They Came For Our Bicycles, Then They Came For Us

During the Nazi occupation of Holland, the Jews living outside of Amsterdam were ordered to turn in their bicycles. Then they were banned from all public transportation. Besides just pure cruelty, the Nazis wanted the bikes for themselves, to use to thwart enemy invasion, (bikes can be handy in city streets engaged in warfare). The Nazis may have been concerned that Russian soldiers would use the bikes to their advantage. Eventually, the Nazis removed the Jews, a very sad history.   Suellen Ocean is the author of Chimney Fire. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/Chimney-Fire-Steinberg-Conspiracy-1/dp/1502816067

“Noisy Jews?”

During the occupation of Holland, in World War II, the Nazis began complaining about, “Noisy Jews,” riding their bikes in the park. Noisy? Sounds like they were enjoying themselves. Enjoying life. But that was not to last. The Nazis took away the Jews’ beloved bikes. Jews were ordered to turn in their bikes, with the exception of Amsterdam’s Jews. We are talking about 60,000 Jews. Even Anne Frank wrote about the Nazi bike confiscation. Her father gave her mother’s bike to Christians for safekeeping. Needless to say, the Nazis got very few good bikes from this confiscation. The Jews cooperated poorly. They gave the Nazis the junky bikes.    Suellen Ocean is the author of Chimney Fire. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/Chimney-Fire-Steinberg-Conspiracy-1/dp/1502816067

Adolph Hitler’s Syphilis Specialist… Dr. Morell

In 1936, fellow Nazi, Theodor Morell became Adolf Hitler’s doctor. Hitler’s photographer had been going to Morell and credited the doctor with “saving his life.” So, believing the man was a great healer, Hitler turned to Dr. Morell himself. It sounds like Morell was watching for what was trending at the time, he marketed his treatments to Germany’s ritzy crowd and married a well-heeled German movie star. Although Hitler tried to persuade his inner circle to avail themselves of Dr. Morell’s services, they were not convinced of his genius the way the Fuhrer was. They thought he was a fraud. But Hitler had health problems and they grew worse under Dr. Morell’s care. The doctor concocted strange drug recipes and Hitler, believing so strongly in him, kept submitting to the poisonous treatments.

Hitler’s fear of the Jews manifested itself in many ways. One of them was his belief that the Jews were somehow linked to the spread of the disease syphilis, a disease that Dr. Morell specialized in. There has also been speculation that Hitler suffered from Parkinson’s disease. His arm shook visibly as the war was coming to an end. But it’s possible it was from the poisonous concoctions he was letting the doctor inject into his veins. Most historians believe that Hitler died in his bunker. Dr. Morell was one of the last people to see the Fuhrer alive.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Chimney Fire: https://www.amazon.com/Chimney-Fire-Steinberg-Conspiracy-1/dp/1502816067

Hitler… a Great Doctor? Physician Heal Thy Self

I did a lot of reading and research lately because I wanted to write a mystery-suspense series about an American who discovered his father was a Nazi. One of the things I read that surprised me was that many Germans were beginning to see Adolph Hitler as the “Great Doctor.” Are you kidding me? Where in the world did they come up with that one? He was no physician. What… did they think that his idea to enslave and eliminate millions of people would heal their country? The man was a fool and had a fool (or an enemy) for a doctor. Hitler’s doctor was giving him a concoction of belladonna laced with strychnine, one of the reasons he was obviously losing his mind. And they still called Hitler the “Great Doctor.” Go figure.

Suellen Ocean is the author of Chimney Fire . Available here: https://www.amazon.com/Chimney-Fire-Steinberg-Conspiracy-1/dp/1502816067

History: World War II War Lords… Did Hitler Smoke?

