RSS
Home
Interview with a Wehrmacht veteran: Part 2
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
PK- There’s a new book out by an American that says the war between Germany and the Western countries could have been avoided, that Hitler’s main intention was to go to war against Russia, and that England and France and the western countries and America could have avoided the war and just let Germany fight Russia. It says that if not for the Polish war guarantee, Hitler would have never declared war on the Western countries.
WG- It’s always easy….if, if, if, the same with Napoleon at Waterloo, if, if. (laughs) If we had more capable Generals, the good old team didn’t want to fight anymore, so….we could have won, almost.
PK- Well that ties into….whether the course that the war did take was inevitable. The Holocaust, was that inevitable? Some people say it was, they say, just read Mein Kampf, and he tells what he’s going to do, but other people say, he didn’t start all the killing really until after the war started, so some people say it could have been avoided.
WG- Uh, I don’t think so. It’s always easier after the disaster happened to know things could have been different. But we have to stick to the facts. He was determined to murder all the Jews….from the very first moment. He started, and that is what I many times emphasized, he started to eliminate and put the German opposition in the concentration camp. The people came to the Olympic games, it was a big propaganda success for Hitler, but 100,000 Germans were in the concentration camp. And the visitors praised Hitler, you know, and he was…what dictatorship can always do, wonderful reception for foreigners. Then came the King of Bulgaria, then came the King of Romania, then came (inaudible) from Hungary, then came Mussolini, of course, and the biggest fish was the King of England who had abdicated, Edward the 7th…. with his wife. Wonderful reception…Germany…and the funny thing I remember, Hitler said, you know, when I win the war against England, I’ll make him King of England because he’s so dumb. (laughs) He was not the smartest man. So at first, he put the Germans in the concentration camp, because there was no reaction in the foreign country……”oh so German,” but when he started with Jews, suddenly the foreign countries woke up. But Roosevelt never mentioned it. Did Roosevelt help the Jews? No, nothing, he never even mentioned it.
PK- Churchill either right?
WG- Churchill maybe after the war, but yeah yeah. But after the war of course, that’s easy…millions were killed.
PK- Because that’s not the reason they went to war, they went to war because he started conquering other countries, right?
WG- Yeah, one after another, yeah.
PK- And a lot of people say too, especially Churchill and England, they saw Hitler as a threat to British supremacy, which from what I understand has been going on for a long time, since WWI also, because Germany was growing and getting stronger and Britain didn’t want anyone challenging their power.
WG- Yeah and we should also consider the attitude of the United States….very generous, and very honest. First world war, America did not sign the Treaty of Versailles. You know, second world war, I am in Berlin, I will never forget what America had done for Berlin during the blockade.
PK- The airlift?
WG- They could have said, “oh the damn Germans, let them starve.” But, Truman, in this respect I admire, noticed and realized if the Russians move in Berlin, they will not stop. They will have western Germany, and western Germany is not enough, they will have France. 30% of the people were communists after the second world war in France. So, that’s open gate for Russia, if they would have been there at the gates, they could have controlled the whole of Europe. And they controlled half of it, (inaudible). Roosevelt’s fault…..at Yalta. “Oh give them, give them what they want….Poland should have a democratic election…of course we can do that.” (laughs) “Once we liquidate about 20,000 people in Katyn.” And you know the toast at Yalta, Roosevelt…what to Stalin said, “to the liquidation of 50,000 German officers.” Kennan was there. George Kennan.
PK- Oh, I read that. Stalin had said he wanted to kill the officers, FDR laughed, and Churchill was the only one upset.
WG- He was furious. And Roosevelt said “no, only 49,999.”
PK- I think Churchill was more…Roosevelt was a little naïve concerning Stalin. Roosevelt from what I understand actually liked Stalin, he thought he was a nice charming fellow.
WG- He called him Uncle Joe.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
