Naming the Gestapo

"...Neighbors turned surly; petty jealousies flared into denunciations made to the SA- the Storm Troopers- or to the newly founded Geheime Staatspolizei, only just becoming known by it's acronym, Gestapo (GEheime STAatsPOlizei), coined by a post office clerk seeking a less cumbersome way of identifying the agency."

The Gestapo's reputation for omniscience and malevolence arose from a confluence of two phenomena: first, a political climate in which merely criticizing the government could get one arrested, and second, the existence of a populace eager not just to step in line...but also to use Nazi sensitivities to satisfy individual needs and salve jealousies. One study of Nazi records found that a sample of 213 denunciations, 37% arose from ...private conflicts, with the trigger often breathtakingly trivial...Germans denounced one another with such gusto that senior Nazi officials urged the populace to be more discriminating...Hitler himself acknowledged..."we are living at present in a sea of denunciations and human meanness."

Really? You think so?

Those last two comments were from me!

From Erik Larson's bestseller "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin", 2011.

Shelters: Living Underground in the London Blitz

"...British government policy on the provision of air-raid shelters was to encourage maximum dispersal of the population during attacks, and to issue each household with a small prefabricated metal shelter of the type designed by the Home Office official, Dr. David Anderson, after whom they were named. Large public shelters were to be provided only in areas where use of Anderson shelters was impractical and, in the case of London, underground stations were not to be made available for this purpose. The government feared that their use would create a "shelter mentality" and that people would refuse to leave them during the day."

"...The German "Blitzkrieg" on London began the night of September 7, 1940. Many parts of central London were too densely built-up for Anderson shelters to have been erected, and many people felt that underground basements, railway arches and the deeper underground stations offered the best protection. The basements of many buildings were thus taken over for use as shelters and railway arches were bricked-up and protected with sandbags."

"...The pressure on the governement to recognise these places as official shelters was so great that by the middle of September it had reversed its policy. It instituted official supervision by appointing Shelter marshals and by providing latrines and first aid staff and equipment. Apprehensions about the use of underground stations proved...to be...unfounded...a "shelter mentality" did not develop and even at its peak, less than 5% of London's population used them."

Mike Seaborne
1988
"Shelters: Living Underground in the London Blitz"

Books to read

Evacuees: Evacuation in Wartime Britain 1939-1945 by Mike Brown (Sutton Publishing, 2005)
The Children's War: The Second World War Through the Eyes of the Children of Britain by Juliet Gardiner (Portrait, 2005)
Out of Harm's Way: The Wartime Evacuation of Children from Britain by Jessica Mann (Headline Book Publishing, 2005)
Children of War: The Second World War Through the Eyes of a Generation by Susan Goodman (Hodder Murray, 2005)
Under Fire: Children of the Second World War Tell Their Stories by Phil Robins and the Imperial War Museum (Scholastic Press, 2005)
Children of the Benares: A War Crime and Its Victims by Ralph Barker (Avid Publications, 2003)

The Rule of Four

... "the Rule of Four... Sergeants with at least four years of experience lead squads in the Army. Four squads comprised a platoon, the smallest unit in the Army commanded by a commissioned officer. The focus of military training at west Point was to prepare the new lieutenants it graduated for just this role, to be platoon leaders. With seasoning, officers commanded at higher levels. Four platoons made a company with around 150 soldiers and sergeants, which was led by a company commander, a captain. For most officers this was the highest level at which they would command before finishing their service. For officers who chose a career in the Army and earned promotions to colonel, they competed to command battalions (four companies) and brigades (four battalions). Only generals got the opportunity to lead entire divisions, such as the famed 82nd Airborne or 10th Mountain."

From Craig M. Mullaney's new book, The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education, 2009.











The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Tale

Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet

Ten Principles for Success
1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
2. Lead from the front. Say, "Follow me!" and then lead the way.
3. Stay in top physical shape- physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their jobs. You can't do a good job if you don't have a chance to use your imagination or your creativity.
6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don't wait until you get to the top of the ridge and then make up your mind.
7. Remain humble. Don't worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go to your head.
8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.
9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. The key to a successful leader is to earn respect- not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
10. Hang tough!- Never, ever, give up.

Major Dick Winters
Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Band of Brothers