I've been surfing into the non-stop History Channel coverage of the SS. Everything from Himmler, Heidrich, Death's Head, to the Waffen SS has its own program. Each hour History Channel airs what footage remains of the roundups and mass murder of the Jews of Europe, among other SS topics.
What strikes me as odd is the complete lack of real remorse or trauma among the remaining SS troopers. I've seen Congressional Medal of Honor winners - among the few who didn't win the award posthumously - break down when describing their time spent on Anzio, Iwo Jima, or Okinawa. CMH winners are not what one would call soft. To win the award a soldier must practically do the work of a whole company of infantry. Often they have been seriously wounded, rescued their comrades under heavy fire, and still had time to kill dozens of the enemy. But these brave American heroes almost always tear up at some point in the interview.
Generally speaking, if a war veteran is willing to talk about the worst experiences of the war at all, the tears will begin to flow at some point.
Having watched at least a dozen interviews with German SS troopers, I've yet to see even one show any sign of emotion or remorse. One, when asked if he would have fired the machine guns used to kill Jewish civilians, thought for a moment and replied "probably yes". He made a face similar to sipping spoiled milk, but nothing more. This man personally witnessed hundreds or thousands of cold-blooded murders.
The soldiers who fought from bunker to cave on Okinawa had more compassion for their Japanese military opponents than the surviving Nazis do today for slaughtering innocent women and children. I'd chalk it up to brainwashing, but it's been almost 60 years.
If one loses or never learned compassion or humanity, can they be regained or discovered later in life? Are we born empty vessels, but filled only once?
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7 comments:
Chip,
As an American Jew, who grew up during WWII, and lost so many relatives whose faces exist only in a big photo album, no names, no identity, but I know they were fron Lithuania, I cannot, to be honest, ever forgive or forget. With the rise in numbers of neo-nazis in Germany, and their still being in a state of denial re the Shoah, I have little hope that they will ever admit just what they chose to do; they voted for h***** as Chancellor, he did not take over in a coupe d'état...this rather long article, from 2003, by the German ambassador to the UK, seems to fit the German psyche re any of the allies today, 60 years later:
http://www.theglobalist.com/DBWeb/printStoryId.aspx?StoryId=3315
"Stereotyping Germany"
All your friends at LGF hope to hear news about Alexander...
OT - I've been following your story and continue to pray for your family. Wishing your wife and you a Happy Mother's Day. Hoping you can cuddle your little one soon.
May the Lord G-d hold you all in the cup of his hand, covering you with his grace. May Alex have naught but love and peace, blessed by your love and of Him above.
NY Nana,
[from the article]
"A recent opinion poll found that, in the group of 16-24 year olds in Germany, 64% knew about Britain from their own experience. In contrast, in Britain, only 35% knew about Germany from visiting the country directly."
I've visited both. If Europe were different, I'd love to go back.
I worry more about European incompetence in drafting a constitution. Europe blundered with the EAD, and all the PC propaganda blitzkringing the Europeans do when not genuflecting to their Arab-Muslim masters.
History Channel showed archival footage of one Arab Waffen SS division by the way.
I'm not particularly worried about Germany, the nation, trying to blitzkrieg tanks through the Ardennes. Though it sure would be a blast from the past wouldn't it?
Europe generally consists of secular socialist fundamentalist nihilists aligning themselves with Islamists, the American Left like Ward Churchill or DU, and the Nazis, in their hatred for America, but little more.
[stupid pinhead academic rant on]
Deconstruction is pretty much the same thing as destruction. Noam Chomsky is never correct and always sides with those who commit genocide. The Noble Savage, wasn't.
[stupid pinhead academic rant off]
Good question about if you have somehow lost the capacity to behave humanely (or never developed it to begin with) will you develop it at a later age?
Those people were probably loving, caring parents and grandparents; the monstrous thing is that they cared no more for the killing of Jews than a chicken farmer cares about the butchering of chickens. No, I take that back, most of us that raise livestock for a living HATE (but accept)that the eventual destination is the table, but the alternative would be that there would be no livestock at all.
Perhaps the only way they can live with themselves is by refusing to acknowledge the humanity of Jews.
SwampWoman
Continued prayers for Zanderman, you, and wife.
SwampWoman
Chip:
A pinhead you ain't! Speaking of Eurabia, I posted this on LGF, because I found it disturbing on 2 levels; I totally agree with you on the EU Constitution, and as far as the EU itself? A group of overpaid cretins, who, a few years ago actually passed legislation (I swear) on the English cucumber; only ones that are perfectly straight are acceptable. No bends allowed.They actually feel that by existing, and having a constitution, they will overtake the U.S. Best they stay with discussing produce, or having their meds adjusted. I am in favor of having the Chunnel closed and cruched to bits. The more I rant, the more I realize that I despise only the damned u.n. more.
The following article is from The Telegraph, a usually reasoned broadsheet, and that they have this sort of article makes me worry. I hope that the Brits are allowed a referendum on the EU; no one that I know in London wants any part of it, and when we visit friends there, the talk comes around to their total distaste...
Vote for EU constitution or risk new Holocaust, says Brussels
By David Rennie in Brussels
(Filed: 09/05/2005)
A senior European Commissioner marked VE Day yesterday by accusing Eurosceptics of risking a return to the Holocaust by clinging to "nationalistic pride".
Margot Wallstrom
Margot Wallstrom, a Swede and the commissioner who must sell the draft constitution to voters, argued that politicians who resisted pooling national sovereignty risked a return to Nazi horrors of the 1930s and 1940s.
Mrs Wallstrom, vice-president of the commission for institutional relations and communications, was speaking in the former Jewish ghetto of Terezin in the Czech Republic.
She blamed the Second World War on "nationalistic pride and greed, and … international rivalry for wealth and power". The EU had replaced such rivalry with an historic agreement to share national sovereignty.
Her fellow commissioners also issued a joint declaration, stating that EU citizens should pay tribute to the dead of the Second World War by voting Yes to the draft constitution for Europe.
The commissioners also gave the EU sole credit for ending the Cold War, making no mention of the role of Nato and the United States.
Richard Shepherd, the Tory MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, said it was "breathtaking" to link Nazism to the defence of national sovereignty.
"It's a monstrous rewriting of history to promote a profoundly undemocratic project."
Here is the URL, which is almost as long as the article!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=SQTXSMDTMXVQZQFIQMGSM5WAVCBQWJVC?xml=/news/2005/05/09/nve09.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/05/09/ixportaltop.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=26955
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