World War II Stories | 60 Minutes Marathon
04 Jul 2024 (2 months ago)
The Ritchie Boys (Part 1)
- The "Richie Boys" were a secret American intelligence unit during World War II, primarily composed of German-born Jews who fled Nazism and joined the US Army.
- They received specialized training in espionage and frontline interrogation at Camp Ritchie, the Army's first centralized school for intelligence and psychological warfare.
- Chosen for their knowledge of European languages, cultures, and high IQs, the Richie Boys played a vital role in gathering intelligence on the Western Front, contributing to the Allied victory.
- Guy Stern, one of the last surviving Richie Boys, left Nazi Germany as a teenager and returned to Europe to fight against the Nazis during the war.
- The Richie Boys exemplified the unity and determination of immigrants who came together to fight for a common cause against a common enemy.
The Ritchie Boys (Part 2)
- The Richie boys were a group of German-speaking Jewish refugees who fought for the Allies in World War II.
- They landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and helped liberate Paris.
- They interrogated captured Nazi soldiers and civilians to extract key strategic information.
- They used various techniques, including complicity, deception, and a friendly approach, to get people to open up.
- The Richie boys made a major contribution to every battle on the Western Front by delivering important tactical information quickly.
- They played a crucial role in convincing German units to surrender without fighting by using their knowledge of the German language and psychology to craft effective messages.
- Some Richie boys, like Max Lerner, undertook secret missions, such as disguising himself as a German officer to destroy equipment.
- After the war, they hunted down top Nazi officers responsible for war atrocities.
The Ritchie Boys (Part 3)
- The Richie Boys were a secret American intelligence group composed of Jewish refugees from Europe who played a crucial role in the Allied victory over Hitler.
- After the war, they used their language and interrogation skills to find and arrest top Nazi war criminals and helped enact the denazification process in Germany.
- They led tours of concentration camps to educate the local population about the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
- The Richie Boys also played a crucial role in the Nuremberg Trials, collecting evidence and prosecuting high-ranking Nazis.
- Some Richie Boys were captured and executed by the Germans because of their Jewish identity.
- Despite the hardships they faced, the Richie Boys are proud of their service and feel they earned the right to be called Americans.
Attu
- The Battle of Attu, fought in May 1943, was the only ground campaign in North America during World War II.
- The Japanese invaded Attu in June 1942, fearing it could be used as a launching pad to attack the west coast of the United States.
- American Sergeant Dick L. encountered Japanese soldiers who had captured an American mortar and threw grenades, killing eight of them, including Paul Tatsuguchi.
- Dick L. was haunted by the memory of killing Tatsuguchi and suffered nightmares for years.
- 41 years after the war, Dick L. visited Tatsuguchi's daughter, Laura Tatsuguchi Davis, in California and revealed that he had killed her father.
- Laura Davis initially felt anger and resentment towards Dick L. but later forgave him.
- Laura wrote a letter to Dick Lair expressing her understanding of his actions and absolving him of any guilt, which brought him solace and allowed him to sleep without nightmares.
- Despite the tragic circumstances, Laura and Dick became friends and often met in Tucson.
- A monument of peace was erected by the Japanese government near the spot where Laura's father was killed.
The Forger
- Adalo Kaminsky, a talented forger, risked his life during World War II to save Jews by creating fake identity documents.
- Kaminsky worked tirelessly in a secret lab in Paris, producing false papers that helped save approximately 14,000 Jewish individuals.
- The resistance networks provided fake identity papers to Jewish children, enabling them to escape detection and persecution.
- Kaminsky's expertise extended to creating stamps, watermarks, letterheads, and official signatures, ensuring the authenticity of the fake documents.
- Despite saving an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 Jewish children, Kaminsky remains humble and believes he simply met the challenge and was fortunate to be able to help.
- During World War II, 76,000 Jews in France were sent to death camps, with only about 2,500 surviving.
- Kaminsky was awarded the Medal of the Resistance and other medals for his actions, but he keeps them hidden in a suitcase under his bed.
Ultra Secret
- During World War II, Britain faced imminent defeat, but Winston Churchill and a few others knew about the secret ability to decipher the unbreakable German code, known as the Ultra secret.
- At Bletchley Park, a team of mathematicians, musicians, and puzzle enthusiasts, led by Fred Winterbottom, worked tirelessly to break the Enigma code, a sophisticated cipher machine used by the Germans.
- Despite the challenges, the team at Bletchley Park managed to break the Enigma settings and codes within minutes, providing vital intelligence to Churchill and the British military.
- Churchill considered Ultra information so crucial that he threatened to execute anyone who revealed the secret and chose not to evacuate Coventry despite knowing about the impending German bombing to keep the source a secret.
- Ultra provided crucial intelligence, such as the number of serviceable aircraft and fuel levels of enemy units, which proved decisive in the Battle of the Atlantic.
- Field commanders like Generals Bradley and Patton relied heavily on Ultra intelligence, but General Mark Clark did not fully utilize it, missing an opportunity at Anzio.
