wwii – History of Sorts

Franz Stapf—Mistaken for a Victim

The above photo is of the photographer Franz Stapf (Stapf Bilderdienst). Carrying a Leica camera in front of his stomach, in the Nieuwe Kerkstraat, Amsterdam where disturbances took place between WA people and Jews.

It is clear to see he is wearing a Nazi uniform, so how could he have been mistaken for a Jewish victim?

Franz Anton Stapf was not Jewish. He was German. He did not die in a gas chamber but fought on the Eastern Front from the end of 1941. He was a Nazi who took photos for newspapers and anti-Semitic pamphlets in Amsterdam. Stapf survived the war and died in 1977 in Frankfurt.

The photo above was taken by Franz Stapf of weapons used by a Jewish Fighting Squad. It was printed in the Deutsche Zeitung in den Niederlanden on February 18, 1941, with the following caption:
The Jews in Amsterdam had equipped themselves with hatchets, hammers and similar objects. They also had firearms. Our picture shows a small selection of the confiscated murder tools.

The photos were published in the NSB newspaper Het Nationale Dagblad, under the title “Jews unmasked,” to wage a smear campaign against Amsterdam’s Jews.

Historians René Kok and Erik Somers of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, discovered that Stapf’s name, that of his wife, two children and a sister, were incorrectly listed as Jewish war victims while doing research for the book, Stad in oorlog (City at war), which was published in 2017. The book is about Amsterdam in the period 1940 to 1945.

They believe that the error resulted from an incorrect interpretation of notes on a record card from the Amsterdam Council of Labor dating from 1950. The Council investigated financial matters affecting Jewish people murdered during the war. Stapf’s card reads, “Afgevoerd” in Dutch. According to Somers, that can be interpreted as “transported” to a concentration camp, or that he was discharged from the administration.

Stapf’s fate was long unclear after the war. In late 1941 he responded to a call for volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front. The rest of his life wasn’t tracked, which meant he was never prosecuted. His name fell under the “missing, don’t know where” category, along with the word “afgevoerd,” which could have certainly led to the wrong assumption that Stapf ended up in a concentration camp, according to Somers.

In 1981 NIOD received about five thousand negatives of photos taken by Stapf.

Stapf left for Germany after Mad Tuesday in 1944. In the municipal administration, it was noted, “Left for Germany.”

His name was listed on a memorial with the names of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The Hollandsche Schouwburg, which houses the memorial, was told in February 20117 and immediately covered the name with a sticker.

“We are extremely shocked that such a bad man is among them. Terrible. That Nazi must be removed immediately,” said curator Annemiek Gringold.

Gringold contacted the company that created the wall of names in 1993. “It is a cumbersome procedure to remove the name. It has happened once before,” she said

The name, Stapf, also appeared in memory books and is on the list of the Holocaust Memorial Center Yad Vashem in Israel.

I know—to err is human—but this error could have easily been avoided if some research had taken place. Then again to finish the quote “To forgive is divine.”

Sources

https://www.parool.nl/nieuws/hollandsche-schouwburg-verwijdert-naam-nazifotograaf~be760abe/

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/franz-anton-stapf-werd-herdacht-als-joods-slachtoffer-maar-blijkt-nazi-fotograaf~b4093fff/

https://nltimes.nl/2017/02/16/nazi-photographer-mistaken-jewish-holocaust-victim-decades

https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/franz-anton-stapf-werd-herdacht-als-joods-slachtoffer-maar-blijkt-nazi-fotograaf~b5632660/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/?mode=gallery&view=horizontal&q=Franz%20Stapf&rows=1&page=1

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The Bizarre Battle for Castle Itter

The Battle of Castle Itter is a remarkable event from World War II, often referred to as one of the strangest battles of the war. It occurred on May 5, 1945, during the conflict in Europe’s final days.

Castle Itter, located in Austria, was being used as a prison for high-profile French prisoners, including former prime ministers, generals, and other prominent figures. As the war drew to a close, the situation in the region became chaotic, with the Allied advance and the collapse of Nazi Germany leading to confusion and shifting allegiances.

