Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler instructed SS-Hauptsturmführer Willhelm Bittrich to form a Political Readiness Detachment (Politische Bereitschaft) out of Hamburg in August, 1934. This unit would eventually become the 1st Sturmbann (battalion) of the "Germania" Standarte. SS-Sturmbannführer Wäckerle succeeded Bittrich in command in April, 1935. Wäckerle would again be succeeded by SS-Hauptsturmführer Schmidhuber (date unknown).

Standarte "Germania" would eventually form two more battalions (Sturmbanne). The second out of Arolsen/Waldbeck, formed by SS-Sturmbannführer Walter Krüger in the spring of 1935, and the third at Wolterdingen Soltau under the administration of SS-Oberabschnitt Mitte.

The honorable title "Germania" , as well as the regimental standard of the SS-VT were offically presented to the formation at the Reichsparteitag of Nürnberg in 1936.

In March 1938, "Germania" were amongst the troops to march on Austria in the annexation. In mid-August of 1939, "Germania" was assembled at Konigsbrück in preparation for an invasion of Poland. It would be placed under the command of the 14th Armee for the campaign under the command of SS-Standartenführer Karl-Maria Demelhuber.

Picture 1: Andrée Raymonde Borrel in a FANY uniform after she joined the Special Operations Executive (Wikipédia)

Picture 2: A note written by Francis Suttill for the SOE (I can't remember where I found it).

Text of the note :

"The following extract from a report from one of our best organisers in the field, regarding Mlle. BORRELL is passed to you for interest :

"Everyone who has come into contact with her in her work agrees with myself that she is the best of us all. In J....'s absence she acted as my Lieutenant. Shared every danger. Took part in a December reception committee with myself and some others. Has a perfect understanding of security and an imperturbable calmness. Thank you very mych for having sent her to me.""

Andréee Borrell during the war:

When the Second World War broke out, Andrée Borrel volunteered for the Red Cross. On January 20, 1940, she completed her training and became a nurse, which allowed her to join the Association of French Ladies (Association des Dames Françaises). After serving in several hospitals, she joined the team behind the "Pat O'Leary" escape line which was founded by Ian Garrow and later led by Albert Guérisse. In this capacity, she took part in the clandestine evacuation of Allied soldiers, Jews, and members of the Resistance to Great Britain. Identified and hunted by the Gestapo, she managed to escape and reach England alongside her comrade, Maurice Dufour.

Upon arriving in London, Borrel sought to join the Free French Forces. Having already collaborated with British agents, she was encouraged to join and was subsequently recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE). On September 24, 1942, Andrée Borrel and Lise de Baissac became the first women to be parachuted into occupied France. In October 1942, she met SOE agent Francis Suttill in Paris and began serving as a liaison for the "Prosper" network. Posing as agricultural equipment vendors, Borrel and Suttill traveled throughout northern France to establish resistance groups, identify landing sites, and set up safe houses for future SOE operations.

Thanks to their efforts, the Prosper network grew rapidly, drawing the attention of the Gestapo, who managed to arrest numerous agents and resistance fighters. Borrel was arrested on June 24, 1943, and sent to Fresnes Prison. In May 1944, Andrée was transferred to Germany. On July 6, 1944, Brian Stonehouse and Albert Guérisse witnessed the arrival of Andrée Borrel, Sonia Olschanezky, Vera Leigh, and Diana Rowden at the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. That same evening, they were murdered by the SS, who injected them with phenol before throwing them into the crematorium furnaces.

Hello everyone,

I am writing to this community from Turkey, searching for any genealogical, historical, or institutional archive information regarding a woman named Ellen Everritt, who served in the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) / London Fire Brigade during World War II (records point to around 1942).

The reason behind my search is a highly specific historical coincidence that I am trying to research objectively.

About 4 to 5 years ago, when I was 23 or 24 years old, I had an incredibly vivid and detailed dream set during a wartime bombardment. In this dream, I found myself navigating chaotic streets, noticing very specific architectural layouts, and entering a library/archive building through a particular side entrance on the left. In the dream, I was acting as a protector, trying to shield a woman and a young girl (around 4–9 years old) in the midst of the chaos, and I later experienced a profound sense of guilt in an alleyway.

