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This is a response to Friday’s thread about re-enacting in Nazi uniforms. In this case I have attended to subjects of my research; the Luftwaffe, the SS, the Police and the Army. https://twitter.com/militaryhistori/status/1322242575106007040
The Luftwaffe. Covered in earlier threads posted with maps and documentary evidence of crimes against humanity under the order of the chief of the Luftwaffe. ORs of the Luftwaffe did the same as this policeman, in the forest of Bialowieza, in Judenjagd - Jew-Hunts.
Nazi state foresters and hunters, working together to eradicate Jewry. The devil is the detail - the uniforms on display. No institution was clean if it was represented in the east.
The Police - ‘Hitler’s Green Helpers’ - had been obliging Jews and the unwanted out of their homes and communities since 1938. Bialowieza in 1941 was just another days’ work!
The SS, the Police, the Army - enjoyed a powerful working relationship. Here they work together participating in Bach-Zelewski’s field training for combating Soviet Partisans.
Around the corner the SS-Police were conducting a ‘sardine packing’ exercise. The term was introduced by a senior SS officer. Phase one - round up people - place them in a holding camp.
Phase two: take some away, far into the forest to dig pits:
Phase 3: pack them like ‘sardines’ in the pit and shoot them. This speeded up the killing process and saved time on burials. They kept bringing people until the pit was full. Then locals covered the pit, which served as a warning to the rest of the community to behave.
Then, when it was over the army general (a Junker) dished out medals and congratulations. Then they had a party with a freshly hunted deer roasted one the fire and served with beer.
Six months later in 1942 the former chief of Aachen Police (destroyer of Aachen Synagogue) drafted the the Bandenbekämpfung Doctrine. Formalised by these officers:
Why Bandenbekämpfung over Partisanbekämpfung?
It was all about the killing process. From the hunting community, the word found its way to the German colonies, then turned up during the Great War, and was deployed by the right against the left in 1919-23, by 1942 it was Nazified.
It was all about the killing process. From the hunting community, the word found its way to the German colonies, then turned up during the Great War, and was deployed by the right against the left in 1919-23, by 1942 it was Nazified.
Once it was formalised into standard military form, all branches of the Wehrmacht adopted it - immediately. Erich von dam Bach-Zelewski took command. He liked to boast of his youth when he ordered soldiers to beat a woman to death because she threw hot water over him.
Bandenbekämpfung was practised by some of these respected commanding officers in the field: in particular Poland, Yugoslavia, France and Poland. ‘Schnell Heinz’ squealed like pig when when his Polish interrogators threatened him with extradition.
SS Divisional officers enthusiastically applied the Bandenbekämpfung doctrine: in particular Yugoslavia, Belgium, France and Russia.
Colonels were particularly enthusiastic about its practical uses for area security. Peiper was an early student having been on Himmler’s staff. Skorzeny employed murderers and rapists for Judenjagd. Dirlewanger revelled in it.
Warsaw Uprising 1944: These two fellows used Bandenbekämpfung to excuse burning women, elderly and children alive in churches. They sang tunes. Reinefarth became mayor of Westerland, Kaminski was shot by Bach-Zeleski in his means to dodge war crimes jurisdiction.
The utility of Bandenbekämpfung doctrine also facilitated the ongoing Holocaust actions. Sporrenburg used it as a cover for a mass murder exercise - Operation Harvest Festival - November 1943 - 43.000 Jews murdered. He learned his trade under Bach-Zelewski.
The air aces who hid behind the clouds but left loads of evidence: Galland and Trautloft devised the training manual. Galland’s 1941 press photo taken in the same forest at the same time as 10,000Jews were being executed. Gitta confronted Galland on his knowledge of Auschwitz.
Nuremberg process: an attempt twas made to have a Bandenbekämpfung trial. Inconveniently the papers disappeared during hearing plans and then were returned at the end - date card was in place to be found! No one followed up 1st page trial draft.
The trial was planned to include the Commando Order, September 1942, the order to kill 50 airmen (later known as the great escape), POWs captured at Arnhem taken to Auschwitz, and the reprisals in France and Belgium. This story was included in my book.
Following Richard Holmes supervision, Chris Bellamy’s advice my book was published in 2006. Richard wrote the foreword. In 2007 it was in paperback and 2008 published in Polish. I hope the Luftwaffe manuscript reaches the standard Chris expected from it.
When I see images like these, i am reminded why I started this research and that my job is education. I am not against re-enactment, far from it, but there should be certain limits on decency. Promoting an illegal and criminal organisation is plainly wrong.
However, I had thought this was all moving on with the impending publication of my Luftwaffe manuscript. Then my good friend Mike Miller advised me of an auction and the sickening price paid for Bach-Zelewski’s medals - no doubt none of that money will go to the victims. https://twitter.com/bloodphilip/status/1262725283314049029
I hope this thread contributes to our debates and might be of interest to: @AxisBiographic1 @crusaderproject @KeithSimpsonNFN @militaryhistori @JanTattenberg @DrPaulFroehlich @Foreman1David @SixVpf @HGWDavie @BuddNicholas @marksimner @hoyer_kat @ChrisCardsFan @OberstWKlink
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