No regime is good where they teach your children to hate your parents ..... if you look how children got "educated" in the Jungvolk or Hitlerjügend, you'll know what I mean.
During The Bulge, a lot of atrocities were committed by SS troops in the north.
It is shocking to see how many were killed or are missing without a trace.
Not only soldiers (PoWs) but also civilians (old men, women, children).
There are a lot of small memorials in the area listing a brother killed or a father/mother missing, ...
Bande - near Bastogne - where they murdered 34 civilians has been wrongfully pinned at the 2nd Wehrmcht Panzer Division.
Little is known that behind them, a SD unit operated in search for so-called "collaborators" (people siding with the Allies).
I don't say it is ok to do so, but I can understand that if I was a GI soldier and had seen these atrocities and the next German I saw had the "SS" markings on his collar ..... I'd let him have it too.
Erwin
I don't say it is ok to do so, but I can understand that if I was a GI soldier and had seen these atrocities and the next German I saw had the "SS" markings on his collar ..... I'd let him have it too.
Erwin
On one episode of the History Channel's "Last Days of WWII" that deals with the liberation of one of the deathcamps, the Narrator said that the former inmates beat 40 or so SS guards to death. He (the Narrator) went on to say that a group of American soldiers who had been sickened by what they saw at the camp "gunned down several hundred SS soldiers that had surrendered." If that is true, I have no problem with that at all and would probably do the same thing under the circumstances. I think that any human being with a heart would want to take revenge on the perpetrators of such atrocities.
Dogdaddy 
As far as I know, they also gunned down some wounded SS from a nearby hospital.
Now that's is something I can't agree with.
The wounded SS were combat soldiers, not KZ guards.
Sometimes Wehrmacht tank crewmembers were mistaken for SS due to their black uniforms and were shot on sight.
As I can understand that not every GI knew the difference, I do have a problem with that.
A lot of the American Veterans I spoke with over the years told me that those Wehrmacht boys were just "in the same sh.t as us, but on the wrong side". When SS was mentioned, they mostly were not so polite in their comments.
They certainly did not think it was "elite".
Erwin
As far as I know, they also gunned down some wounded SS from a nearby hospital.
Now that's is something I can't agree with.
The wounded SS were combat soldiers, not KZ guards.
Sometimes Wehrmacht tank crewmembers were mistaken for SS due to their black uniforms and were shot on sight.
As I can understand that not every GI knew the difference, I do have a problem with that.
A lot of the American Veterans I spoke with over the years told me that those Wehrmacht boys were just "in the same sh.t as us, but on the wrong side". When SS was mentioned, they mostly were not so polite in their comments.
They certainly did not think it was "elite".
Erwin
What you said is 100% accurate and the shooting down of the wounded SS WAS WRONG!!
I have no qualms at all about the Greif Commandos that came across the lines in GI Uniforms to raise havoc but when they were caught they were shot by us many times right on the spot. Would do it again if I had to.
Did you read my stories above about the SS?? - if you did you'll know why!!!
The every day, run of the mill Wehrmacht or Hess soldier was just as afraid of and just as happy as we were when the SS(any Regiment) got what they had coming. Many of you know that I was with Intel as an interpreter/interrogator and the Wehrmacht/Hess guys wanted exactly what we wanted - end the war and let me go home!! Some times we sent them back to the rear to be put in POW camps without a guard as they were that happy to be off the line for good.
Sgtleo 
Damn it I must be getting old I forgot about our POWS especially the Fly Boys.
As long as the Luftwaffe had the POW camps they played by the rules but when the
SS took over the POW camps that is when the **** hit the fan for our guys and the Brits.
Sgtleo 
At one time I had a link to a website that had a timeline for all the documented atrocities that occurred in the ETO, but I accidently deleted it. It was much more than just atrocities, but that was one section. Anybody know which one I'm thinking of?
