Posts Tagged ‘Germany’
History of Christmas Eve and the Battle of the Bulge: 78 Years Ago
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: 78 YEARS AGO On Christmas Eve, 1944, my father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, arrived in Strasbourg with the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division. Eight days earlier, the Battle of the Bulge had begun. The 42nd Division and others supplied much-needed reinforcements to the most extensive and bloodiest battle of World War II involving American forces. 610,000 Americans, 55,000 British, and 72,000 Free French troops were engaged in this battle. The German Wacht am Rhein “Watch on the Rhine” offensive had begun a week before my father arrived. By Christmas Eve, the…
Read MoreHistory of October 31: What’s Martin Luther got to do with it?
HISTORY OF OCTOBER 31 See my mini-series here on the life of Martin Luther. On October 31, 1517, the story goes, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, 95 propositions or theses and marked the beginning of the Reformation. Of course, the Reformation began long before that, but this date proves to be a convenient coat hanger for historians to mark the beginning of the Protestant* Reformation. However, the 95 Theses were not intended as a call to reformation, and it is the story behind this event that proves so fascinating and…
Read MoreHistory of Oktoberfest: Why is it in September?
HISTORY OF OKTOBERFEST Why is the famous German beer festival held in September if it’s called Oktoberfest? Officially, the beer festival starts on the third Saturday in September and through early October for 16 to 18 days. And it’s back this year; Oktoberfest 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Let’s look back at Oktoberfest’s origin.
Read MoreHistory of VE-Day: End of WWII in Europe 77 Years Ago
HISTORY OF VE-DAY Seventy-seven years ago today, World War II ended in Europe with the acceptance by the Allies of unconditional surrender from Germany on VE-Day. Or did it? May 7, 1945, VE-Day Adolf Hitler had committed suicide in his Berlin bunker a week earlier on April 30, 1945, as I describe in my article on the liberation of Dachau. At 2:41 AM on May 7, Allied General Dwight Eisenhower received the unconditional surrender of German General Alfred Jodi at Reims, France in a red brick building at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). It stipulated that hostilities…
Read MoreHistory of the Diet of Worms: Martin Luther on Trial 500 Years Ago
HISTORY OF THE DIET OF WORMS: MARTIN LUTHER ON TRIAL 500 YEARS AGO It was five hundred years ago today, April 17, 1521, that Martin Luther appeared on trial before the most powerful ruler in Europe, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. While the name may sound unappetizing, the Diet of Worms was a formal imperial deliberative assembly in the German city of Worms called to have Martin Luther either reaffirm or renounce his teachings. In German, it’s called the “Reichstag zu Worms.” Following Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the Wittenberg Door on October 31, 1517, several…
Read MoreHistory of Beethoven: 250th Anniversary — 5 Things You Didn’t Know
HISTORY OF BEETHOVEN: 250TH ANNIVERSARY — 5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW The renowned German composer and virtuoso pianist Ludwig van Beethoven celebrates his 250th anniversary today. Anniversary of what? Here are 5 things you may not have known about the famous composer who came to fame between the Classical and Romantic periods of European music. 1. We don’t know when Beethoven was born We know that he was baptized 250 years ago today, on December 17, 1770, in Bonn, Germany — but not when he was born. Church records kept track of baptismal dates. In Germany, at this time, it…
Read MoreHistory of the Liberation of Dachau — a Personal Reflection
HISTORY OF THE LIBERATION OF DACHAU, a Personal Reflection On April 29, 1945, 75 years ago, toward the end of World War II, the Allies captured and liberated Dachau. My father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, was one of the liberators. It was one of the few stories from The War that my father told me in full. Three divisions were recognized as “liberators” of Dachau, who had arrived on the first day. Many came through after that. Each of the three has a plaque along the walls of the Jorhaus, the gatehouse entrance to the camp. As I concluded my…
Read MoreHistory of the Liberation of Dachau: Present Day. Part 3
HISTORY OF THE LIBERATION OF DACHAU: Present Day. Part 3 In Part 1, I discussed the Nazi Concentration Camps and Dachau. In Part 2, I talk about my father’s involvement in the liberation as part of the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and his subsequent capture of the Nazi general in charge of Munich’s anti-aircraft artillery. Epilogue: Almost 60 years after WWII was over, I visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial in 2003. When I mentioned to the tour guides there that my father had liberated the camp, they all asked me a question. It was the same question: “Do you have…
Read MoreHistory of Starkbier Festival
HISTORY OF STARKBIER FESTIVAL March 13 begins the Starkbierfest. The heart of this festival is in Munich, Germany, specifically at Paulaner am Nockherberg Brewery, where it all began, and lasts about two weeks. It is unlike its more well-known sibling Oktoberfest in a few ways. Little Known Outside of Germany and Munich in particular, it’s not widely known, except to German ex-pats or beer lovers. Or historians who have visited Munich in the Spring. Narrowly Observed There are perhaps half a dozen locations in Munich that celebrate it. Misunderstood What is Starkbierfest? It’s the festival for Starkbier. What is Starkbier?…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther: Part 8 – Legacy
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 8 – LEGACY If you stand outside the door of the house where Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, you can see above the rooftops the towers of St. Andreas Church. You can walk to it in 5 to 10 minutes. St. Andreas is still in use today. It rises up on a hill in the center of the city, behind the late-Gothic old town hall and above the market square. It is the city’s highest church tower. Luther had returned to Eisleben to settle a dispute over an inheritance between two local counts. He…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther: Part 7 – Family Man
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 7 – FAMILY MAN How did Martin Luther, the bull in the China shop, the… “…fox [that had] arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard, [the] wild boar from the forest [that] seeks to destroy it…” …how did he become the very model of a modern Christian Family Man? My Lord Katie It started by marrying Katharine von Bora. As I discussed in my previous article Luther came upon marriage rather unexpectedly: “Suddenly, and while I was occupied with far other thoughts, the Lord has, plunged me into marriage.” He called her “my Lord Katie.” A feisty…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther: Part 6 – Monk Marries Nun
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 6 – MONK MARRIES NUN When Martin Luther returned from the Wartburg Castle to Wittenberg, he had much to do (see Part 5). The religious unrest and political protests that had occurred in the city while he was in seclusion needed to stop. At the beginning of Lent, he resumed his place in the pulpit of the Town Church of St. Mary by delivering eight sermons in as many days. He cut off his hair and beard, resumed his tonsured head and took up his monk’s cowl. The leader of the movement was back in…
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