“..only thing necessary for ..triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke.
Both Rape and Race Defilement, ‘Rassenschande,’ in the context of the violation of Jewish Women and Children in the midst of this terror should be the subject of another work more relevant than these few pages can present. That many German soldiers were so engrossed in their soldierly duty that they not only had time to defile Jewish Women, they did so. In contravening all the laws of Human decency and morality, and Hitler’s supposedly ideological decree, this subject is an interrogation of History worthy of a more scholarly effort. As to whatever binding respect these Rapist troops had established with those members of their own Family back in Germany, for that read Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, the list goes on, that too is the subject of another passage from the History of the time. Rape is an extremely immoral act perpetrated by all manner of immoral deviants. When engaged in Warfare, Rape, Plunder or Crimes Against Humanity do not conceal themselves behind the auspices of War.
“..When we were in ..Kiev district ..my CO of signals ..came back quite horrified. ..an engineer Battalion commander ..and this engineer Battalion had ..task of blowing up site ..in which were those 32,000 Jews including women and children.” Lieutenant General Otto Elfeldt.
Therefore, on a warring Front, where Lieutenant General Elfeldt is referring here to the Babi Yar Massacre, clearly the German soldier lost his soul and displayed a more than serious adeptness for atrocity. In that 2 day period of atrocity at Babi Yar, between September 29th and September 30th, 33,771 Jewish Men, Women and Children of Kiev were Slaughtered. We have many instances where Jewish Women and Their Children are brutally Raped, grossly defiled and in the most heinous of ways, abused and gravely mistreated. These unfortunate and innocent Jewish Women and Their Children, and it must be said that all too many other Innocent Women were so mistreated, that they too have been discarded in History by German omission of guilt. For the Jewish Women and Their Children however, they are discarded as expediently as a bullet allowed. They are thrown into a pit or crematorium and removed from life.
“..One talks generally of ..occupation forces ..and only thinks in this connection of ..armed forces. ..decisive factor is ..person who exercised ..power ..executive power ..namely.. Commander in Chief ..civil administration in conjunction with or by their police forces.” Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
The accusation of a history seeking to resolve issues within this period recognise this is a scandalous betrayal of all the norms of our civilised Humanity. That such a pernicious crime as Rape was forced upon Innocent, and not just Jewish Women and even Their Children adds further atrocity upon atrocity. That those who committed these crimes, these deviants, might have then returned to some former semblance of normality is an indictment on them as human beings. That their sickness permeates the horror they inflicted upon these Women and Their Children is a judgement upon their callous disregard for all Human life. Not only that, this all shows a total lack of respect for those that are perceived as their own ‘loved’ ones. Those waiting, who are expecting their return after these deeds of War(sic), must they not confront this truth? Can the question simply remain? And What did You do during the War? Can that be the refrain that echoes throughout the rest of their History?
“..Every decent German today is ashamed of ..crimes which ..Third Reich committed behind ..nation’s back.” Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz.
There is a sickness in people that is exposed here, and History either comes to terms with its Fact. Denial of its truth only adds further to the wrongful impression many wish to content themselves with. This was not any sort of recognised War effort conducted by any soldierly code! The History of The Holocaust has been written and by greater Writers than me. But I have a wish to do something, so I persist with those terms rendered by those who allowed a degeneracy of Humanity to prevail against The Jewish People. We know, intrinsically, the essential depth of depravity that was unleashed against the Jews of Europe. We are aware of the level of carnage that has almost decimated completely the intrinsic cohesion of The Jewish People within Europe. We also have the tally of the Destruction of those Jewish People, and not merely as a statistic. It is an assessment that is present for us all to deliver a verdict which stands alongside 6,000,000 accusations against all of Humanity.
“..To glorify Hitler as an infallible genius ..whose gigantic designs were frustrated by treachery ..or to condemn him as ..greatest criminal of all time ..would be equally irresponsible and superficial.” Major General Frederick Wilhelm von Mellenthin.
What then, do we not have knowledge of from the annals of The Holocaust? We do not have the degree of comprehension which exists for The Survivor! We do not have the fullest acknowledgement of the Perpetrator, per se. Though we have the evidence from some of those who conducted themselves with sheer hatred and with a brutality toward those Jews that they sought out to destroy, is a fraction of what History would expect. Lest we forget, that while Major General von Mellenthin might well allow for nations to wallow in that failed appraisal of offering assistance, what they never managed to achieve was any universal aid to a desperate People. With regard to the Jews of The Holocaust that is an indictment of such indifference and intolerable destruction that was meted out to them.
“… hardly had we occupied ..city when one tremendous explosion after another occurred. ..major part of ..inner city burned down ..50,000 people were made homeless. German soldiers were used to fight ..flames ..and suffered considerable losses ..because further large amounts of explosives detonated during ..fire.” General Alfred Jodl.
With such an accusation railed against the nations of the World, we will lose even more of what tolerance should bring if we cannot admit to that. We must also recognise that what was lost, what has been abandoned was that all Jews were shown an abandonment and completely callous indifference. Because of a human failure to intercede, because of a complete lack of any political will to do so, 6,000,000 Jews of Europe have been eradicated by Hitler’s brutal assault upon their very integrity. We know that this onslaught on The Jews of Europe is true and yet, History is charged with treating Hitler’s instigation of all of these crimes with caution. If, while we assume that much was allowed to proceed because of Hitler’s want for War, little effort has been made to make the case for Hitler’s total control over all of these events?
