Tag: Joachim von Ribbentrop

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Coco Chanel: Nazi Collaborator or Spy?

Coco Chanel and Her String of Pearls
Coco Chanel and her string of pearls. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

Five years ago, I wrote a blog by the same name. It was back in the days when I purposely limited my blogs to no more than five or six hundred words (my Millennial friends told me this was the “norm”). I’ve re-read some of those blogs and frankly, I’m embarrassed. First, my writing style has evolved (and hopefully, improved). Second, I could have added so much more interesting information had I not listened to my friends. Another difference between then and now is the number of images we used. Our blogs today use as many images as I can find that add value to the story. In the past, one or two images made it into the story. I guess this is what you call progress. So, we’ve gone back into the archives and picked out some of the more popular past blogs and I will be re-writing them to present to you with expanded content. We started with the blog, The Last Train Out of Paris (click here to read the blog) and today, you’ll visit with an icon of the fashion industry, Coco Chanel (1883-1971). She is clearly someone who many people have put on a pedestal as a result of her achievements. But hold on before you worship at the Chanel altar. Coco Chanel spent many of her later years trying to hide her secrets from the public and I suppose she succeeded since not many people are aware of her espionage activities with the Gestapo or her virulent anti-Semitic views. Read More Coco Chanel: Nazi Collaborator or Spy?

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Tommy, Fritz, and Ivan

The origins of slang names used for various combatants or combatant nations are acknowledged to be somewhat diffuse and shrouded by time. Today, many of the ethnic nicknames used during World War II are, rightfully, considered disparaging. The slang term for common British soldiers, “Tommy,” reportedly referred to a dying soldier named Private Thomas Atkins whose last words to the Duke of Wellington were, “It’s all right sir, all in a day’s work.” Slang names for Germans were numerous but one used during World War II was “Fritz.” This was the German pet form of Friedrich (the French used the slur, “Boche,” or hardhead). Germans and others used “Ivan” as the generic term for the Soviet foot and rifle soldier. It was a popular male name in Russia, especially for the ruling class (e.g., Ivan the Terrible).

Whether one was a Tommy, Fritz, or Ivan, the life of an ordinary soldier during war is a tough one. However, not all warrior lifestyles are the same. During World War II, of all the major combatant armies, I would say the Soviet soldier undoubtedly suffered through the hardest five years. Read More Tommy, Fritz, and Ivan