Posted on 05/20/2009 1:55:14 PM PDT by lizol
Der Spiegel - other nations helped Germany in Holocaust
20th May 2009
Poland, among other countries helped Hitler mastermind the mass murders, the German weekly says
The Der Spiegel weekly claims that Germany would not have been able to prosecute its WWII mass-murder campaign against the Jews on its own and the country required the cooperation of other nations, including Poland.
The magazine's front-page story, entitled "Partners. European associates in murdering Jews," cites the case of John Demjaniuk, a former Ukrainian SS-officer, who is currently awaiting trial in Munich, in its bid to prove that without the support of citizens from occupied states the extermination of European Jews would not have been possible.
"Obviously, only Hitler and his associates or the Wehrmacht, were able to stop the Holocaust. This, however, does not weaken the argument that without foreign allies, thousands if not millions of the six million Jews killed would have been saved," the Der Spiegel article reads.
In addition, the weekly claims that while the French, Dutch and Belgians could not have really known what was happening to the Jews, Poles were well aware of the fate that awaited them in concentration camps. Historians and experts from Poland and Germany have undermined the weekly's claims, saying it has made a number of misinterpretations.
The main headline translates as "Partners. European associates in murdering Jews"
I say we invade them again, just to be on the safe side. Oh wait, we're still there.
Sophistry. There were collaborators. Nothing’s new here.
First the Germans tried to create an image, that they were victims of the WW2 - as much as the European nations enslaved by them.
Now - they’re all eager to share responsibility for Holocaust, claiming that the Poles were equally guilty.
What's going to be next?
Maybe Poland will have to pay some compensation to the families of German “polizisten und soldaten” killed during Warsaw uprising?
At last they were only trying to restore “order”.
Well, yes. Hitler once wished the Germans were as helpful as the French at hunting down Jews.
Alas, it wasn't a satire, but a remarkable rewrite of history. If you follow Der Spiegel's logic you could say that "Well, of course Poland Helped. It was right there acting as a convenient pathway for the Nazis to get to the Jews. Presumably "Poland" could have just disappeared into the Earth, let the waters roll in from the sea, and lo and behold the Nazis couldn't have got to the Jews."
No doubt there are Germans who think this way.
The flaw is, however, that NONE of these "allies" would have participated if they hadn't first been conquered by Germany!
Belgian jews were rounded up by Belgian police. French jews rounded up by French police. Romanian jews rounded up by Romanian police.
Its little wonder why, after the war, when the survivors emerged from the camps, they had little desire to return to the old neighborhood. Israel exists in great part because the Europeans drove them out of Europe. The Germans were the ring leaders. But Europeans in general were complicit.
What’s new, is that it’s the Germans trying to raise that issue.
Well of course they felt it was safe to start sharing the blame after Hussein went over there and apologised for America existing. I’m sure somewhere sometime they’ve already found a way assign blame to us for the Berlin airlifts.
A few will say no and be willing to die for it.
This isn’t exactly news. Years ago, I read an article about the Vichy French Police helped round up Jews without even being asked to do so.
This might better be translated: “The Accomplices. Hitler’s european helpers in the mudering of Jews.”
Roosevelt had no “exit strategy”? What are Reid and Pelosi going to do?
Yes exactly, that’s new.
The Spiegel (German mass propaganda) is despicable.
Belgian, Dutch and French collaboration is fine, Poles however are particulary evil?
The Spiegel has no agenda here of course... /dark sarc
My grandfather killed two French policemen who came to get him and my grandfather and turn them over.
Took their wallets and their guns, too.
Yes, and a reason to lie to the census.
Overstate who lives in red areas, too. Understate in blue.
Correct.
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