New book on jiujitsu in WW2

Hi guys,

For those interested I thought to let you know my latest book has been published.
I am planning to publish a second one on the subject somewhere mid 2018.

https://www.amazon.com/Jiujitsu-WWII-resistants-fighter-secret-ebook/dp/B075ZYHTRY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511188781&sr=1-1&keywords=jiu+jitsu+ww2


Happy landings.

Johan

Congratulations, Johan. Your publications are valuable records of European jujutsu history.

Thanks Doug,

That is very kind of you. I am very busy at the moment. Next year a book  in Dutch will be published on jiu-jitsu practitioners  in the resistance during the occupation. Found some very interesting info.
Now it  depends if this  will be published in English later on.
Huge sales for the first publication will convince  the publisher to do so,  
Happy landings.

On Amazon in the US, the page comes up, but it has a note saying “This title is not currently available for purchase”.

That's not good

Upon checking I did not get that note but I will check with my publisher.
Should also be available through amazon.co.uk

Happy landings and readings.

Hi Johan,

That looks very interesting. Is it only available on the kindle or will there be a paper version at some point? Looking forward to reading it either way.

Mads

Hi,
Thanks  for your interest.

There is a paper version available. The problem is the costs of postage to the USA or UK.

You an order direct from the publisher.

https://www.boekenplan.nl/en/

Happy landings.

Hi Johan,

interesting book!

Among others, the Russian Wladimir (or Vladimir, V.) Kasulakow is mentioned in it, and during a time frame (in and around 1910, before WWI), when he was very active in Austria-Hungary. Do you have some more detailed informations about the dates and activities of Kasulakow in the Netherlands, or about Kasulakow's own training/teacher at all?

Regarding the period of time during WWII and of the Dutch Resistance, I guess you also are already aware of Jan de Jong and his dōjō in Rotterdam during the early 1940's?

Hi Robert,
Thank you for your kind words.
Below is a link with Kasulakow in action.

He propagated the system he taught as his own , system W.K. and not so much as jiujisu. Although it is obviously jiujitsu or early judo based.
He passed away 13 october 1945 at 70 years of age.


https://youtu.be/MkUKA2OS6xE

Most of the early teachers in Holland who were teaching during the occupation claimed to have taught the resistance. In most cases this is in their own words. I have been abel to verify several cases in which teachers indeed taught (members of) the resistance. I am working on a book on jiujitsu in the resistace. This will be published next year. Later on a translation in English will be published.

Jan de Jong did not like to discuss his experiences during the occupation of Holland. Several other teachers also did not. Some for a good reason, some for not so good a reason. Jan de Jong proved to be a reliable source on several occasions so personally I have no doubt he did teach members of the resistance, I just have not been abel to verify it.

Happy landings.

Hi Johan,

thank you very much for the information and the link. While it seems as if Kasulakow did propagate an "own method" in old Austria-Hungary already, it still was identified as "Ju-Do", "Jiu-Jitsu" or "Ju-Jutsu" and "Japanese self-defence" in contemporary articles from 1909-1911. Did you know, that Kasulakow, like Le Prieur from France, was an early aviator too? He even experienced several crashes, and it finally lead to a court procedure when he, returning a borrowed "Etrichapparat" to it's owner count Teleki, collected 1260 crowns per cash on delivery for cost of repair.

Kasulakow 1910

I know, that he later called his method "W.K. System", but I think that was after WWI, and in other European countries. There is also this Dutch book of H. Assink, Inspecteur van Politie from 1927, where the method is called "Systeem W.K.". Could you identify earlier activities of Kasulakow in the Netherlands, especially before the First World War?

Hi Robert,

I think I saw an article once in which he was intoduced as a Russian or Polish military pilot but I cannot find that now.
In 1928 and 1929 he toured Holland, teaching police.
He was a civilan-instructor to the military police until he passed away.

I have not done extensive research on him yet but until now I have no information about activities in Holland before WWI.
Most of it is from the 1920's on.

I did find his name mentioned in a history of the Van Haeften Baracks. These were build from 1909 on serving not only as barracks for the military police but also as an education center. Kasulakow is mentioned as a self defense instructor working here. Dates are missing but he kight have taught there from the beginning.

Happy landings.

Great info, Johan!

Thanks!

I am always happy to hear from you guys.

Happy landings.

Hi Johan,

I doubt that Kasulakow could have been a Russian or Polish military pilot, as there was hardly time enough for that. According to an Austrian newspaper article from 1928, he was a student pilot of Karl Illner, the work master with Ignaz ''Igo' Etrich, constructor of the famous "Etrich-Taube", in Wiener Neustadt. This airfield only was opened in 1909. While Illner gained experience with flying from 1909 at least, it was only on April 24th, 1910, when he achieved his Austrian pilot's license (the third ever issued). I also doubt that Kasulakow could have taught at the Van Haeften Baracks from their beginnings in 1909, as it seems that he was in Austria-Hungary during that time, as well as during the following years.

