German WW2 war dead memorials

[ghostsoldier]

I read somewhere that Germany doesn't actually persue an active policy of building memorials to their war dead, that is, the WW2 soldiers in particular....which seems really sad, given how we here in the U.S. throw one or two up every year, to honor our dead...there's one on every street corner in small-town America, or so it seems.

Is this true of Germany?

Rob

[Reichssammler]

Hi Rob,
in germany we have "only" big graves for all the soldiers who died there, but no big memorials for german soldiers (only for russians and the others). But you can find many online memorials...
Of course it´s sad and the most germans would honour their own soldiers (because they do it in their private life too) who died but the politicians don´t want to honour wehrmachts soldiers (except all the soldiers and victims).
In my hometown there is a small memorial for the fallen soldiers in WW1 and WW2.

P.s. many memorials are destroyed by left wing -extremists here because they think there is no reason to remember the german soldiers...

[ghostsoldier]

P.s. many memorials are destroyed by left wing -extremists here because they think there is no reason to remember the german soldiers...

Nils,
That is indeed a shame, and a crime against the memory of the fallen soldiers. Having the "right" or "wrong" political dogma does not change the value of their service, or the price they paid for fighting for what they believed in....it's too bad the government of Germany, and the extremists, can't see this.
Rob

[Andreas]

P.s. many memorials are destroyed by left wing -extremists here because they think there is no reason to remember the german soldiers...

Many? Can you give some examples please?

As for the general question - you find these memorials in pretty much any town or village with a cemetary or a church. The names are often added to the already existing WW1 or even Franco-Prussian war memorials.

All the best

Andreas

[Andreas]

An OT post was removed by me.

Let's stick to the issue being discussed, and let's not get into present day politics.

Thanks.

Andreas

[Auseklis]

Anyhow I would like to ad some old day politics...

On some war-dead-memorials in the former Kingdom of Hannover you will find the names of Hannoveran soldiers, killed in the 1866 war of prussian agression, hidden away from sight on the backside of the 1871 memorials. Such was of course forbidden by the prussian oppressors, but was done anyhow.
So if you look at such memorials in the former kingdom of Hannover, allways take a look on the backside...

[Adam Carr]

I visited the Ohndorf Friedhof in Hamburg today, to see the mass grave for the people killed in the 1943 air-raid, and I was surprised to see there an unambiguous memorial to the German war dead of World War II, that is, its dead soldiers rather than just the usual "victims of war and persecution". It's not very big but it is there. There is also a street in the cemetery called Kriegehrenstrasse, which I think translates as War Honour Street - not a very common sentiment in modern Germany. It's even more surprising to find it in Hamburg, a city which has been run by the SPD almost continuously since 1945. If I can figure out how I will post a photo of it.

[Andreas]

You'll find that the SPD is not a traditional anti-military party, so I don't find that very surprising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Schmidt

All the best

Andreas

[Adam Carr]

Andreas perhaps you can advise me on how to post a photo here

[Reichssammler]

P.s. many memorials are destroyed by left wing -extremists here because they think there is no reason to remember the german soldiers...

Many? Can you give some examples please?

I could take some photos from graves or little memorials which were/are destroyed or sprayed with graffiti. But this will take some weeks because I don´t know when I will be in the citys where the memorials are.

Of course there are not so many internet sides about this...but a tipp: look at anti-fascist websites and you can see some photos.

[Andreas]

I can not recall I have ever seen one being attacked, with the exception of the famous one in Hamburg.

Also, how do you know those are always left-wing attacks, and not just bored kids smashing stuff because they are stupid?

All the best

Andreas

[Adam Carr]

Andreas, what is "famous one in Hamburg" you refer to?

[Geoff Walden]

I can not recall I have ever seen one being attacked, with the exception of the famous one in Hamburg.
Also, how do you know those are always left-wing attacks, and not just bored kids smashing stuff because they are stupid? Andreas

Andreas,

Probably the most infamous destruction was the memorial to the dead of the 1st SS-Panzer-Korps in Marienfels, which was deliberately destroyed by leftist extremists in April 2004 (this was covered extensively in the news at the time - this was not a random act of vandalism, or done by bored kids).

There was a memorial to French Waffen-SS soldiers who had surrendered at the end of the war, but were executed on orders of Gen. Leclerc just prior to the end of hostilities in May 1945, near Bad Reichenhall. This memorial, which had stood peacefully for years, was removed not by leftists but by the local authorities in October last year.

Geoff Walden

[Adam Carr]

I understand this is supposed to be an apolitical forum, and that's fine. But if Geoff is allowed to express his opinion that the destruction of memorials to members of the SS is "infamous", then I am allowed to express my opinion that it is entirely justified. I have no objections to Germany commemorating its war dead, civilian and military, but the SS were a disgrace to Germany adn should not be commemorated.

[Adam Carr]

Here are my photos of the war memorial in the Ohldorf Friedhof, Hamburg:
http:www.adam-carr.net/photofolder2007/hambu ... 000631.JPG
http:www.adam-carr.net/photofolder2007/hambu ... 000632.JPG