Holocaust Collaborators Under New Scrutiny
A Spiegel Cover Story Raises Important New Questions and Draws Ire
The current cover story of Germany’s best known news magazine, Der Spiegel, is titled “The Accomplices: Hitler’s European Helpers in the Murder of the Jews.” The story has generated vigorous debate as well as outrage, particularly in countries like Poland. After combating efforts to bring to the forefront the plight of German refugees in 1945 as well as the Wolf Children (Wolfskinder) of East Prussia, Poland – as well as other European nations, is confronted with the facts of Holocaust collaboration.
Does Collaboration Lessen German Guilt?
As the writers in Spiegel point out rather forcefully, without Hitler and Himmler and the other party leaders and functionaries, there would have been no Holocaust. As the article demonstrates, it is the “last big Nazi trial in Germany,” that of John Demjanjuk, that raises the question of non-Germany complicity.
The Spiegel article notes that in many cases, including at the death camp Sobibor, only a “handful of SS members” presided over a much larger group of willing executioners, men like Demjanjuk, who were from the Ukraine. As the authors state, the Nazis were ultimately responsible, but “this does not invalidate the argument that without the foreign helpers, countless thousands or even millions…would have survived.”
Home Grown Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism, to some degree, existed in every European country at the start of World War II. Numerous historians over the years have documented the ease with which the Gestapo and the SS were able to obtain detailed lists of Jews, whether in the Netherlands, France, or Poland. At the same time, however, there were many people that rejected these policies, risking their own lives to hide Jews from the Nazis.
In Hungary, the Arrow Cross, an indigenous political group supporting fascism and anti-Semitic policies, murdered thousands of Jews and sent thousands more to the death camps. Even within the Waffen SS there were divisions that included non-Germans who bought into an ideological rather than a nationalist principle.
New Historical Questions
Spiegel asks if the Holocaust was a “European Project.” Without really answering the question, the authors cite numerous examples of local communities voluntarily murdering Jews. Examples include the Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Romanians, Hungarians, and Poles. Because these nations were invaded and occupied by the Nazis, however, their status since 1945 has been that of victims.
This is not unlike the role of Soviet Russia in 1945. During the Nuremberg War Crimes trials, an attempt was made to cite the Nazis for the massacre of the Polish officer corps at Katyn Forest. Some evidence suggested, however, that the Soviets had been the executioners and the issue was dropped. Not until Mikhail Gorbachev admitted to the crime was the mystery finally resolved.
Another pertinent question involves the extent of blame non-German nations must share in the atrocities – without sacrificing the historical and very real culpability of Germany. Evan Bukey, a history professor at the University of Arkansas, notes that, “Although Austrians comprised only 8 percent of the population of Hitler’s Reich, they made up 14 percent of SS members and 40 percent of those involved in the Nazis’ killing operations.”
Does the Holocaust Unite Centuries of European Anti-Semitism?
Finally, historians look at the question of total history. Western European history, from late antiquity, is full of references to bloody pogroms. Theologically, culturally, and socially Jews were marginalized and frequently persecuted. Is the Holocaust an extension of that psyche or should it stand alone? Such questions are raised by the Spiegel cover story, challenging new discussion and debate.
The story comes on the heels of the papal visit to Israel during which the German Pope, Benedict XVI never uttered the words, “I’m sorry.” Facing the beatification of Pius XII, often called “Hitler’s Pope,” the debate is sure to include the implications of the Catholic Church as another third party involved in the Holocaust.
Sources:
- Georg Bonisch, Jan Friedmann, and others, “Hitler’s European Holocaust Helpers,” Der Spiegel, On-Line Edition, May 20, 2009
- Evan Burr Bukey, Hitler’s Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era 1938-1945 (University of North Carolina Press, 2000)
- Jan Puhl, “A Wave of Outrage,” Der Spiegel, On-Line Edition, May 21, 2009
15,000 Jews Died in Budapest by the Arrow Cross
|
What do you think about this article?
Comments
More in History
Latest Articles