Posted on 04/03/2015 4:52:05 PM PDT by Ouderkirk
I have been looking for commentary from your average German about the feeling in Germany in 1943.
They had to know the Americans were massing troops and material for an invasion from England, the Russians were gearing up for the same, and American bombers are starting to trash your cities, they are rounding up people and killing them on a scale that is unmistakable, and that you understand that it could be you at any minute. So, do you keep your head down, enjoy what you can while things are quiet and await your fate?
Was there sort of a nihilist "party while you can" atmosphere? It's clear that a certain amount of the leadership knew they were doomed and it was not a matter of IF, but WHEN and HOW BAD was it going to be in the next year or so.
There had to be a certain consciousness of the situation no matter the propaganda. The daily reality had to creep in for most folks at some point even though you couldn't discuss it publicly.
I've been trying to correlate what I am experiencing to what happened during that time to gauge the likelihood of several potential outcomes.
This may seem like an odd question to ask, but it is something that I have been thinking about in a larger context of the history of WW2 and the present.
There is a German series that came out a few years ago called “Generation War” (Unsere Mütter, Unsere Väter) that in many ways captures what the Germans were thinking at that time.
I am not sure if the average German knew it but have read that the German higher ups pretty much knew they would lose by late 1942.
if you read history the sentiments of the Germans in 1943 run parallel with the obama lemmings of today; everything was a-okay and they were the righteous ones because their leader told them so...
not trying to be a wise guy rather drawing a legitimate comparison....a lot of Germans were later horrified to find out what was behind those barbed wire fences after the war was over as they never let themselves admit what was happening in concentration camps- much the same today with the obama supporters...
IIRC, there were some good quotes from the book , “In the Garden of the Beasts” pertaining to this.
You might be able to get some answers from this documentary “The Fall of the Third Reich”. They use lots of words from letters and diary entries. It’s really well done, and a little intense at times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsWjsdiOGFw
once they failed to get to Moscow once winter began in 1941 they new it was over...
for later
No disrespect, but you need to learn some research skills. You will have to learn German or get a translator and go to source materials such as letters, memoirs, essays, articles, etc. Life did not stop in 1943 Germany. People wrote their relatives, made entries in their diaries, there were expatriate groups, etc. Books were written after the war. Don’t expect much of this to be in English.
Point is, this is not the place to learn about this subject.
By the end of 1943 the average German knew they were living on borrowed time.
Some knew it was over when Hitler declared war on the USA a few days after Pearl Harbor.
Goebbles came out with his “Total War” propaganda effort around that time.
Most of the Generals knew it was over when America declared war on Germany.
So did the Japs. What I would like to know is what they thought of us, the US. Why fight a loosing cause for 3 more years?
“The Twelve Year Reich” was a good read. Covered various subjects...humor included.
Thank you for the link.
One thing to remember:
By 1943 it was becoming slightly more difficult for The Master Race to blame the lowly, animal Jew for Germany’s plight.
You are 100% wrong. Anyplace where intelligent, thoughtful people gather is a good place to learn about things. There may or may not be better, quicker places to go, but starting here is not a bad idea.
Point is, this is not the place to learn about this subject.
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You’re wrong. There are many knowledgeable and interested people here who can contribute to one’s knowledge.
if you read history the sentiments of the Germans in 1943 run parallel with the obama lemmings of today; everything was a-okay and they were the righteous ones because their leader told them so...
Very true.
Why not? There’s lots of folks here with a wide breadth of knowledge. The original poster was already given several leads on the subject.
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