In early May 1945, a small group of Wehrmacht soldiers—led by Major Josef Gangl—found themselves in an unusual position. They were stationed near Castle Itter and had received word that the SS was planning to execute the prisoners held there. Gangl, sympathetic to the prisoners’ plight, decided to defy orders and protect them.

The purpose of the prison was to hold high-profile prisoners that the Reich deemed valuable. A notable prisoner was the tennis player Jean Borotra, French VIP prisoners, French Resistance member François de La Rocque, and many Eastern European prisoners from Dachau, who performed maintenance and other menial tasks. Also among them were former Prime Ministers Paul Reynaud and Edouard Daladier, General Maxim Weygand, former Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, and Madame Weygan, wife of General Weygan.

What ensued was a remarkable alliance between former enemies. Major Gangl and his men joined forces with the prisoners, who included French resistance fighters and American soldiers. Together, they defended the castle against an attack by SS Forces, who were intent on carrying out the prisoners’ executions.

A highly decorated Wehrmacht officer, Gangl had become opposed to the Nazis and was collaborating with the Austrian resistance.

Gangl had intended to free the castle prisoners but was unwilling to sacrifice the few troops he had in a suicidal attack on a heavily defended fortress manned by the SS. Instead, he was conserving them to protect residents from SS reprisals, in which troops shot at any window displaying either a white or Austrian flag and summarily executed males as deserters, traitors, and defeatists. His hopes were pinned on the Americans reaching Wörgl and promptly surrendering to them. Instead, he approached them under a white flag and asked for their help.

Around the same time, a reconnaissance unit of four Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion of the 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps.

The battle began to kindle when, on May 3, the Yugoslav handyman Zvonimir Čučković and the Communist Resistance member—left the castle on the pretense of an errand for Commander Sebastian Wimmer. Čučković carried a letter with him, in English, that he intended to give to the first American he found, which asked for Allied help.

The closest town, Wörgl, was still under German command, so Čučković traveled towards Innsbruck, 40 miles away. That same evening, Čučković reached the city’s outskirts and encountered an advance party of the 409th Infantry Regiment of the American 103rd Infantry Division of the US VI corps, whom he told about the prison. While they could not mount the rescue operation themselves, they passed the message on to their headquarters for an answer.

At dawn the next day, a heavily armored rescue operation was mounted, but they were forced to stop upon encountering heavy shelling after Jenbach. Around the same time, with the failure of Čučković to return, Commander Sebastian Wimmer fled his post in fear he had been discovered. With Wimmer gone, the SS-Totenkopfverbände guards soon departed their posts. The prisoners soon took over the castle and armed themselves with what weaponry remained.

Gangl sought to maintain his unit’s position in the town to protect residents from SS reprisals. Nazi loyalists would shoot at any window displaying either a white flag or an Austrian flag, and would summarily execute males as possible deserters. Gangl’s hopes were pinned on the Americans reaching Wörgl promptly so he could surrender to them.[21] Instead, he would now have to approach them under a white flag to ask for their help.

Around the same time, a reconnaissance unit of four Sherman tanks of the 23rd Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division of the US XXI Corps, under the command of Lieut. Lee had reached Kufstein, Austria, 13 km (8 mi) to the north.

There in the town square, it idled while waiting for the 12th to be relieved by the 36th Infantry Division. Asked to provide relief by Gangl, Lee did not hesitate, volunteering to lead the rescue mission and immediately earning permission from his HQ.

The battle was intense and chaotic, with the defenders heavily outnumbered and outgunned. However, they managed to hold out until reinforcements from the 142nd Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 36th Division arrived, effectively ending the threat from the SS.

Unfortunately, Gangl was fatally hit by a sniper while trying to get former French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud out of the line of fire. At around 4:00 p.m., a relief unit from the 142nd US Infantry Regiment reached the castle and defeated the besiegers, capturing about 100 SS men.

The Battle of Castle Itter was not the first time US soldiers and German Wehrmacht soldiers worked together. One week earlier on April 28, 1945, a coalition of American and German soldiers worked to save the famous white Lipizzaner horses from an advancing Russian army. It was called Operation Cowboy.