Dogdaddy
SgtLeo,
Those Greiff Commandos were nothing but saboteurs and spies dressed up as GIs.
They managed to raise havoc in Allied ranks though.
But luckily not to that extend that the whole operation of the Allies came in danger.
I also heard of USAAF and RAF crewmembers being hanged and shot as criminals.
This proves that in war everything goes and rules are quickly pushed aside.
Shooting pilots helplessly hanging on their parachutes is something that's very disgusting to do and is a sign you're not human.
Same goes for shooting unarmed PoWs and civilians.
Apart from isolated shootings of prisoners, rape case, theft cases ... I believe you can not begin to compare the war crimes of the Allied armies against what the German did.
It turns my stomach when I see these so-called "revisionists" trying to minimize what the Germans did.
Not to mention those sobs saying that the Holocaust did not happen.
Makes me sick and I can tell you that I did have some really heated discussions with some of them at forums.
Best thing to just ignore them but keep a watchful eye at 'em.
Erwin
I received this last week and am posting it here. Looks like he would like to talk with Sgt Leo!!!
I am French.
You quote Plomion.
Killed my family WAS Plomion to 31 .08.1944.
This American soldier is always alive?
I look for information.
THANK YOU
You have a few moments so I thought I would post this info: - became some data to someone else and I came up with what is data type that we try so hard to forget, even after 63 years and over but it will not go away! On 1 September 1944, before retiring SS left the field of Plomion, in France, they murdered the citizens, including many innocent women and children, burning houses with incendiary grenades. Sadistic evidence was everywhere. Plomion is almost on the border between France and Belgium in the vicinity of Hirson. The SS unit was not identified. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- FYI Data on the massacre of Plomion: - 951st Field Artillery Battalion with ID 9 - (the first U.S. Corps. to reach Belgium) The day (August 31), SS German troops execute 14 men of all ages in Plomion. Later in the morning of September 2nd, we started to leave this position. A French boy of my age came up to my jeep with his gun WWI. He lived in Plomion and who had escaped SS troops before the massacre. He asked me prendrelui with us to help in the war, but there was no way we could take a civilian. It was a very brave man and would have been worth its weight in gold. He was one of the few survivors of sex masculinde Plomion. In April 1996, Lieutenant Russell Kelch and I returned to Plomiom, France. We obtained the complete story of the tragedy of Plomion two kindergarten teachers taking children on a pied.Les teachers knew of this event and showed us a paper on the massacre. The German SS were looking for someone who took a shot at them, and when the SS could not find the sniper, they sacked and burned the village. When the villagers would not turn any more, the SS arrested 14 men and boys who had not fled the village. The 14 were beaten and executed. A monument was erected in the meadow where the atrocity took place. As we were looking at the monument, Lieutenant Kelch said, "You know, there have been times in my life when I wondered if that really happened or if it was all a dream. That's why I never talked about much. "I said," And now we know that it really happened. "Originally published in Bulletin 951st FA Battalion, fire --------------------------------------- Mission --------------------------------------- A monument was erected in the meadow to commemorate this atrocity. You have not been able to find a picture of if, but registration is as follows;
A monument was erected in the meadow to commemorate this
atrocity. Haven't been able to find a picture of if but the inscription
reads as follows;
Quote "Ce monument a été élevé vers 1950 sur les plans du
sculpteur R. Antoine et de l' architecte R. Cabet. Les 14 stèles
s' élèvent à l' endroit même où sont tombés, lors de la débacle
allemande du 31 août 1944, quatorze plomionnais victimes d'une
ultime riposte".end Quote
(MY Free Translation = This monument was erected circa 1950
using the plans of Sculptor R. Antoine and Architect R.. Cabet.
The bas relief was erected on the same spot where they fell at
the time of the German Massacre of August 31,1944,
14 Plomion people ,victims of an ultimate retaliation).
These memories just won't go away!! Reason #3 for absence!!
Sgtleo