They were just fascists for the comedy effects, and when they realized they couldn't lounge in the sun drinking wine and eating pasta anymore, they switched sides.

Kind of confusing really.

I wonder what would have happened if Germany had switched sides?

Everybody knows that in WWII Hitler had a dog called Blondie, but what was the name of the dog he had with him in WWI?

So let's allow others to try and guess before you give the answer. I would only be guessing blindly, so that's one point for you.

However, I will counter with this second <Hitler Dog> question.

The source for this info is impeccable- I learned about it first from the 7 hour experimental film <Hitler: Eine film aus Deutschland> by the great Hans Jurgen Syberberg--

"Blondie" the Alsation- a manly dog- was not in fact Hitler's favorite.

He had 11 dogs in all at the <Berchtesgarden>, and his favorite was a cuddly little terrier he used to put on his lap.

However, for the sake of "appearances," his entourage were sworn to secrecy about this "shameful secret" on pain of being strung up with piano wire.

What was Hitler's little dog's name?

OK Italians-- we must be careful not to offend the fine <Hoot Robin>, but of course the Italians switched sides in the middle of both World Wars.

No Italian tried for war crimes...

This was not solely due to the Italians joining the Allies.

No other country except Denmark did more to refuse to transport Jews to concentration camps.

Even when Mussolini was firmly in charge of Italy, the Italian government point blank refused to hand over their Jews.

This was one of many sore points with Hitler, of course....

There was really nothing he could do about this however as Mussolini was an ally.

Even when occupied Northern Italy was run by a German puppet government, the local officials refused to hand over Jews.

This is to Italy's great credit in terms of history and the Holocaust.

This is not to say that there weren't AntiSemitic collaboraters among the Italian officials--

But overall, the Italian record in non compliance was second only to Denmark in how many of their own Jews they saved with such stubborness.

Interestingly, in the case of Denmark, the Nazi Gauleiter in charge of a big area of occupied Poland was in fact a "Scandinavian lover" in his personal beliefs--

And when he learned that the SS was about to start rounding up Jews in Denmark, he actually visited the Danish government in person- and he told them that they should get their Jews out immediately.

Thanks to this warning from such an unlikely source, the Danes managed to get almost every Jew smuggled out to Sweden before the SS began operations there.

This evacuation should be as famous as the one at Dunkirk, IMO....

Well I have an excuse. My Dad, who is now deceased, was obsessed with both subjects and he passed on this love for them to me, at a very early age.>

Did I just hear someone say <MAGINOT LINE>? :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot

I've been driving myself insane all day with my Chess Engine...

Bloody thing-thinks it's so smart..

Just cuz it is..

We'll just go around it....

too bad Sheryl Crow was not around then...

<Or are all the people on this website men who grew up in the 1950s-1960s, when every single kid in America was a World War Two buff? >

You are very likely right about this. Further, they are likely over-represented because a) the baby boom, and b) more free time (you notice lots of "rediscovering" of chess in the headers) that is correlated with age.

WWII was also very interesting. There were air battles, tank battles in the desert, great sea battles (my uncle was at Coral Sea), etc. We all heard the stories at an impressionable age. In addition, there were lots of chances to "see" what happened in the movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fm3...

"This Band of Brothers..."

Ah those were the days. Vanquishing the Frog.

Then the Hun, of course.

Kamsky was meant to be a fighter, not a time blundering bone head!!

Arrggghhhh