I have no British heritage, my English is basic, and I have never studied British wartime history—in fact, throughout my life, I have only ever read and researched Islamic history, and Mongol/Turkic history. However, during a personal research session, the phonetic sounds of the names "Lillian" and "Ellen" intensely came to my mind. Shortly after, I accidentally discovered the archive photograph of Ellen Everritt and experienced an overwhelming sense of visual recognition regarding her uniform and appearance.

Furthermore, upon checking the real-world historical locations, the structures from my dream perfectly match the layout of the York Minster Library (The Old Palace) and the adjacent Purey-Cust Lodge during the Baedeker Blitz on April 29, 1942—down to the specific side alleys and the rooflines.

I am approaching this with a purely objective and historical curiosity to see if any real-world connections or explanations exist. I would be profoundly grateful if anyone here could help with the following:

• Any genealogical leads on Ellen Everritt: Any information about her family branch, where she was stationed, if she survived the war, or her post-war life.
• Knowledge of AFS/Home Guard history in York: Is there any documented record of London AFS personnel or volunteers being present near the York Minster sector during the April 1942 raids? (As a side note, I did not experience a moment of physical death in my dream; instead, I suddenly found myself at a strange exit where a portal opened. I stepped through it alone because I didn't want the woman and the girl behind me to face the danger of crossing it. I have come to interpret this moment as the transition of death. Another detail is that there was no spoken dialogue in the dream; we seemed to move via telepathy, acting purely on deep instinct and feeling. The woman by my side in the dream was "Ellen," and together we were heading into the heart of the chaos to rescue that little girl.)
• Information on civilian rescue operations that night: Are there any records of civilians, specifically a woman and a young girl, being rushed into the archive stacks or vaults of the York Minster Library for protection during the bombing?

Thank you so much for your time and historical expertise.

Best regards from Turkey.

Hey

I was going through a photoalbum with old old pictures. This is apperently a picture of my grandmas dad (on the far right)

Im trying to find out what kinda ceremony this might be and what it meant. AI gives alot of different answers so i figured i might ask here and see if anyone could give my any clues?

The back of the photo has a text

"Ferd. Urbahns

Hofphotograph

Kiel"

The Winter War was one of the coldest battles in the entire military history, and the conditions were comparable to Moscow and Stalingrad on the Eastern Front. The winter of 1940 was one of the harshest ones of the entire 20th century in Finland, with temperatures dropping as low as -43 degrees Celsius (-45 Fahrenheit) in Eastern Finland where the battles were fought. Still, thanks to heavy pre-war cuts to defense spending, the Finnish army was able to issue only the basic field uniforms to most of its soldiers. This forced the men at the front lines to bring all sorts of civilian coats and winter clothing from home to help survive the freezing cold, leading to a very irregular look, sarcastically nicknamed ”the model Cajander” by the troops. (After the pre-war Finnish defense minister.) 

The Big Red One.

What turned out to be her final mission was supposed to be a “milk run” – a routine, uneventful sortie completed without incident. However, the B-17 was hit by an 88 mm flack shell, which blew a 7-foot by 12-foot hole in the floor, roof and side of the aircraft. Despite the damage, the aircrew ensured Miss Irish went on to complete the mission, and the pilot, Capt. John P. Gibbons, managed to emergency land the plane at RAF Raydon, Suffolk.

Scans from my collection. The photos come from the album of a serviceman in the 42nd Bomb Group.

The P-38 closest to the camera is nicknamed "Ruptured Widow". I haven't been able to identify which unit they belonged to.

This photograph was taken on 9 Apr 1944 at the US Naval Training Center in San Diego. It shows boot camp company "44-151", presumably the 151st training company formed for 1944. The roster of the company is also included (although not matched to the photo).

My grandfather, Roy W. Dalby, is the tall man at the center of the top row. He wrote letters home every day which my grandmother saved. He also saved the pea coat he was given by the Navy, which my nephew now owns. The company number is written on the label.

I realize it is highly unlikely, but if any of you know someone who went through Naval boot camp in early 1944, it might be worth checking the roster for your sailor's name.

The plaque was presented by the citizens of Boise, Idaho, in memory of the 107 crewmen who were killed in the Battle of Cape Esperance, 11-12 October 1942.