STR Germany

General Renya Mutaguchi stood before his staff officers in the humid tent that served as his headquarters, his finger tracing the route from Burma into the green heart of India. He spoke of destiny, of a single decisive strike that could shatter British power in Asia and liberate an entire subcontinent. His officers listened, some … Read more

On May 10th, 1941, the Deputy Führer of Nazi Germany climbed into a fighter plane, flew alone to Scotland, and was never a free man again. Rudolf Hess was captured within hours. His wife and young son did not know he was going. What he did that night has inspired biographies, films, and conspiracy theories … Read more

Mam dwadzieścia osiem lat i całe życie układałam sobie po cichu, starannie, jak akta w archiwum, w którym pracuję. To tam czułam się bezpiecznie – wśród papierowych śladów dawno minionych istnień, uporządkowanych i przewidywalnych. Wieczory spędzałam z książką i kubkiem herbaty, z dala od zgiełku, którego nigdy nie lubiłam. Tak miało zostać. Ale pewien wtorkowy … Read more

The guard asked if he had any last words. Alfred Rosenberg, the man who built the intellectual foundation for the murder of millions, looked at the chaplain standing beside him and said one word: “No. ” Ninety seconds after the trapdoor opened beneath him, he was dead. It was 1:59 in the morning on October … Read more

W ogrodzie willi Kowalskich, wśród białych piwonii i dźwięków kwartetu smyczkowego, w kieszeni fartucha Weroniki spoczywał pierścionek. Cienka złota obrączka z nieregularnym kamieniem, którą zabrała ze sobą bez zastanowienia. Wiedziała, że to głupie, że powinna zostawić go w domu, ale potrzebowała go mieć przy sobie. Potrzebowała dowodu, że to, co odkryła rano, nie było tylko … Read more

The accusation came without warning. In June 1937, Konstantin Rokossovsky was stripped of his command, arrested in the night, and thrown into a cell in Moscow’s Lubyanka prison. He had served the Soviet Union for two decades, fought in the Civil War, and built a reputation as one of the Red Army’s most competent cavalry … Read more

The American soldiers stepped onto the beach at Okinawa expecting hell. It was Easter Sunday, April 1st, 1945, and 1,300 warships had just unleashed 40,000 shells, 30,000 rockets, and napalm on the island. The sky had burned all morning. But when the first boots hit the sand, there was silence. No machine-gun fire. No artillery. … Read more

Der vierte Platz am Tisch war gedeckt, als wäre Thomas jeden Moment zurück. Jakob hatte mich zum Abendessen eingeladen, nichts Besonderes, nur ein Essen mit der Familie. Zwei Jahre waren vergangen, seit mein Mann gestorben war, und ich hatte gelernt, mit der Stille zu leben. Aber als ich das gute Porzellan und das eingeschenkte Weinglas … Read more

No one outside Britain or Argentina can truly grasp the hatred still simmering between these two nations, hatred that flares up in the most absurd places, even on a football pitch during the World Cup. And it all goes back to a war that should never have happened. In 1982, Argentina’s military junta was collapsing. … Read more

Am Tag unserer Hochzeit brannte der Empfangssaal, und ich steckte in der Umkleidekabine hinter der Bühne fest. Mein Mann, Einsatzleiter der Feuerwehr, trug zuerst seine Kindheitsfreundin Mia hinaus, während ich im Rauch nach Luft rang. Die Funken der Wunderkerzen hatten die weißen Vorhänge entzündet. Ich stand in der Kabine, als der beißende Geruch von brennendem … Read more