Last time I looked at a map of the world, Canada wasn’t in Eastern Europe. Although you do have French renegades in Quebec, but they’re linked to Western Europe.
The blokes in Eastern Europe will determine whether they want to continue their discussion, in which case I will split it.
That’s nice mate.Good source.
Well the Three-power pact was so called Triple “anti-comminist” agreement that was directed AGAINST USSR( the “Russia” in term of Goebbels).
26 march 1941 (Wed.)
“Quiet, determined mood in Bulgaria. Our troops are given a hearty welcome in the countryside. Some pro-English feeling in Sofia. And a strong inclination towards Russia. But not a serious danger.”
While Yugoslavians and Greeks fought to death against inviders, the Bulgarians “hearty welcomed” the Nazis troops.
6 april 1941 (Sun)
“The entire Serbian conspirator-clique must be toppled. The Fuhrer does not fear Russia. He has taken sufficient precautions. And if she attacks, then the sooner the better. Russia has already announced Treaty of Friendship with Belgrade. If we were not to act now, then the entire Balkans, including Turkey, could slip away. This must be prevented. Hungary and Bulgaria will march shoulder to shoulder with us. Not much, but something.”
Yes, the Bulgarians give to Hitler the political right to present the war in Balcan as “international action of Liberation”.
Funny enough , He pushed the Rumania to Axis side becouse he personaly returned to Stalin Bessarabia in 1939. That brilliant his “tactical step”( cynical at the same time) has worked well.
Now, in april of 1941 Hitler obviously wanted the Soviet attack first.It should be the brilliant reason to justify the GErman Barbarossa.
But i puzzled, what “tactical blunders” that Russia commited in Bulgaria did he mean?
I don’t think it is necessary mate.
All the things of ww2 are pretty tied to each other.
The Crimes in Ukraine was endeed very simular to ones on Balcans.
Well if only Nick is not going to turn this thread to “Palestinian-Israely conflict” of course:D
Oh i am so scary too , you are complete waste of time , from your words Bulgaria have to kiss the hands and the foot of Russia till it’s alive , everything we got we got it from the Russia , they were great and so on . That b…t so i am not gonna waste my time with your commie ideology because next time you can say that bulgaria launched a nuclear weapon in 47 , so imaginery things you say that hardly anyone believe them . If there was such things in "Serb " Makedonia ( one more thing open the maps from the middle ages and see if it was serb or bulgarian commie ) why we wasn’t charged with crimes from OON , you , USA someone ? Because that’s all is imaginery and iliusion as the communism was too . Second don’t waste your fingers Southern Dobrudja was given FIRST by Hitler and that’s all important and that’s i speak about it won’t never be your doing . Third i am not idiot neither my nation is so stop to call us so or i will call the administrator next time . We didn’t want Greek ( what a funny idea 
) or Serbia , we wanted only the lands where there were bulgarian majority , so we didn’t wanted Athens or Belgrad because they weren’t bulgarian . Fourth once more you and your precious Russia always helped and supported Serbia , Greece against us from the first ww1 till now , which caused us to turn to help to Germany . Only they promised to return the lands which were full with bulgarians which you didn’t do ever so go and cry to someone else . As for Yugoslavia and Serbia they were never our and my common allies because they spread terror in Macedonia for which you don’t talk cause they are your allies , on the bulgarian ethnicity there which i can call too holoucost . For our participation in WW2 against Germany you gifted Macedonia to serbia for total unbulgarisation , you cutted us from parts of greece ( i say parts not whole greece till Athens ) and said you give us Dobrudja which long before the germans did . So what was the reward … nothing a kick in the ass , for which we had 45 years to serve under occupation and direct rule of Moscow as slaves thank you very much but that will happen never again .
Hoe Hoeooo Beavis,Cool!.
“The German Army and Genocide,” Omar Bartov (or ANY of his works). [Camus, well played, brother.] K
Another fine work: “Hitler Strikes Poland: Blitzkrieg, Ideology, and Atrocity.” Contains much about the Polish resistance - a factor central to the Wehrmacht’s thinking and actions. K
I suprised:I think first time the SD do the executions or the SS.
