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I have previously mentioned that the most knowledgeable person I know in respect of the history of World War 2 and of the rise and fall of Hitler and the Third Reich is my father in law, Noel. Despite now being aged 90, he is still studying, currently doing courses in Chaucer and Middle English literature. He is also an afficionado and expert on the history of jazz. It must have rubbed off because his daughter, Kate, my wife, once read William Shirer’s mammoth tome, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, for enjoyment! For those not familiar with it, think 1,245 pages of fine print.
These thoughts came to mind today when I saw not one, but two, Nazi stories in different online newspapers.
The first concerned a discovered stash of Nazi memorabilia. The second showed pics of life under the Nazis in Germany, which illustrate the words of Spencer Tracy as Judge Dan Haywood in Judgment at Nuremburg:
“If . . . the . . . defendants were all depraved perverts - if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters and maniacs - these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake or other natural catastrophes. But this trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination.”
The persons Judge Haywood is referring to were not larger than life, not people you see in movies removed from the reality of life. They could have been the people you work with, your local shopkeepers and business professionals, suddenly given power with restraints removed. Look at the photographs in Item #2 (tomorrow) in that light.
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#1
Treasure trove of Nazi art seized in Argentina
After Cultural Heritage Protection staff in Argentina noticed objects for sale at a store which appeared to be in breach of UNESCO guidelines, authorities conducted an investigation. They found 75 items of Nazi artefacts stashed behind a false wall, including ceremonial knives, trinket boxes embossed with Nazi eagles, busts of Nazi eagles, rings, eyeglasses, cufflinks, even a Nazi sundial. Also found were photographs of Hitler with some of the items. Authorities say they suspect the artefacts belonged to high-ranking Nazis in Germany during WWII.
A Nazi medical device used to measure head size is seen at the Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A selection of the Nazi objects discovered in Argentina.
Some of the 75 artefacts recovered from a warehouse, home and store north of Buenos Aires.
A Nazi ceremonial knife was among the recovered objects in Buenos Aires.
Members of the federal police carry a Nazi statue at the Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Tomorrow:
#2
Everyday evil inside Nazi Germany: Extraordinary pictures show the reality of life under Hitler, from wholesome activities to routine Jewish persecution.
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