Both events are rare, nearly bizarre, examples of cooperation between unlikely allies amid war. It highlights the complexities and fluidity of the final days of World War II in Europe, as well as the resilience and courage of those involved.

Sources

https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-operation-cowboy

https://wargaming.com/en/news/battle_castle_itter

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32622651

https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/detail/b40ddee8-0259-11e7-904b-d89d6717b464/media/240d9040-e31e-21df-5bd5-c88843e8c9e4?mode=detail&view=horizontal&q=Itter&rows=1&page=2

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The Execution of Hermann Fegelein—No loyalty given

Hermann Fegelein’s execution took place on April 28, 1945, during the final days of World War II and the collapse of the Nazi regime. Fegelein, a high-ranking SS officer and member of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle had fallen out of favor with Hitler due to his perceived desertion and betrayal.

Fegelein was arrested by the Gestapo on April 27, 1945, on the orders of Hitler himself. He was accused of deserting his post and attempting to flee Berlin as Soviet forces closed in on the city. Fegelein’s actions were seen as a betrayal of the regime and a failure to fulfill his duties in defending the capital.

Following his arrest, Fegelein was swiftly tried by a Nazi court-martial, found guilty of desertion and treason, and sentenced to death. On April 28, 1945, he was executed by firing squad. His execution took place just days before Hitler’s own suicide in the Führerbunker on April 30, 1945.

The exact circumstances of Fegelein’s execution, including the location and specific details, may vary depending on historical accounts. However, it is generally agreed upon that he was executed on Hitler’s orders as the Nazi regime crumbled in the face of defeat. Fegelein’s fate serves as a poignant example of the internal chaos and collapse within Hitler’s inner circle during the final days of the war.

So who was Hermann Fegelein?

Well if he had been executed a day or two later, he would have died as technically as Hitler’s brother in Law.

The image at the start of the blog is a group photo in the great hall of the Berghof. on the occasion of the wedding of Hermann Fegelein and Gretl Braun, Eva’s sister. Taken on the 3rd of June 1944.

Hermann Fegelein was a notable figure during World War II, primarily known for his association with Adolf Hitler’s inner circle and his marriage to Gretl Braun, the sister of Eva Braun, Hitler’s mistress and later wife.

Fegelein was born on October 30, 1906, in Ansbach, Germany. He joined the Nazi Party in 1930 and later the SS in 1933. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a trusted confidant of Heinrich Himmler. Fegelein served in various capacities within the SS, including as an adjutant to Himmler.

One of his significant roles was overseeing the preparations for the equestrian events at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Despite his efforts, Fegelein failed to secure a spot on the German equestrian team for the Olympics, facing stiff competition from the Kavallerieschule Hannover.

During the war, Fegelein was involved in several key roles including commanding SS Cavalry units on the Eastern Front.

In September 1939, he commanded the SS Totenkopf Reiterstandarte (Death’s-Head Horse Regiment) in Poland. This unit was involved in supporting police activities and played a role in the Intelligenzaktion, which targeted Polish intellectuals and clergy.

As the war progressed, Fegelein found himself on the Eastern Front, where units under his command were responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians during the Pripyat Marshes massacres. His tenure as the commander of the 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geyer in 1943 involved combating partisans and defending against the Red Army.

However, his most significant role came during the final days of the war when he was appointed as the liaison officer between Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.

In April 1945, as the Soviet forces closed in on Berlin and the situation became increasingly dire for the Nazi regime, Fegelein’s actions came under scrutiny. He was accused of desertion and treason for abandoning his military duties and focusing instead on securing his own safety and that of his family.

Gretl Braun gave birth to a baby girl, Eva Barbara, on May 5,1945 a week after the execution of her Husband. An execution which probably could have been stopped by Gretl’s sister Eva. However, it appears that Hitler had no loyalty to anyone, only to himself.

Eva Barbara Fegelein killed herself in April 1971 after her boyfriend died in a car accident. Gretl Braun-Fegelein moved to Munich and remarried in 1954. She died in 1987 at the age of 72.

