• Unsinkable Sam the Cat

    This cat allegedly survived not one or two sinkings but three. I am sure he used up a few of his 9 lives. Originally named Oscar he saw service in both the Kriegsmarine and Royal Navy during the WWII. He was a black and white patched cat and had been owned by an unknown crewman of the German battleship Bismarck. He was on board the ship on May 18, 1941 when it set sail on Operation Rheinübung. Bismarck was sunk after a fierce sea-battle on May 27 , from which only 118 from its crew of over 2,200 survived. Hours later, Oscar was found floating on a board and picked…

  • Fire at the Cocoanut Grove

    Boston did not technically have nightclubs, but one of the hottest places to be in 1942 was the Cocoanut Grove.  It was a supper club located on near Park Square, which was built in 1927.  It kind of fell out of favor after Prohibition, but with the advent of World War II it began to pick up in popularity again.  Barnett Welansky, became owner of the Cocoanut Grove in February 1933 and he brought in a prominent Boston interior designer to make the club more family oriented.  Palm trees, blue satin ceilings and a dance floor were added.  The first floor had a dining room and a ballroom with a…

  • Noor Inayat Khan- The Spy Princess

    Noor Inayat Khan was a mass of contradictions.  She was a devout Muslim Sufi who believed in nonviolence and refused to tell a lie and disliked the British because of their involvement in India.  Described as a “dreamy” and “sensitive” person who spent time writing children’s stories, poetry and music, Noor was the last person who anyone would have thought could be a spy against the Nazis.  However, underneath that soft exterior was a spine of steel the Nazis could not break no matter how hard they tried. Noor Inayat Khan was born in the Kremlin in Moscow on January 2, 1914.  Her father was a musician and a Sufi…

  • Vidkun Quisling-  The Norwegian Benedict Arnold

    Most people know about Benedict Arnold, the general during the American Revolution who sold out to the British because his wife was a gold digger.  (For more on that, please see post http://www.historynaked.com/benedict-arnold/ ) Well, Norway had one too.  Vidkun Quisling’s name has gone down in the popular vernacular as a byword for collaborator and traitor.  In fairness, he was a Nazi scumbag, so I am fine with this. Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was born on July 18, 1887 in Fyresdal, Telemark, Norway.  He was the son of a minister who was also a famous geologist and the heiress to a wealthy ship owner.  He was sent to school…

  • Nazi Gold Train – Fact or Fiction?

    It’s well known that during WWII, agents from the Third Reich acting on behalf of the ruling Nazi Party of Germany plundered many cities. Most notably by military units known as the Kunstschutz. In addition to gold, silver and currency, cultural items of great significance were stolen, including paintings, ceramics, books, and religious treasures. Most of these items were recovered by agents of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA)(Monuments Men), on behalf of the Allies. Thousands of items remain missing. One of the most popular legends where the treasures ended up are The Nazi Gold Trains. If the legends are true, it would be one of the greatest…