Posted on 04/23/2015 7:42:28 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski
A former Auschwitz guard being tried on 300,000 counts of accessory to murder has testified that it was clear to him Jews were not expected to leave the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland alive.
"I couldn't imagine that" happening, former SS Sgt. Oskar Groening told the Lueneburg state court on Thursday during the third day of his trial, the DPA news agency reported.
The 93-year-old's answer came in response to a question from attorneys representing Auschwitz survivors who have joined the trial as co-plaintiffs, as allowed under German law...
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
In Matthew 24, Jesus said that the situation would be similar in the last days. He said that many of those who ostensibly follow him would turn away. Many would betray one another and follow the teachings of false prophets and teachers. Jesus said his true followers would be hated by all nations for His name sake.
Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
I’m glad you posted that. It puts things in perspective.
Was this fellow on Wiesenthal’s list?
I can’t see it from the cube farm...
I am not sure about this trial, unless the prosecution can prove that this guy personally had any influence on the murders I don’t see how he can be held culpable. If they can prove that, fine, if not, this seems like a circus for circus’ sake.
I agree. War crimes trials were originally intended for the higher ups. Policy makers, high ranking officers and Party leaders. Going after lowly 93 year old camp guards 70 years after the war ended seems to me to be a bit over the top. What did he actually do in the camp? Was he herding people into the gas chambers, or was simply guarding the fence? I don’t believe in guilt by association. If we’re going to go after aging camp guards it seems to me we could find many thousands of them in the former USSR which slaughtered millions more people than the Nazis did.
Could the man have requested another assignment for conscience sake? Unless he can prove that he was forced into his role, he shares culpability (like the driver in a robbery.)
His function was simply to collect items/money of value as people entered the camp. I fail to see some calculated leadership on his part triggering a single death. It might be a poor choice for a job, but it’d be the same as the chow-hall cook or camp truck mechanic.
Would they ever go after Jews who served as Kapos in the Ghettos?
Why him and why now? Thousands of concentration camp guards have lived and died over the years and they weren’t prosecuted.
AMEN
The Operation Paper Clip were some of the worse.
In the immediate aftermath of the war the allied powers determined the ss to be a war criminal organization making all of its members (prior to 1944 when conscription began to take place)subject to war crimes trials. So you didn’t have to be directly involved in the extermination process to be charged with something. hence the ‘accessory to murder’ charge he is facing. all of the allies and the soviets held trials for even low to mid lvl members. and after the war the respective german govts continued to prosecute former members upon discovery but most were able to evade prosecution by hiding their involvement.
According to reports he was an accountant at the camp and he requested transfer from the camp multiple times and was denied.... Don’t know if his claims are true, but if they are, this prosecution is nonsense.
Unless the prosecution can some how put him in a position of authority and power that could have prevented these deaths, this trial is a farce.
The flaw in your argument (pursuit of former USSR personnel) is that the Nazis were prosecuted by U.S. liberals who would never attack the USSR or its minions.
FDR floated the idea of hanging thousands of regular German soldiers en-masse, neatly divided up by unit, as some sort of extravagant warning. Obviously that didn't happen, but as it was even considered I'm surprised that so many camp guards just strolled back into civilian life. Of course many of them changed their names, their uniforms, etc. and lost themselves in the flotsam, but considering that they're being dug up now, you'd think at least some of them would have been caught and "dealt with" sooner than 70 years later.
So they decided guilt by association was enough.... there is no doubt of the horrors inflicted by the SS, but unless they can put this guy in some position of power where he could have directly prevented the deaths in question, this is not justice, just revenge.
He did. He requested to go to a front-line unit and was sent to the Ardennes in 1944.
Ridiculous at this point in time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