Sources

https://www.geni.com/people/Eva-Barbara-Fegelein/6000000008281050621

Weird But True Olympic History: Insanity in the Middle at the 1936 Berlin Games

https://spartacus-educational.com/Hermann_Fegelein.htm

https://www.hitler-archive.com/photo.php?p=m2cfy5QJ

View at Medium.com

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The Amazing Story of Nieuwlande

Nieuwlande is a village in the Netherlands, located in the province of Drenthe, known for its unique history during World War II. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Nieuwlande became a safe haven for Jews and others. The villagers, predominantly farmers, worked together to hide Jewish families and individuals, saving them from persecution and deportation to concentration camps. This act of resistance and compassion is known as the Nieuwlande Experiment, and it stands as a testament to the courage and humanity of the people who lived there. Today, Nieuwlande is remembered for its remarkable role during the war, and there are monuments and memorials in the village to honor the bravery of its inhabitants.

Unlike other forms of resistance, which often involved armed struggle or sabotage, the Nieuwlande Experiment was a non-violent, highly effective form of resistance. The villagers risked their own lives and livelihoods to offer sanctuary to those fleeing the horrors of the Holocaust. They provided hiding places, food, and support, all while living under the constant threat of discovery by the Nazis.

Because of this unique, collective relief action, on April 11, 1985, the entire population of Nieuwelande was presented with an honorary certificate from the Israeli institute Yad Vashem by the Israeli ambassador Yaacov Nechushtan. Johannes Post was the driving force behind the resistance in Nieuwlande. He was born on October 4, 1906, in Hollandscheveld near Hoogeveen. During the occupation, he abandoned his prosperous agricultural business in Oosterhesselen (Drenthe) to devote himself entirely to resistance work. He played an important role, especially in the national Fighting Squads. Post was the leader of the KP(fighting squad) in the north of the Netherlands and undertook many sabotage actions and robberies of distribution offices and prisons. On July 16, 1944, Post was shot in the dunes near Bloemendaal. The prominent resistance fighter was buried at the Honorary Cemetery in Overveen. Unveiling The monument was unveiled in 1985.

Johannes Post was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, known for his leadership and bravery in resisting the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Born on October 4, 1906, in Hollandscheveld, Netherlands, Post was a devout Christian and a schoolteacher by profession.

Post became involved in the resistance movement early in the war, joining the group, “De Gereformeerde Kerken,” affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church. He later became a prominent member of the resistance organization known as the Knokploegen, or “Fighting Groups,” in the Drenthe region.

Post and his resistance group were involved in various acts of sabotage against the German occupiers, including destroying railways, disrupting communication lines, and assisting in smuggling Jews and downed Allied pilots to safety. They also collected intelligence and distributed underground newspapers to counter Nazi propaganda.

In addition to his activities in the resistance, Post played a key role in the Nieuwlande Experiment, helping to organize the hiding and protection of Jews in the village of Nieuwlande, where he lived.

Post’s resistance activities eventually led to his arrest by the Gestapo in 1944. Despite being subjected to torture, he refused to divulge information about his comrades or the resistance network. On July 16, 1944, Johannes Post was executed by firing squad along with his brother, Marinus, and several other resistance members.

Post’s bravery and sacrifice have been remembered and honored in the Netherlands. He is regarded as a national hero for his role in the resistance against Nazi oppression.

Roffel, Willem & Ritske (Blaak) Willem Roffel, born in Odoorn, was the beadle of the strictly Calvinist Dutch Reformed church in Nieuwlande, Drenthe. Nieuwlande is renowned for the large number of Jews hidden there during the war, among them two youngsters known as Peter and Herman (but actually named Isidore Joseph Davids and Lou Gans). Peter and Herman were training to be graphic artists and they were both talented draftsmen. While in hiding, they made themselves useful by falsifying identity cards and food coupons. They also wrote De Duikelaar, a satirical illegal weekly publication. In addition to these activities, Peter and Herman designed cartoon postcards to be sold to Resistance sympathizers, with the proceeds being donated to the Resistance. In October 1943, Nieuwlande was subjected to regular house searches, thus, the boys’ hiding place became unsafe. They moved the handouts to a safe hideout, dug out under the church’s pulpit. In this hideout, they set up their drafting tables, and a printing press and continued their work by candlelight. Willem Roffel and his wife, Ritske, also born in Odoorn, were the only people who knew about the hiding place and supplied Peter and Herman with food and other necessities daily. Willem and Ritske also distributed the fugitives’ publications and forged documents from the hideout. Peter and Herman hid in the dugout for nine months. One night in December 1944, the Germans carried out a house search. They forcibly took Willem to the church and ordered him to show them the hiding place. By this time, the boys were no longer there. On June 9, 1983, Yad Vashem recognized Willem Roffel and his wife, Ritske Roffel-Blaak, as Righteous Among the Nations.

