snow and pretend they are at Stalingrad.
Wouldn't it be nice to have your grandfather's service remembered? Their writer would work it up if they decided to use it. Their address is worldwar2@historynet.com.
Just a thought, ignore it if you please.
Regarding your Luger, my father and his 4 brothers sent home Lugers, Hitler Youth knives/badges etc etc but their mother buried it all on their farm in Baptistown, NJ as the Germans had razed her native village.
When they complained on their return she went after 2 of her hulking sons with a broom and chased them into a corn field,they didn't venture back for hours. Decorated combat veterans and still scared of
Mom! They never lived that down.

[80s Big Hair]

Do people in the US actually forget that Canada was in the war? How is that possible? Canada was in the war in 1939 while the Americans waited until Pearl Harbour two years later. Canadians liberated The Netherlands. (My grandfather was there.) Quote from Wikipedia, "Canada was the primary location of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the largest air force training program in history." By the end of the war Canada had the world's fourth largest air force, and third largest navy. That's not bad for a country of only 11 million people. (at the time)

My initial answer would have been, "Of course not. Americans were joining up with the Canadian and British services for years before America went to war." Then I remembered the state of public schools in America and thought, "Who knows what the heck people know now?"

[Pahonu]

Do people in the US actually forget that Canada was in the war? How is that possible? Canada was in the war in 1939 while the Americans waited until Pearl Harbour two years later. Canadians liberated The Netherlands. (My grandfather was there.) Quote from Wikipedia, "Canada was the primary location of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the largest air force training program in history." By the end of the war Canada had the world's fourth largest air force, and third largest navy. That's not bad for a country of only 11 million people. (at the time)

My initial answer would have been, "Of course not. Americans were joining up with the Canadian and British services for years before America went to war." Then I remembered the state of public schools in America and thought, "Who knows what the heck people know now?"

I’ve taught US history in a public high school for 25 years and on occasion, 19th and 20th century European history amongst other courses. The rise and fall of the British Empire and the participation of the Commonwealth nations in both world wars is part of the curriculum. That includes the ANZACS at Gallipoli in WWI and the Canadians at Juno Beach in WWII. It also includes the participation of French West African and South African combat units, and Indian troops who fought at the Somme. These groups were ignored in my high school lessons on WWI, but are included now.

I believe whether an individual knows such details or not is largely due to interest not age. I have colleagues with incredible knowledge in chemistry and physics, for example, who likely wouldn’t know or remember such details. I also have had 16 and 17 year olds that were fascinated by one of the world war that could tell me details about the conflict that I was unfamiliar with. There are incredible students and completely disinterested students today just as when I was in high school 35 years ago. It seems that each generation is critical of the next and that’s not a new phenomenon either. I heard such things when I was a student. Somehow the US has managed not to collapsed into some new dark age of knowledge in the last few generations!

[Styles Bitchley]

I believe whether an individual knows such details or not is largely due to interest not age. I have colleagues with incredible knowledge in chemistry and physics, for example, who likely wouldn’t know or remember such details. I also have had 16 and 17 year olds that were fascinated by one of the world war that could tell me details about the conflict that I was unfamiliar with. There are incredible students and completely disinterested students today just as when I was in high school 35 years ago. It seems that each generation is critical of the next and that’s not a new phenomenon either. I heard such things when I was a student. Somehow the US has managed not to collapsed into some new dark age of knowledge in the last few generations!

Interest certainly has a bearing on whether you retain the information you learn. I think we all remember those subjects from high school that we struggled to stay awake in - and the info just doesn't stick. That said, I think it says a lot about knowledge of Canada and the commonwealth - historical or otherwise - amongst Americans. As someone who has spent a lot of time south of the border over the years, I continue to be baffled by American's lack of even the most basic knowledge of Canada. I get it though, we're a bit boring (and we like it that way). Funnily enough, we even had a TV show that consisted completely of a popular Canadian comedian touring through the US asking passersby basic questions about Canada and other global issues. If you're up for a laugh (or a cry) look up some video's of Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans."

[Amian]

Interest certainly has a bearing on whether you retain the information you learn. I think we all remember those subjects from high school that we struggled to stay awake in - and the info just doesn't stick. That said, I think it says a lot about knowledge of Canada and the commonwealth - historical or otherwise - amongst Americans. As someone who has spent a lot of time south of the border over the years, I continue to be baffled by American's lack of even the most basic knowledge of Canada. I get it though, we're a bit boring (and we like it that way). Funnily enough, we even had a TV show that consisted completely of a popular Canadian comedian touring through the US asking passersby basic questions about Canada and other global issues. If you're up for a laugh (or a cry) look up some video's of Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans."

Rick Mercer is always funny, and those interviews fit the bill. Maybe a little crying, too.

My dad's from Canada and I lived there for 7 years as an adult but I grew up in the U.S. (where I live now), so I've seen the dynamic from different angles, too. I think that, for many Americans, Canada seems like just another region of the U.S. and presume it's nothing worth paying special attention to. The U.S. areas along the border are not so densely populated (Detroit and Buffalo being the exceptions, and maybe Seattle, though it's still 3 hours from Vancouver), so the impression is that there's just a bunch of wilderness extending north. If I recall correctly, about 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border, so the sheer physical proximity of the U.S. (not even considering the cultural and economic impacts) makes the U.S. feel ever-present in Canada. And since there isn't much Canadian culture drifting south, it's just out of sight, out of mind for Americans.

The other day I heard an interview with Christopher Plummer, recently deceased Canadian actor, on Fresh Air (with Terri Gross) and he mentioned that Canadians are stuck between being British and American, not fully being either, and that as a result they are often great imitators, hence the high number of actors and comedians from Canada. Just his view, of course, and it may reflect his generation more than younger ones, but interesting nonetheless.

