Posted on 04/19/2005 1:38:13 PM PDT by yoely
BERLIN — In May 1945, thousands of German prisoners of war trudged down the highway toward the Bavarian town of Bad Aibling (search). Among them — tired but grateful to be alive — was 18-year-old Joseph Ratzinger (search), who just days before had risked death by deserting the German army.
"In three days of marching, we hiked down the empty highway, in a column that gradually became endless," the new pope recalled years later in his memoirs.
"The American soldiers photographed us, the young ones, most of all, in order to take home souvenirs of the defeated army and its desolate personnel."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
He says he did not engage in battle against US forces.
WWII is over. But it doesn't surprise me that the media wants to demonize this guy with the Nazi label.
Of course--Nazis persecuted Catholics with ZEAL. Hence Pius XII's supposed "silence" on the matter--the more the Church in various cities and countries protested, the more faithful were rounded up and killed.
It was a cult of personality, and most men in Germany at the time were "compelled" to join some sort of Nazi organization--Hitler's Youth just happens to be the one into which Benedict XVI was forced.
What exactly is your purpose here?
Remember Katie bashing Arnold for his father's affiliation?
He's a hero for abandoning the army risking capture and summary execution or the camps even where most traitors met their end.
"...had risked death by deserting the German army."
Right. That's bingo. This might even make him a hero. Case closed.
Nazi matter resolved:
"...was 18-year-old Joseph Ratzinger (search), who just days before had risked death by deserting the German army..."
Also heard he escaped on Hannity.
FReegards....
That's pretty myopic. There were lots of heroic Germans who resented the dictatorship they suffered under.
Kurt Student? Not a hero! Surely you jest.
Nobody in their right mind likes the Nazi cause, but they had some darn fine fighting soldiers.
Read up on what Student's guys did at Eban Emael and Crete. Heroic stuff, regardless of the uniform.
Then, from my own lips: ~ I once attended a work associate's house warming party. There were three or four people there who'd been saved by Schindler. They showed me the serial numbers the Nazis tatooed on their wrists. My work associate's wife was, in fact, the first offspring of a couple Schindler had saved.
Schindler existed. The people he saved existed. When they bear witness it is first of Schindler's heroism.
Thanks. :)bump!
Yeah. It's called slander. Ugly beyond words.
They already do, although they'll (mostly) deny it.
NAZI = "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei".
Today's lefties aren't National Socialists.
They're inter-National Socialists.
Wow didn't take long for the name calling to start...lessee what? Four or five hours after the fact?
Well that is your opinion.
It appears you've never heard of Dietrick Bonhoeffer either.
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