Yard reopens inquiry into former Nazi soldiers still alive in Britain

The Guardian ^ | Saturday February 4, 2006 | Ian Cobain

[lizol]

Yard reopens inquiry into former Nazi soldiers still alive in Britain

· Labour MP insists search sends important message · Researcher believes police hunt is 10 years too late

Ian Cobain Saturday February 4, 2006 The Guardian

Scotland Yard has relaunched its search for war criminals almost seven years after its specialist Nazi-hunting unit was disbanded, the Guardian has learned. An eight-strong team from the anti-terrorist branch has been examining the backgrounds of British residents suspected of committing atrocities during the second world war.

The team is focusing on former members of a division of the Waffen SS which was recruited by the Nazis in the Ukraine and brought to Britain en masse to provide farm labour after the war. Home Office officials believe several hundred former members of the unit may still be living in the UK. The Guardian has identified and located more than a dozen survivors of the Galizien division. Most still live in small clusters in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and East Anglia, a short distance from the PoW camps where they arrived almost six decades ago.

[Racehorse]

. . . it is unclear how much enthusiasm there is at Scotland Yard for an investigation that could divert detectives from anti-terrorist duties at a time of mounting security concerns.

The Yard's specialist war crimes unit was disbanded in May 1999 after investigations costing an estimated £6.5m resulted in just one conviction. . . .

Reminds me of the closing chase scene in the movie THX 1138.

The pursuing robotic policeman is just about to overtake him when the cost of capturing THX exceeds the budget.  The robot immediately gives up the chase.  THX escapes.

[Drew68]

With the youngest former members of the unit now in their 80s, however, and with the memories of surviving witnesses fading fast, the chances of any successful prosecutions appear slim.

Buses are blown up and civilians are killed in London and Scotland Yard is focusing their efforts on apprehending geriatric Nazis who they have virtually no chance of prosecuting.

Yeah, there's time and money well spent.

[PzLdr]

GALIZIEN went into the battle of Brody with a TO&E of 15,299.By the time they escaped encirclement, approximately 3,000 were left. After refitting, it was sent to Sl;ovakia at the end of August '44, then to northern Yuogslavia. The Division, by now 22,000 strong, returned to Slovakia in Jan. '45, where it was transferred to the Ukrainian National Army. It surrendered to American units in Austria.

It doesn't appear GALIZIEN was at Warsaw.

Source: SS: HITLER'S FOREIGN DIVISIONS by Chris Bishop

[isrul]

Need to obscure the fact of heir inability to control the muzzie hoards in their midst. Nothing better than the perennial bogey man, the nazi war criminal.

[Peter Libra]

apprehending geriatric Nazis who they have virtually no chance of prosecuting .

You got that right. Luckily I saw an in depth documentary of the Galician Division, by the BBC,three years ago. They were trained by the Germans to fight the Soviet. Today, the Ukraine is no longer a state of the former USSR.

I saw a much older former officer, Fitzroy Maclean interviewed. He stated that the majority were soldiers, caught up by the chance of war. The Soviet general that he encountered at the prison camp at Rimini, in Italy, had the face of a devil. He wanted "repatriation".

Had the British returned the Galician division to the Soviets, God help them. I salute former Prime Minister Clement Atlee. He gave the prisoners the benefit of the doubt. The individual most active in the documentary was indeed, a college professor,Cesarani. A man who never saw the war. Maclean asked "why be such a s**t and persecute these men"?

He was certainly talking about Cesarani.

[R.W.Ratikal]

Scotland Yard has too much time on its hands.

[Lion in Winter]

In efforts to be oh, so anti-communist... the Allies made made OH, too many deals with those devils ... the NAZIS, SS especially.

I want ALL nazi SS left alive, tried and sent packing back to the lands they came from. If not sent to rot in a VERY uncomfortable jail cell.

MONEY should not even be a consideration in this matter. THOSE NAZIS are responsible for countless loss of life. THEY deserve WHATEVER punishment they can get EVEN in their old age.

Their murdered victims got no second chances... not even the children had a chance.

[Peter Libra]

not even the children had a chance

What price John Kerry,former presidential candidate? Oh I forgot- twas only Vietnamese kids.