It was certainly not the case that the entire village helped people in hiding en masse. That turns out to be a myth that was/is maintained consciously or subconsciously by some people. In short, this is because until recently the village was far too lowly estimated during the war in terms of the number of houses and inhabitants, plus the many hiding activities in surrounding villages were also wrongly attributed to the statistics that have been attributed to this village. This creates very skewed proportions and it seems as if almost every farm in this village must have had people in hiding, which is certainly not the case.

It is people like this though that make me proud to be Dutch, because many other Dutch, collaborated with the Nazis or turned a blind eye.

Sources

https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/search-results/Nieuwlande?page=1#relevant

https://www.drentheindeoorlog.nl/?aid=400

https://www.plaatsengids.nl/nieuwlande

https://www.liberationroute.com/pl/pois/1552/the-silent-village-that-has-much-to-tell

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Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest ghetto established by the Nazis in Poland. Hundreds of thousands of Jews found themselves confined in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.

The uprising began on April 19, 1943, when the Nazis attempted to liquidate the ghetto by deporting its remaining inhabitants to concentration camps. Instead of passively submitting to their fate, the Jewish inhabitants organized themselves into various resistance groups, primarily the Jewish Combat Organization (ZOB) and the Jewish Military Union (ZZW).

Despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned, the insurgents fought fiercely against the well-equipped German forces for almost a month. They utilized homemade weapons, including Molotov cocktails and a small number of firearms smuggled into the ghetto. The ghetto fighters inflicted significant casualties on the Germans and managed briefly to halt the deportation operations.

However, on May 16, 1943, the Nazis succeeded in suppressing the uprising. They systematically destroyed the ghetto and deported its remaining inhabitants to concentration camps, primarily Treblinka. Most of the ghetto’s population perished in the uprise or met their fate in its aftermath.

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising should not be confused with the Warsaw Uprising, which was an operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation in August 1944.

The ghetto, established in October 1940, was initially confined (approximately) 400,000 Jews in a small area of the city. Conditions in the ghetto were appalling, with severe overcrowding, inadequate food, sanitation, and medical care. Disease and starvation were rampant, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of residents.

The ghetto was surrounded by walls and heavily guarded by German forces to prevent the inhabitants from escaping. Movement—in and out of the ghetto—was strictly controlled, and Jews were subjected to forced labor and arbitrary violence by the Nazi authorities.

In 1942, the Germans began mass deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto to extermination camps, primarily to Treblinka. These deportations, coupled with the harsh living conditions, led to a significant decrease in the ghetto’s population.

On January 9, 1943, Heinrich Himmler visited the Warsaw ghetto. He ordered the deportation of another 8,000 Jews. The January deportations caught the Jews by surprise, and ghetto residents thought that the end had come. The underground leadership, believing it to be the onset of the final deportation, ordered its forces to respond with arms. Upon discovering the Resistance, the Germans decided to halt the Aktion. This incident marked a turning point for most of the ghetto population, which from then on prepared for mass resistance and for hiding in underground bunkers in the cellars of homes.

The uprising started on April 19th, when the ghetto refused to surrender to the police commander SS-Brigadeführer Jürgen Stroop, who ordered the destruction of the ghetto, block by block, ending on May 16th. A total of 13,000 Jews were killed, about half of them burnt alive or suffocated. Stroop reported 110 German casualties, including 17 killed.

Jürgen Stroop issued a report, The Stroop Report, also known as the “Stroop Report on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,”

The report, compiled from Stroop’s daily situation reports, provides a chilling account of the brutality with which the Nazis suppressed the uprising. It includes descriptions of street battles, the destruction of buildings, the capture and deportation of Jews, and the use of heavy weaponry against the ghetto fighters.

