One of last Hitler Youth soldiers: ‘It was a suicide mission'
'We were divided into 'Panzer destruction squads' made up of three boys each with one Panzerfaust per squad,' he said. 'I remember the officer who was handing out the weapons said, 'which one of you is taking the Panzerfaust?' I said, 'I'll take it'. They were heavy and I was quite puny. But that's how eager I was.'
The training consisted of watching the shoulder-launched missile being fired once into a stone sports stand to show its destructive force and being told to get as close to the
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
a day ago
- ITV News
Man accused of lighting cigarette from memorial flame arrested in France
A man who is accused of lighting a cigarette at a major war memorial has been arrested in Paris on Tuesday, according to a French government minister. It comes after a video posted on social media appears to show a man stooping and lighting up in the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before calmly walking away in front of a group of bystanders. The incident has sparked outrage across France, with officials condemning it as an insult to the memory of fallen soldiers. France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the act as "indecent and pathetic". "The man who desecrated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by lighting a cigarette with the memorial flame was arrested in Paris for violating a burial site, tomb, urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead. He was taken into custody and admitted the facts," he wrote on X. The memorial, which was first unveiled in 1920, contains the remains of a soldier killed in the First World War and serves as a tribute to all of France's fallen troops. "You cannot ridicule French remembrance and get away with it," wrote Patricia Mirallès, Secretary of State for Veterans and Remembrance, on X. "This flame does not light a cigarette, it burns for the sacrifice of millions of our soldiers," said Miralles. "This is an insult to our dead, to our history and to our nation."
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
This UFO and Bigfoot expert is the latest person to join Reform UK
A former MEP who has written books on topics as diverse as Bigfoot, Jack the Ripper and the aliens of Area 51 has been announced as the latest recruit to Reform UK. Rupert Matthews is the author of more than 170 books, according to his page on Amazon – though his specialist subjects are history and the paranormal. Among his most popular works are 'Sasquatch: North America's Enduring Mystery', 'Alien Encounters: Extraordinary Tales of Strange Phenomena', and 'Haunted York'. This morning, he was unveiled as the latest defection from the Conservatives to Reform in a press conference hosted by Nigel Farage. As the serving police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland, Matthews becomes the first Reform figure to serve in that role. He told the press event he was aiming to remove a 'dark heart of wokeness' from the criminal justice system and accused British politicians of taking inspiration from 'countries like Lebanon and Libya'. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. Matthews said: 'I daily face a fight against crime. 'I see ordinary, hard-working people burgled, robbed and mugged. Shoplifting is getting out of control. Anti-social behaviour is turning too many of our town centres into an apocalyptic wasteland of lawless Britain.' He has served in his current position since 2021, and had a seat in the European Parliament for the Tories before that. Matthews told the event he had been a member of the Conservatives for 40 years. In 2011, the long-time Eurosceptic suggested the European Commission could technically send military force into the UK against the British government's wishes. In an interview at the Conservative Party Conference, he said: 'Were there to be massive riots in London, or there were to be all sorts of problems, they could go to the German government and say, 'Please send us a Panzer division.' 'If the German government said yes, then the European Commission could send that Panzer division to London and there's nothing the British government could do about it.' A spokesperson for No 10 said: 'Their big defection is very interested in the fantastical and the unexplained. 'It's no surprise who's added Reform's fiscal plans to that list.' Hello, I'm Craig Munro and I'm Metro's man in Westminster. Every Wednesday, I write our Alright, Gov? newsletter with insights from behind the scenes in the Houses of Parliament – and how the decisions made there will end up affecting you. This week we had a look at the impact of the government's big announcement on recognising Palestinian statehood – and answered a question from a reader about how petitions work. Click here to sign up At today's event, Farage also announced Vanessa Frake-Harris – the former prison governor of Wormwood Scrubs – as a member of its law and order taskforce. More Trending She said: 'Our prisons are in a crisis caused by Labour and the Conservatives. What have their solutions been? They have let out 10,000 prisoners out of jail early. 'To let criminals out of jail before they even serve their full sentence is a disgrace.' Both new recruits were announced as part of a weeks-long series of events focusing on crime and justice organised by Reform over parliamentary recess. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Risk and reward, Trump's Mini-Me and planting trees for the planet MORE: Labour's love lost in less than a year but will electoral reform rescue it? MORE: From defending free speech to dictating the media, readers discuss the Online Safety Act
Belfast Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Coleraine war memorial vandalised in ‘act of malice' by ‘republican youths'
A piece of the monument commemorating the 36th Ulster Division was stolen as part of the vandalism, according to a social media post by the Killowen Orange Lodge. They said a 'small group of narrow minded individuals' were behind the incident which took place at the memorial garden in the Shuttle Hill area. The memorial in the town commemorates those who served in the 36th Ulster Division during the First World War at Messines in June 1917. Positioned by the Killowen Orange Lodge on their site, the monument also honours those from the 16th Irish Division of soldiers from Redmond's Nationalist Volunteers. Killowen Orange Lodge also said the incident has been 'reported to the PSNI as a hate crime' and claimed it was an incident designed to 'raise tensions ahead of the Twelfth of July celebrations'. Condemnation also came from the TUV's vice chairman and Causeway councillor Allister Kyle, who slammed the 'narrow-mindedness' from the vandals and urged those with information to come forward to the police. 'It is deeply disappointing to learn that a memorial stone, laid in honour of those young men from our shores who served in the 36th Ulster Division, has been stolen — an act of malice carried out by individuals styling themselves as 'Republican Youth',' Mr Allister said. 'This memorial was a modest tribute, placed respectfully by Killowen Lodge on its own private grounds. It posed no threat, no provocation, and no reason for offence. 'Basic decency would demand that respect be shown to those who paid the ultimate price — regardless of the political lens through which you view the past. 'I would urge anyone with information about this act of desecration to come forward, either to the PSNI or, if they feel more comfortable, to contact me directly in confidence. I will ensure the information is passed on. 'Those behind this disgraceful act may have enjoyed a momentary thrill by trying to wound a community's memory — but all they have truly done is expose their own narrow-mindedness.' News Catch Up - Monday 23rd June Mr Allister added: 'I have no doubt that the memorial will be restored. And when it is, it will stand all the taller — as a lasting reminder that some gave their all, while others can only lash out in petty vandalism.' In a statement PSNI Inspector O'Brien, said: 'Officers received a report on Sunday 22nd June that a stone was taken from a memorial garden in the Shuttle Hill area. 'We are treating this report as a sectarian hate crime and we are appealing to anyone with any information, to contact police on 101, quoting reference 1408 of 22/06/25.'