[Pahonu]

Interest certainly has a bearing on whether you retain the information you learn. I think we all remember those subjects from high school that we struggled to stay awake in - and the info just doesn't stick. That said, I think it says a lot about knowledge of Canada and the commonwealth - historical or otherwise - amongst Americans. As someone who has spent a lot of time south of the border over the years, I continue to be baffled by American's lack of even the most basic knowledge of Canada. I get it though, we're a bit boring (and we like it that way). Funnily enough, we even had a TV show that consisted completely of a popular Canadian comedian touring through the US asking passersby basic questions about Canada and other global issues. If you're up for a laugh (or a cry) look up some video's of Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans."

Rick Mercer is always funny, and those interviews fit the bill. Maybe a little crying, too.

My dad's from Canada and I lived there for 7 years as an adult but I grew up in the U.S. (where I live now), so I've seen the dynamic from different angles, too. I think that, for many Americans, Canada seems like just another region of the U.S. and presume it's nothing worth paying special attention to. The U.S. areas along the border are not so densely populated (Detroit and Buffalo being the exceptions, and maybe Seattle, though it's still 3 hours from Vancouver), so the impression is that there's just a bunch of wilderness extending north. If I recall correctly, about 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border, so the sheer physical proximity of the U.S. (not even considering the cultural and economic impacts) makes the U.S. feel ever-present in Canada. And since there isn't much Canadian culture drifting south, it's just out of sight, out of mind for Americans.

The other day I heard an interview with Christopher Plummer, recently deceased Canadian actor, on Fresh Air (with Terri Gross) and he mentioned that Canadians are stuck between being British and American, not fully being either, and that as a result they are often great imitators, hence the high number of actors and comedians from Canada. Just his view, of course, and it may reflect his generation more than younger ones, but interesting nonetheless.

Great insights both! Now remember, both of my parents are Canadian. My father thought it was hilarious several years ago before he died when I showed him some YouTube clips of various comedians joking about Canada and the US. He liked one that joked about Canada is to the US as New Zealand is to Australia. I guess he liked analogy humor! Maybe there’s something to it though. He also liked one clip where the comedian described the most shocking and unexpected news headline humanly possible:

BREAKING NEWS, Canada invades US!

No one would believe it!

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

Great insights both! Now remember, both of my parents are Canadian. My father thought it was hilarious several years ago before he died when I showed him some YouTube clips of various comedians joking about Canada and the US. He liked one that joked about Canada is to the US as New Zealand is to Australia. I guess he liked analogy humor! Maybe there’s something to it though. He also liked one clip where the comedian described the most shocking and unexpected news headline humanly possible:
BREAKING NEWS, Canada invades US!
No one would believe it!
[/quote]

Pahonu,
I take exception to the idea Americans know nothing about The Great White North. For instance I know the first 3 Prime Ministers were Red Green, Raymond Burr and Justin Bieber.
That the first time a Canadian boy writes his name it's in the snow and that Big Foot is known as "Big 0.3048 Meter" up there.
As for your Dad's most unlikely headline "Canada Invades US", you firebugs and your British arsonist abettors pulled the infamous Torching The White House Caper in 1814, the
Capitol building only saved by a passing thunderstorm.
Okay so maybe a Yankee tourist accidentally dropped a match in the capital of Upper Canada previous to that but it was an accident, that's our story and we are sticking to it.
Anyway, if Canada does one day take over the US it won't be an invasion, it will be a needed intervention.
I have been to many places and a good 15 times to Canada and I think they are just about the finest people anywhere, outside of New Jersey of course.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain."
- Pierre Trudeau

[Pahonu]

Great insights both! Now remember, both of my parents are Canadian. My father thought it was hilarious several years ago before he died when I showed him some YouTube clips of various comedians joking about Canada and the US. He liked one that joked about Canada is to the US as New Zealand is to Australia. I guess he liked analogy humor! Maybe there’s something to it though. He also liked one clip where the comedian described the most shocking and unexpected news headline humanly possible:
BREAKING NEWS, Canada invades US!
No one would believe it!

Pahonu,
I take exception to the idea Americans know nothing about The Great White North. For instance I know the first 3 Prime Ministers were Red Green, Raymond Burr and Justin Bieber.
That the first time a Canadian boy writes his name it's in the snow and that Big Foot is known as "Big 0.3048 Meter" up there.
As for your Dad's most unlikely headline "Canada Invades US", you firebugs and your British arsonist abettors pulled the infamous Torching The White House Caper in 1814, the
Capitol building only saved by a passing thunderstorm.
Okay so maybe a Yankee tourist accidentally dropped a match in the capital of Upper Canada previous to that but it was an accident, that's our story and we are sticking to it.
Anyway, if Canada does one day take over the US it won't be an invasion, it will be a needed intervention.
I have been to many places and a good 15 times to Canada and I think they are just about the finest people anywhere, outside of New Jersey of course.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain."
- Pierre Trudeau
[/quote]

LMAO!!!

I have family in both Canada and New Jersey. Decisions, decisions???

[Gorilla Mask]

In France I deplore the fact that we don't have more curiosity with Canadians while our contemporary history shares such a common ground.

In general, the French are unaware of many things about Canada, including regarding our cousins in Quebec. My compatriots tend to take Québécois with some kind of patronizing , which I dislike to the utmost.

On the rare occasions when I've come across Québécois in France (or French-speaking Canadians), I've been struck by their simplicity, frankness and sincerity . Far away from the conveniences and the mundane tone "A la Française".