The Stroop Report is significant as it provides firsthand insight into the tactics and mindset of the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. It serves as a historical document attesting to the atrocities committed against the Jewish population of Warsaw and stands as a grim testament to the horrors of the Holocaust.

The Stroop Report was presented as evidence for the Nuremberg Trials, where Stroop was on trial for his role in the atrocities committed during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Today, the Stroop Report is preserved as an historical record studied by historians and scholars—to better understand the events of the Holocaust and the actions of the Nazi regime.

It is probably one of the more disturbing pictures, not because of its graphics, but because it clearly shows the Nazis enjoying themselves while tormenting the Jews from the ghetto. An interesting point here is that not all of the Nazis are wearing the SS insignia indicating that they were regular Wehrmacht soldiers.

Sources

https://www.yadvashem.org/exhibitions/photographs-warsaw-ghetto/stroop-collection.html

https://www.yadvashem.org/holocaust/about/combat-resistance/warsaw-ghetto.html

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/warsaw-ghetto-uprising

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw-ghetto-uprising

https://www.britannica.com/event/Warsaw-Ghetto-Uprising

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The Battle of Tange Alterveer

At the beginning of April 1945, the Allies rapidly approached the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The province’s liberation was in three regions: the border region between Musselkanaal and the Dollard, the city of Groningen, and the “bridgehead Delfzijl.” Local resistance members succeeded in preserving “The Iron Blow.” This was the only bridge over the Stadskanaal in the area that had not yet been destroyed. A reconnaissance unit of the First Polish Armored Division, led by General S.W. Maczek gratefully took advantage of this opportunity and crossed the provincial border at Musselkanaal on April 11. The same day, the Poles advanced further and reached Stadskanaal and Mussel.

The next day, Onstwedde was liberated. At Tange-Alteveer (west of Onstwedde) a Reconnaissance Unit of the German ‘Marinefestungsbataillon 359’, when Polish armored vehicles reached the village on April 13, the Nazis opened fire. The Polish scouts withdrew, after which their artillery shelled Alteveer. Two villagers were killed in this battle, and after the shelling of Alteveer with artillery, the Poles attacked in the afternoon.

Polish tanks set fire to a barn where German naval soldiers were holed up. Polish soldier Bernard Grabowski was shot dead in that shed. When the Germans ran out of the burning barn a little later, they walked straight into a hail of Polish machine guns. The fight was quickly decided. Nine Germans were killed and the remaining soldiers of the “Marinefestingsbataillon” surrendered. Tange-Alteveer was thus liberated.

St. Strz. Bernard Grabowski T. U was born on 15-12-1918 in Krzywka p. Grudziadz in Poland. His army number was 60466 and it belonged to the 1 Pol. Dyv. Panc. (1st Polish Panzer Division). He died on 13-4-1945 in Tange. The exact cause of death is not entirely known. It is said that he was killed by a hand grenade by a German soldier.

Sources

https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/24026/Pools-Oorlogsgraf-Gemeentelijke-Begraafplaats.htm

https://www.4en5mei.nl/oorlogsmonumenten/zoeken/1847/alteveer-bevrijdingsmonument

https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/?mode=gallery&view=horizontal&q=%20Alteveer&rows=1&page=1

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Buchenwald Liberated

Buchenwald was one of the largest concentration camps established by the Nazis, located near Weimar, Germany. It was operational from 1937 until its liberation on April 11, 1945, by American forces.

When the American soldiers arrived at Buchenwald, they were shocked by the appalling conditions they encountered. The camp was overcrowded, with thousands of emaciated prisoners subjected to forced labor, starvation, disease, and brutal treatment by the SS guards. Many inmates were on the brink of death, and mass graves dotted the landscape.

The liberation of Buchenwald was a moment of both relief and horror. For the survivors, it meant freedom from the daily torment and the hope of rebuilding their lives. However, it also revealed the extent of Nazi atrocities to the world. The images and testimonies from Buchenwald played a crucial role in documenting the Holocaust and holding perpetrators accountable for their crimes.

