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Major events during the Second World War
From the German invasion of Poland to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Normandy landing and "invasion war" to Marco Island, and then to the Bataan War, these battles, large and small, have become the themes of many books about the Second World War. However, in the history of World War II, there are many amazing, puzzling and fascinating events, but these stories are rarely described. Now, the famous historian William Brewer has compiled all the stories into a book for readers to read.

Pearl harbor exercise?

1937 12 12, Japanese captain Tanaka led a squadron of naval bombers over the Yangtze River in China. The Yangtze River, known as the Yangtze River in China, originates in the hinterland of China, flows through 365,438+000 miles and finally empties into the Yellow Sea. There are many big cities along the coast, such as Shanghai and Nanjing.

While Captain Tanaka's squadron was keeping a close eye on the ships coming and going on the river, an American warship "Pane" with a draft of 450 tons was going down the river. The pane was built in Shanghai to serve the rivers in China and protect American ships from pirates. The commander of the pane is Captain James Hertz, and a huge American flag is hung on the ship, which even people with high myopia can see from far away.

The plane with 55 crew members was on a "rescue mission"-evacuating four American embassy officials, five refugees and a group of western journalists from Nanjing, which was surrounded by Japanese troops. Near noon, the pane advanced 30 miles, and the commander reported its position to Shanghai, saying that they were preparing to anchor and rest.

Since the Lugouqiao incident on the outskirts of Beijing in July 1937, a brutal war has been escalating in China. In fact, this so-called "jihad" originated from 1927 years ago. At that time, Japanese generals and fleet commanders thought that the war between Japan and the United States was inevitable, so they made a top secret plan called TANATA, which was the blueprint for Japan to conquer China and other Asian regions and fight against the United States.

10 years later, on the Yangtze River near Nanjing, the crew of the Pane was enjoying their lunch leisurely. In the afternoon 1: 30, the squadron leader suddenly shouted: "The Japanese opened fire on us!" It was the squadron led by Captain Tanaka that dropped the bomb on the window pane. Later, it was learned that it was 8 pairs 15 aircraft. Lieutenant Colonel Hertz ran to the cockpit and found that the bomb had collapsed the cockpit, and even the captain's leg was blown off.

On the deck, Alai, a reporter from Global News Agency, grabbed his camera and began to record this scene. The plane quickly descended to such a low altitude that he could easily see the pilot's face. Aley realized that there was no doubt that the Japanese could clearly see the huge American flag flying in the wind, but they kept bombing. He was stunned by the discovery.

Twenty minutes after the first explosion, the glass covered with machine guns and shell fragments began to sink. Captain Anders couldn't speak because he lost a lot of blood from the wound on his neck. He climbed onto the deck and wrote on the bulkhead with chalk: "Take the lifeboat as close as possible to the shore and send it back."

Just as these survivors had just reached the reeds on the shore, a Japanese motorboat flew over and fired at them with machine guns. Then the motorboat turned around and fired at the sinking window glass. Before the pane sank completely, the motorboat stopped against it and several Japanese officers climbed up, probably looking for passwords or advanced equipment.

The danger of pane survivors is not over yet. They trudged 20 miles along the shore, looking for safety on the China side of the crossfire. At the same time, several teams of Japanese soldiers also searched the shore, trying to capture them.

After the survivors arrived safely, they began to count their own losses: two American aircrew members, 1 Italian newspaper reporter were killed, 17 aircrew members and American embassy officials were injured, some of them seriously.

When the news of the pane incident reached the United States, Americans were angry. Codel Hull, the normally gentle and gray-haired Secretary of State, declared that the sinking of the Pane showed that the Japanese navy and officers were "barbaric and crazy".

Is it really an accident that the pane was attacked? Or was it an exercise conducted by the Japanese army to attack Pearl Harbor four years later? Are Japanese warlords trying to test Americans' endurance to this deadly attack? Many American military officers believe that what happened was not what the Japanese later called a "tragic incident caused by mistakes", but a carefully planned and accurate adventure, including the cooperation of dive bombers, well-equipped motorboats and infantry.

Perhaps the pane incident can answer many questions of Japanese warlords: is the American official's response to bloody conflicts and property losses tough or weak? How well-equipped and well-trained is the US military? Will thousands of American soldiers stationed near Shanghai rush to the scene of the pane attack to help prevent possible follow-up attacks?

The Roosevelt administration did not want to get involved in a direct conflict in the Far East. After publicly expressing moderate anger, they issued a carefully worded official protest to the Japanese authorities, pointing out that Japanese pilots should be investigated for their "reckless flying."