“..Hitler issued an order to ..Armies operating against Russia that no Russian prisoners would be evacuated to ..German home area. ..reasons were obvious. Hitler wanted no contamination of German people.” General Franz Halder.
If Hitler had any seeming lack of control over all events during any of his period in power, then he was not the despotic tyrant of History we know he was. If then he did not have total control, any of those positive events attributable to him cannot be asserted. In contrast to what Humanity must surely demand, and that we should defend our neighbour as our own, Hitler acted with an impunity only an apologetic German General Staff member could suggest. So from this standpoint in our evolutionary history, all we have left in terms of where Hitler, The Holocaust, Warfare and the atrocities attributable therein, then we do not have a proper handle on our own History. What we do have is the knowledge that our own Remembrance for 6,000,000 Murdered and Innocent Jews carries with it, a responsibility for ‘good and decent people’ which will not now allow for our History to forget them or any amelioration of Hitler’s direction upon these events to be lessened.
“..Russian campaign ..to decimate ..Slav population by 30,000,000 ..troop of low characters would have to be formed.” SS Obergruppenfuhrer Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski.
Bach-Zalewski was neither inaccurate nor wrong in what he knew Hitler demanded for the move East. History is either written in Truth or its integrity is lost and remains no longer Factual. In Bach-Zalewski’s words, the decimation of 30,000,000 Slavs would be sought and in amongst them, 6,000,000 Jews would perish. This cannot be rewritten to satiate the hatred of a few! It cannot be revised to satisfy the demand which honesty places upon our own search for the comprehension of that Truth. So it is important Always to Remember and Never to Forget! We should also recall that along with the 6,000,000 Murdered Jews of The Holocaust, who were systematically sought out for Slaughter, World War II claimed the lives of some 50 to 70 Million people in total. That assessment is far more than even Bach-Zalewski had predicted.
“..I am actually ashamed to be an officer.” General Ritter von Thoma.
So while we have admissions as to what would be expected of the Reich, with regards to the Jewish People, Hitler so cast a shadow over all affairs that the Truth is veiled behind an arrogant refusal to admit to the Fact of the genocide. Though some do attempt to accept their blame, the above heading is an overall assessment that states what was foremost for Hitler, and mixed with his warped ideology, became the rampant bloodlust, larceny, degeneracy and criminality underpinning his drive East. So there is no misuse of the word logistics here! If you think there was any sense in sending the life blood of Germany into conflict while the very reason for war was to conceal the resolve to murder the Jews of Europe, then an appropriate rationale is hidden and also concealed. While millions of German men and women set forth on a war footing, either seduced or at least believing most of what Hitler espoused, more than 100,000 others set forth upon a bloody rampage against The Jewish People.
“..This book is intended as a token of gratitude to ..dead and to my old soldiers ..and as a monument to preserve their fame from oblivion.” General Heinz Guderian.
That said, and while there was honour amongst the fighting men and women of Germany is assessed and is beyond question. Whether that holds true while the knowledge of atrocity has been concealed so as to afford the German rank and file troops a screen from their complicity in the crimes committed is sorely and arguably debated. Truth being known, Hitler had lied to the German people on the basis of a living space worldview that only existed in order to remove the Jews from sight. The German soldier screened the world from the disorder which was filled in with Rape and Plunder. The gap required to achieve that goal of Crimes Against Humanity was a Hitlerite inspired and directed drive against the Jewish People. Once Hitler had set about removing from the Jews what had belonged to them, the arms of the Reich, in a larcenous attempt that belied the so called ideology of Hitler’s regime, plundered the Jews and many others of everything, including Life. The lie of any mythical ideology was laid bare.
“..Hitler’s strategic objectives were governed ..by ..needs of ..war economy.” Field Marshal Erich von Manstein.
For Hitler, it is inconceivable from any aspect, that an operation of the magnitude of The Holocaust might escape his close scrutiny or attention. While finally ensuring that the Jews could never reclaim what had been previously theirs, by Destroying them, mercilessly, brutally, calculatedly and systematically, was accomplished. The Holocaust is the one defining achievement of all that Hitler sought. The realisation of a failed empirical claim faded, the 1,000 year Reich subsided so Hitler finally slinks off into infamy. Here and now, the role of History in The Holocaust is not only to establish that Hitler was the prime mover, motivator and instigator in that Final Solution, but the onus is upon that search to define his clear intention to Murder ALL The Jews he could and that he set about to do so and in as concerted a way as possible. War provided the screen and Hitler waved his battalions forward. Perhaps a tad ironic, that while Hitler demanded complete loyalty from the German people, which was hugely rewarded, he exacted a broken bond with most of those exact same Germans.
“..Once I really am in power ..my first ..foremost task will be ..annihilation of ..Jews. As soon as I have ..power to do so ..I will have gallows built in rows ..at ..Marienplatz in Munich ..as many as traffic allows. ..Jews will be hanged indiscriminately ..they will remain hanging until they stink ..they will hang there as long as ..principles of hygiene permit. As soon as they have been untied ..next batch will be strung up ..and so on down ..line ..until ..last Jew in Munich has been exterminated. Other cities will follow suit ..precisely in this fashion ..until all Germany has been ..cleansed of Jews.” Adolf Hitler.
These words do not harbour other than a threat that will deliver a complete solution to The Jewish Question. As there were clear objectives laid down, progressing through legislating the Jewish People through phases of isolation, Ghettoization and Termination, Hitler not only voiced his threat, he demanded its unconditional completion. These separate demands demonstrated that both aims, a Final Solution and a War, were as diverse as they were strategically incompatible. Waging war on a Western and an Eastern Front and then ensuring the removal of all Jews from the presence of Europe, proved expeditious when the tide of war turned against Hitler. While this was a two-pronged assault upon the World, one was an open objective, a World War while the other, The Holocaust, was a hidden yet known secret. But both were a logistical objective and with regard to the stretched lines of supply for the War effort, impeded.
“..solution of ..Jewish question ..is ..business of ..Fuhrer ..not ..individuals.” Heinrich Himmler.
But such a logistical undertaking, that was the conduct of this programme of a genocide against the Jewish People, required precise liaison between all levels of the Reich’s politically administered body. That this certainly entailed the usage of all arms of the Ministries of the Reich, and in the midst of War, could not have been lost on Hitler or shielded from his view. Surely the business of one of those arms, the General Staff, was the aimed-for certainty of victory. That victory could not then be ensured while direction was focused upon sharing resources and logistics with a murderous enterprise. It was however, to prove a deflection too far from that single minded and supposedly clear ideological confrontation with the Soviet Russia in a War. With its termed referencing of a Judeo and Bolshevic status, here again the Jews were to be at the centre of the maelstrom.
“..I must assume ..after all I have read about ..Fuhrer ..that he knew all about it.” (‘it’ being The Holocaust) Major General Johannes Bruhn.
Germany’s Generals openly admit to this clash with a Russian political caste that was a supposedly Jewish led clique. Today though the Generals decline to give their evidence as to what they knew of a burgeoning genocide against the Jewish People within that clash and this remains both troubling to the memory of German soldiery and to Germany. As to the Army’s sullied reputation, Generals will not confront what lessons are to be learned should their position as having ‘God on their side’ be exposed as a fraud. Therefore, while the war economy was always a conditional one, Hitler swayed all efforts to ensure his major objective would not go unresolved. Here, The Final Solution, die Endlosung der Judenfrage would secure, with all the monetary essentials required to arm and supply Hitler’s vision, his ‘Weltanschauung’, would be dealt with a larceny of such proportions, even the ideologically elite SS grew wealthy.
“..newly conquered territories ..East must be organised ..made secure and ..in full co-operation with ..Armed Forces ..exploited economically.” Adolf Hitler.
The gradual removal of all the Jews from Europe toward the East was euphemistically termed ‘resettlement’ of Destruction. As for the cleansing thereafter of that Eastern Judeo position, all of this would acquire for the Reich the breathing space demanded for Hitler’s ‘Lebensraum’. This was to be an expansionist zest with a murderous zeal. This was a world view that would be territorially led by German troops into the Steppes of Russia. Not for Hitler the liberating of lands merely for German settlers but with the following of der Einsatzgruppe, hot on the heels of the Wehrmacht, these murder brigades would make entire areas free of the Jewish People encountered there. In conjunction with the specific aim to the murder of all these Jews that were met along this elongated route, a War would screen from Western view the ritual Slaughter of Millions of Jews and others.
“..Einsatztruppen ..called upon to fulfil a repulsive duty. But you are soldiers who have to carry out every order unconditionally. You have a responsibility before God and Hitler for everything that is happening. I myself hate this bloody business and I have been moved to the depths of my soul. But I am obeying the highest law by doing my duty. Man must defend himself against bedbugs ..rats ..against vermin.” Heinrich Himmler.
That Hitler would have his one single minded, pernicious and resolute victory, the Destruction of as many Jews as possible was evident to all those who chose to witness what was made obvious. That a territory was being cleared of all its Jews could not have escaped the attention of anyone in close proximity to the sound, the scent or the sight of such a devastating and bloody business. It is an assessment of all that Hitler clearly said, and that he fully intended for the Jewish People, that this single idea was one that he sought out from amongst and above the rest. That this sought-after demand was to be the annihilation of all Jews in The Final Solution of The Jewish Question was a success of such completeness that he is sure to have removed himself from existence knowing he had achieved above what could be classed as a strategically logistic objective.
“..Jews have to vanish ..to be annihilated too. ..carrying out of larger Jewish actions is not ..task of ..divisional units. They are carried out by civilian or police authorities ..ordered by ..commandant of White Ruthenia ..if he has special units at his disposal ..or for security reasons and in ..case of collective punishments. When smaller or larger groups of Jews are met ..they can be liquidated by divisional units or be massed in ..ghettos near bigger villages designated for that purpose ..where they can be handed over to ..civilian authority or ..SD.” Major General Anton von Bechtolsheim.
We have, as the evidence proves from filmed and photographed stages of the assault upon the Jewish People, a Wehrmacht guilt that cannot be denied. With one single example, with the hanging of Masha Bruskina by an ‘officer’ of von Bechtolsheim’s own Divisional command, the evidence is abundantly clear. This Division, amongst many other Wehrmacht commands, allowed their personnel to actively visit, watch or fully engage in the ‘aktionen’ against the Jewish People. These criminal outpourings, and those who instigated them, were active supporters of Hitler’s drive, both against the Jewish People and into Russia. The soldiers who freewheeled their way into the depths of inhuman conduct and with a willingness and desire to do so. While der Einsatzgruppe is acknowledged as the mainstay of the Killing operation, with its 3,000 personnel, it is the bolstering of these 4 Groups, by some 100,000 additional yet ‘honourable’(sic) forces, that secured for Hitler the sought-after resolve that was his prime target. That this was the Slaughter of The Jews of Europe and Russia is evidenced by the reality that is The Holocaust.
“..Let no man denigrate ..fighting men of this last war. To do so is to besmirch the honour of those who gave their lives in the execution of their duty.” Grossadmiral Karl Doenitz.
But to this day, while there is a seeming consolation sought out in the debate over how many signed documents are required in order to establish Hitler’s clear intention to Murder these Jews of Europe, this cannot conceal Hitler from the deeds he demanded. This is merely a smoke screen to the pertinent fact that, without Hitler, dots were not placed atop of i’s and crosses were not used to complete t’s. That no signed copy of Hitler’s intention to eradicate World Jewry, wholesale is available, this still is unable to deny the very task that Hitler charged his legions with. This certain acknowledgement meant that there would not be any assigned markers to the burial sites of those 6,000,000 Jews of The Holocaust. Nor would there be any crosses to the many Germans who fell in battle, and all too far from home. So logistically, Hitler’s Army would move forward, destroying Jews and ensuring the wage of War was on a sound footing regardless of the cost in Military terms. As for the cost in humanitarian terms, history has placed a judgement before the German people that is being responded to, and they have approached that acceptance with consideration!
“..In just ..same way as I have obligations towards my family and my nation ..so have we of course as a nation ..certain rules which we must observe towards ..rest of humanity ..there’s no doubt at all about that. I can’t behave like wild beast.” Lieutenant General Otto Elfeldt.
Where the German forces unleashed onto a War footing were catered for, and as so many were engorged by such a destructive force that they too were radicalised, they became armed with a resolve to kill as many Jews as possible. That the very supply line which contrived to deliver both aims was met with an approval that was attended to by Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich and the German General Staff, it is clear enough for History to acknowledge that Hitler was at the centre of the maelstrom and was its most ardent advocate. But it appears too simplistic to state that any soldier was so ideologically blinded to what role he was asked to perform. Though any Army, who surely cannot fight on bread alone, can also deign to destroy the very fabric of human conscience if given the leeway to do so. That ultimate authority gifted to the Germans fighting in a War, ensured that The Final Solution could be dispatched in equal measure given the orders to do so.
“..We must uphold ..principle of only having carried out orders. We must stick to that principle if we are to create a more or less effective defence.” Lieutenant General Ferdinand Heim.
For Germany and the Germans, that authority was Hitler. For many, who constituted the ordinary soldier, they might have remained oblivious of the atrocity but are implicated by their close proximity to it. As well as having to survive outside these parameters of all proper military conduct, they were led by an officer corps whose diligence in Warfare could so undermine the very principles of soldierly conduct. That this Military caste has lied so as to deceive the history they have sought to distort, which repudiates any wrong-doing on their part, marks their version of History with disdain. Some of these Generals, and their soldiers, had a remit which was both inhuman and criminal. They either acted upon the most base of evils or merely looked the other way. In acting upon such an appalling activity as that which delivered The Holocaust, this has clearly branded the entire Wehrmacht duplicitous, politically inveigled, culpable and even dishonourable!
“..Book is ..personal narrative of a soldier ..deliberately refrained from discussing political problems or matters with no direct bearing on events in ..military field.” Field Marshal Erich von Manstein.
Where we have the influence of a political message unencumbered by the ideology of hatred for the Jewish People, we have a dictator who will impose upon his Generals and his troops, a bearing which has an ideological and murderous edge. With a political inference and a genocidal intention, the move East impacted upon and relayed that murderous design. For the many apologetic Commanders who choose to set before the World their résumé as a washed and a cleansed facet of their own truth, this containment of any integrity is to blemish further the role of the German soldier in ‘the military field’. It cannot be denied that there is a certain requirement for a focused direction as there is the necessity for the supply of food. Most certainly the immediate need is for the Commander to act upon the sway of battle. However, a headquarters analysis of all factors is what Hitler brought to the table and his direction, while it brought instant success temporarily, was weighted heavily in the apportioning of priorities elsewhere which led to an ultimate collapse.
“..things I’ve experienced! In Latvia ..near Dvinsk ..there were mass executions of Jews carried out by ..SS. ..about 15 SS men ..perhaps 60 Latvians ..known to be ..most brutal people in ..world. ..one Sunday morning ..kept hearing ..salvos followed by small arms fire. ..Men ..Women Children ..counted off ..stripped naked. ..executioners first laid all ..clothes in one pile. Then 20 women had to take up their position ..naked ..on ..edge of ..trench. ..shot ..fell ..into it.” Lieutenant General Heinrich Kittel.
While the real mainstay of any Army in its supply situation is its manpower, we cannot imagine the effects of maintaining a separate force elsewhere which could be other than a destructive one. Any depletion of an ability for a fighting force to commit wholly to War curtails its strategic capabilities. For the Wehrmacht, with its replenishment, its reserves, its weaponry and the essential fuel necessary to keep fully mobile the forces required to expedite a campaign, no amount of subtraction from that effort could be sustained. For all essentials that are to be employed in progressing the needs of an Army, it is crucial to the stages required to bring about any sought after victory, that nothing is deducted from the capacity to achieve any targeted goals.
“..attitude of ..troops toward SD and police alternates between abhorrence and hatred. Every soldier ..disgusted by ..crimes committed in Poland by ..Reich ..representatives of our state.” General Johannes von Blaskowitz.
Where ideology comes into force, Hitler had the final say, and while Hitler insisted that the Jews were the target for all aggression, Military targets became subordinate. While this effectively gave all Military personnel carte blanche with regards to their own conduct against the Jewish People, it had repercussions upon the Military strategy to be brought to bear upon the Russian Forces. With no regard for the conduct expected of soldierly conduct, with the disregard for their fellow comrades and those commanders not drawn into the Slaughter, this was a palpable flaw in Operation Barbarossa. This is where Hitler’s divergent considerations met, and at this juncture Himmler, Heydrich, Hoess, Eichmann, Nebe, Rasch, Blobel and the other murderous administrators took over. On the one hand though, the operations in Russia proved an intractable excess. On the other hand, with that same expanse proving sapping of resource and energy, Russia was to prove defeating for German efforts. With all of this still subordinate to the more essential goal that was to destroy all the Jews of Europe and now Russia, and where they were met, a lessening of endeavour shortened Hitler’s venture into Russia.
“..as a German officer I am deeply concerned for ..honour and prestige of German arms.” Major General Frederick Wilhelm von Mellenthin.
As of yet we had not progressed methodologically toward The Death Camps, but they were logistically fast approaching in the form of the ‘Gassing Vans’. These vehicles, which had been utilised against the mentally ill in the Euthanasia Institutions found initial favour with elements of der Einsatzgruppe. They did prove ineffective, as a psychological protest grew out of the strain that was placed upon those who emptied them. These formative murder vehicles were a blueprint for the static gassing facilities that were first established at Chelmno and then at Belzec. By the time Auschwitz/Birkenau came on stream, the mechanised and industrialised Destruction of The Jewish People had obtained a much higher degree of efficiency. This then is the genesis of Hitler’s Final Solution as it was initiated in the field of operations in Russia. While Hitler recognised the expedient of secrecy, he was quick to expedite the removal of these operations from sight. Further back behind the lines of supply and communication that had stretched into Russia, Poland would be a more manageable ‘killing centre’.
“..with regard to ..Jews ..I’ve found myself remaining inactive. There’s no sense in adding uselessly to ..difficulties of ..moment. One acts more shrewdly when one bides one’s time.” Adolf Hitler.
Now, and it was to Hitler himself that the vision which emerged would see the annihilation of The Jewish People ramped up and into a far more destructive arena. What needs to be considered here is, that while der Einsatzgruppe was to manage the murder of 1,250,000 Jews in direct ‘aktionen’, the strain upon resources and the obvious tidal change of the War in Russia that first Winter, required a more rapid resolve. That resolve would be in the form of a newer direction and Hoess at Auschwitz/Birkenau would provide that response to resolve. The requirement by Hitler saw this whole episode of Jewish Destruction moved faster forward toward what the World would recognise today as The Holocaust. This progression of events toward a final confrontation with The Jewish People belonged to Hitler as he relentlessly, tirelessly and without hesitation moved every effort to bring about a conclusion to The Jewish Question.
“..objections arise from ..military concept of chivalrous warfare. This is ..destruction of an ideology. Therefore I approve and back ..measures.” Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
Keitel, who was well placed to ensure than not only was Hitler’s supreme demand met, it was articulated, catered for and objectively led. Also, and when we consider that even toward Hitler’s own final evacuation and ‘resettlement’ from this life, he had the Jews forever as a crucial catalyst of his hatred and for all that he aimed toward. It is a contention in history that what Hitler’s Generals witnessed or knew, they have almost unanimously failed to administer toward our History. But Hitler could not conceivably be oblivious to the facts and certainly the figures of all that he surveyed! So, while we met Leni Riefenstahl in Poland, within sight of what she surely must have informed Hitler of, we have a General Staff equipped with such an abundance of knowledge Hitler, could not possibly invoke ignorance of the Facts as any defence, should he have stayed around long enough for judgement to be invoked upon him. For a Military Commander, whose ability entire had been so remonstrated with, yet fashioned into a War, there is a paradox of descending voices. The shooting of Jews might well have slipped past his sensitivity, but the cost of the bullet to Murder that Jew, those 1,250,000 Murdered by der Einsatzgruppe, could not have done!
“..We shot women as if they had been cattle. ..a large quarry where 10,000 men ..women ..children were shot. They were still lying in ..quarry. We drove out on purpose to see it. It was ..most bestial thing I ever saw.” Lieutenant General Fritz von Broich.
So prior to Hitler’s cowardly exit from any confrontation with the detail of The Holocaust he exclusively engineered, there are two major factors at play here. Within Russia, as the lines of communication grew ever longer, the essential to feed, resource, replace or revitalise its troops escalated wildly. One force could be so depleted by the essential to ensure the final resolve of the other, that the logistics of War could not be properly managed. That recognition meant that Operation Barbarossa was assigned to a more certain failure. With the ideological goal of the mass murder of The Jews of Europe given prominence and an all out precedence, the gradual retreat from Russia was secured. It cannot simply escape the attention of history that such manpower, and this was as many as six or seven or even ten divisions of whom had been diverted from the War effort in Russia, could be countenanced by other than Hitler.
“..this best instrument of ..art of war stood at ..disposal of a state leadership with a bold foreign policy.” Adolf Hitler.
That this resource, which was fully brought to bear upon those Jews that Hitler had sought to be eradicated, so prevented much byway of securing a German foothold in Russia, we essentially see the logistical conduct of Warfare sidelined. While Hitler’s ulterior effort was a confrontation with Jewish antecedence, the matter of fully depleting the War needs of the fighting front was a subordinate concern. The full capabilities of those troops, who were wholly guided by military principles were depleted of the necessary focus. As Hitler pressed forward with his ultimate aim against the Jews, the German General Staff did not awake to the obvious threat responsibly. Certainly, while the initial force of der Einsatzgruppe was some 3,000 men, when combined with the structure of the camp guards, auxiliaries, Police units and foreign collaborators, this body of functionaries managed to raise an approximate force of some 60,000 or 70,000 of its own personnel.
“..An order like ..Kommissarbefehl was utterly unsoldierly.” Field Marshal Erich von Manstein.
When added to the capacity of Wehrmacht involvement, participation and perpetration, much more than the 100,000 or so that has been suggested, ensured that The Holocaust was as efficiently accomplished as was militarily feasible. At the crux of that assertion was an illegal enactment of reprisal actions that engaged the Military in crimes not befitting any military structure. Meanwhile, all of these personnel retained away from the War Front, though some were still luxuriating in the killing fields, they did not compete on level terms with the dire threat that the German soldier faced. Then, as the Death Camps and other Camps fully occupied those who could have been used to bolster offensive actions or defensive battles on the Eastern Front, Hitler could not have been ignorant of what so many of his SS were involved in. The smallest detail of what was happening in Germany was enormously engaging for Hitler.
“..nearing our final objective step by step in this icy cold and ..troops suffering from ..appalling supply situation. ..difficulty of supplying us by railroad ..constantly increasing ..main cause of our shortages ..without fuel ..cannot move.” General Heinz Guderian.
So while it is certain that those duties aligned to The Final Solution demanded the presence of such an extraordinary level of personnel, Hitler could not be that unaware. That would make the case for Hitler’s complete lack of command and might just suggest a wilful neglect of his own fuhrerprinzip, his authority. As to the callous way his troops in the field were abandoned, those Camp and Einsatz personnel that could have been better utilised to shoulder some of the responsibility of a debilitating campaign. That they were otherwise engaged in the Slaughter of 6,000,000 Jews of Europe, Men, Women and Their Children is part of Hitler’s own strategy. This faltering strategy, which left the Russian Front to its own devices was a minefield of competing aims which Guderian recognised. The German Reichsbahn, the Railroad system, was moving hell and Earth to deliver the Jews of Europe from earth toward Hell. 3,000 Jews to Auschwitz and Birkenau would require a Train with 30 Cattle Cars.
“..I feel confident that soldiers of all nations are now anxious to establish facts about ..Second World War ..and to avoid conclusions based on individual prejudice or patriotic sentiment.” Major General Frederick Wilhelm von Mellenthin.
This one ‘transport’ alone would have secured close on 10,000 tons of foodstuffs, ammunition and essential supplies to the German fighting machine as far away as Stalingrad. As all military historians isolate Stalingrad as the point of no return for Hitler and his regime, an essential to ensure that the troops engaged there were adequately supplied was circumvented. Even elsewhere within Russia all manner of supplies and logistical undertakings were denied to the fighting force by want of a higher purpose. This purpose, which Hitler had affixed to his own personal hatred for the Jewish People, ignored the needs of the fighting troops. That this ‘Jew hatred’ of Hitler’s, which was a totally irrational and costly demand, and which sees German soldiers falling foul of those demands and in conjunction with an increasing depleting failure to supply them.
“..Mental institutions ..Army Group North. Russians regards ..feeble minded as sacred beings. Killing them is necessary ..none the less.” General Franz Halder.
With the concerted effort to take the lives of those Jews now being processed within the Death Factories, it was a parallel consequence of separating our resources at the point of greatest need for the German troops in the field. Remember, these lines of communication are attempting to supply the population of a country the size of Ireland. Though much that has been fleeced from the Jews who are being Murdered, and much goes toward the clothing, the feeding and the supply of Germany, it is no feeble account to administer to the war effort of any nation. When that effort is in the terms of supply for in the region of 3,800,000 personnel, it is a monumental effort that is called upon. On the battlefield these troops, who are exhaustively and relentlessly pushing forward to the East, to the North as far as Leningrad and then toward the South with Stalingrad as the strategic target, they have much to contend with. While Stalingrad was to halt all German progression, and the move toward the Caucasus was stalled, Hitler still manages to persist with The Holocaust.
“..When ..soldier had besmirched ..honour of ..army by some base action. ..there could be no mercy.” Field Marshal Erich von Manstein.
All the while, the German spirit and fighting effort is to be stretched to its ultimate limit of physical endurance. In the field the German soldier is pretty much left to make all resources for themselves, in the main. Strictly with the Russian campaign, Hitler is stretching the logistical capabilities of all that General Eduard Wagner could muster. All concern for the fighting force of Germany is being swallowed up further and deeper into Russia. Do not forget that prior to the jump off on June 22nd. 1941, both Heydrich and General Wagner, the Wehrmacht’s Quartermaster General had agreed terms for the supply of, and with all manner of logistical support for, der Einsatzgruppe. Both Heydrich and Wagner had reached their accommodation, and it was an agreement upon what their respective roles within Russia could achieve.
” ..following I make known briefly ..most important instructions given by me to ..Einsatzgruppen and Kommandos of ..Security Police ..Sicherheitspolizei and ..SD ..Sicherheitsdienst ..with request to take note of them. ..following ..to be executed ..Officials of ..Comintern ..professional Communist politicians ..top ..medium-level officials ..radical lower-level officials of ..Party. Central Committee ..district ..sub-district committees. People’s Kommissars. Jews .” Reinhard Heydrich.
Both would have had to acknowledge that the specific intention of der Einsatzgruppe was a sweep of all areas in search of both Jews and Russian Kommisars. Both would clearly identify the demarcation lines of Military and Hitler’s needs. In fact, it was abundantly made clear that in the front line, der Einsatzgruppe would be subordinate and under immediate Wehrmacht jurisdiction. Certainly in those operational areas of a military nature that would have been expected. So this places Hitler as the deciding factor in that area of response. In the rear areas however, Wehrmacht control was ceded to Einsatz operational demands with Hitler leaving the capacity to Murder in the hands of his 4 alphabetised Einsatzgruppen. All of which was approved by Hitler through Keitel and onto Wagner.
“..Polizei ..SD ..or other parts of ..SS except units of ..Waffen SS were never under jurisdiction of ..Armed Forces or received orders from it. They were under ..sole jurisdiction of Reich Leader Himmler.” Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel.
On Hitler’s insistence there would have been a categorical demand to act in all compliance with his terms for The Final Solution. Here though, Field Marshal Keitel argues against himself with a later admission. That this meeting between Wehrmacht and Heydrich was enacted on May 31st., three weeks prior to Barbarossa, makes certain the priority that was given to Hitler’s ultimate objective against the Jews. Wagner, as Keitel’s representative, would have relayed every facet of what was discussed back to Keitel, for whom History has adjudged, Hitler’s lackey. None of this could have been achieved without the strictly expressed approval of Hitler, who would certainly affix this resolute concern for The Final Solution to his strategic map.
“..drive on Moscow ..favoured by Guderian ..and temporarily abandoned in August in favour of ..conquest of Ukraine ..might have yielded decisive results if it had been ruthlessly pursued as ..dominating ‘Schwerpunkt’ of ..invasion.” Major General Frederick Wilhelm von Mellenthin.
The strategic War map did not have any line of communication placed upon it without Hitler being fully engrossed in the slightest detail of the movements forward. And the relentless peel of his tanks’ movement was urged on by Hitler, The 1,000 year Reich was always meant to be moving forward, over Peoples, over Nations and over terrain. It would not have escaped Hitler’s steely attention either that some 3,800 tons of food was required to keep this Army marching in that fixed direction. Of course there had been a remit for the Wehrmacht to live off the land, plunder all that could be stolen. But as with the need for Winter clothing, which was brought to Hitler’s attention, such detail was attended to by Hitler. The specific detail therefore, contained within the official Operational Situation Reports from der Einsatzgruppe, which would have found their way to Mueller’s desk, would have been replete with all that Hitler laboured over. If the Generals were demanding harsh and brutal excesses, this would have been to either ingratiate themselves further with Hitler or it was taken as a direct command from der Fuhrer.
“..annihilation of revolts in hinterland which ..as experience proves ..have always been caused by Jews.” Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau.
History has taught us much about the character of Hitler. That Hitler had his finger pulsed by the minutiae and detail of all operational demands has characterised that essential lesson we have learned. That Hitler would know that close on 200 Million rounds of ammunition would be required on a daily basis, that Hitler would have been acquainted with how and where they could be resourced, that is a given. That Hitler would be able to articulate with all his Commanders the fact that 4,300 Tanks operating in the field would require some 100 Thousand litres of fuel every day is also certain. This would have seen Hitler looking toward the Oil rich Caucasus, and the collaboration with Romania for their Oil fields would be to ensure that the very swift mobility essential for victory was maintained.
“..Since this territory can be only in ..East ..obligation to be a naval power also recedes into ..background.” Adolf Hitler.
All this would take an extraordinary effort by the both the German Railways and the offices of Quartermaster General Wagner. Also, keeping more than 4,000 Aircraft in the air, with all the necessary weaponry and the fuelling essential to have them complement the blitzkrieg drive, was also a major concern. All of this is even before we consider the supply of replacement parts, medical supplies, reserves, shells for over 7,000 Artillery pieces, field guns, howitzers. With just three ‘resettlement’ journeys to a Death Camp, this would have deprived what was required to feed the Army on a daily basis. As we have seen, and even though Hitler had planned for the Wehrmacht to feed itself off of the land, food was an essential best factored in along with all subsidiary concerns.
“..Finally ..an illusion ..equally notorious ..so called ‘Kommisar Order'” Heinz Guderian.
That Hitler was meticulous about the small detail was attached to a prevarication which, at crucial moments in the progress of the War, had serious consequences. That this had a subsequent and lasting effect upon the Military capability of the German Reich is seen with the emphasis on the assault upon the Jews, the criminal commands to his troops and the deviating swerve from preordained directives. What that effort is underwritten by, with the expectation at Fuhrer headquarters, is to ensure that the radical approach to any and all military considerations is governed by such a lawless decree as the Kommisar Befehl. It is impossible then for the German military to extract itself from the criminality contained in its warring approaches or even defend itself in relation to its overall conduct in the face of a belligerent to be afforded quarter under conventions.
August 21st. 1941 “..primary importance ..not ..capture ..Moscow ..but ..Crimea.” Adolf Hitler.
As we shall see, despite the worsening situation that existed for the Wehrmacht, more and more trains were held up for the deportation transports. These ‘resettlements’ of the Jews of Europe to their Deaths in the Death Camps ran exemplary to the crisis facing Germany and the German people. Meanwhile, the German troops were getting further and further from these lines of communication and were being wasted as Hitler satiated himself with his single most concerted mantra: the Destruction of The Jews. With this concentration upon Hitler’s directives to Annihilate the Jewish People, all of which ensures that the German soldier is increasingly abandoned deeper and further within Russia, Hitler ploughs on regardless.
“..Let me tell you ..gassings are by no means ..worst. ..people dug their own graves ..then ..firing squad arrived ..and shot them. Many of them weren’t dead ..a layer of earth was shovelled in between. They had packers there who packed ..bodies in ..because they fell in too soon. ..SS did that. ..I knew an SS leader pretty well ..we talked about this and that ..and one day he said ..if you ever want to film one of ..these shootings ..it doesn’t really matter. These people are always shot in ..morning. If you’re interested ..we still have a few left over ..and we could also shoot them in ..afternoon if you like.” General Edwin Graf von Rothkirch und Trach.
When the cold set in during that first Winter, the German soldier was left to freeze, and while Camp administration was warmed by the deeds of Destruction, the German soldier died. The rather cosy, snug arrangement for the Camp guard, and even for the Einsatz personnel, who were all engaged in the Murdering of innocent Jewish People, and others, was in stark contrast to the fighting effort of the German soldier. On the bitter freezing battlefields of Russia, in a wasteland of snow and ice, the daily battle was as far removed from the task of Murdering the Jewish People. While the riches of the Jews could be plundered at will, German soldiers died. While luxuries beyond compare were enjoyed by both Einsatz and Camp administration, no frills met with the German soldier as he fought and died for the Fatherland. However, in marked contrast to these very differing scenarios, while Einsatz and Camp guards Raped and Murdered the Jewish Women and Their Children they selected for such attention, so too did Soldiers of the Wehrmacht before they were abandoned and died.
“..future tasks of ..Armed Forces and ..preparations for ..conduct of war resulting from these tasks will be laid down by me.” Adolf Hitler.
As the conduct of the War was laid down by Hitler, so too was the savagery meted out to those the Wehrmacht encountered, laid down by Hitler. But what was already a deadly cost to the Jews by these non combatant Einsatz and Camp administrators, as they were encountered so far from the War front, was also at a deep cost to the German and Axis soldier fighting to maintain Hitler’s myopic vision. But the propaganda emerging as the details of the Slaughter became known, must have energised Hitler and his propaganda Minister. On March 27th. 1942 Goebbels clearly acknowledged that some 60% of all the World’s Jews would be liquidated. That the Wannsee Conference targeted 11,293,300 Jews of Europe for Destruction, that figure would spring forth and enclose The Jewish People within its systematic approach.
“..Not much will remain of ..Jews. ..Sixty percent ..will ..be liquidated. ..whole series of possibilities presents itself for us in wartime that would be denied us in peacetime.” Josef Goebbels.
A simple sum recognises here that a 60% target of what The Wannsee Protocol presented the World, signifies a figure that represents 6,600,000 Jews murdered within The Holocaust. To bolster such a murderous achievement, the Wehrmacht, the German Army not only supplied its own men with the tools to wage War, but ensured der Einsatzgruppe was equally well equipped to mass murder the Jews of the East. Weapons, supplies and manpower along with Wehrmacht and Waffen SS personnel were wholly engaged in the Slaughter. Wehrmacht personnel either guarded some of the killing sites, took part in the Slaughter or were engaged in other ways to procure for Hitler, his Final Solution. All of this meanwhile, was further detracting from the active service required for the German troops on the Eastern Front to defeat the Russian enemy in the field.
“..Of course ..he (Hitler) knows all about it. Secretly ..he’s delighted. Of course ..people can’t make a row ..they would simply be arrested and beaten if they did.” General Ritter von Thoma.
While the Wehrmacht’s field command structure was within earshot of the ‘aktionen’ against the Jewish People, there is very little evidence which is available of many of these General’s complaints. Though there are grievances with regard to troops simply watching what should not have been witnessed, complaints about the savage killings of innocent People were barely audible. The knowledge of such murderous events are substantiated by records and post War evidence. But concerning the distraction of these annihilating measures from the war effort, the protest remains insignificant. There is an almost culpable acceptance that while the savage deeds of the Einsatz were criminal and wrong, they merely distracted from a War which needed waging.
“..Iron Cross will be awarded for outstanding service to service personnel and for bravery in ..face of ..enemy.” Adolf Hitler.
All of this murderous enterprise against the Jews and other civilians takes away from what was supposedly an essential that was to be governed by Hitler’s High Command. That necessity was a War effort Hitler had long promised and was being conducted while being hamstrung by the Slaughter of the Jews. But then it is all too easy for those who knew exactly what was happening to the Jewish People, to seek ignorance so as to lessen its effect and by neglecting that truth is the basis of rightful History. As with Himmler, who assuaged the high ranking SS with condescension toward everyone’s good ‘Jew’, the German General Staff has seen fit to establish a ring of silence around itself. In the midst of all that we know of Hitler’s haranguing control over the Generals, it became their highest endeavour to secrete its own culpability with the crimes they knew were Perpetrated. For Hitler, who would not stay around long enough to protest his role in this ideological effort, the General Staff, in choosing to conceal not just the crimes that were permitting and even committed against The Jews, but in not acknowledging that the extent of their own knowledge of what occurred was indeed well ‘known’!
“..I ..mention ..subject ..never speak ..in public. ..extermination of ..Jewish people. ..Jewish people ..being exterminated ..eliminating ..Jews ..exterminating them ..a small matter. ..page of glory never mentioned ..never to be mentioned.” Heinrich Himmler.