- Ultra, a top-secret intelligence source, provided General Eisenhower with precise information about German troop positions and helped deceive the Germans about the true location of the D-Day invasion, saving thousands of Allied lives and contributing significantly to the Allied victory.
- Enigma intelligence was crucial for the success of the D-Day Landings, and without it, the landings would have been delayed by up to two years.
A Forgotten Corner of Hell
- The Bent Prop Project, led by Pat Scannon, searches for the remains of American servicemen missing in action during World War II, particularly in the Pacific island nation of Palau.
- Despite the passage of time, the team has discovered the remains of American planes and the missing Airmen, including the B24 bomber "453" and its crew of 11.
- The team's efforts have led to the recovery and identification of missing Airmen by the US military, bringing closure to their families.
- The Bent Prop Project is searching for the remains of three crew members who parachuted out of a plane but were captured and executed by the Japanese.
- The team has found debris from at least 30 American planes and recovered eight airmen from Palau, with an estimated 70 to 80 American airmen still missing in the area.
- The Bent Prop Project has joined forces with a team from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Delaware to use advanced technology to scan large areas of the ocean for wreckage.
- The team recently discovered debris from an American Avenger plane that was shot down in 1945, containing the remains of American servicemen.
- Bent Prop holds small ceremonies to honor the missing airmen, unfurl American and POW flags, speak about the men who were lost, and recite a poem called "For the Fallen."
A Survivor's March
- The Bataan Memorial Death March is an annual marathon held in New Mexico to commemorate the forced march of American and Filipino soldiers by the Japanese Army during World War II.
- Colonel Ben Skardon, a 98-year-old survivor of the actual Bataan Death March, participates in the marathon every year to honor those who lost their lives.
- Despite the physical and emotional challenges, Colonel Skardon remains determined to complete the marathon's first 8.5 miles each year, accompanied by his supporters known as "Ben's Brigade."
- Ben Skardon, a former prisoner of war, endured harsh conditions, including food and water scarcity, and witnessed the deaths of fellow prisoners during the march.
- Ben Garden, a 99-year-old veteran, participates in an 8.5-mile march to honor fallen Clemson graduates, Otis Morgan and Henry Lightner, who saved his life during World War II.
- Ben reflects on his survival during the war and feels a sense of wonderment about it, considering it a mystery why he made it home while others didn't.
- Despite his age, Ben remains determined and completes his personal march, reaching the finish line with reminders of suffering and valor in war that span generations.
Hiroshima
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the two Japanese cities devastated by atomic bombs during World War II, causing widespread destruction and killing over 100,000 people in each city.
- The bombs also led to severe radiation sickness, resulting in numerous deaths in the aftermath.
- Despite the catastrophic impact, both cities have been rebuilt and are now thriving.
- The atomic bombs marked the beginning of the nuclear age, profoundly altering the course of human history.
- The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) was established to study the long-term effects of the bombs on survivors and their children, revealing various forms of cancer with different latency periods.
- Some survivors, like Atsuko Yamamoto and Michiko Yamaoka, faced social stigma and discrimination due to their victim status.
- The Japanese do not harbor bitterness towards the United States for the bombings, recognizing it as a wartime necessity.
- The ethical dilemma of using the atomic bomb lies with the United States, as Japan would likely have used it against them if they had possessed it.
- Despite the horrors of Hiroshima, the Japanese people have demonstrated remarkable resilience, rebuilding their nation into a prosperous and modern society.
- The use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima has prevented nuclear war since 1945 due to its deterrent effect, but concerns arise due to the expansion of the nuclear club and the potential for less rational actors to acquire nuclear weapons.
Hitler's Secret Archive
- The Nazis meticulously documented the Holocaust, with 50 million pages of documents and 16 miles of storage shelves.
- These documents include arrest warrants, prisoner lists, and execution details, such as Oskar Schindler's List, which saved 1,000 prisoners.
- The archive also contains the file of Anne Frank, who tragically passed away at age 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
- Holocaust survivors Walter Fiden, Mickey Schwarz, and Jack Rosenthal were the first to visit the archive after it was kept private for over 60 years due to privacy concerns.
- Schwarz discovered a mysterious reprieve from a transport list to the Dora concentration camp, while Walter Feiden, a 13-year-old prisoner, was one of only two people on a list of 50 marked for the same camp.
- Despite the horrors they faced, both Feiden and Rosenthal survived and were liberated by American soldiers in 1945.
- The Buchenwald archive is undergoing digital scanning for distribution to research centers, potentially revealing unknown history to other survivors.
- Feiden and Rosenthal expressed gratitude for the chance to review their documents and gain insights into their Holocaust experiences.
The Mascot
- Alex Kuram, a Jewish boy, witnessed the Nazis killing his family and escaped into the forest during World War II.
- Captured by Nazi soldiers, he became their mascot, given a new name, and forced to witness the execution of Jewish people.
- After the war, Alex migrated to Australia, married, and had a family, keeping his past a secret for over 50 years.
- Compelled by haunting questions, he embarked on a journey to uncover his true identity and origins, discovering his hometown in Belarus and a half-brother he never knew existed.
