Schumi joined the Third Reich?

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Adding my two cents here. Of course, i never saw that ugly war, as I was born 35 years avter it ended, BUT, I’m living in the border area between Belgium and Germany. The elderly never forgot that war, and keep talking about it. Some were french speaking and had problems with the Germans, other were German speaking and had problems with the Allies. Then you have stupid stories like this: My grandfather was enrolled by the Belgian army to “defend his country” The war didn’t last long for the Belgians, and ther were made POWs, but after some weeks, they were released and dent to their families.
Unfortunately for him, he was living in that border area that the IIIrd Reich saw as a part of Germany, so, they became German, and guess what, he had to “defent his new country” against the Allies.
Then he was made POW again, and sent to jail by the Allies.

In short, he served both armies because he had NO choice (“you serve or you die”), and went 2 times to jail. Of course the whole region was ruined by that war, and for what? Nothing. The people didn’t want one or the other, they wanted PEACE. I could tell you many other absurd stories like that.

Why did the germans follow the politics of the nazis? Because, in the 30’s they were hungry, and that party gave work to everybody, and of course something to eat. They were happy. But then,the “logic” of their dictator brought them a war, many deaths, and misery.

the British and US families lost sons during this war, the Germans lost sons, but also daughters, fathers, mothers, children, babies. And not always because of a bomb dropped from a B-17 or a Lancaster.

Don’t get me wrong, I will never back what Germany did, but I won’t accept that the acual Germans are called nazis, nor the assumption that all germans living during that conflict were some. It would be like assuming all British football fans to hooligans, all North Irish men to rioters, or all young Americans to gang members.

A war is dirty, very dirty, and the responsible for that aren’t the soldiers, but the ones who lead the coutry to that war, and the ones who follow blindly their orders, often because of some cupidity, even if they will never admit that.

A french military who fought in Algeria said afterwards to his students (he had become teacher in an university): “I was sent to Algeria for a pacification mission, I would have preferred a war, it is less violent and bloody”. I think it summarises all, and shows us that history always repeats itself, with other countries.

Always respect the other, enen if he hasn’t the same opinion as yours.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

I think Sparky makes a valid point. Most of the veterans I have spoken to refer to the German forces as Jerries, it is the leadership and the SS units which bear the weight of their utter contempt. And who can argue with them?

As for the Japanese, I think that is a different story. My uncle fought against them in Burma and he carried his hatred of the nation and the people with him to the grave.

Seahawk, I think it is most unfortunate that you experienced such abuse, but you should not ‘tar us all with the same brush.’ Support for the Nazis is not dead, either in Germany or in the UK, and we should be vigilant lest it rise again.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

I think you will find most older Brits refer to Germans as Jerries or krauts and not Nazis. Some of the younger generation may use the reference,the school national ciriculum seem to suggest that all germans were responsible for the concentration camps and atrocities, this I think having read some of my childrens worksheets stems from trying to over simplify things , goodies in white hats baddies in black,…..Is it me or did this topic turn serious suddenly!!

BTW The story about the FW190 and the P-47 is wrong. The actual story is that during one of the first (if not the first) raids over Berlin Mustangs of the fourth fighter group came into combat with Fw190 and Con, Don Blakeslee tried to shoot down a 190 but his guns froze or jammed the german pilot had the same result, but they never saluted one another. Don Blakeslee in an interview stated that if the german had saluted he would have rammed him!

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-12-02 AT 02:11 PM (GMT)]The pic seems real, I apologize. Sorry for believing it was photoshoped.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

I just saw a picture while browsing through internet, doing my wehrmacht oficianado duties, I though he looked like Schumi so I posted here… and what does have anything to do with NAzis other than the germans themselves bring it up? you were not a nazi unles you were part of the frikin party… I am sure Germans have a lot of good names for Turks.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-12-02 AT 01:17 PM (GMT)]it’s not photo-shoped.. thank you

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Oh I have nothing against some good jokes about germans. We are not one of the nicest people to go around and our behavior when going aboard leaves much to be desired.

Call us fat white idiots, Krautfresser or whatever you like.
I would not care.

But the brits always call us Nazis. I mean the spanish have a lot of nice names for the germans, as have the austrians, the US, …

But only the brits like to link germany with the Nazis on every possible occasion.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

seahawk- Being made fun of is never nice. But if your going to make fun of someone, I think its better that you choose a people who are better off than you rather than put down people like poor imigrants from asia, africa, etc. Germany is a very well off country, and if anyone has room to take a ribbing from somebody, it should be people like Germans, Japaneese or Americans . BTW, Germany did try to take over the world and almost succeeded, I think its healthy to face that reallity.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Incidentally who mentioned the Nazis?

