The Reichstag and the Nazis

In Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is considered to be the most visited site in the city, mainly due to its rich history and its modern symbolism of reunified Germany. However, one block down from the Gate is the second most visited site in Berlin: the Reichstag building. Home to the modern day German parliament, the Bundestag, the Reichstag building itself has a rich history which includes the role the building played in the creation of the Nazi dictatorship in 1933.

Reichstag circa 1900

The building was constructed in the mid 1880s, in order to house the parliaments of the recently united German states. It was during its construction that the famous words "Dem Deutschen Volke", or "For the German People", were etched on the front of the building, over the objections of Kaiser Wilhelm II due to its democratic implications. The building became the site of many political rallies during the First World War, such as those celebrating the start of the war. Into the Weimar Republic, other rallies were held to protest the harshness of the Versailles Treaty. However, it is in 1933 that the building became the center of fear and hysteria.

In 1933 Adolf Hitler had been recently appointed Reichschancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg, the former supreme army commander during WWI. However, Hitler's power was still tempered by the chain of command in the Weimar government, which said that while the chancellor had most executive powers, he could still be overruled by the President. There was a way around this, however. In the Weimar constitution, there is a bill that states that the Chancellor could be given emergency powers in the event of a threat to the security of the government and the nation. Hitler, of course, did not wait for crisis to occur on its own.

The Reichstag on fire 2/27/33

On the night of February 27, a fire broke out in the Reichstag building.This fire destroyed much of the inside structure, but the building itself still stood. The real effect of the fire was of a political nature. Hitler immediately claimed that the fire was set on orders from the German Communist Party, coincidentally the Nazi party's biggest rival in the parliament.  It was on this basis, that the Communists were preparing to overthrow the Weimar government, that President Hindenburg granted Hitler the emergency powers he had asked for. This allowed Hitler to arrest many Communists, effectively disposing of Hitler's last rival.

Also, because Hitler possessed emergency powers, he was able to pass the Enabling Act, which effectively suspended all civil liberties. Finally, it was through these powers that Hitler was able to merge the offices of President and Chancellor, making himself the de facto dictator of Germany. Meanwhile, the responsibility of the Reichstag Fire was pinned on Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe, who was summarily executed. Interestingly enough, the events that took place in Germany at this time are almost paralleled in the Star Wars prequel movies regarding Senator/chancellor/Emperor Palpatine.

Historians have argued for many years about whether van der Lubbe was acting on orders from the Communist party, the Nazi party, or whether the SA, the Nazi's police force, had set the fire themselves and van der Lubbe was a convenient scapegoat. To this day the motives and plots surrounding the Reichstag fire remain a mystery.

During the war, the Reichstag was never repaired, because the Nazis had effectively disbanded the parliament and built a new executive building. The building was damaged further by Allied bombings of Berlin, and in the Soviet's offensive on the city considerable manpower was channeled into capturing the building due to its symbolic standing. The photo of a Soviet soldier placing the flag on the Reichstag was, in fact, staged. The Soviets had taken the building three days prior.

After the war, the building was essentially an abandoned ruin. A half-hearted restoration was undertaken in the 1960s to protect the building from the elements, but because both East and West Germany had no need of it, the building lay unrestored until the fall of the Berlin Wall. After the Wall fell, the decision was made to make Berlin the capital of Germany again, and the building was 'restored', by this I mean everything but the outside walls was completely redone. Also, because the cupola, the dome on top, was severely damaged, a new glass dome was affixed to the building. Today, the Reichstag houses the German parliament and remains a popular tourist attraction.

Soviet graffiti in the Reichstag

 In summary, the Reichstag building served as both a symbol of unity and a means of political upheaval in its lifetime. Without the Reichstag Fire, Hitler's power may have been tempered up to Hindenburg's death in 1934, in which case who knows how he might have become dictator, if at all. Until next time, take care, and thank you for reading.

Hollywood at War: The Actors Who Served

Many moviegoers know that during World War II, many people were called to war, and those working in Hollywood were no exception. Some of the more famous names to appear include the 38th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, who enlisted in the Army Air Corps but was limited in his duties due to nearsightedness. However, he was recruited to appear in training videos for the AAC, including a documentary about a tail gunner of a B-17 bomber. While Reagan is probably the most well-known actor to have served in the war, there are many others who either started in Hollywood before the war or would go on to become notable actors, and actresses, themselves.



Jimmy Stewart



There are two categories to this tale: one being people who had careers in Hollywood before the war and were either drafted or enlisted voluntarily, and the other being those who would later become famous in Hollywood after their service was completed. There are some big names in the first category, one of the more famous being Jimmy Stewart. Stewart made many films before and after the war; many people will remember "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", but many more remember him for the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life". After the former and before the latter films, James Stewart's military career almost didn't happen. While he was initially drafted into the US Army, he was too short and too light to qualify. After this, he enlisted the aid of a famous trainer from MGM to help him gain weight so he could get into the Army Air Corps, which eventually succeeded.

From early 1942 to the end of the war, Stewart was moved back and forth from the front to stateside a few times, making a training video here and there. He also worked his way up the ranks, and from starting as a private, Stewart was one of only a handful of Americans to rise to Colonel in only 4 years. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice as commander of the 453rd Bombardment Group, ending his wartime career as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing of the Eighth Air Force. In fact, after the war he stayed in the Air Force Reserve well into the 1960s, eventually gaining the rank of Brigadier General, although this did not hamper his film career.