- Alex learned that his father had survived a concentration camp and believed his entire family had perished. He visited his mother's grave and paid tribute to the victims of the Nazi massacre in his village.
Saving the Children
- Nicholas Winton, a 29-year-old Londoner, organized the rescue of 669 Jewish children, known as the "Winton children," from Nazi persecution in Prague in 1938.
- Despite facing challenges, including resistance from the British bureaucracy and the need to forge travel documents, Winton successfully arranged for the children's transport to Britain before the outbreak of World War II.
- Hugo Misel, a 10-year-old boy at the time, was one of the children saved by Winton's efforts. He witnessed the arrival of the Germans in Czechoslovakia and the subsequent violence against Jews before being sent to England on one of the Kindertransport trains.
- The last Kindertransport train scheduled to leave Prague on September 1, 1939, was canceled due to the outbreak of World War II, resulting in the loss of many lives.
- Winton's humanitarian efforts remained largely unknown for almost 50 years until a BBC documentary in 1988 revealed his story, leading to recognition and reunions with the children he saved.
- Nicholas Winton, known for his modesty, has dedicated his life to helping mentally handicapped individuals and constructing homes for the elderly.
- Winton's heroic actions during World War II earned him recognition in the Czech Republic, where he was knighted as Sir Nicholas Winton.
- The children saved by Winton went on to have families, resulting in numerous descendants who would not exist without his intervention.
The Nuremberg Prosecutor
- Ben Ferencz, the 97-year-old last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor, was 27 when he took on the challenging task of prosecuting 22 Nazi Einsatzgruppen commanders at Trial Number Nine in Nuremberg.
- Born in Romania to poor Jewish parents, Ferencz immigrated to the US as a baby and enlisted in the Army after Pearl Harbor.
- Despite being rejected by the Air Corp and Marines due to his short stature, he landed on the beach at Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
- After the war, he married his childhood sweetheart and vowed never to return to Germany.
- He was later asked to direct a team of researchers in Berlin, where they uncovered top-secret documents detailing the atrocities committed by the SS Einsatzgruppen.
- Ferencz presented overwhelming evidence against the defendants, including their own reports detailing the mass murder of Jews, and argued that they were carrying out their government's orders without remorse.
- Deeply affected by the trial and the atrocities he uncovered, Ferencz dedicated his life to establishing an international court to deter war crimes and prevent similar crimes from happening again.
- Despite ongoing genocides and conflicts, Ferencz emphasizes the importance of courage and perseverance in the pursuit of peace.
- Benjamin Ferencz, a renowned international law expert, believes that war turns otherwise decent people into murderers and advocates for "never war, never give up" to promote genocide prevention.
- At 97, Ferencz continues to display wisdom, energy, and passion, drawing strength from his belief in the righteousness of his cause.
Talking to the Past (Part 1)
- A new project aims to preserve the ability to interact with and learn from Holocaust survivors using advanced technology, as survivors are now in their 80s and 90s.
- Holocaust survivor Aaron Elster, who passed away two years ago, was interviewed using this technology, allowing for a unique posthumous conversation.
- The USC Shoah Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg, has collected testimonies from nearly 55,000 survivors, but the project creator, Heather Mayo, envisioned a more dynamic way to engage with them.
- Artificial intelligence tools inspired the creation of a "bubble" equipped with lights and cameras to capture survivors' interviews from various angles.
- Holocaust survivor Sam Pinkus was the first to participate in a trial run of the project, spending a week answering nearly 2,000 questions.
- The goal is to future-proof the interviews so that they can adapt to technological advancements, such as 3D hologram-like projections.
- The Shoah Foundation has recorded interviews with 21 Holocaust survivors, creating a mobile rig to record survivors near their homes.
- Researchers isolate each answer from the interviews and input various ways of asking the same question to ensure the system provides accurate responses.
- Students test the system in schools, asking questions and evaluating the accuracy of the answers.
Talking to the Past (Part 2)
- The USC Shoah Foundation's project creates digital interviews with Holocaust survivors, like Eva Kor, to preserve their stories and enable meaningful conversations even after they are gone.
- Eva Kor, an identical twin who survived Auschwitz, shared her experiences, including the experiments conducted by Dr. Joseph Mengele, before passing away at 85.
- Despite Mengele's cruel experiments and prediction that she had only two weeks to live, Eva found the strength to prove him wrong.
- Eva's controversial decision to forgive her Nazi captors, which she saw as an act of self-healing and empowerment, drew criticism from other survivors.
- Another survivor, Aaron Ster, hid in the attic of a Polish couple's building for nearly two years to escape persecution, receiving only minimal sustenance during that time.
- Holocaust survivors emphasize the significance of learning from the past, not seeking revenge, and preserving their stories for future generations.
- A new technology using artificial intelligence allows people to interact with pre-recorded interviews of deceased individuals, including Holocaust survivors, creating a more immersive and personalized learning experience.
- The technology has the potential to expand beyond Holocaust survivors and be used for interviews with various historical figures and experts.
- There is a race against time to capture as many interviews with Holocaust survivors as possible while they are still with us.