Hi my name is Atholl Davidson and I am a 42 year old Scot living in Inverness in the Highland Region. I have been interested in the subject of both World Wars since boyhood and in particular the European arena and at the moment am reading around the German dimension, such as the social environment between the wars that allowed the National Socialists to remove the Weimar Republic framework in its entirety, despite returning a minority at the polls. By trying to grasp the mind set, in particular the German people at the time I hope gives me a greater appreciation and understanding of events from both the Allied and Axis perspectives, as I had always previously placed an emphasis on reading about the Allied reaction to events as they unfolded. I visited the Federal Republic of Germany in the early 80's with my local Territorial Battalion of the Queens Own Highlanders and would like to return again one day now that the country is unified and visit Berlin, Bremen and further east the former German City now Gdansk in particular. I hope that I will be able to make a positive contribution to the forum and look forward to adding a few more posts in the weeks and months ahead.
Atholl -- Welcome! This is a wonderful place to wander and learn. I am sure you will enjoy your time here. Please jump right in! Cheers!
Many thanks to everyone taking the time to give a warm welcome to the forum which I greatly appreciate. I'm sure I will enjoy the forum and learn at least as much as I can contribute.
Welcome to the Forum, Atholl. I'm certain you will find some interesting threads and knowledgeable members with whom to converse. I hope you enjoy yourself here.
The Cities I've shortlisted to visit are opportunities to compare and contrast different parts of Germany, or what was part of Germany in Saxony and Prussia. I visited Hamburg and Cologne as a teenager and would like to visit Danzig/Gdansk and Dresden due to the central roles they held from medieval times through to the Third Reich period whilst Berlin has it's central role. I thought the parts of Germany I visited particularly around Munster were beautiful although I saw most of it out of the back of a truck however the seeds were sown that one day when I had time and money I would return and do a little more sightseeing further east if possible. Danzig was shortlisted because of it's location, history and along with Kolberg was one of the important strategic points in East Prussia and Pomerania during World War 2. I hope that answered the question without you nodding off
