I wonder what is your opinion about the fact that Gunther Grass admitted he had served is Waffen SS?
Personally, I have a mixed feelings. If it is true that he was forced to join, I don’t blame him. But in the other hand it was in fact a criminal organization.
After longer consideration, I think that G. Grass had done much more positive things in his life than milions of people and shouldn’t be attacked by any of so-called moral authorities. The only sad fact in this story is that he made this confession so late. But even now I admire him that he brought himself to tell the truth.
He comited some war crime…? yes or not…? I think that is the real question.
The whole story is typical sensation for summer holidays in Europe when magazines in towns doesn’t sell well because half of Germany is in Spain, Greece or Canary Islands.
Gunther grass born in 1927, was drafted to the army in November 1944. 8-th of May 1945 he become POW in american hands until April 1946. He never tried to hide that he was in Waffen SS 10-th Panzer Division “Frundsberg”. His papers were all the time in Wehrmachtauskunftsstelle - main archiv where are documents about just everyone which served in German armed forces. He was gunner - loader probably in Sturmgeschutze.
After unitary training he could join his unit not earlier than January 1945
Lets have a look what his division was doing.
27-31 December, 1944: Division in reserve, OB West begins preparations for assembling the division to stage for Operation ZAHNARZT behind First Army lines.
3 January, 1945: 10. SS-Panzer-Regiment “Langemarck” expands to two battalions, including one PanzerV (Panther) battalion with four companies and one Panzer IV battalion with three companies.
7 January, 1945: Division in reserve, staging for Operation ZAHNARZT.
January, 1945: Division slated for deployment east of the Haguenau Forest along the Rhine River to link up with Army Group Oberrhein’s forces in the Gambsheim bridgehead.
10/11 January, 1945: General Blaskowitz beings assembling the division at Lauterbourg.
16 January, 1945: Division spearheads the final German drive south from Lauterbourg through Seltz, 2 miles west of the Rhine River, in an attempt to seize the Gambsheim bridgehead held by Task Force Linden (US).
24 January, 1945: Division 4 miles west of Souffelnheim, in the Hagenau Forest.
16 February, 1945: Division attacks to the southwest, from Berlin, as part of SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner’s 11. SS Panzer-Armee, against Marshal Zhukov’s First Byelorussian Front.
March, 1945: Defense of Stettin Harbor, battles against the Red Army for the Altdamm Bridge across the Oder River.
22 March, 1945: Begin rest and refit at Stettin, Poland.
27 March, 1945: Rest and refit completed; Division entrains at Grambow Station.
28 March, 1945: Reconaissance battalion entrains at Grambow Station.
31 March, 1945: Division arrives at Briesen, Germany and division HQ is established at Wilmersdorf, Germany (Sachsen).
2 April, 1945: Division Staff reaches Lichtenau.
8 April, 1945: Division sent to rest and refit south of Lauban, east of G–rlitz, division staff moves to Heidersdorf.
16 April, 1945: Hitler directs the division to relocate to Cottbus- Spremberg, assigns it to reserve of Armeegruppe ³Center². Soviet drive on Berlin begins.
17 April, 1945: Reconaissance battalion reaches Cottbus, remainder of division arrives at Spremberg. Part of the division attacked at Gross Osning; SS PzRgt 10 and I/SS PzGrRgt 21 attempt unsuccessful counterattack.
18 April, 1945: Division HQ re-established at Roitz. Division split into three groups; 1) 10.SS.PzAfkl.Abt., located south of Cottbus, 2) logistical and out of fuel elements of the division, located at Bautzen, and 3) the bulk of the division, including SS.PzGr.Rgts.21 and 22, located northwest of Spremberg. IV/SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves from Madzow to Slamen, south of Spremberg, and again moves to Heinrichsdorf. The remainder of SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves to Kochsdorf.
19 April, 1945: Division encircled at Spremberg with the 344.Volksgrenadier- Division and the Führer-Begleit-Division.
21 April, 1945: Breakout from the Spremberg Pocket begins along the Jessen- Stradow road; Bulk of the division is surrounded at Kausche within hours. SS.Pz.Art.Rgt.10 moves to Gosda.
22 April, 1945: Remainder of the division passes through Wiesenthal and Geisendorf as breakout from Kausche is effected. Survivors bypass Petershain, proceeding northwest in an effort to reach the Elbe River.
23 April, 1945: Remainder of the division travels along Autobahn 3 to the forest between Wormlage and Saalhausen.
25 April, 1945: Remnants of the division pass Düllingen.
26 April, 1945: Remnants of the division arrive at Baerwalde between Dresden and Grossenhain.
3 May, 1945: Remnants of the division move to Moritzburg to avoid encirclement.
5 May, 1945: Remnants of the division ordered to reassemble west of Dresden.
6 May, 1945: A column of the division is attacked by Soviet armor near Gampitz.
7 May, 1945: Remnants of the division destroy 5 Soviet T-34 tanks enroute to Sudetenland.
9 May, 1945: Remnants of the division attacked by Soviet armor near Brüx (Most), Czechoslovakia as they proceed to Klingenthal.
10 to 12 May, 1945: Division’s remnants attempt unsuccessful reassembly, and disband on their own in an effort to make their way west individually. A number of survivors, who are not captured by either Soviet or Czech forces enroute, surrendur to the US 102nd Infantry Division at Tangermünde, on the Elbe River.
The best proof than Gunther Grass did not committed any war crimes is fact that Americans employed him in US Air Force kitchen. POWs employed in such positions were carefully screened - fanatical nazis could poison US soldiers.
End of story. 18 years old boy drafted to the army… Could he say “no” or “I don’t like Waffen SS”? I don’t need to explain this on our Forum.
General public and idiots like Polish ex-president Walesa, (He himself admitted that he never read even one book in his entire life), present “duck” -president Kaczynski and his clone brother, are making big sensation from nothing.
At least for me, Gunther Grass will always remain a great writer and respectable German.
Lancer44
Agree.
Thanks for the information 
One opinion related to this matter:
“Günter Grass thought for a long time how he could get the most possible people to buy his new memoir,” wrote columnist Hans Zippert in Die Welt. “Then fortunately it occurred to him that he had been a member of the Waffen SS but hadn’t trumpeted it before. A real sensation!”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/secondworldwar/story/0,,1844755,00.html
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Hi alephh,
Thanks for this link!
Good one!
The old saying is: “Dogs are barking but caravane is going it’s way”.
Did I translated it OK?
The same with Gunther Grass!
Anyone from them, “miserable scribblers”, can present something like “The Tin Drum”?
No way!!!
So, let’s put them down together
Any ideas?
Lancer44
Bollocks, the Tin Drum is one of my favorite books.
not to sound stupid or what, but i think its time to let go.
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he is very old and wouldnt last very long anyways
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every german back then is a nazi (almost all)