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Then
and Now ... the Wehrmachtausstellung
Author: Dr.
Anthony J. Lomenzo
November 5, 1999
Reply-To: H-NET
List for History of the Holocaust
I MUST agree with the assessment of Peter Witte
in re the 'Wehrmachtsausstellung' fiasco in that the
'reaction [to fraud] was overdue' yet I'm not so
sure the desired 'return to open scholarly debate' will
necessarily follow because I seriously question the
presence of any truly 'open' debate in Deutschland
itself!
When I lived and worked in Germany 1969-72, one could
still, within reason, 'openly' debate those critical
issues and/or gray areas involving either German history
[the so-termed 'NS Zeit' included] or the
Holocaust. Although I defended the historical presence of
the Holocaust, it was not without noted caveat that
rarely is anything in history, and all its various facets
therein, written in stone and thereby it logically
remains subject to on-going study and research. Now
however, the 'climate' for alleged 'open' historical
debate in Germany, especially regarding the Holocaust, is
so restrictive as to be in fact wholly proscribed!
I sometimes get the impression that the German youth
today feel they must begin each day with a mea culpa in
that they were in fact 'born' German and recite
handed-down incantations that everything and anything to
do with the 1933-45 era, including the Wehrmacht of the
period, makes them almost genetically 'liable' themselves
for the mantle of 'Verbrecher' [criminal]
apparently in line with their of-the-era Volk.
So too, the knee-jerk reactions of the German
government then finishes the job with chronic albeit
subtle reminders [and analogous laws therein]
that the alleged drum still sits patiently in the corner
[of the 'Deutsche Seele'] and awaits usage for
the equally alleged return of some unifying 'someone' to
make things right and tell them that any pride of being
born German is no longer a closet crime. And that their
'inherited' chanted mantra of 'Sauerei' and 'Verbrecher'
when some Knights Cross holder or, conversely, 'Hans' the
private who simply served and survived, when identified
by the press, just may 'not' have de facto been a war
criminal or murderer of innocents. It's this application
of the constantly and chronically applied broad brush
approach since 1945 onward against such perceived
paranoia and latent 'Morgen, die Welt' fears that
continues to grate. When comes the final closure?
Dr.
Anthony J. Lomenzo
[der Stadt Darmstadt und Bad Nauheim
in an era (60's and early 70's) when debate was still
'openly' possible. And thus 'true' freedom of speech and
right of dissent protected 'before' latter day dissent
'clarifications' and 'qualifications.' ]
write to David Irving