I saw a video on the net from the execution and soldiers from the Lufwtwaffe do the executions,clearly saw the Luftwaffe collar tabs
Not really all that surprising to me. The Luftwaffe Field Divisions were generally regarded as very poor quality combat troops, so they were regularly issued occupational orders. This of course also included hunting down partisans and punishing them. This includes executions.
Of course, as always, the number of actual ‘partisans’ among those executed is questionable.
I’m sorry I haven’t read all replies to this thread and this is my first post. I guess a little about me…my father is English and grew up in the blitz. We all currently live in Australia where most people know very little about WW2 in general. My understanding is that the British listening in on Trent Park basically proved that the generals knew about the mass murders. I think there is a bit of a myth around these days to the effect that the Wehrmacht did nothing and it was only SS divisions that committed the murders. Having said that, it would seem that only certain elements of the Wehrmacht took part (how many we will probably never know). But there were some commanders who made it plain to the soldiers under their command that they wanted nothing to do with that kind of thing…others who didn’t. Of course in any war you get people who take advantage of an opportunity to rape,pillage and kill if that’s their desire. War tends to bring that out in people. I would argue however, that given the power that nazism had over people and the indoctrination, that you can’t blame the average soldier for having negative feelings towards other races/minorities. The fact that Germany has apologised should count for something…Once again, first post and sorry if I offended anyone.
I don’t know if your post was prompted by the same television documentary I saw last night on ‘Wehrmacht’ complicity in crimes against humanity which included Trent Park eavesdropping as part of the evidence, but it was an eye-opener for me in putting forward compelling evidence, including recollections of Heer participants, that the Heer was heavily involved in such crimes as either primary actors or supporters by providing security cordons around execution sites etc.
Then again, as the program made the usual mistake of thinking that the Heer was the Wehrmacht one has to wonder just how deep and accurate the research and presentation was.
I still can’t understand you point RS. If the Heer was a Land componet( and biggest one) of Werhmach - doest it mean the Wermacht has no deel at all to the crimes that Heer commited? It sound like while Heer were deeply involved in ,say Holocaust in the East, the Wehrmacht just stay behind and look around:)
Apart from the distinction between Wehrmacht and Heer, a distinction needs to be made between (a) the Wehrmacht, which was the combined German defence force comprising the army (Heer), navy (Kriegsmarine) and air force (Luftwaffe) and (b) the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) which was the general staff controlling the Wehrmacht.
As the Wehrmacht was the combined forces it’s difficult to see how the navy would have had much involvement in atrocities in the East, although perhaps it had river boats and other units which might have participated in some fashion. Although the air force had a large presence in the East, I don’t know that there was much need for it in committing atrocities, although perhaps it might have contributed in some way by assisting cordons around killing grounds etc.
The OKW has a more direct line of command responsibility for the Heer as one of the forces under its control, but my understanding is that the Heer in the East operated pretty much free of direct OKW control. It’s not an area I’ve ever looked into, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some responsibility for atrocities could be laid at the OKW’s door for transmitting orders about atrocities etc to the Heer in the East. Someone else on the forum probably has information on this.
Rising Sun, yes it was the SBS program ‘Wehrmacht’ complicity in crimes against humanity that prompted me to post. If I’d bothered looking closely I would’ve seen that this post fizzled out in 2010 but I guess it’s still a topic worthy of discussion. All I can say is it was very cunning of the British the way they eavesdropped on those captive German officers…I think I would’ve preferred to have heard the real voices with a translation rather than the actors we got but was still an interesting watch.
I think the Trent Park re-enactments were taken from, or filmed during, another documentary in the same series which focused solely on the Trent Park eavesdropping. It was televised some time in the last two or three years on SBS and provided information I wasn’t previously aware of, although I expect that people seriously interested in British intelligence work would have known about it.