Forced Repatriation, Operation Keelhaul and Bleiburg Tragedy

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Hrvat
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Forced Repatriation, Operation Keelhaul and Bleiburg Tragedy

#1

Post by Hrvat » 25 Jan 2005, 06:53

Hey everyone, im looking for some help/insight here

As part of a history paper (4th year thesis) I am writing on forced repatriation, operation keelhaul and the Bleiburg massacres. I would appreciate some reccomendations about some aspect s of my essay.

It is quite evident to many that the Yalta conference became synonymous with Great power politics and colonialism as 3 kings divided the world without regard to the wishes of the people, essentially disposing the Atlantic charter. This resulted in legalized massacres such as those at Bleiburg which began when the legal killing of warfare ceased all with the mute acceptance of the British and American governments. This was a breach of international law (Geneva convention in regard to pow’s). There are many resources and eyewitness accounts to show the extent and horrific nature of the repatriations, the British involvement and subsequent 50 + year cover up which still exists to this day as many war cabinet office documents are sealed as its obvious something its trying to be hidden. For this reason I may be in over my heels.

The premise of my paper however is not to desrbice the massacre or to show immoral western allied involvement such as that in operation keelhaul because it is undoubtable, but rather to show WHY! Show the links from the top of the British government (Churchill) and how those on the ground (General Rose/Alexander in southern Austria) carried it out. WHY did they turn back such swaths of people knowing what would happen to them at the hands of Tito and his communists. Any help such as recommended resources would be appreciated.

Thus reference's to "WHY" as opposed to "HOW" the Brits forced back the Croats in Bleiberg (apart from the obvious that titos partizans were considered allies and they surely knew the fate awating them if they returned but its hard to believe such ppl could simply be labeled as ' nazis ' and forgoten by those british commanders in the field) . I have found resource such as beljo's yugoslavia genocide , gudulescus operation slaughterhouse, omrcanin's end of cro army at bleiburg, tolstoy minister and massacres among other books on yalta, forced repatraition etc. they all give great info and even first hand british war diaries of those in the field eg. general rose, alexander, welsh troops but my paper is to show WHY they were turned back and show the connection to the top of the British decision makers, thurs Churchill and those in London and how it was passed to those in southern Austria.

So hopefully some of you have some ideas and information as to WHY (motives) as opposed to HOW the british deceit at bleiburg resulted in catastrophic death.

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#2

Post by David Thompson » 25 Jan 2005, 07:48

Hrvat -- Welcome to this section of the forum. Here are some previous discussions we've had here on the repatriation:

Operation Keelhaul/Forced Repatriation
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=24513
Allied War Crime Bleiburg
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=9006
15th May 1945 - Bleiburg
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=50001

You said:
This resulted in legalized massacres such as those at Bleiburg which began when the legal killing of warfare ceased all with the mute acceptance of the British and American governments. This was a breach of international law (Geneva convention in regard to pow’s). (emphasis added)
The massacres weren't legal -- they were war crimes. Are you claiming that the forced repatriations were war crimes as well?

Also, are you aware of this passage on the US treatment of captured Axis forces in 1945:
In July [1945], authority was given to release to their governments all non-Germans who were not security suspects or wanted as war criminals by a country other than their own, with the exception of Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, and Poles not claiming Soviet citizenship, and dissident Yugoslav and neutral nationals with ardent Axis sympathies. (emphasis added)
The First Year of the Occupation, Part 5 (in vol. 2), Occupation Forces in Europe Series, 1945-1946, Office of the Chief Historian, [US] European Command, Frankfurt-am-Main: 1947, p. 133.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 059#628059


You also said:
WHY did they turn back such swaths of people knowing what would happen to them at the hands of Tito and his communists.
What makes you think the British knew "what would happen to them at the hands of Tito and his communists"?

If you choose to answer, please provide sources for your claims: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=53962


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Hrvat
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#3

Post by Hrvat » 25 Jan 2005, 10:44

Ye David im quite aware that ' yugoslav s ' were not to be sent back but they were. Initially Croats in bleiburg were told they were being sent to Italy until they saw the colums of titos partizan troops along the rail line many commited suicide as they knew where their fate and trust in british diplomacy would lead them, they were deceived and it sure was a war crime.

As for the british knowing what would happen, it was no secret the war time atrocities of titos reds but the fact is at the end of the war it seems britian was on its last legs and in no mood to fight the ussr-communist encroachment on central europe (although Croats vainly though they could be used in the insuing battle vs the communsits) so they released the Croats back in compensation to their yugo allies. It appeared london would not encurr the displeasure of her allies to save the lives of Croats

eg. May 12, 1945 Truman sent an angry telegram to CHurchill denouncing hitler-type tactics that were employed by partizans under protection of british army (operation slaughterhouse p. 98)

eg. Churchill himself knew about the crimes and declared "Their (the partizan) behaviour both in austria and venezia giulia made a bad impression on the allied troops, both US and british. Our men were obliged to look on, without power to intervene, at actions which offended their sense of justice, and felt they were condoning wrong doing " (Guldescu, operation slaughterhouse p. 101)

eg. general scott " i got assurance tha they would all be repatriated and looked after, but whetheer it was observed or not i just dont know . ive got no idea wether they were all murdered. i wouldnt be surpriesed if they were "(bethell, the last secret p. 87)

not to mention the war diaries of welsh guards which show they were the verge of mutiny at seeing the massacres after repatriation

as for the why they were sent back? iv come accross this, perhaps anyone else has other ideas/ or knowledge.......


- compensation to please their yugo allies (Croats as enemy of Tito, Tito as ally)
- where would they go? who would feed them? therefore a burden
-hatred of Germany and its collaborators was a burning passion among the British politicians in the course of the war. Croats were thus unrightously stigmatized as war criminals as being caught on the loosing side of an ideological war automatically makes one a war criminal. Croats were disposable, In situations like this, it was no skin off their back to release Croats.
-The allies didn't owe Croats anything as they were technically on the other side (even though most rank and file Ustase/domobrans had no beef with the west)
- Tito's partisans, on the other hand, were seen as heroic fighters and
allies against the common enemy. For Alexander - who probably held little
understanding of south-eastern European politics and just wanted to wash his
hands of this problem - it seemed natural to hand what he saw as a bunch of
fleeing 'fascists' to the Partisans

Due to the continued ' cover up' getting a definitive 'why' and motives/actions of british decision makers is still under lock and key but the broader geopolitics of it, like the Yalta conference and the psychology of the players and their biases and prejudices reveal valuable info.

David Thompson
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#4

Post by David Thompson » 25 Jan 2005, 21:01

Hrvat -- You posted three copies of the same thread in three different sections of the forum:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=69593
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=69594
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=69595

We don't permit redundant threads here, so this one is closed pending a decision on which two will be deleted.

Readers interested in posting to this topic are encouraged to use the thread at:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=69593

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