When Kasulakow came to Graz in May 1909, to give lectures in Jiu-Jitsu, it was mentioned that he already had done the same thing in many garrisons of Austria-Hungary, and that he had taught the "Hungarian police" in self-defence for 4 years (= since 1905, a reliable date for such an endeavour). It seems, that from 1909 to 1911 at least he further toured Austria-Hungary. In 1910 alone he taught in Wiener Neustadt (probably it was also then and there, when he was taught to fly by Illner), Vienna, Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) and Pilsen (Plzeň), and 1911 in Baden.

During WWI, he must have been back in Hungary, and, as a citizen of a hostile power, like his colleague Sumakow, at first was taken as a P.O.W., IIRC. In February 1918 however, and therefore even before the peace treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 3, 1918) with which the participation of (then) Soviet Russia in WWI ended, a "Russian subject named Wladimir Kasulakow, who was here since the beginning of the war" was employed as a gym teacher at the high school in Fünfkirchen (Pécs) by the Hungarian Minister of Education. Therefore, I believe that most probably Kasulakow could have started his work in the Netherlands only after WWI. Of course, it is not completely impossible that he was in the Netherlands sometime between November 1911 and the outbreak of World War I (July 28th, 1914).

You wrote "He passed away 13 October 1945 at 70 years of age." and "He was a civilian-instructor to the military police until he passed away." Does that mean that for the whole time he instructed in the Netherlands, and even during the German occupation? Did he teach the German 'Feldgendarmerie' in his last years?

Hi Robert,

In those days Holland was a bit of a backwater I think. Very often I find newspaper articles not very accurate. What you write corresponds with my findings so far that Kasulakow was teaching in Holland from the mid - or late twenties. He also taught in Paris.

It is clearly stated he was connected with and taught the military police as a civilian instuctor for many years until he pased away.

As I said I have not done extensive research on him.

There is one detail though. A request by a mr. W.N. Kasulakow has been made, somewhere in 1940, in which he asks for a meeting and a talk with M.M. Rost van Tonningen, a notorious Dutch National Socialist politician. Rost van Tonningen did not have time, instead it was sugested the meeting could be with his secretary, B. Serne .

This could very well be our mr. Kasulokow. If the meeting ever took place do not know.

Happy landings.

Thank you, Johan!

Hi Johan,

and just in case anybody else is interested (noboru?), I' found some new informations about Kasulakow:

1910

1. Kasulakow held two lectures and also taught a 14 days course of his system to officers of the garrison Prague (Praha) in 1910 (regarded 'a good success' by the Corps command).

2. Kasulakow, because of his good certificates and testimonies, asked for high prices for his lectures and courses (but was paid less). On his card, he called himself  'diplomierter Lehrer des k.u.k. Militaer Turn- und Fechtlehrerkurses in Wiener-Neustadt' ('certified instructor of the k.u.k. military gmnastics- and fencingcourse in Wiener-Neustadt'). But while he had taught there, and certainly also had received an appropriate diploma, he was not authorised to use that title. The police, therefore, on request of the Corps command, "remedied that nonsense".

3. Kasulakow, while there, boasted of the patronage from 'very highest and highest personages', and was said to try to chum up to younger and higher officers, therefore the officers were warned to "only take advantage of his skill", but to avoid contact outside of the lessons.

4. In consideration of his nationality, a discreet surveillance of Kasulakow by the Police Directorate was set off, but brought no result.

This informations were sent in confidential letters to all military territorial commandos of Austria-Hungary in summer of 1910.

1912

Kasulakow got his pilot's diploma (it was number 81) from the Austrian Aero-Club on September 4th, 1912, as a privat pilot. So he must have been in Austria-Hungary, at that date at least, too.

1940 (perhaps also of interest)

Obviously there was an "International Law Case" at the Cantonal Court of The Hague in early 1940 (Paszthy v. Kasulakoff (sic)), in which was mentioned, that 'Kasulakoff styles himself a "White Russian". It does not appear, however, that he has lost Russian nationality, and his disapproval of the form of government of his country is juridically irrelevant. ... Kasulakoff has lived for years in Holland, where all his assets are placed, ...".

But he had not become naturalised in Holland then.

Hi Robert,

That is certainly interesting.

It is also in line with my findings that K. did not teach jiujitsu to the general public but offered his lessons exclusively to police and military police.
Probably more money to be made there. I have also never found anything abot K.having contacts with other jiujitsu teachers or with the NJJB (Nederlandsche Jiu Jitsu Bond).

