WW2 Discussion Thread

"World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II 

   One of the last guys to technically "surrender" was Teruo Nakamura. He was a Taiwanese soldier who enlisted in the Japanese army in 1943, as Taiwan was a "colony" of Japan at that time. He was declared 'dead' in 1945, but was discovered on an Indonesian island in 1974. He was arrested and eventually repatriated to Taiwan. Of course, he was not too warmly received by the folks there, as he was considered sort of a traitor. He died a few years later. Sad story......

     Also, the Japanese built the largest submarines of WW2, the I-400 class. They were 400 feet long and contained three aircraft! Other armies, notably Frances, had experimented with airplanes on subs, but the Japanese units were the most formidable. They did not, however, play a very significant role in the battles.

    The company that made Zyklon B, Degussa AG (today called Evonik Industries), is still in business today, and is the largest specialty chemical companies in the world. Zyklon B, of course, was the gas used to execute millions of people in the Nazi death camps. During the building of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin in 2003, it came to light that the anti-graffiti coating being applied to the surface was made by Degussa. Irony of ironies! There was a bit of an outcry, but Degussa was allowed to finish the job. I guess they came in with a pretty low bid for the job......