There were four major warlords of World War II; Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin and of course, Adolph Hitler. Long before the war broke out, a way of life that advocated living naturally and keeping the body pure, was taking shape in Germany. It was especially popular with philosophical Nazis. Hitler neither smoked nor drank alcohol and strongly detested it. When in his company, smokers and drinkers were forbidden to engage in either. The other warlords were smokers. America’s President Roosevelt smoked cigarettes, the Soviet Union’s Stalin smoked cigarettes and Great Britain’s Winston Churchill is famous for chewing on a cigar.

Suellen Ocean is the author of The Steinberg Conspiracy Series. Available here: Book One, Chimney Fire: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B00XDCPLEW

What is The House of Windsor? Is That a Maltese Cross On the Queen’s Crown?

The House of Windsor is the title used by the Royal Family of Great Britain since 1917. The name derives from Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. Before 1917, the title of the British Royal Family was the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. To my way of thinking, I see Saxe as Saxones as in Anglo-Saxon, which we know many of the English claim to be, and Gotha as from Gothic which refers to the Teutonic tribes who encompass a broad range of people, especially Germanic. The Saxe-Coburg and Gotha title sounded too Germanic, so King George V changed it to the Royal House of Windsor during World War I. On the cover of Newsweek, Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee is featured. Visible is what looks like a maltese cross in her crown, bringing images of Hitler’s Third Reich. But this cross was used long before Hitler used it. Besides representing Christianity, it may also symbolize heroism and impeccable leadership. It does remind one though that even though England has become extremely multi-cultural, tribes of “Northmen” played a pivotal role in its culture.

Suellen Ocean is the author of The Steinberg Conspiracy Series. Available here: Book One, Chimney Fire: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B00XDCPLEW

The Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped

I just finished reading, “Hunting Evil: The Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring Them to Justice,” by Guy Walters. It’s an easily read book about Nazi criminals who escaped after World War II. The pursuit and the personalities of both the Nazis and the Nazi hunters, makes for an interesting book. There are unpleasant details about atrocities done to Holocaust victims, that I didn’t want to know but because I write novels about that era, I need to know what went on. My stories don’t delve deep into the atrocities, just that there were atrocities. Writing stories is my way of interpreting history. Whether I like it or not. And whether I understand it or not because honestly, the Holocaust is something that I will never understand.

Suellen Ocean is the author of The Steinberg Conspiracy Series. Available here: Book One, Chimney Fire: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B00XDCPLEW

Book Two, Hot Snow: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B014XHUT1K

Book Three, Herr Boy: http://www.amazon.com//dp/B014XHUT1K

World War II War Lords… Did Hitler Smoke?

There were four major warlords of World War II; Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin and of course… Adolph Hitler. Long before the war broke out, a way of life that advocated living naturally and keeping the body pure was taking shape in Germany. It was especially popular with philosophical Nazis. Hitler neither smoked nor drank alcohol and strongly detested it. When in his company, smokers and drinkers were forbidden to engage in either. The other warlords were smokers. America’s President Roosevelt smoked cigarettes, the Soviet Union’s Stalin smoked cigarettes and Great Britain’s Winston Churchill is famous for chewing on a cigar.  Suellen Ocean is the author of the novel Chimney Fire. Available here:

Or as an eBook or computer download through Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ocean

Veterans Day, Soldiers Today, Soldiers Tomorrow …

We dream of a tomorrow that needs no soldiers. Today we are grateful for the soldiers that we have. You bring tears to the eyes of us all, no matter our politics. Thank you.

On this Veterans Day, I’d like to share a WWII era newspaper article, author unknown:

As days of battle passed into more of the same thing, a sense of fatalistic resignation came to many men; a feeling that death was simply an unlucky chance of happening to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all knew men who seemed convinced they would not come through – and didn’t. It is hard to look at this portrait of Solon Lindsey, (Co. “I”), with its tense, determined seriousness of expression, and not believe he realized this might be his last picture. It was; a few days later, when the bombs fell at Baggazzano in the Po valley, Solon was among those caught in the “wrong place at the wrong time,” and a grand man died.