A question for our Vets

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Lads

I was just wondering have you guys ever met up with fellow veterans from the other side? I know that these events have happened in the past with combatants of both sides and I was just wondering if you had and what your feelings were towards them?

[Ron Goldstein]

Gotthard

If you are referring to my meeting up with a German soldier of my own age in recent years then the short answer would have to be no and perhaps that's just as well.

If you would include any conversation with a German soldier once the hostilities had ceased them I would offer the following example from my Ferdorf days:

"On one occasion, in the early hours of the morning, I was chatting in German to my counterpart on the other side. I told him I was Jewish, to which I got the almost automatic response: "Ich habe so viel Freunden Juden!", ( I have so many Jewish friends!) and I asked him as a matter of academic interest what would have happened if some weeks earlier I had the misfortune to be captured by his own unit and they discovered I was Jewish.
He considered the matter for a moment and then told me that if I had been one of a large group of prisoners, then no attempt would have been made to segregate me, and I would have just been sent to the rear with the others. If, however, I had been captured separately and if his own officer said to him "shoot him" then he would simply have shot me, for as he quite cheerfully pointed out to me: "If I don't shoot you, then he shoots me!"

For the full story, use this link
BBC - WW2 People's War - The War Ends in Italy, 2nd May 1945

Ron

[Gotthard Heinrici]

It never ceases to amaze me how many memoirs from the german side talk about how they or their relatives were not supporters of the regime, Ron. If we were to believe em all then how did they achieve power???

[Gerry Chester]

Hi Gotthard,

Two volunteers (both cooks) from the German POW camp near Rimini were attached to the Sergeants Mess and stayed with us in Austria and Germany until finally being repatriated. Both great chaps.

I used to moor my cabin cruiser on the Llangollen Canal at its junction with the Shropshire Union. The lock-keeper was an ex-POW who elected to stay in the UK rather than go home to Germany. A great chap with whom many a conversation took place - he was captured in North Africa.

Next April, being one one three guest speakers at the Annual AMPs Conference (being held in Auburn Indiana), I am looking forward to meeting my two fellow speakers, one of whom was a US tanker the other serving in a Panzer unit.

Cheers, Gerry

[Owen]

Gerry
That's sounds very interesting but what is an AMPs Conference?

[Gerry Chester]

That's sounds very interesting but what is an AMPs Conference?

Hi Owen,

It is an annual event. For details of this year's conference see:
Amps

As always, all the best,

Gerry

[Owen]

That looks blooming great Gerry.
Have a good one & can you please report back?
Photos too would be nice.
I'd like to meet Ron Volstad, he spent years in oil industry before becoming an illustrator. That's what I wanted to do, not work in the oil industry, become an illustrator , that is.

[deadb_tch]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

It never ceases to amaze me how many memoirs from the german side talk about how they or their relatives were not supporters of the regime, Ron. If we were to believe em all then how did they achieve power???

I'm going offtopic, but as Ron said (and as I understand it) they all were used that formula 'If I will not do they orders they will treat me and my family like an enemy'. Only few were ready to sacrifice its life and families to not obey nazi command orders.

[Harry Ree]

Originally Posted by Gotthard Heinrici

It never ceases to amaze me how many memoirs from the german side talk about how they or their relatives were not supporters of the regime, Ron. If we were to believe em all then how did they achieve power???

Thats an interesting question and I am sure that Ron would agree with me that the German people allowed Hitler and his party to take power by the back door when he and his party did not command an overall majority over the Communists, the Socialists and the Catholics.These parties were more motived to assume power themselves and most importantly motivated to prevent the others from doing so that they missed the agenda being worked on by others.The others were the Junkers in Prussia the Industrialists in the west and the Reichwehr officers, ably marshalled by von Papen, a politician of intrigue who thought when Hitler came to power would fall under his influence and direction.History was to prove him wrong.

Von Papen and Hitler met secretly early in January 1933 and decided that Hitler would be put forward as Chancellor and von Papen cronies would hold the important ministries.The two agreed that other political parties would be eliminated from political life an this would include Jews.Hitler for his part promised to drop his socialist policies and Von Papen promised Hitler in turn, that he could obtain subsidies for the arrangement from the Industrialists.The ageing President Hindenburg was won over by his son Oskar and the banker von Schroeder to support Hitler for the role of Chancellor and with great reluctance he did after thinking of Hitler, in the past, as an upstart corporal.Thus Hitler was called to power by Hindenburg on 30 January 1933.

Worse was to come for the German people for on 24 March 1933 the Enabling Act was passed in the Reichstag which laid the foundation blocks for Hitler's dictatorship.This meant that the introduction/repeal of legislation could be enacted by the Nazi innner cabinet without any debate or discussion in the Reichstag.For all practical purposes, the Reichstage as a tool of democracy was made redundant.

As regards the toppling of the Nazi regime, this could be only done by the Wehrmacht who in the end despite the moral courage shown by some civilians did not have the motivation to rise against and rid Germany of Hitler.The ultimate role of the Wehrmacht was to be incidental compared to the SS who were intended to be the only military and political arm of a future Germany and its Nazi Party.

If any group witnessed first hand what was the road for Germany under Hitler, it was the Wehrmacht and due to their selflishness, their leadership did little or nothing to end the misery.

[Panzer_land]

Gerry, i just read your WW2 experience and i see you have fought a lot of time in Africa.


I would ve very glad if you could answer some of these

Were you soldiers in contact with the Arab locals frequenlty, when allies liberated Africa from the Afrika korps, were allies treated such as the Germans or were they cheered like in Europe?

Do you think that if Rommel would have won in the African theatre the axis would have lost the war?

Were you in contact with many colonials troops, how were them ?