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Well I can live with the jokes, but I think it is no longer a joke when you can´t get into a majorly british pub in spain, cause you are german.
It is no joke when german childeren on a visit to britain are chased by british youth shouting “Heil Hitler”.

I personally had my experience with such idiots, cause after having a party in Spain some british guys noticed I was german and guess what.

I´m really sad that even people here seem to see germans as nazis.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

i really feel sorry for you germans who have to live with the constant okes that a lot of people still mkae

rabie :9

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-12-02 AT 11:15 AM (GMT)]Well kev,

I do respect your fathers feelings. What I really hate is the fact that even younger people still call all germans Nazis. Just look at the pic, I can´t see what Michael Schumacher has to do with the Nazis, except for being german.
It is not about forgiving what germany did in WW2, that can never be forgiven or forgotten imo, but the Germany of today is a totally different country, yet I feel that many people fail to recognize this.

I fail to see the humor in such pics.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Munnst.

I think you are right, the German forces in the war were, in the main, no different to Allied soldiers who were just doing what they believed to be right. They obeyed the ‘rules of war’ and often carried out acts of great compassion. It was the leadership and the fanatics who brought disgrace to the German nation.

It’s like Shifty Powers said in a recent documentary piece about Band of Brothers. When asked what he thought about the German soldiers, part of his reply was as follows: “He might have liked to fish, I might have liked to hunt. In different circumstances we might have been good friends.” Those are the words of a man who saw his friends die as a result of enemy action. Sixty years on there is no animosity. It makes you think, doesn’t it?

Seahawk.

The war is still very much alive for many people. For my father, who although too young to fight, helped drag bodies from a bombed factory at fifteen, who helped the wounded in the aftermath of raids on Birmingham and Coventry, who had friends go away to war never to return, or whose neighbour returned from a Japanese prisoner of war camp so emaciated and ravaged by disease that he never recovered. For some of that generation it is still too early to think about forgiveness. He holds no malice towards the Germans of today, but he lived throught that time, he saw a little of the horror of war, not like us on tv, but in a burning building not two hundred yards from the house I live in now. I have to respect his views because he has earned that right. My Uncle spent some months of his military service repatriating German POW’s from North Africa. He said you couldn’t have met a nicer bunch of people.

Sorry for the rant.

Regards,

kev35

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Interesting post.

As a brit, and possibly some could consider biased, I have never thought of the German fighting man as a Nazi. I always thought the German army was very respectable and to some extent I admire them.
The Nazi’s are the hidious leaders behind the machine.

I remember reading the following as depicted in a Robert Taylor print.

An FW190 and P47 were in desperate conflict over Berlin. The FW190, with the Jug in front battered and damaged closes in for the kill. The FW190 pilot pushes the button, no ammo!
Thinking he is done for the American watches in amazement as the German pulls along side, salutes and peels away.

There are bad in all armies, but I have never considered the German people as `Nazis`?

But hey, don’t read anything into this post like I support war or don’t respect the allies, etc, etc.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Why do some people always link todays germans with the Nazi period ??

M. Schumacher was born years after the 3rd Reich. Yet people find such a photoshoped pic funny.

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

The man on the photo is a member of the Wehrmacht and indeed a Bergjager. This is clearly as he is wearing the Heeres-Bergfuhrerabzeichen ( in the form of a Edelweiss) on his left uniform pocket

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Seems pretty sensible to wear sunglasses in the desert as well.

Dave

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

yeah, you need goggles when skiing, becuase of the glare off the snow… it’s all white…

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

Look at the picture, they are wearing sunglasses and carrying skies?

RE: Schumi joined the Third Reich?

1 st reich is the holy roman empire.

that was famously said to be “neither holy nor roman” – its was a seris of lands all over what we would now call germany and beyond under the rulership of ???? – a hapsburg. it then framgmented over time to leave us the austro hugarian empire that died in ww1

the 2nd reich – was from 1871 to 1918 – set up by bismark, its aprussian dominace of germany (except aurstria) and they set up a worlld empire (tanzania, north papua new guinea, nambia, togo, parts of cameroon, etc)

rabie :9