WW II question

[Poohbear246]

Hi -- I just heard that WW II vets were told upon discharge that they weren't allowed to talk of their experiences during the war. (Horror of battle, etc), Has anyone heard of this or have sources for this?

 

[thecure7]

I have never heard this. Where did you hear it from?

 

[Poohbear246]

A friend who is a Ph.D. (not in history) heard this from a colleague who is a history buff & elementary school teacher. It could just be unfounded, so I was wondering if anyone else heard of this.

 

[Lizabugarde]

It is clear that the US-bolchevist propaganda line vilifying everything german did not support opening the pandora's box of any substantial crime by allied soldiers. Massacres commited by allied troops have sometimes even been imputed upon the germans during the Nuremberg trials, in order to make them look ugly (ex: Katyn). Mainstream media generally feel uneasy reporting about this "other side of WW2", out of fear of being vilified into the nazi corner by lobby groups. On the other hand, this part of history is a tad far away to be really of concern today. The same goes for the gas chamber overhype. IMO, the culpabilization of germans is kept alive as a source of income for Israel, known as "the holocaust industry", and to turn attention away from the rogue nature of "Israel".

 

[StromRider]

It is clear that the US-bolchevist propaganda line vilifying everything german did not support opening the pandora's box of any substantial crime by allied soldiers. Massacres commited by allied troops have sometimes even been imputed upon the germans during the Nuremberg trials, in order to make them look ugly (ex: Katyn). Mainstream media generally feel uneasy reporting about this "other side of WW2", out of fear of being vilified into the nazi corner by lobby groups. On the other hand, this part of history is a tad far away to be really of concern today. The same goes for the gas chamber overhype. IMO, the culpabilization of germans is kept alive as a source of income for Israel, known as "the holocaust industry", and to turn attention away from the rogue nature of "Israel".

What?!?!

Reading that hurt my head. The only time I've ever heard of US soldiers being told not to discuss their experiences would be those associated with things like the Manhattan Project or other such clandestine activities.

Look at all the histories that have been based on interviews with soldiers. If all US soldiers of WWII were told not to talk about their experiences I don't think many were listening.

Are you trying to say Liz that the victors write the history and that it may therefore be biased? That goes without saying. All allied soldiers (I'm Canadian and former military) were not saints and all german soldiers were not monsters. Some of my favourite books about WWII have been written by germans and some of my least favourite by western writers because they come off as little more than propoganda.

I think most reasonable adults realize this and take it into account.

 

[Lizabugarde]

Reading that hurt my head. The only time I've ever heard of US soldiers being told not to discuss their experiences would be those associated with things like the Manhattan Project or other such clandestine activities.

Perhaps you are correct, and the historically proven case i was referring to was a soviet massacre (Katyn), it perhaps holds only for the soviets. But i think the general idea holds for most nations : The most unpopular acts commited during war are generally kept in a shroud of secrecy and news blackout on the subject, which doesnt mean that serious "enemy" historians cannot reconstruct what really happened. Concerning WW2, i also do think that the general "high-school" teaching about it is (relatively) close to truth (at least in Germany). On the other hand, one cannot expect high-school teaching or TV shows to represent the latest in historical research.