WORLD HISTORY AND LOCAL GIST

  Does God choose sides in war? This image of a soldier before the Battle of Kursk in 1943 intrigues me.   I have always wondered whether his faith and clasping his cross before the battle, provided him any comfort. Reading the letters of soldiers, who fought in Somme Battle in 1916, provides glimpses into their inner-most thoughts about God.  Many soldiers, such as Sergeant Philip Browne, appealed to God prior to battles. He wrote, ‘Please god we will come through safe.’  Philip was killed that day, his body never recovered.  Prior to an attack, Captain Charles Dawkins wrote, ‘God, I hope it’s a success and I come through all right,’ while his comrade, Lieutenant Len Wadsley wrote, ‘I leave myself in the hands of the Almighty and trust him absolutely.’  Both men died in the failed attack.  Many soldiers who survived the Somme could not fathom how they got through unscathed.  Some attributed their luck to God’s providence. ‘The Lord seems to ...

  Historical photo of John Steele or 82nd Airborne John Steele and the Parachute on the Church Steeple In the early hours of June 6, 1944, as Allied forces launched the D-Day invasion of Normandy, American paratrooper John Steele found himself trapped in one of the most unlikely and terrifying places imaginable — hanging from a church steeple. Steele’s parachute became tangled on the steeple of the church in Sainte-Mère-Église, leaving him suspended high above the town square. Below him, the invasion was already underway. Gunfire echoed through the streets, buildings burned, and soldiers fought fiercely in the darkness. For nearly two hours, Steele hung motionless, pretending to be dead as the battle raged beneath him. John Steele was a member of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division. His unit had been dropped behind enemy lines in the early morning hours of D-Day with orders to secure key roads and towns in Normandy. Poor visibility and heavy Ger...