On my way to the next liberated camp, I met some advance units of the Red Army that had occupied a German house. Soviet troops were closing in on Weimar in Eastern Germany. I was immediately embraced and pushed into a celebration already in progress. A glass of what I suppose was Vodka, or gasoline, was thrust into my hand. Everyone was stomping and dancing joyfully. A burly Soviet soldier, with pants stuffed into big black boots, grabbed me, lifted me off my feet and started swinging me around the room. It was only when I was put down that I realized that my dancing partner was a woman. The Soviet Army included females as well as males, but it was sometimes hard to tell which was which. One of the Russian soldiers asked me what I did in the American army. I told him I was a war crimes investigator. I explained that I tried to get evidence of what the SS did. “Don’t you know what they did?” he asked. I said that, of course, I did. “So why are you asking them?” he said quizzically. “Just shoot them!” In later years, when it became clear that we could never try more than a very small sampling of the criminals, and that almost all would escape punishment, I often thought of the advice I got from the simple Russian soldier. Being a lawman, I couldn’t accept it, but I often wondered if he was right.
- Investigating Nazi Concentration Camps, Benjamin B. Ferencz
Fuck that hits hard
That whole story is quite the intense read. Thanks for sharing!
No problem, comrade!
Read something interesting earlier on Folke Bernadotte’s Wiki. Where is it…
In April 1945, Heinrich Himmler asked Bernadotte to convey a peace proposal to Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Harry S. Truman without the knowledge of Adolf Hitler. The main point of the proposal was that Germany would surrender only to the Western Allies (the United Kingdom and the United States), but would be allowed to continue resisting the Soviet Union.
Right after WWII, the US rehabilitated its “enemies,” Germany, Italy, and Japan, while starting the Cold War with its “ally,” the USSR. Rehabilitating Germany & Japan was important for the US’ containment strategy against the USSR.
If we see that Germany is winning the war, we ought to help Russia; and if that Russia is winning, we ought to help Germany, and in that way let them kill as many as possible […]. — Senator and future president Harry S. Truman, 1941
This piece of shit also wanted the Japanese to kill all the PLA communists even though the Chinese were allies at the time.
Demons, the lot of them.
The politicians that is.
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Hmm… yeah. But the majority of right wing Nazis is now in ex GDR. The Problem With them Post war was ignored or downplayed.
When GDR would become Part of Germany again, they have become victoms of a great sell out and the majority of companies closed. That caused a Lot of distrust to the (new) government. Not defending Nazi scum Here. But the ex GDR Population was an easy target for the few Nazis that were left in Western Germany.
Now we gotta Deal With that Shit again, so I do Not agree on soviet union getting rid of Nazis. They straight Up ignored it in the Long Run tbh.
So you’re telling me the Soviets treated Nazi’s like they treated their own people. Curious.
No? What are you talking about? Getting real tired of liberals claiming to be anarchists that think they can say whatever they want about socialist states, regardless of its validity, and claim it’s simply “anarchist critique.” No, anarchist critique is based on looking at historical truth and evaluating it with an anarchist lens, not making shit up.
Yes, your fall back defense and insult: everyone you disagree with is a “liberal”. As tiresome as it is predictable. Though this is Hardly an Anarchist critique. Anyone with a basic understanding of the history and no ulterior motives could make the point: Prior to Stalin’s death, life was cheap in the USSR. More “good” communists faced execution than Nazis.
More “good” communists faced execution than Nazis.
100 GORRIOLLON NO IFONE
Take your Black Book of Communism nonsense and shove it
Yep, anyone can make shit up, like you just did. 4 million Nazis were killed on the Eastern Front in battle, a number far exceeding even the most outlandish figures liberals came up with for purges, even if we assume 100% of those purged were innocent, which is of course wrong (the vast majority were proven guilty).
Now, in reality, life expectancy doubled while Stalin was in office, and the vast majority of those executed in purges (which wasn’t what happened to most that were purged, usually just party expulsions) were found to be guilty of crimes like murder, terrorism, espionage, sexual assault, and more. We also know that there was good reason for the purges, because the USSR was under constant siege, threat of war, infiltration, sabotage, and more for its entire existence, especially prior to World War II.
You don’t have a critique to make, you’re just repeating Red Scare mythology. Truth for you is less important than wielding the Red Scare like a club against those you disagree with, even if it’s trivial to disprove your claims.
It’s ok bro. You must be 12.
An even more vapid rebuttal then I expected
No he said the West did that.
Funny how Russia’s Operation Osoaviakhim did the exact same thing, they were just worse at it. This thread is Russian backed propaganda.
Operation Osoaviakhim did the exact same thing
Cope, no it didn’t. The US gave ex Nazis leadership positions, the soviets did the pragmatic thing and only extracted useful knowledge and executed them if they refused
You live in a larp world where everyone who disagrees with you is a Russian government agent lmao
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For reference, LARP means live-action role-playing. Dressup fun activities for nerds. People who are too online call each other larpers both ironically or otherwise when mocking the validity of their ideology.
Implying someone is secretly a Russian operative for using a word you don’t know is so illustrative of their point that I’m starting to think it’s a bit. Great job if it is.
Someone I disagree with used a word I don’t know, must be a russian agent slipping up! I knew it!
See what I mean?
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Did you know that le soviets are the exact same evil as le Nazis??? (I’m very smart)
Double genocide theory is a form of holocaust denial you dipshit
and also before its read wrong im not criticizing the people they did hang but people Arno von Lenski and Kurt Nier who got away with their crimes, maintained power and shielded friends because they agreed to collaborate with soviets letting this happen the wrong call .
Arno von Lenski and Kurt Nier
- DDR was not part of the Soviet union
- Rehabilitation back into society should be an option
- Denazification was still way more thorough in the DDR than the BRD
Edit: Thanks for the correction @Edie@lemmy.ml
13·2 days agoDDR and GDR is the same thing, just in German and English. You’re looking for BRD or FRG (again, German and English)
When did i say anything even remotely like that just that soviet denazification wasn’t as thorough as some like to pretend?
Are you saying Stalin shouldnt have stopped at Berlin?
Ok sorry misread your comment then
How could the soviets been more thorough in your opinion?
some were given a pass for convenience and even if much much less than the west “ex”-nazis still about 10% of large parts of east german goverment and people like Arno von Lenski and Kurt Nier got away with their crimes, maintained power and shielded friends because they agreed to collaborate with soviets letting this happen the wrong call .