I will see about the letter to Rost van Tonningen, that may have been a case of looking for employment, or prolonging employment since Holland was under German rules of Government by then and as I understand K. was still teaching military police.

Happy landings.

Johan,

according to some newspaper articles, K. also taught civilians, children, youth and adults as well, in the Hungarian half of the Dual Monarchy and during WWI at least. But you are right, in principle he seems to have concentrated his activities on demonstrations for the public including local and military decision-makers, in order to be engaged by the latter then, to hold courses for military and police forces.

Robert,

In newspaper articles in Holland he is mentioned only as a teacher of (military-) police. No advertisements for lessons at all.
His date of birth is given as May 3 1875 at Petrograd.
He is mentioned as a officer-aviator for the White Garde under general Dinikin and was supposedly a teacher at the former Austrian Hungarian court.

But then Maurice van Nieuwenhuizen was portrayed as the worldchampion in jiujitsu. No questions asked.

Happy landings.

Kasulakow

https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/b82731-wladimir-m-kasulakow-aviation-airplane-poland-aviator-front-back-scan/10429464



B82731 wladimir m kasulakow Aviation airplane Poland Aviator front/back scan
----------------------
http://journals.openedition.org/criminocorpus/2684

(1925)Au même moment, certains policiers marseillais bénéficient eux aussi de leçons de jiu-jitsu 51.

51 Ibidem, Lettre du préfet des Bouches-du-Rhône adressée au préfet du Rhône, 13 juin 1924. Le professeur Wladimir Kasulakow avait été chargé par la préfecture des Bouches-du-Rhône de transmettre ses techniques de combat « au personnel de la police marseillaise ».

Johan,

you wrote "He is mentioned as a officer-aviator for the White Garde under general Dinikin and was supposedly a teacher at the former Austrian Hungarian court."

After reading this details I've realized, that all that is entirely possible and doesn't contradict my findings so far! The latest mention of K. being in Austria-Hungary I've found yet, is from February 1918. Tsarist general Dinikin joined the White Army after the October Revolution in 1917, and later even commanded this army in the Russian civil war (1917/18-1922) until April 1920.

In French newspapers K. seems to appear from ~1923 on. Therefore it is entirely possible, that he indeed was a military pilot in between, not in WWI, but during the Russian civil war, fighting for Dinikin against the Red Army. It would also correspond with K.'s mindset from 1940, with his "disapproval of the form of government of his country", if in the beginning he even had fought in the White Army against the Red Army of the Bolsheviks.

Also, there is evidence, that in 1910 K. has taught at least two Austrian archdukes. They even seem to have granted him a diamond pin, as well as the right to officially use a corresponding title (this was in the same year, but AFTER the incident I described above in an earlier posting). Certainly that could have been expressed as "having been a teacher at the former Austrian-Hungarian court".

So it may well be, that THAT questions CAN be asked, in K.'s case at least.


BTW, one Kasulakow Wladimir seems to have been married to a Hungarian woman, with which, by August 1917, he had two children at least (Kálmán and Erzsike). The father in law, Fehérváry József, seems to have been Roman Catholic. If this Kasulakow was our K., perhaps his family, or a part of it, accompanied him to or joined him in Holland.

OTOH, I found some mentions of an Elisabeth or Lisbeth Kasulakow or "Kasulakow ép. Van der Sman, Elisabeth" (born in 1917?) from the Netherlands connected with the resistance, and also mentioned in a Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database (regarding Ravensbrueck, IIRC). Perhaps there really is a connection?

Hi guys,

Noboru - many thanks for the links. The second one did not work at first but it does now and it is very interesting. At first glance it seems the French were quite early with new ideas. I will have to sit and read carefully. Thanks!

Robert it seems things are getting more clear.
At the time of his passing he was married to Bertha Hendrika Maria Lau.  
He was widower to Marie de Fehervary.


Happy landings.

Hi Johan,

then it's clearly him. Here is the death notice of Kasulakow's first father-in-law:


Under gyermekei. (children) you'll find Fehérváry Marcsa ('Marcsa' is a Hungarian affectionate form for 'Maria').
Under vejei. (sons-in-law) you'll find Kasulakow Wladimir.
Under unokái. (grandchildren) you'll find Kasulakow Erzsike ('Erzsike' is a Hungarian affectionate form for 'Eli(s)(z)abeth).

Robert,

He married Bertha Lau 14 August 1937.

I must say, he was an  very interesting man. I never understood why he did not set himself up as a teacher of jiujitsu. But then when he was teaching military police and the like and had taught members of court he probably did not want to teach the hoi polloi. But that is speculation on my part.

Happy landings.