Perhaps in order to cover up its real intention of fighting the United States in the future, the Japanese government apologized to the American government for its atrocities on the Yangtze River and paid $2,265,438+04,007.36. However, the question remains: Did America's weak response to the attack pane encourage Japanese warlords to think that the United States is just a paper tiger, which led them to attack the US Pacific naval base in Pearl Harbor in the future?

Suspicious advertisement

19411On February 7th, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and dragged the United States into the world war. After that, the United States became extremely sensitive to Nazi and Japanese spies. Many people think that spies and saboteurs are hiding around them, and these people go to the core of the country like bugs in apples.

Local governments all over the country organize militia to guard against possible sabotage and subversion. Many of them don't even know which end of the rifle the bullet will come from, but they are guarding the military facilities they think, such as bridges, highways, railways, bridges, reservoirs, docks, tunnels, dams and other public facilities. Few of them have received military training.

During this period, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a nationwide systematic investigation, found out thousands of people they thought were subversive, and blacklisted them (as of July 1942, FBI detained 9,405 people for this). In addition to daily heavy work, FBI agents have to deal with thousands of reports about enemy spies and subversive elements from all over the country.

During this period, an advertisement published in new york Magazine caught the attention of the FBI because of its special words. This advertisement was published 16 days before the Pearl Harbor incident. This is an advertisement for a new dice game. They call this game "Death Binary Star". Hundreds of neurotic and even hysterical citizens reported this to FBI officials.

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In fact, it includes two advertisements. Small ones are published in1941122, which is called suspense advertisement in the industry. Including the following words: "Hi! Attention! Be careful! " Under this heading, there are two dice, one is white and the other is black. The reader can see three sides of each dice. The three numbers on the white dice are 12, 24 and XX (double star); On the black dice are 0, 5 and 7. Write a sentence on the dice: Please look at the advertisement on page 86.

On page 86, the same title was printed in large letters: "Hi! Attention! Be careful! " Under the advertisement, there are still those big characters: "Death Double Star". Under these words, there is a pattern of an eagle.

After Pearl Harbor, there are more and more speculations about this advertisement. Many people think that it was German or Japanese spies who published this advertisement in new york Magazine, in order to inform other spies lurking in the United States that war was about to break out.

The numbers 12 and 7 on the dice can be understood as the month (12) and date (7th) when the war broke out. Numbers 5 and 0 can be regarded as attack time; XX (20 in Roman numerals) can be considered as the latitude of the target. No one knows the meaning of the number 24, but it may be the code of the enemy spy who published this advertisement. There is a picture at the top of the 86-page advertisement, which is interpreted by many people as three planes (bombers) skimming the vast sea and rushing to the target, which may be Pearl Harbor. The picture of the bomb exploding on the water increases the credibility of this explanation. Bright searchlights cut through the night sky, and bullets left dazzling light in the air (suggesting that Japan originally planned to attack at night, but this plan may change after the advertisement was published).

Many people think that the "death binary star" refers to Nazi Germany and Japan, and the double-headed eagle looks like a symbol of Hitler's Third Reich.

Through investigation, the FBI agent found that the advertisement was released by a company called Emperor Trading Company (a fake company). A white man paid the advertising fee in cash in the office of new york magazine, but he didn't leave his name and address. Strangely enough, the man who was considered a suspect by the FBI died suddenly a few weeks later.

Is this advertisement in new york magazine used by cunning German or Japanese spies to inform their colleagues that Japan will attack Pearl Harbor? After the Pearl Harbor incident, the FBI has been busy investigating other related events, and they can't give a satisfactory explanation for this advertising incident.

Rommel and Montgomery

1June 6, 944, the allied forces landed in Normandy. Six weeks later, German Marshal Rommel, after visiting the headquarters of General Sepp Dilrich, commander of the first SS armored force, climbed six Mercedes-Benz jeeps and headed for his headquarters on the Seine River in northern Paris.

Rommel is recognized as a young genius. In his motherland, his reputation even overshadowed that of Hitler, the head of state. During the First World War, he was only a company commander, but he was full of energy, brave and modest, and later won the highest bravery medal in Germany. Twenty-two years later, at the age of 49, he was promoted to the youngest marshal in German history because of his outstanding performance in the war between North Africa and British Marshal Montgomery.

Apart from the war, Marshal Montgomery and Rommel of England admired each other. Montgomery even hung a portrait of Teutonic opponent on the wall of his activity headquarters; When Rommel mentioned Montgomery, he often said to people, "My friend Montgomery." Their names are closely linked to fate.

In Normandy, Rommel and Montgomery became rivals again: Rommel was the commander of the German B Corps, while Montgomery was the commander of the allied forces attacking.

1944 July 17 At 4 pm, Rommel's Mercedes-Benz jeep was driving on the Rue Leute in Paris. Next to the marshal is his assistant for many years, Captain Helmut Lang. In the front row is the bodyguard Washook, who is staring at a pair of alert eyes and looking around to prevent accidents.

