Enola Gay?

[Marko Kloos]

I know from plenty of German WWII vets (including my grandfather and his surviving friends) that German soldiers considered capture by American soldiers much more desirable than capture by Russian soldiers. Americans were known for treating their prisoners well, Russians were known for summary executions, beatings, torture and long marches into Siberian forced labor camps.

Based on the anecdotes and opinions of those who were there, I'd say that the bit about the US government or military engaged in murdering German POWs deliberately is a product of fiction.

 

[Mike Irwin]

My friend John is first generation American; his grandfather (mother's father) was IIRC, an engineer in the German Army and was captured at Stalingrad.

Nearly 100,000 Germans surrendered to the Soviets at Stalingrad.

Slightly more than 5,000 repatriated to Germany after Stalin died.

The general survival rate for all German prisoners in Soviet hands was about 20% according to some of the things I read. The later in the war you were captured the greater your chance of survival.

The rest were dead -- disease, malnutrition, or mistreatment. When Herr Spendle got back to Germany, he weighed less than 100 pounds.

The Soviets treated their German prisoners with the same respect that the Germans had treated Soviet prisoners -- none at all.

To the end of his life God forbid you mention anything even remotely complimentary of the Soviets in Herr Spendle's presence.

I think his happiest days on earth were when the Berlin Wall fell and then the Soviet Union and its satellite network collapsed. He was pretty far gone then, but he knew what was going on.

 

[Wildalaska]

Dang I was looking for this thread.

but the accusations that the US Government engaged in a campaign of murdering German POW's is a crock of crap.

Heres a quick link on that debate, there are others but I am at the wrong puter
http://hnn.us/articles/1266.html

The propaganda that was developed during the war, such as Bugs Bunny's Nip the Nips, wasn't done in an effort to exhort Americans into a war of genocide.

No one accuses us of genocide, but your comment ignores the reality of the war in the pacific

Are you at all familiar with the rise of Japanese militaristic nationalism, the events that sparked the movements, the leaders, any of that?

More than you realize

WildmoretofollowAlaska

 

[johnbt]

"the accusations that the US Government engaged in a campaign of murdering German POW's"

If a million or two million or three million survived the 'murdering' - well dang it, where have they been hiding? Why haven't they reported what they saw? The Nazis couldn't hide that much killing, neither could the Russians or the Cambodians. And yet, where are the reports by the survivors?

It looks like statistical manipulation to me after a quick read, and I do read pretty quickly.

John