Hello everyone
I sure am enjoying this site and discovering there are more WWII afficionadoes. I felt I was one of the few and didn’t broadcast it. I was afraid it would make me appear to be an old codger living in the past. But the in-depth discussions here and like-minded people is encouraging.
This is my second post. If you reference my first, introductory post #957, you will note I discussed my pet peeve. What I see as “historical revisionism” with respect to all matters WWII (please refer to it briefly if you have time). The revisionism concerns modern literature and newspaper accounts making a concerted effort to expunge Germany and Germans from the record. Instead, they make extensive use of the descriptor “Nazi’s”. By this logic, it makes it appear as if WWII was a battle between political entities instead of nation states.
Yesterday I saw another example. I watched the very excellent National Geographic program on the “einsatsgruppen”. As you know, these were the German units that followed the army so they could immediately commence the application of the “Jewish problem” program. This was the precursor that was eventually modified to the more organized/industrialized gas chamber methods. The work of the Einsatsgruppen became just too messy and public… But what got me, was that the title of the program was “Nazi Death Squads”…Huh?.. Nazi Death Squads?..and here all along I thought Einsatsgruppen were "German death squads"…silly me!
Today I noted a newspaper report about the death of Miep Gies, the lady who protected Anne Frank and her family. The article told its’ readers that she protected Anne Frank from “Nazi occupied Amsterdam”…Huh?..And here I thought Amsterdam was occupied by Germany and Germans.
I notice with interest, that when they interview veterans or those who directly experienced WWII, these people always use “Germans” or “Germany” when discussing one side of the conflict, seldom the descriptor “Nazi’s”. When I visited “Baby Yar” in Kiev a few years ago, I recall distinctly hearing the perpetrators referred to as “Germans”…Are we perhaps seeing an exercise in “political correctness” happening here, which as a by-product effectivelly revises history?
Where on this site can I continue to draw attention to, and highlight this increasing effort at “historical revisionism” when I see it?, and to which I can move this Post. There is probably a more suitable locaion for this post instead of the “Introductions thread”
Another question for a newby on this site. I have tried to visit interesting WWII sites whenever I could. War graves in Holland, Baby Yar in Kiev, The Eagles nest, Auschwitz-Birkenau, etc. Is there any initiative anywhere to organize group travel to interesting WWII sites? For example, I would love to visit Stalingrad, or Kursk, or similar locations. I have only seen commemorative travel activity by Veterans returning to significant places for themselves, but nothing for 2nd. generation people like me.