Suddenly, Hook let out a cry and two Allied planes flew towards the car. Sergeant Danny, who has been Rommel's driver since the North African War, immediately stepped on the accelerator. Just as the car was about to rush into the village ahead, Allied eurofighter typhoon swooped down and the machine gun on the plane swept over. Rommel was shot in the left cheek and temple, and the driver Danny was killed on the spot. The jeep ran out of control and crashed into a tree, then rushed out of the road and fell into a ditch on the side of the road.

Rommel was thrown on the road. When the "Typhoon" machine gunner replenished ammunition and prepared to shoot again, Captain Helmut Lang and Hook's bodyguard rushed over, picked up Rommel, who was unconscious and covered in blood, and hid in the trench.

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second floor[British English]; third floor[American English]

Even in this accident, Rommel did not escape the feud with Montgomery. Just where Rommel was injured, there was a sign with the name of the village ahead: Montgomery Village.

Why did Jews flee to Shanghai?

Core Tip: From 1933 to 194 1, Shanghai has accepted more than 30,000 European Jewish refugees. At this special moment, Shanghai became the "Noah's Ark" to save European Jews during World War II.

At that time, the situation of European Jews was very critical. On the one hand, Hitler's butcher knife has been held high. On the other hand, countries such as Britain and the United States shut it out for various reasons. European Jews facing death threats had to turn their desperate eyes to the Far East.

Shanghai was in a special period after the Japanese occupation. Japanese occupation forces, public concessions and French concession authorities acted in their own way in Shanghai. The Shanghainese people themselves are refugees, and they accepted the Jews' request for "asylum", and the Jews also received special courtesy from China.

However, it is unknown how many Jews who went to concentration camps and were penniless arrived in Shanghai and survived, how many people accumulated huge wealth in a short time, and how they managed to run a vibrant "Vienna, China" in Shanghai.

The advertisement predicts that Pearl Harbor will be attacked?

Core Tip: A few days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, a "suspicious advertisement" was found in The New Yorker magazine. After deciphering the advertisement, the FBI executives suspected that this was the specific date and time used by foreign spies to carry out the "sneak attack on Pearl Harbor".

After Pearl Harbor, the United States became extremely sensitive to Nazi and Japanese spies. One day, an advertisement published in the New Yorker magazine caught the attention of the FBI because of its special wording. This advertisement was released 16 days before the Pearl Harbor incident, and it was made for a new dice game.

There are two dice in the advertisement, one is white and the other is black. The reader can see three sides of each dice. The three numbers on the white dice are 12, 24 and ××; On the black dice are 0, 5 and 7. Write a sentence on the dice: Please look at the advertisement on page 86. On page 86, the title is printed in big letters: "Hi! Be careful! " Below the advertisement, there are several big characters: "Death Double Star".

According to the FBI analyst, the numbers 12 and 7 on the dice can be understood as the month when the war broke out 12 and the seventh day. Numbers 5 and 0 can be regarded as attack time; XX Roman numerals indicate that 20 can be considered as the latitude of the target. Coincidentally, just as the FBI was preparing to arrest the person who published this advertisement, this person died mysteriously. Is this advertisement used by Japanese spies to inform colleagues that Japan will attack Pearl Harbor? Nobody knows yet.

Hitler's deputy left England?

Core Tip: On the evening of May 194 10, at about 1 10, a fighter plane of the German Air Force Me 1 10 crashed in Glasgow, Scotland, and a German in junior officer's uniform successfully parachuted. He was the famous Nazi deputy head of state.

After landing in England, Hess proposed to meet the Duke of Hamilton, who met him once at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 and was closely related to the British royal family. At that time, the Duke was stationed here as the colonel commander of a fighter aviation regiment of the Royal Air Force. Hess, who became a prisoner of the British army, claimed that the purpose of his trip was to convey Hitler's desire for a truce to the British king and the British people who longed for peace through Duke Hamilton.

Hess's departure put both Britain and Germany, which were deadlocked in the war at that time, in an awkward position. Although Britain has repeatedly played down this matter, the political circles and news media in the Soviet Union and the United States have speculated that Britain and Germany are secretly making peace, and the French resistance even bluntly accused Britain of "betrayal." The Italian and Japanese governments were puzzled by Hess's amazing behavior and suspected that Hitler was half-hearted to them.

1On August 7th, 987, 93-year-old rudolf hess, the world's longest serving Nazi war criminal and deputy leader of the German Nazi Party, hanged himself in Spandau prison in London, England. However, his death did not end the mystery.

Roosevelt was once insane?

