swampyankee
Chief Master Sergeant
- 3,993
- Jun 25, 2013
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I think it fair to say both sides were equally guilty of this.
For many years the Australian ABC would show a ww2 film called Battle of the Bismark Sea on ANZAC day. Then someone noticed it was showing RAAF and USAAF aircrew strafing lifeboats and floats so it is not shown any more.
Watch the movie "Casablanca"
The whole plot is based around not being sent to a concentration camp and Hollywood released that in early 1943, everyone knew about them but what could be done about them. I don't know of any leader in history who had so many unsuccessful assassination attempts on him than Hitler had.Great movie.
The whole plot is based around not being sent to a concentration camp and Hollywood released that in early 1943, everyone knew about them but what could be done about them.
I don't know of any leader in history who had so many unsuccessful assassination attempts on him than Hitler had.
I read a book on Berlin during the war and its aftermath. When it was all over the women of Berlin had to pretend that they were the only woman not raped by a Russian soldier to their husband who also pretended that he was the only soldier not to give the Russians a reason to take revenge. People will still argue today that Bomber command only targeted military targets, they didn't always, sometimes they specifically targeted civilian populations to kill, injure and de-house them, my uncle was in Bomber Command, he knew what they were doing, I know what he was doing, it was a war.One of the myths of WW2 is that nobody in the Wehrmacht or Germany, in general, knew about the concentration camps. There may have (and probably were) people who refused to believe there were concentration camps, but it's untenable to argue that this was a super-secret that nobody knew. The recordings of German PoWs -- who were not under interrogation -- completely destroy the myth that German soldiers didn't know.
King Hussein bin Talal (حسين بن طلال)of Jordan had at least fifteen that have been reported.
I think from what I've read that most people in Germany we're aware of the camps to some degree. How could one not be. All those Jewish people are being taken somewhere and it's obviously not going to be good.One of the myths of WW2 is that nobody in the Wehrmacht or Germany, in general, knew about the concentration camps. There may have (and probably were) people who refused to believe there were concentration camps, but it's untenable to argue that this was a super-secret that nobody knew. The recordings of German PoWs -- who were not under interrogation -- completely destroy the myth that German soldiers didn't know.
King Hussein bin Talal (حسين بن طلال)of Jordan had at least fifteen that have been reported.
Agreed. I think whats lost on alot of poeple is that even for those opposed to what was going on what were they to do? Running out of your home and throwing rocks at the SS( guns had been confiscated from private ownership) as they cart off your Jewish neighbors is both unlikely to be productive and also result ones own demise.I've never bought into a myth about this. Most Germans knew what was going on, but what were they to do? You and your family would disappear as well. So what did most do? Pretend nothing was going on. Self preservation. "I know nothing". You tell yourself something enough, it becomes the truth. That is where the "myth" comes from. Same goes for the soldiers in the Wehrmacht. You followed orders or else.
Also I don't think anyone thought there was a "clean" Wehrmacht either. It was total war, and both sides were waging it. If anyone thinks otherwise about the Axis or the Allies, they are a fool. The Germans, and more specifically the SS, as well as the Russians took it to a whole other level of course.
Agreed. I think whats lost on alot of poeple is that even for those opposed to what was going on what were they to do? Running out of your home and throwing rocks at the SS( guns had been confiscated from private ownership) as they cart off your Jewish neighbors is both unlikely to be productive and also result ones own demise.
How many had an opportunity to actually do something? Very few. It's at least somewhat encouraging that so many that did have an opportunity , Staufenburg, Rhomel, etc. were willing to risk there lives to try an stop it.
When, a few years ago,I first read that there was a German resistance beyond just individuals hidding Jews and things like that it left me wondering why the allies didn't make use of this i.e. give the resistance some sort of support material or otherwise.Absolutely. There were 42 confirmed plots to assassinate Hitler between 1932 and 1944. Those are just the confirmed ones.
77,000 German citizens were executed by the Nazi's for participating in the German resistance. Although the majority were probably not active participants.
Most were small unorganized groups that used non-violent forms of protest. Read up on the White Rose if you have not for instance.
Then someone noticed it was showing RAAF and USAAF aircrew strafing lifeboats and floats so it is not shown any more.
...guns had been confiscated from private ownership...
Well....... That's something that ive read from multiple sources for decades( which I know doesn't nescesarily make it true) so im predisposed to believe it but I do always have an open mind about things.Sorry but that's entirely untrue. In fact German gun laws were relaxed under the Nazis per the legal changes of 1938. The 1938 laws did prevent Jews from having any weapons but gun registration was so poor that many Jewish families owned and kept their guns
Well....... That's something that ive read from multiple sources for decades( which I know doesn't nescesarily make it true) so im predisposed to believe it but I do always have an open mind about things.
I know there were a few people that kept there ownership of firearms regardless but my impression was that they were few and far between.
Regardless I don't think it's realistic to think an individual German citizen was going to do anything more than get themselves killed trying to shoot at SS troops.