Clark Gable



 Other notable names in this first category include Clark Gable of "Gone with the Wind" fame. While he was too old to be drafted at wars start, he did enlist into the AAC. He was trained as a rear gunner and in 1943 was requested to film a training film about rear gunners. Although not required, he flew combat missions in order to get the footage he felt was necessary. He was relieved from active duty in 1944 at his own request with the rank of major. Another name of note is Henry Fonda, whose prewar career was limited, but went on after the war to do other great films. His best known prewar film is probably "The Grapes of Wrath", for which he was nominated for Best Actor 1940, but lost to Jimmy Stewart for "The Philadelphia Story".  During the war, Fonda served in the US Navy, earning the Bronze Star for Valor. After the war, Fonda went on to star alongside such names as John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn, and Shirley Temple.



Carroll O'Connor



Besides these characters, there are some notable names in the second category, those whose film careers picked up after the war. Notables in this category include Tony Curtis, who joined the US Navy in 1943 at 17, and witnessed the signing of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Father of Jamie Lee Curtis, he also starred in many films during the so-called Golden Age of film of the 1950s and 60s, including "Some Like It Hot" opposite Marilyn Monroe. Another such name is Burgess Merideth, who joined the USAAC, and is best known for his role as Rocky's trainer in the first three films of the franchise. Also, Carrol O'Connor served in the Merchant Marine in 1942, and went on to star in many films related to World War II after the war, such as "Kelly's Heroes", but he is best known for his role as Archie Bunker from the 1970s TV show "All in the Family".



Don Rickles beside Clint Eastwood
in "Kelly's Heroes"



There are many more famous names who served in the war. Charles Schultz, cartoonist of "Peanuts" since before the war, served in the Army as a staff sergeant and head of a machine gun squad. Rod Serling, host of "the Twilight Zone" among other things, served as an Army paratrooper. Don Rickles, noted comedian and actor, served in the US Navy on a destroyer. Lee Marvin, later starred in "The Dirty Dozen", served as a US Marine and was wounded in the Battle of Saipan. Julia Child served with the OSS in china, the precursor to the modern CIA. Audrey Hepburn, as a child, served as a courier for the Dutch Resistance. Even Mel Brooks served as a combat engineer during the war, clearing away land mines after the Battle of the Bulge.

While there are many more people that fit this bill, they can't all be named in this one article because whole books have been written on the subject of actors and actresses serving in wartime. I believe it just goes to show that wartime is a time which requires everyone to do their part, and these people recognized that. Until next time, take care, and thank you for reading.

Taranto: The Pearl Harbor before Pearl Harbor

When people think of a sneak attack in the context of World War II, many people would think of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which caught the US Pacific fleet unawares and almost put the entire fleet out of action. Many people believe that Pearl Harbor marks the death knell for the battleship era and the beginning of the aga of naval air supremacy. However, there were other moments prior to Pearl Harbor that demonstrate the same change in eras. There was the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful battleship of its time sunk by antiquated biplanes. These antiques also participated in their own Pearl Harbor raid: the British naval air attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto. The name of the game: Operation Judgement.

In the latter half of 1940, the war was going in Hitler's favor. Poland had fallen, France and the Low Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands) had been conquered, Germany and the Soviet Union were at peace for the time being, and Hitler's next target was Britain. Amidst all this, Germany's ally in the Meditteranean had been expanding its fleet and was in a position to claim naval superiority. This was a nightmare waiting to happen for Britain because if the Italians gained control of the Meditteranean, Britain would essentilly be cut off from its holdings east of the Suez Canal such as India, which were providing supplies and troops to Britain.

The decision was made to coax the Italian fleet into battle with British warships based out of Malta. The date was set for October 21, the anniversary of the British victory over Napoleon's invasion fleet in 1805. However, the Italian fleet did not want to risk their capital ships in a single engagement, and seemed content to stay in their home port of Taranto. This gave British officials the idea that if the Italians wouldn't come to the British, the British would have to go to the Italians.

A harrowing and dangerous reconnaissance flight through Taranto (not over, through the harbor at low altitude against heavy anti-aircraft fire) the day before the raid showed that the Italians had six battleships and five heavy cruisers moored in the harbor.  The plan was to send two waves of Fairey Swordfish biplanes, the same type that sank Bismarck in 1941, off the British aircraft carrier Illustrious. The first wave was to be personally commanded by Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Williamson, and consisted of 12 planes mainly armed with a single torpedo each, but two of the planes had bombs and two had bombs and flares meant to mark the positions of targets for the second wave.

The attack happened on the night of November 11/12 1940. The Italians had laid out a ballon barrage, a series of nonrigid blimps on strings used as obstacles for enemy pilots to avoid and place in the fire of anti-aircraft batteries, to protect the harbor earlier. However, these balloons had all been destroyed by a storm earlier in the night, so the British had a free run at the Italians. While a few of the Swordfish were shot down, including Lt. Cmdr Williamson's, the raid was a complete success. At least two of the battleships moored at the harbor never sailed again. Those that were damaged had to be beached to prevent sinking, or floated by salvage teams and repaired later.

Most of the other ships damaged were repaired in a span of about six months, but the psychological impact on the Italian navy never fully healed. Like the Germans after the sinking of the Bismarck, the Italians would never again commit any of their capital ships to an engagement with the British. This is significant because the Italian battleships were just as good if not better than the British, and the few times after the raid that the British and Italian navies met, had the Italian battleships engaged the British instead of running away, British casualties would have definitely been higher, and victory may not have been assured. Until next time, take care, and thank you for reading.