Gunther Grass-Waffen SS service (1 Viewer)

ROAN

ROAN

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Gunther Grass has written about his time in the Waffen SS here.

He probably wrote it to answer his many critics for failing to reveal his Waffen SS service long before he wrote about it in his autobiography, or got his Nobel prize. But anyway, a must read-on many levels.
 
I read it this week and I would also recommend this article that appeared in the September 2006 edition about the furor that developed about his disclosure, Grass Controversy

Grass' book, Peeling the Onion, from which the excerpt is taken is due come out this month. I have ordered it.
 
jazzeum said:
I read it this week and I would also recommend this article that appeared in the September 2006 edition about the furor that developed about his disclosure, Grass Controversy
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Yes, agree-it might be a good idea to read this article before reading the Grass article.

It looks like I finally made corporal-don't know if I'm comfortable with this rank given its historical associations-couldn't I just skip it and jump to sergeant? Or bust me back to PFC? Or how about an honorary col.?
 
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Sorry. HRH is the nickname for Shannon. She can't advance you in rank but she can freeze you in rank if you want.
 
Gunther Grass - a Nazi - Waffen SS ???

Wow - has the liberal elite taken a fall in Germany today !

After reading the New Yorker Article (thank you Brad) - if you believe that the Waffen SS service of his was just "oh I got drafted" come on? This guy was a comitted Nazi - and the thing that I despise about it he was critical of everyone one else who served. I remember his BS during the Reagan Administration - good hope gets a little payback now for his deception on the German People.

I have no problem with Germans who dserved there country in WWII - I have a problem with liers like Grass. Thats my two cents.

Ron
 
Capitolron said:
Gunther Grass - a Nazi - Waffen SS ???

Wow - has the liberal elite taken a fall in Germany today !

After reading the New Yorker Article (thank you Brad) - if you believe that the Waffen SS service of his was just "oh I got drafted" come on? This guy was a comitted Nazi - and the thing that I despise about it he was critical of everyone one else who served. I remember his BS during the Reagan Administration - good hope gets a little payback now for his deception on the German People.

I have no problem with Germans who dserved there country in WWII - I have a problem with liers like Grass. Thats my two cents.

Ron
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I'm with Ron on this one. I find it frightening that this ex-hitler youth/Waffen SS member was awarded the Nobel Prize and another ex-Hitler Youth is the pope.
 
Benedict VI was drafted into the Hitler Youth Louis. I don't think you can extrapolate anything from that.
Regards
Damian
 
Just as with the Pope, Grass was drafted. He wasn't a volunteer, with all that represents. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"We were dismissed from the Labor Service soon after the assassination attempt, our term served. Back in mufti, I was ashamed of my naked knees, my forever sagging kneesocks: I was beyond all that now, no longer a schoolboy.

It took less than two months for my induction letter to arrive, black and white on the kitchen table, signed, dated, and stamped. In September, 1944, my train pulled out of Danzig Central Station, headed for Berlin."

As an aside, the fact that he was Waffen SS doesn't seem to stop any of us from buying the Waffen SS series that K & C puts out.
 
At the end of the war which was the period both Pope Benedict and Grass were dragged into things teh Nazis were scraping the barrel interms of manpower. If you could walk and talk you were in. It does not surprise me that both these men were sucked in and I really doubt that you can accuse Pope Benedict of being a Nazi. i don't know enough about Mr Grass so I won't comment on him
Regards
Damian Clarke
 
I have met Jews (not known by the Germans at that point) from that time period who were in the HJ as well. Many felt it was like the boy scouts rather than a military branch for children.

Also, if drafted at the tail end of the war, a Waffen SS soldier was a very different person.

I have no problem with a Nobel Prize winner who was in that organization. The Pope on the other hand... he's up to some interesting stuff.
 
jazzeum said:
Just as with the Pope, Grass was drafted. He wasn't a volunteer, with all that represents. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"We were dismissed from the Labor Service soon after the assassination attempt, our term served. Back in mufti, I was ashamed of my naked knees, my forever sagging kneesocks: I was beyond all that now, no longer a schoolboy.

It took less than two months for my induction letter to arrive, black and white on the kitchen table, signed, dated, and stamped. In September, 1944, my train pulled out of Danzig Central Station, headed for Berlin."

As an aside, the fact that he was Waffen SS doesn't seem to stop any of us from buying the Waffen SS series that K & C puts out.
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Brad

You miss the point - nobody (at least for me) blames Germans from fighting a War for their country - especially if drafted.

But, Herr Grass - made verbal attacks agianst everyone involved in the War in Germany - being the communist scum that he is - all the while covering up his past record with the SS. I wouldnt give him 100% trust on his "drafted" bit either - he has lied to Germans and the rest of the World for a long time - He is a Jerk (stronger language witheld) :mad:

IMO - Ron
 
Who exactly is Gunter Grass. I know he is a novelist but that is all
 
Capitolron said:
Brad

You miss the point - nobody (at least for me) blames Germans from fighting a War for their country - especially if drafted.

But, Herr Grass - made verbal attacks agianst everyone involved in the War in Germany - being the communist scum that he is - all the while covering up his past record with the SS. I wouldnt give him 100% trust on his "drafted" bit either - he has lied to Germans and the rest of the World for a long time - He is a Jerk (stronger language witheld) :mad:

IMO - Ron
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Being a member of the SDP in Germany and holding Socialist views do not make him "communist scum". A lying "Jerk", now that's aother story. IMO Steve
 
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I don't give two sh!ts about whether they claim they were "drafted" (I have never heard of a person being drafted into the Hitler Youth, all I ever heard was there was a lot of pressure to join) or thought it was the boy scouts, as far as I'm concerned if you were a member of the Hitler Youth, and indoctrinated in its ideals as its members were, you don't belong either as the head of a major world religion, or as the recipiant of the nobel prize based on your books knocking everyone who was a part of the Nazi war machine. One just has overly suspect ideals for the position as the purported voice of god on earth, and the other is a plain old garden variety hypocrite. That's just the way I see it.
 
Louis Badolato said:
I don't give two sh!ts about whether they claim they were "drafted" (I have never heard of a person being drafted into the Hitler Youth, all I ever heard was there was a lot of pressure to join) or thought it was the boy scouts, as far as I'm concerned if you were a member of the Hitler Youth, and indoctrinated in its ideals as its members were, you don't belong either as the head of a major world religion, or as the recipiant of the nobel prize based on your books knocking everyone who was a part of the Nazi war machine. One just has overly suspect ideals for the position as the purported voice of god on earth, and the other is a plain old garden variety hypocrite. That's just the way I see it.
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Louis,

I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one. In 1936, by law, it became compulsory for all German youth to join the HJ(the girls had their own organziation they had to join). In 1939 this law was strengthened where even if your parents objected you still had to join up.

Best,

Geoff
 
ROAN said:
Louis,

I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one. In 1936, by law, it became compulsory for all German youth to join the HJ(the girls had their own organziation they had to join). In 1939 this law was strengthened where even if your parents objected you still had to join up.

Best,

Geoff
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I stand corrected as to the issue of being drafted. I was not aware of this law. Thank you Geoff for pointing this out.

However, I still don't believe somebody who was indoctrinated into the Hitler Youth should be pope, and that doesn't make Gunther Grass any less a hypocrite for knocking everybody involved in the German war machine without revealing he was a member of the Waffen SS for more than 50 years.
 
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