I introduced you briefly to the famous (some would say infamous) Mitford sisters several years ago in my blog, British Fascists and a Mitford (click here to read the blog). It was the story of an English noble, Sir Oswald Mosley, and his wife, Diana who were staunch supporters of Hitler, Nazi Germany, and fascism. Diana Mosley was one of the six Mitford sisters.
Like the modern-day Kardashians, the Mitford sisters were well-known, extensively covered by the press, and considered to be “socialites.” I suppose today they would be called “celebrities.” As war with Germany approached during the 1930s, the antics of several sisters were widely covered in print and photos by the English press (no social media or television back then). In fact, the press branded one of the sisters as “Hitler’s girlfriend.” Unity Mitford wore that label proudly. Several of the other sisters held extremist views and were just as controversial.
Unity Mitford and Adolf Hitler in Bayreuth, Germany about one year after meeting. Photo by anonymous (c. 1936). TheDailyMail.co.uk. https://www.thehistoryreader.com/military-history/when-hitler-took-cocaine-hitlers-english-girlfriend/ PD-Author release.
Did You Know?
Did you know that the last survivor of the Führerbunker recently passed away?
Johanna Ruf (1929−2023) was fifteen when she entered the bunker in April 1945. Hitler used the bunker as his last headquarters and residence beginning 16 January 1945 and by April, Joseph Goebbels and his family had moved in. Read More The British Kardashian Sisters
One of our readers wrote to us about his research on a woman who was a German spy during World War II. Lionel points out that Vera von Schalburg’s story is long and quite complicated. However, it is shrouded in mystery based on circumstantial evidence, assumptions, theories, conflicting information, speculation, and a general lack of factual historical documentation to support her life before, during and especially after the war. The two overriding questions are why did the British release Vera (with no trial) after capturing her along with two other spies and what happened to Vera after the war (i.e., where did she live, did she have a family in the UK, was she given a new identity by MI5, did she return to Germany, when did she die, and where is she buried?).
Sorry Lionel, I hate to disappoint you, but we won’t be able to answer those two questions in this blog. As you pointed out, no one has yet solved those mysteries. While some documents have been declassified, many others are buried in the archives of MI5. Until those classified documents are released, I’m afraid many components of Vera’s story will remain a mystery. I will try and give an overview of Vera’s story and point out some of the inconsistencies (beginning with her date of birth) and unknowns (e.g., marriages and offspring).
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Titanic was a very small ship? So, you ask, “What do you mean by ‘small’?” Yes, it’s a relative term as we shall see. Today, the world’s largest cruise ship is Royal Caribbean’s (RCCL) “Wonder of the Seas,” and I thought it might be interesting to compare the doomed ocean liner to this modern day RCCL cruise ship. (Some say a city.) I know this comparison is like putting a Ford Model-T next to a Rolls-Royce, but I think all you cruise fanatics, and Titanic students might like to see this.
Visual comparison between Titanic (right) and the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, an “Oasis”-class ship (left). Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
TITANIC
WONDER OF THE SEAS
Maiden Voyage
1912
2022
Construction Time
4 years
6 years
Construction Cost
$ 243 million4
$ 1.35 billion
Length
882 feet
1,188 feet
Width/Beam
92 feet
210 feet (maximum)
Height
9 decks
18 decks
Volume
46,328 g.r.t.1
228,081 g.t.2
Passengers
2,435
6,9883
Crew
892
2300
Lifeboats
20 (1,166)
18 (6,660)
Elevators
4
24
Cheapest Ticket
$ 1,0754
$ 423
Gross register tonnage is a historic measure of volume.
Gross tonnage replaced g.r.t. in July 1982.
Maximum number of passengers.
Today’s dollars.
Essentially, the Wonder of the Seas is three-times as large as the Titanic and about five-times heavier. There’s another interesting statistic that I’m not going to tell you. You’ll have to do some basic arithmetic, but I will give you a clue. This statistic seems to be shared by both ships.
Statistical comparison of the Titanic to a modern cruise ship (Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas). Illustration by Visual Capitalist (date unknown).
Vera Von Schalburg
Vera von Schalburg (1907?−unknown) was born in Siberia, Russia to August Theodor Schalburg, a Dane and Jelena (Helene) von Siemanovska, a Polish-Ukrainian citizen. (Vera’s birthdate has been quoted as either November 1907 or December 1912). She had two other siblings of whom, Christian Frederik, would become a well-known Danish traitor during World War II (more on that later). Read More The Beautiful Enigma
“Another outstanding, well-researched, and presented book by Stew Ross. It gives a detailed guided walking tour full of facts about the activities of the Gestapo during their occupation of Paris during World War II. I highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in what life was like during the Nazi occupation in France.”
Richard H.F. Neave, President Royal British Legion Paris branch, member Paris-based Libre Résistance SOE “F” Section and author of SOE: A Life in the Shadows
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert
