Category: World War II

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“Messages in Handlebars: The Youngest Resistance Fighter”

I am very pleased to have author Kendrick Kirk as our guest blogger today. Ken wrote the wonderful book, Messages in Handlebars, as a tribute to his very good friend Jean-Jacques Auduc and Mr. Auduc’s activities as the youngest active member of the French Resistance during the German occupation of France. Messages in Handlebars is now used as a reference book at the U.S. Military Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-mer as well as the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum (Savannah, Georgia). The book has been translated into French and is popular overseas as well as having been endorsed by the British Ambassador to France. Mr. Auduc’s hometown and surrounding areas were a hotbed of activities for the missions of both the French resistance, the Auduc’s réseau (network), and Special Operations Executive (SOE). I know you’ll enjoy Ken’s blog as well as reading his book, Messages in Handlebars.

Let’s Meet Claire and Kendrick Kirk

Ken and his wife, Claire, divide their time between their home in Georgia and their lovely château, Château RiveSarthe, near Le Mans, France. They host various groups at their château during the year as well as organize group tours within France. They maintain a web site where anyone interested can contact them: www.rivesarthe.net Read More “Messages in Handlebars: The Youngest Resistance Fighter”

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“British Fascists and a Mitford”

England, France, and the United States were certainly no strangers to Hitler and his Nazi party philosophies during the 1930s. In fact, England and America were home to large fascist organizations while France hosted several influential right-wing fascist groups which would directly influence the Vichy government and its collaboration with Germany.

America saw the founding of the pro-Nazi “Friends of New Germany” (FoNG) in 1933 after Hitler gave his permission for the organization’s formation. The FoNG closely followed the Nazi party’s tactics including propaganda, harassment of Jews, and infiltration of other German American groups. Congress investigated the FoNG and determined it represented a direct subsidiary of the Nazi party. By late 1935, FoNG ceased to exist but was quickly replaced by the German American Bund with Fritz Julius Kuhn as its Bundesführer. The Bund mimicked the real Nazi party with respect to its organizational structure. Training camps were set up around the country and rallies were held with members displaying the Hitler salute. The Bund’s primary attacks were centered on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jewish organizations, and Communists.

Nearly 1,000 uniformed men of the New Jersey division of the German American Bund march in Camp Nordland. Photo by anonymous (18 July 1937). The Atlantic.
Nearly 1,000 uniformed men of the New Jersey division of the German American Bund march in Camp Nordland. Photo by anonymous (18 July 1937). The Atlantic.

After Bund leaders traveled to Berlin, giving the impression that Hitler was supporting the Bund, Congress passed the 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act requiring foreign agents to register with the United States State Department ⏤ an act which remains in place today. After this, Germany purposely tried to distance itself from the Bund. A rally at Madison Square Garden on 29 February 1939 resulted in violence between protesters and Bund storm troopers after the president was referred to as “Frank D. Rosenfeld” and the New Deal was referred to as the “Jew Deal.” Predictably, the Bund was dissolved in 1941. Sadly, it was followed in 1959 by the American Nazi Party, founded by George Lincoln Rockwell, and is known today as the World Union of National Socialists. Read More “British Fascists and a Mitford”