Class of 2018 E

On 22 June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Codenamed Operation Barbarossa, it was the largest military operation in history, involving more than 3 million Axis troops and 3,500 tanks. It was the logical culmination of Hitler’s belief that the German ‘master race’ should seek ‘lebensraum’ (living space) in the east, at the expense of the ‘subhuman’ native Slav people, who were to be exterminated or reduced to serf status.

José Arturo Castellanos Contreras (San Vicente, El Salvador, December 23, 1893 — San Salvador, June 18, 1977) was a Salvadoran army colonel and diplomat who, while working as El Salvador’s Consul General for Geneva during WWII, and in conjunction with a Jewish-Hungarian businessman named György Mandl (George Mandel), helped save up to 40,000 Central European Jews from Nazi persecution by providing them with false papers of Salvadoran nationality.

Mandel-Mantello proposed to Castellanos that they issue Salvadoran documents to help save Jews.

In 1942, Castellanos became the Salvadoran General Consul in Geneva and appointed Mandel-Mantello the consulate’s “First Secretary,” a ficticious title that does not exist in the Salvadoran diplomatic hierarchy.

The first German serviceman killed in the war was killed by the Japanese (China, 1937) The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians (Finland 1940). 80% of Soviet males born in 1923 didn't survive World War 2 The highest ranking American killed was Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps. Between 1939 and 1945 the Allies dropped 3.4 million tons of bombs, An average of about 27,700 tons of bombs each month. 12,000 heavy bombers were shot down in World War 2 2/3 of Allied bomber crew

were lost for each plane destroyed 3 or 4 ground men were wounded for each killed 6 bomber crewmen were killed for each one wounded Over 100,000 Allied bomber crewmen were killed over Europe There were 433 Medals of Honor awarded during World War 2, 219 of them were given after the receipiant's death From 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945 in Europe the Allies had 200,000 dead and 550,000 wounded The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He was wounded in combat and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age. (His benefits were later restored by act of Congress).

40,000 men served on U-Boats during World War 2; 30,000 never returned

On September 28, 1918, in an event that would go down in World War I history, Private Henry Tandey, a British soldier who served near the French village of Marcoing says he came face to face with a wounded 29-year-old Adolf Hitler.

r nodded his thanks and disappeared. Tandey could have changed the course of history within seconds, but he felt sympathy towards Hitler. Tandey would not recall this event for another 20 years.

eville Chamberlain, visited Adolf Hitler in Germany. Hitler invited Chamberlain to his retreat in Berchtesgaden in Bavaria.

The term "Nazi" is an acronym for "Nationalsozialistishe Deutsche Arbeiterpartei" ("National Socialist German Worker's Party"). The Nazis used the term "the Final Solution" to refer to their plan to murder the Jewish people.

First woman to receive the Air Medal, 1943

Second Lieutenant Elsie S. Ott was a pioneer in air evacuation of military casualties.

The numbers were high enough that getting them out of a battle zone was highly problematic

"If only I had known what he would turn out to be. When I saw all the people, women and children, he had killed and wounded, I was sorry to God I let him go."

Moctezuma II, the 9th emperor of the Aztecs, was known as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin.