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Re: [OT] Wehrmacht atrocities was: Experience and Training

From: Glenn M Wilson <triphibious@j...>
Date: Tue, 01 Jan 2002 14:46:24 EST
Subject: Re: [OT] Wehrmacht atrocities was: Experience and Training

On Tue, 1 Jan 2002 17:32:32 +0100 KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de
(K.H.Ranitzsch) writes:
<snip>
>Not sure what you mean by Hitlerjugend. There was a "Hitlerjugend" SS
>division, which, I guess, was as ferocious as the others.
>The Hitlerjugend as such, was the Nazi's youth organization, like the 
>Boy
>Scouts or Communist Young Pioneers. They were called out as cannon 
>fodder in
>the last months of the war. As youths may be, a few of them were quite
>fanatic. I am not really aware that they are supposed to have had a
>reputation for atrocities.
>
>Greetings
>Karl Heinz
>

An older coworker of mine (now a US citizen since he works with me)
found
his membership in the Hitler Youth movement was brought up during his
first security clearance process.  He noted he was a child  (IIRC, he
was
several years pre-teen in 1939) and his parents thought it politically
wise to have him in the program because it made them appear to be 'good
germans' and they thought it might help him find a non-military role if
the war went on too long (well it was a thought.)  Besides it did have a
lot of activities that kids that age enjoy.  He said he found the
'propaganda' boring but if you wanted to stay in and enjoy the good
parts
you had to put a smile on and nod mindlessly at the rhetoric.

He said he was given a uniform but his 'weapon' for the short period he
was in it was a shovel.  He hated 'digging useless defenses' when it was
clear to him the war was going to be over it was just a matter of who
took their part of Germany.  But stating that would have been unwise, as
everyone knew.	

Fortunately it was the western allies who 'captured' his group, even
though they all had 'got lost' earlier.

Gracias,
Glenn/Triphibious@juno.com
This is my Science Fiction Alter Ego E-mail address.
Historical - Warbeads@juno.com
Fantasy and 6mm - dwarf_warrior@juno.com

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