As American forces closed in on the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Gestapo headquarters at Weimar telephoned the camp administration to announce that it was sending explosives to blow up any evidence of the camp–including its inmates. What the Gestapo did not know was that the camp administrators had already fled in fear of the Allies. A prisoner answered the phone and informed headquarters that explosives would not be needed, as the camp had already been blown up, which, of course, was not true.

Among the camp’s most gruesome characters was Ilse Koch, wife of the camp commandant, who was infamous for her sadism.

Witnesses claimed “she wore clothes which were deliberately chosen to be inciting for the prisoners”,. They accused her of whipping prisoners for daring to look at her and of having “a desire to own certain objects made of human skin”, such as lampshades, a cover for a family photo album, and gloves.

Various objects made from human skin were found in Buchenwald when it was liberated. Despite the testimony of former prisoners who were forced to make such grisly objects, prosecutors could not conclusively prove her involvement in committing such crimes.

On April 11,1945, around 2:30 pm the tanks of the Fourth Armoured Division rolled through the SS complex without stopping. The SS fled. Armed inmates took control of the camp and overpowered the last remaining SS soldiers. By 4:00 pm they had taken control of the camp. Buchenwald was freed from within and without. About one hour later, scouts from the Fourth and Sixth Armoured Divisions were the first American soldiers to reach the camp. 21,000 inmates were liberated on that day, among them some 900 children and youth.

In the aftermath of liberation, efforts were made to provide medical care, food, and support to the survivors.

Many displaced persons would face a long road to physical and psychological recovery. The liberation of Buchenwald stands as a reminder of the horrors of genocide and the importance of never forgetting the lessons of history.

Among those saved by the Americans was Elie Wiesel, seen in the photo at the top of the blog-seen in the second row, seventh from left-who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. His mother and the youngest of his three sisters were murdered in Auschwitz, while he and his father were moved to Buchenwald where his father died of starvation and dysentery just months before it was liberated by Allied troops. Seventeen-year-old Elie was barely alive when American soldiers opened the camp.

I’ll finish with some of Elie Wiesel’s quotes:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”

“To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.”

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

Sources

https://www.buchenwald.de/en

https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1175448

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-u-s-army-liberates-buchenwald-concentration-camp

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/timeline-event/holocaust/1942-1945/us-forces-liberate-buchenwald

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ilse-Koch

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The Holocaust—A Lesson to be Learned

The graph above shows the estimated breakdown of the people murdered during the Holocaust. It is an estimated number because no one knows the exact number. The estimates are compiled by “Statista” a leading and very reputable statistics provider. The estimated number they have come up with is 17,458,900.

Personally, I think that number is more than likely higher. In general, the statistics don’t take into consideration the number of stillbirths, the suicides in the 1930s, and those who died in the months after the war ended. People like Eleazer Asscher. who died on July 14, 1945.

He belonged to the so-called Austauschjuden-Exchange Jews- who were imprisoned in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. When the Nazis saw that the English were getting very close, many people were put on trains between April 6 and 11, 1945, and sent to Theresienstadt camp. A journey through Germany followed, ending in Tröbitz, where the survivors on the train were liberated by the Soviet army on April 23, 1945.

After his repatriation to the Netherlands, he was taken care of in Eindhoven and died there as a result of the hardships in the camps.

However, all the numbers are statistics and some idiots will argue over them, and this is going to sound weird, but I don’t care about the numbers all that much. It is just an unfathomable bit of data.

The one thing that concerns me is the fact that the Holocaust happened in the first place and that it was allowed to happen in the supposedly most cultured and sophisticated part of the world, Europe.

That is just one of the problems, people in Europe and other countries in the West, always had this sense of superiority, and still do. It is not surprising then that when a political movement, with a very sophisticated and unscrupulous propaganda machine, was able to convince some parts of the population that there were some among them, that didn’t live up to that superiority.

The lies were believed and gradually the Nazis were putting laws in place to rid initially Germany, and later on, all other countries they occupied, of those who they deemed inferior. It is easy to point the finger solely at the Germans, but there were kindred political movements all over Europe, including the nations that were not occupied.

