By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
As the Allies moved into Germany, Russians from the east and Americans from the west, they came upon concentration camps devoted to mayhem and murder—horrid leftovers from the Nazi ghouls perpetrating the “Final Solution.” Besides camps in Germany, they found many in Poland.
German towns had been bombed, but many went about their ways acting as if they knew nothing about the Holocaust or what went on in the camps near their towns. They all knew what the columns of smoke meant coming out of the camp chimneys.
Nazi criminals who manned the camps hurried to escape, leaving behind the still smouldering evidence of the ovens. So many of those criminals were never brought to justice for a variety of reasons. Some are still being sought out and prosecuted.
American and Russian photographers documented all of it. The Russian soldiers, in a drunken frenzy, entered towns like this one, raping, killing and pillaging.
But their anger was understandable. About 20 million Russians died due to that maniac: Hitler.
German citizens tried to escape to the west because they expected more humane behavior from the Americans, Brits, French, Poles and others. Anything to avoid the Russian Army.
JETHRO TULL “Requiem”
“Well, I saw a bird today
Flying from a bush
And the wind blew it away.
And the black-eyed mother sun
Scorched the butterfly at play
Velvet veined. I saw it burn.
With a wintry storm-blown sigh,
A silver cloud blew right on by.
And, taking in the morning, I sang
O Requiem.”
An aside re natural resources : Hitlers Hindenburg used hydrogen gas rather then the much safer helium gas . Why? The U.S.(who at the time was the only producer of helium) refused to sell Hitler helium . P.S. – Yet another unresolved controversy is that some think the Hindenburg disaster was anti-Nazi sabotage rather then accidental .
Frank: OK. This is what Wiki says, “Several writers, including journalist Robert Stinnett,[5] retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Alfred Theobald,[6] and Harry Elmer Barnes[7] have argued that various parties high in the government of the United States and the United Kingdom knew of the attack in advance and may even have let it happen or encouraged it in order to ensure America’s entry into the European theater of World War II via a Japanese–American war started at “the back door.
“However, the Pearl Harbor advance-knowledge conspiracy is rejected by most historians as a fringe theory.”
PG: Although there may have been some in the government who knew, taking the next step, which is to indict FDR for knowing, is not mentioned in the above statement.
I would agree to disagree with you except I am not sufficiently knowledgeable about this issue, so I can’t agree or disagree; just posting the subject which you brought up.
I do recall that the Japanese were desperate for oil, gas and other natural resources needed for a major war, and they already had invaded China, so they saw provoking the US as needed for their goals, and unfortunately, that activated their alliance with Germany which would add Nazi supply chain muscle to the Pacific theater.
Paul : Lets just agree to disagree. It was and still is a controversial subject. Prior to Pearl Harbor attack we intercepted & decoded Japanese communications indicating that they were planning to attack . Yet FDR’s administration did not inform the military commanders at Pearl Harbor of this info.
I suggest reading Robert Stinnett’s book – Day Of Deceit:The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor for further enlightenment on the matter.
Frank. Everything you said is true except that there has been no proof that FDR knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor in advance.
Since you brought up the subject I add some thoughts to the matter :
Knowing as early as the mid 1930’s that Hitler and Nazism was atrocious we (America) could and should have put him down then. Instead we waited until early 1940’s to enter WWII . Only after Pearl Harbor did we do so.
FDR knew about Pearl Harbor but allowed it to happen so as we had an excuse to finally get involved .
America (and the allies) routinely flew bombers over the railroad tracks that led to the concentration death camps. We could and should have bombed these tracks so as to hinder the Germans’ ability to bring folks to those camps.
America in the 1930’s was antisemitic and did not really care about Jews being killed. Many folks were in denial. The great depression here in America was more of a concern than Europe. The internet did not yet exist . Photographers’ photos of the atrocities revealed to Americans (and the world) what was going on in Europe.