All articles tagged with #wwii
Heat and drought sweeping across Western Europe are exposing buried World War I and World War II ordnance, forcing emergency responses, prompting cautious disposal efforts, and raising the risk of detonations as authorities adapt to the new threat.
Record-low Danube water levels expose at least 20 German WWII shipwrecks near Prahovo, many still containing weapons after 1944 scuttling to block the Soviet advance; Serbia is funding a roughly €30 million cleanup, though clearance is slow, and other relics such as a Wehrmacht motorcycle, a British bomb, and woolly mammoth remains emerge, illustrating how drought reveals history while also challenging navigation and tourism on Europe’s great river.
Record-low Danube water levels amid a severe drought reveal dozens of World War II German ships and other relics along the river, including a wreck from Hitler’s Black Sea fleet and a German motorcycle in Budapest; some vessels may still carry explosives, complicating removal efforts. The drought also makes navigation dangerous and highlights Europe’s evolving energy pressures as the river crosses 10 countries.
Extreme drought in the Danube near Budapest has yielded WWII relics: the bodies of two German soldiers with their identity discs intact, and a WWII motorbike believed to be a DKW NZ 350-1, along with a petrol can and Tellermine 35 anti-tank mines. The remains will be reburied at the Budaörs war cemetery, and more discoveries could follow if the water stays unusually low.
Automotive writer David Tracy argues that Jeeps have consistently underdelivered on rear-seat space since WWII, with wheel-well humps and a narrow floor limiting to four passengers; he traces the evolution from the MB to the CJ-2A and beyond, contrasts with rivals like the Toyota Land Cruiser that offered more seating, notes rare exceptions such as Reagan-era CJ-6 jump seats, and explains safety and roll-bar constraints that kept the cramped layout, making group off-road adventures difficult despite Jeep’s off-road prowess.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior officials handed back Poland’s Order of the White Eagle after Warsaw said it would revoke the honour, a move tied to a widening WWII-era dispute over the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), accused of massacres of Poles. Poland’s president had announced he would strip Zelenskiy of the award; Kyiv criticized the decision as a strategic misstep and urged reflection rather than political posturing. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged calm to avoid further escalation, while Kyiv said the broader alliance against Russia remains intact.
World leaders and the last remaining D-Day veterans gathered in Normandy to mark the 82nd anniversary of the 1944 landings, with ceremonies at Langrune-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer honoring about 160,000 Allied troops and more than 4,400 killed on D-Day. Six of the final veterans attended the British Normandy Memorial, and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and UK Defence Secretary John Healey paid respects, underscoring Operation Overlord as the largest seaborne invasion in history and the enduring sacrifice that helped liberate Europe.
Pressure aims to dramatize the D-Day lead-up through rival meteorologists, but the film is dull and overreliant on trivia about weather data; despite Andrew Scott’s Stagg and Brendan Fraser’s Eisenhower, the central meteorological conflict lacks real stakes and the promised disaster never materializes, leaving the war-drama with little dramatic payoff.
A taut WWII drama centered on Captain James Stagg, the meteorologist who advised delaying the Normandy landings, as Andrew Scott’s wary weatherman clashes with Brendan Fraser’s Eisenhower. Adapted from David Haig’s stage play by Anthony Maras, Pressure is a lean 100-minute chamber piece that foregrounds weather, science and leadership, delivering tense, quietly gripping performances and a timely meditation on truth, expertise, and decision under pressure.
A 250kg German World War II bomb found at a Plymouth building site in the Southway area will be detonated in place after one fuse couldn’t be safely assessed; about 1,200 nearby homes are evacuated within a 400m exclusion zone as mitigation measures—including sand barriers and a protective structure—aim to limit blast damage. Evacuation centers and hotel accommodations are in place, with schools closed, and authorities say there are no immediate plans to extend the cordon, following a prior large Plymouth evacuation in 2024.
Nuremberg, James Vanderbilt’s WWII-era thriller starring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, quietly climbed into Netflix’s Top 10 after its March 7 release, earning praise for Crowe’s performance and the film’s historical focus despite a modest box office and lack of major award nominations.
A 250kg British WWII bomb found near Dresden’s Carola Bridge was defused, triggering the city’s largest evacuation (about 18,000 people) and cordoning off much of the old town. After explosive ordnance disposal removed the detonator, residents could return and traffic restrictions were lifted; the device will be disposed of at Zeithain, with emergency accommodation set up at the Dresden Exhibition Centre.
Tommy Shelby returns in a 1940-set feature that pairs Cillian Murphy’s composed ruthlessness with Barry Keoghan’s volatile Duke against a Nazi-forgery plot; stylish production, sharp costumes and a fan-service mix of brutal action and quiet pathos render it a polished, sentiment‑rich sendoff that should find Netflix audiences after a brief theatrical run.
A car writer enlists his longtime engineer friend to help launch a Willys WWII Jeep build using mostly eBay-sourced parts. They pull and rebuild a reference engine, assemble a new motor, refresh the transmission, inspect axles, and navigate fitment hiccups, all while turning a garage project into a collaborative, high‑stakes restoration effort.
Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest active National Park Service ranger who shared her experiences of life during WWII and was a trailblazer for Black Americans, has died at age 104. She served at Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, educating visitors and inspiring many, including President Obama. Her life was marked by resilience, activism, and a lasting legacy, including a school named in her honor.