The Nazis succeeded to quell critical thinking to a great extent, by the time people started to ask certain questions it was too late.

The really upsetting thing is that in 2024, so many people seem to have forgotten. The lack of critical thinking is rife again. Anyone who has read books about the rise of Nazism, and the Weimar Republic era will have seen that the 2020s are becoming a carbon copy of the 1920s. There is one major difference, this time we have no excuse. We cannot say “We didn’t know”. Looking away is no option.

If we forget our history, we forfeit our future.

Sources

Eleazer Asscher

https://www.statista.com/topics/9066/the-holocaust/#topicOverview

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A Rose in Bergen-Belsen

In the solemn and haunting grounds of Bergen-Belsen, where the echoes of a dark past resonate, exists an unexpected symbol of hope amidst the memories of suffering and loss: a single rose. This rose, though seemingly insignificant in the vastness of the camp’s history, carries within its delicate petals a story of resilience and defiance against the atrocities of humanity.

Amid despair, amidst the barbed wire fences and crumbling barracks, this rose blooms, its vibrant crimson hue stark against this backdrop of desolation. Its presence defies the horrors that once consumed this place, serving as a silent testament to the endurance of the human spirit.

Planted perhaps by an anonymous hand, its origins shrouded in mystery, the rose stands as a beacon of remembrance. It whispers tales of courage and survival, reminding visitors of the individuals who once walked these grounds, their lives unjustly taken but their spirits refusing to be extinguished.

As visitors solemnly tread the paths of Bergen-Belsen, their eyes catch sight of a solitary rose, a symbol that amidst the darkest of times, beauty and hope can still emerge. Its fragrance mingled with the heavy air of sorrow. It offers a fleeting moment of solace, a reminder that even in the most harrowing circumstances, humanity’s capacity for kindness and compassion endures.

The rose of Bergen-Belsen stands not only as a symbol of remembrance but also as a call to action, urging future generations to strive for a world where such atrocities can never again take root. Its presence serves as a poignant reminder that while the scars of history may never fully heal, they can inspire us to create a future built upon empathy, understanding, and peace.

Source

Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff—Hero?

Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bombing on 21 March 1943, and obviously, without success. The plan failed because Hitler left early. That same month, soldiers from his unit discovered the mass graves of the Soviet-perpetrated Katyn massacre.

To be honest—I am a bit sceptical about this failed assassination attempt.

His plan was that on March 21, 1943, Gersdorff, as an expert, should explain individual exhibits to Hitler in the Zeughaus in Berlin. While Hitler was touring the exhibition rooms, Gersdorff kept close to him constantly with two bombs in his coat pockets. But unlike in previous years, on this occasion, Hitler left the exhibition after only a short tour.

The plan was to set off two ten-minute delayed fuses on explosive devices hidden in his coat pockets. His plan was then to throw himself around Hitler in a death embrace that would blow them both up.

Why am I a bit sceptical? Hitler left the venue earlier than planned, but that didn’t mean that von Gersdorff had to stay in the building. He still could have carried out his plans afterwards. In many ways, it wouldn’t have looked suspicious. You could delay someone from leaving, especially a megalomaniac like Hitler, who loved to get his ego stroked.

Von Gersdorff said he defused the devices in a public bathroom “at the last second.” After the attempt, von Gersdorff was immediately transferred to the Eastern Front, where he managed to evade suspicion. So basically, no one actually knows if he had been carrying these devices at all, and the Gestapo never found them. All there is are his words afterwards.

In general, people who are willing to sacrifice themselves do so unless there is a drastic change of circumstances, and Hitler leaving an event a few minutes early is not one of those. He was also allegedly involved in the preparation for the 20 July plot—this was also never discovered. Conveniently, those who knew were all killed.

However, I could be wrong in my analysis. Maybe Von Gersdorff was a hero, but I doubt it.

In 1955, he was the military advisor on the movie The Plot to Assassinate Hitler.

Sources

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Rudolf_Christoph_Freiherr_von_Gersdorff

https://www.gdw-berlin.de/en/recess/biographies/index_of_persons/biographie/view-bio/rudolf-christoph-freiherr-von-gersdorff/?no_cache=1

https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/118538799.html?language=en

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