Waffen-SS Units that distinguished themselves and their humanity

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michael mills
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Re: Waffen-SS Units that distinguished themselves and their humanity

#61

Post by michael mills » 09 Jun 2018, 04:20

Are you claiming that members of the Waffen-SS never, ever, under any circumstances provided medical care to wounded enemies?

Such a claim seems to me to reflect a prejudice rather than a dispassionate analysis of available evidence. The expressions you use also seem to reflect a prejudice.

As to Michael Kenny's claim about the normal practice of soldiers other than members of the Waffen-SS being to care for their wounded enemies, I find that rather implausible. I am sure that, whatever the regulations say, it was quite common in the heat of battle for soldiers on both sides to leave enemy wounded lying untended after a firefight, if only because they had more pressing things to do, such as pursuing the retreating enemy survivors, or retreating themselves.

Michael Kenny
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Re: Waffen-SS Units that distinguished themselves and their humanity

#62

Post by Michael Kenny » 09 Jun 2018, 05:22

michael mills wrote:Are you claiming that members of the Waffen-SS never, ever, under any circumstances provided medical care to wounded enemies?
I suggest you think through the claimed request from Wittmann regarding the Soviet wounded.
If it were the norm that Soviet wounded were treated why did Wittmann have to ask that they be treated?
Kurowski did not think his fabrication through and rather than it being an example of SS 'Chivalry' it was an unintentional admission of their normal callous disregard.



Having read all Kurowski's Normandy scribbling I know the man is a falsifier of history. If you bother to play an earlier link you can see how he reacts when caught out lying. Note his silence at 5:00 when he realises his excuse that HG had nothing to do with the killings/deportations is contradicted by his own book. His complete melt-down when he is informed 650 of the deported civilians died in camps is telling. He simply refuses to believe it ever happened and looks like he is going to explode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af59LYC ... be&t=2m42s
michael mills wrote:As to Michael Kenny's claim about the normal practice of soldiers other than members of the Waffen-SS being to care for their wounded enemies, I find that rather implausible.
Well you would (say that) wouldn't you. (MRD applies)


michael mills
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Posts: 8999
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Waffen-SS Units that distinguished themselves and their humanity

#63

Post by michael mills » 09 Jun 2018, 07:54

I have read through the Wikipedia article on Wittmann, which appears to be based on works by presumably reputable military historians such as Beevor and Hastings. Agte is also quoted, but not relied on to any great extent, as far as I can see.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Wittmann

At the very least there appear to be no allegations of atrocities or war crimes committed by him, which allows the interpretation that he was as humane as the average soldier caught up in a total war fought with enormous violence by all sides involved. Accordingly, the anecdote of his being concerned for the three Soviet soldiers wounded in the engagement he fought with Soviet tanks does not strike me as being inherently implausible.

Sid Guttridge
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Re: Waffen-SS Units that distinguished themselves and their humanity

#64

Post by Sid Guttridge » 09 Jun 2018, 14:19

Hi Michael,

We should be careful that we don't take the fact that there were no reported allegations or warcrimes by an individual or organization as some sort of accolade. It is the abolute minimum to be expected.

I think it unlikely that W-SS men never displayed humanity in quiet moments when with enemy wounded. However, one suspects the level and frequency of humanity displayed may well have varied on Eastern and Western Fronts. This may be down to the heavy political indoctrination of the W-SS officer corps, which was the main distinguishing difference between its training curriculum and that of the Army.

Cheers,

Sid.

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