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| Waffen-SS Prisoner of War |
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| U.S. G.I. pose with liberated militaria |
Even the official history acknowledges widespread looting by American GIs during WWII. Allied soldiers took every Iron Cross off the Axis Prisoners of War that they could get their hands on. The ultimate souvenirs was no doubt various insignia and decorations of the feared Waffen-SS. The following text is from the author and historian Mark Bando's official website Trigger Time: A convoy carrying 1/506th troops paused for a rest break. Other troops had rounded-up some prisoners, who were standing at the side of the highway. Amongst them was a haughty-looking SS Sgt, wearing the double runic lightning flash collar patch. Judging from the amount of wear and dirt on the tab, the sgt was probably a veteran/survivor of many battles. Robert Wiatt of C/506th wanted to find out just how tough the SS Sgt really was. He walked over, drew his M-3 trench knife from his ankle and held it to the German's throat. As he did that, his buddy Ken Parker ran around behind the German and grasped his arms. The SS trooper maintained his calm and remained standing at attention, staring straight ahead. Wiatt used his knife to remove the collar patch for a souvenir. Left image: MP Lieutenant Paul Unger of the U.S. 2nd Armoured Division frisking an SS officer in Notre-Dame-de-Cenilly between July 27-29 1944. Photo by Hungarian-American War photographer Robert Capa. Credit: Matthias Ruf. LIFE photo archive. Fair use. Right image: American G.I. of the 2nd Armored Division pose with captured German militaria. American soldiers used the word 'liberate' to describe how they got their hands on loot. Everything they took off a German soldier or civilian was 'liberated'. Among the stolen items is a German Police Officer's Degen and a Rural Police Bayonet with portepees, items worth 1000's of dollars today. Photo by American photojournalist William Vandivert. Credit: Julius Backman Jääskeläinen. LIFE photo archive. Fair use.
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ReplyDeleteSturmbannfuhrer Hans Hauser described the surrender of the remains of "Der Fuhrer" to US troops in a postwar interview with John Lucas: Otto Weidinger had his Oak Leaves torn from his throat and other comrades had their epauletttes and collar patches ripped off. Rings, cash and other things were taken and always accompanied by a mocking smile, the word 'souvenir' and a pointed pistol. I had nothing more to fear. I had nothing left, except my silver death's head ring and my wedding ring, both of which I had concealed in the heels of my jack boots during the night. When Sturmbannfuhrer Christian Thychssen, commander of "Das Reich", was fatally wounded in a rather unequal contest between his kubelwagen and a Sherman tank, and subsequently died in a US medical facility, his body was so thoroughly plundered of just about every artifact that might have identified him that this prominent, heavily decorated officer was buried as an "unknown".
ReplyDeleteThe looting by American, British, and Canadian soldiers became even worse when they entered Germany. American soldiers looted civilian possessions on a large scale. As Pfc. Richard Courtney of the 26th Infantry Division explained, “American soldiers loved to loot the German homes. We called it ‘liberating." Servicemen justified their actions by claiming wartime necessity, opportunities for profit or trade, keepsakes, and revenge. Charles Lindbergh wrote, "Everything they grab from a German house is liberated in the lingo of our troops. Leica cameras are liberated, food, works of art, clothes are liberated. A soldier who rapes a German girl is liberating her." Sergeant Raymond Gantter wrote on 23 April 1945, "Where we have passed, little remains – no cameras, no pistols, no watches, very little jewelry, and damn few virgins. We leave behind us a spoor of broken dishes, emptied fruit jars, and plundered, dirty houses."
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