Was the Kriegsmarine Loyal?
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Helmut Von Moltke
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Jews serving in the Kriegsmarine
Please read the personal memoirs ot Grand Admiral Erich Raeder. He is quite clear, Jews in the Navy were allowed to remain and were protected by the Navy and Raeder himself.
Highly unlikely the Admiral was a liar since his statements could have easily been proven or disproven by the personnel records of the Kriegsmarine.
Highly unlikely the Admiral was a liar since his statements could have easily been proven or disproven by the personnel records of the Kriegsmarine.
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Helmut Von Moltke
- Banned
- Posts: 250
- Joined: 29 Dec 2004, 06:14
- Location: Germany
But what happened when Raedar was dismissed and Donitz took over? I heard from the BBC book Battle of Atlantic that Donitz said some anti-semite things so I doubt that Donitz would have protected the Jewish sailors of the Kriegsmarine. Sure, it might have happened under Raedar, but Donitz, no. And someone claimed that Jewish Kriegsmarine commanders got the Knights Cross. This was impossible. Those so called Jews must have been quarter Jews, or even if they were fully Jewish and they were recommended for Knight's Cross then I think that Hitler would have to agree first, and I doubt Hitler would have! And especially this case when someone claimed that a Jewish Kriegsmarine Captain got the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross. I read in a book that Hitler knew about every single Oak Leaves awarded, so I wojuld also doubt if he would give his fatherland's highest medal to a group of people he hated!
Jews in the KM
Half-Jew" Commander Paul Ascher, Admiral Lütjens's first staff officer on the battleship Bismarck; Ascher received Hitler's Deutschblütigkeitserklärung. (Military awards: EKI, EKII, and Kriegsverdienstkreuz II Klasse.)
"Quarter-Jew" Admiral Bernhard Rogge ; he received Hitler's Deutschblütigkeitserklärung. (Military awards: Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes, Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub samurai sword from the emperor of Japan, EKI, and EKII.)
The problem we have with this discussion is that we do not really have the data. If there were only 132 Jews in the Navy, all presumably senior enlisted or officers since they must have entered before 1933, we are not talking a lot. Maybe less than that. Perhaps the Naval profession was not one where Jewish Germans wanted to enter in the first place, so the numbers here can be tricky. Raeder could say truthfully, the Jews were protected, but Hitler gave in only because it was not worth the fight with Raeder at the time and the numbers were small. As you said, Raeder was sacked, but I do not think there is much evidence that the basic policy was changed by Doenitz. However, you do not know since we do not have the data.
Lets face it, nobody was safe from Hitler, from General (Rommel) to the lowest private shot for some stupid infraction late in the war. If a Jewish officer was still in the Navy, or any officer with a Jewish wife, I bet his life was one of constant strain in addition to his normal combat duties. The German military found itself run by a lunatic and I am sure the Navy was just as happy that Hitler gave up on it early in the war. I doubt if these Jewish officers/NCOs were fighting for Hitler at any point, regardless of medals, they were fighting for their service and their familes.
To be noted, according to many sources though, and a bit off the track here, Heydrich, the disgraced ex-navy Lt, never went after the officers who sat on his court-martial. In fact, it might have been his naval connection that kept Heydrich off the back of the Navy, in that, he might have wanted at some point or psychological level, to be re-accepted, at least in honor, by the Navy later--perhaps a reversal of the court-martial. Who knows.
I just think the Navy was a side-show as far as Hitler and his SS henchmen were concerned, especially after Bismarck, and they found the tradtitions and attitude of the naval high command too difficult to deal with and probably for an ex-corporal, an area where he felt that the naval matters were beyond his ability to control so let it go.
As I said, numbers can be tricky in this discussion.
"Quarter-Jew" Admiral Bernhard Rogge ; he received Hitler's Deutschblütigkeitserklärung. (Military awards: Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes, Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub samurai sword from the emperor of Japan, EKI, and EKII.)
The problem we have with this discussion is that we do not really have the data. If there were only 132 Jews in the Navy, all presumably senior enlisted or officers since they must have entered before 1933, we are not talking a lot. Maybe less than that. Perhaps the Naval profession was not one where Jewish Germans wanted to enter in the first place, so the numbers here can be tricky. Raeder could say truthfully, the Jews were protected, but Hitler gave in only because it was not worth the fight with Raeder at the time and the numbers were small. As you said, Raeder was sacked, but I do not think there is much evidence that the basic policy was changed by Doenitz. However, you do not know since we do not have the data.
Lets face it, nobody was safe from Hitler, from General (Rommel) to the lowest private shot for some stupid infraction late in the war. If a Jewish officer was still in the Navy, or any officer with a Jewish wife, I bet his life was one of constant strain in addition to his normal combat duties. The German military found itself run by a lunatic and I am sure the Navy was just as happy that Hitler gave up on it early in the war. I doubt if these Jewish officers/NCOs were fighting for Hitler at any point, regardless of medals, they were fighting for their service and their familes.
To be noted, according to many sources though, and a bit off the track here, Heydrich, the disgraced ex-navy Lt, never went after the officers who sat on his court-martial. In fact, it might have been his naval connection that kept Heydrich off the back of the Navy, in that, he might have wanted at some point or psychological level, to be re-accepted, at least in honor, by the Navy later--perhaps a reversal of the court-martial. Who knows.
I just think the Navy was a side-show as far as Hitler and his SS henchmen were concerned, especially after Bismarck, and they found the tradtitions and attitude of the naval high command too difficult to deal with and probably for an ex-corporal, an area where he felt that the naval matters were beyond his ability to control so let it go.
As I said, numbers can be tricky in this discussion.
There were quite a few men of Jewish heritage who served in the German armed forces. Perhaps the highest ranking "Mischlinge" was Generalfeldmarschall Milch who was half Jewish but 'arryanized' by the State. A reasonable estimate seems to be about 100 000 men served in the Luftwaffe, Army and Navy who were between one eighth and one quarter Jewish.
http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/000510.html
http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/righitpix.html
http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/righit.html
http://www.stengerhistorica.com/History ... /Riggs.htm
If nothing else, it shows that even regarding the Holocaust, things are by no means clearly delineated or simple questions of black and white. If one were a German of partial Jewish heritage one's fate seemed serendipitous in nature, depending on who you happened to know, if you happened to be a valuable member of the armed forces, had some greatly admired talent, etc. The full blooded Jewish doctor who treated Hitler's mother in her final days was given an exemption by Hitler himself, while Milch had been a valued director of Lufthansa, a major organizer of the rebirth of the German air force, and a close personal freind of Goering.
It is a human trait to want to categorize things into neatly structured models, but unfortunately things are not so easily done in most cases, and the Third Reich is no exception.
http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/000510.html
http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/righitpix.html
http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/righit.html
http://www.stengerhistorica.com/History ... /Riggs.htm
If nothing else, it shows that even regarding the Holocaust, things are by no means clearly delineated or simple questions of black and white. If one were a German of partial Jewish heritage one's fate seemed serendipitous in nature, depending on who you happened to know, if you happened to be a valuable member of the armed forces, had some greatly admired talent, etc. The full blooded Jewish doctor who treated Hitler's mother in her final days was given an exemption by Hitler himself, while Milch had been a valued director of Lufthansa, a major organizer of the rebirth of the German air force, and a close personal freind of Goering.
It is a human trait to want to categorize things into neatly structured models, but unfortunately things are not so easily done in most cases, and the Third Reich is no exception.