Core Tip: The senior psychiatrist of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed a shocking secret. During the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt was so confused that he made many mistakes in post-war arrangements.

1945 in April, just two months after the Yalta conference, Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Salerian, a psychiatrist at the FBI, later pointed out that at that meeting, President Roosevelt's thinking was affected, so he could not process information accurately. The strong-willed president didn't read the important documents of the meeting and generally didn't bargain with Stalin. Although it is known that Roosevelt suffered from hypertension and congestive heart failure in his last term, it is obviously unknown whether Roosevelt's brain could not function normally as Salerian said when attending such an important meeting.

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Mysterious guests send core secrets?

Core Tip:1939165438+1On October 4th, the guards of the British Embassy in Oslo patrolled in a snowstorm. Suddenly, he saw a package on the stone steps. It was the contents of this package that played a great role in stopping Hitler's ambition. This incident is also one of the most mysterious events in World War II. It explains in detail the latest development of German weaponry and related sketches, including the design of giant rockets. The British side quickly sent these documents back to London.

Everyone is speculating about the identity of the person who delivered the package. How did a person (suppose a German) collect so many cutting-edge secrets of the Third Reich, even including detailed drawings? Obviously, this man has a profound technical background and can directly contact the core secrets of the development of weapons in the Third Reich. Moreover, this man is anti-Nazi, and he earnestly hopes that Adolf Hitler's dream of conquest will be shattered, and he will sacrifice his life for it.

Why is the address of the British military camp leaked?

Core Tip: During World War II, for the sake of confidentiality, the names of all British military camps were distinguished by postal codes, not real names. Therefore, theoretically, the geographical situation of British military camps is unknown to outsiders.

1942, Arthur was stationed as a British soldier in the Norwich camp at the foot of Tavish Mountain. He bought an old book by mail from a company in London. Two weeks later, the book arrived. He stood in front of the barracks window and opened the package. After opening the book, a landscape postcard fell out. Batvis picked up the postcard on the ground and found that the postmark on it was1965438+August 4, 2003, exactly 30 years ago. He opened the postcard, and the scenery on it was exactly the same as that outside the window.

The Nazis went to the East to find their roots?

Core Tip: 1938 and 1943, Himmler, the leader of the SS, personally set up two expeditions to look for "the ancestors of the Germanic nation" in the East.

In 1938 and 1942, when Nazi troops were besieged in Stalingrad, Hitler stubbornly believed that if the axis of the earth was turned in the opposite direction, time could be turned back. As a result, a five-member Nazi expedition embarked on a journey to find its roots without anyone knowing it. Two months later, the whole team was arrested and imprisoned in British India. The whole story is unknown.

America is eavesdropping on Hitler?

Core Tip: In the midsummer of 1939, in the Third Reich, Weiheim, the head of the intelligence agency Abbeville, issued a war warning to more than 6,000 spies all over the world. What he didn't know was that the ground was covered with British devices to eavesdrop on their intelligence.

Throughout August, five German troops were deployed on the Polish border, with a strength of more than 6.5438+0.5 million. Abbwell has been broadcasting orders at full capacity. Some sounds urgent, others seem to be chatting, bringing out strangers' nicknames from time to time, such as "Snow White", "Idiot" and "Peacock". Actually, these words are by no means small talk. For every spy, these names or codes represent an action that must be carried out after the outbreak of war.

This is the first time in human history to use radio technology to transmit top secret information. Not only the British are eavesdropping on German pre-war intelligence, but also the WOR radio station in New York, USA, is receiving these signals.

Who burned Normandy?

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Core tip:1February 9, 942, only three weeks left before the French ship Normandy went on an expedition to Europe, but it was suddenly destroyed by a huge fire.

Less than four days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the United States. But as Hitler feared, the US Navy immediately requisitioned the Normandy and modified it.

At 2: 34 pm on February 9, the ship suddenly sounded the cry of "fire", and people rushed to the ship to put out the fire. However, it was windy that day and the fire soon got out of control. People watched helplessly as the fire overflowed the deck, and in less than an hour, the whole ship became a sea of fire. Why is it that such a huge seagoing ship, with a large number of fire prevention facilities, can fire in a few hours and turn into a pile of coke? Did Nazi saboteurs infiltrate the ship and set fire to it?

The mysterious death of a German spy?

Core Tip: 1940 In late August, a body was found in an abandoned bomb shelter in Cambridge, and it turned out to be a German spy.

One day in August, when British detectives found the body, they initially judged it was a murder. The documents found on the victim show that this person's name is Jane Wanbak. There is AFU radio in his suitcase, and everything shows that this is a German spy. Detectives quickly concluded that the man committed suicide. The name Jane Vantback is fake, and the documents on him are also forged by Abbwell in Hamburg, Germany.