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Ursprungligen postat av Brinba
Säger inte soldaterna i dokumentärer att dom blev helt chockade när dom gick in i koncentrationslägrerna? Asså att dom inte hade nån aning om att dom existerade?
Lägrena var ingen hemlighet, men man visste inte hur katastrofalt läget var i dem under de sista krigsmånaderna. Logistiken hade brutit samman och lägren hade svårt att få tag på den mat och de mediciner som behövdes. Så naturligtvis blev soldaterna chockade när de fann de undernärda och tyfusdrabbade fångarna i många läger.
Bergen-Belsen var ett av de svårast drabbade lägren. Här är ett utdrag ur ett brev från 1 mars 1945 av lägerkommendanten Josef Kramer till Gruppenführer Richard Glücks, som var chef över lägeradministrationen:
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If I had sufficient sleeping accommodation at my disposal, then the accommodation of the detainees who have already arrived and of those still to come would appear more possible. In addition to this question a spotted fever and typhus epidemic has now begun, which increases in extent every day. The daily mortality rate, which was still in the region of 60-70 at the beginning of February, has in the meantime attained a daily average of 250-300 and will increase still further in view of the conditions which at present prevail.
Supply. When I took over the camp, winter supplies for 1500 internees had been indented for; some had been received, but the greater part had not been delivered. This failure was due not only to difficulties of transport, but also to the fact that practically nothing is available in this area and all must be brought from outside the area [...]
For the last four days there has been no delivery [of food] from Hannover owing to interrupted communications, and I shall be compelled, if this state of affairs prevails till the end of the week, to fetch bread also by means of truck from Hannover. The trucks allotted to the local unit are in no way adequate for this work, and I am compelled to ask for at least three to four trucks and five to six trailers. When I once have here a means of towing then I can send out the trailers into the surrounding area [...] The supply question must, without fail, be cleared up in the next few days. I ask you, Gruppenführer, for an allocation of transport [...]
The fight against spotted fever is made extremely difficult by the lack of means of disinfection. Due to constant use, the hot-air delousing machine is now in bad working order and sometimes fails for several days [...]
A catastrophe is taking place for which no one wishes to assume responsibility [...] Gruppenführer, I can assure you that from this end everything will be done to overcome the present crisis [...]
I am now asking you for your assistance as it lies in your power. In addition to the above-mentioned points, I need here, before everything, accommodation facilities, beds, blankets, eating utensils -- all for about 20,000 internees [...] I implore your help in overcoming this situation.
Ur Josef Kramers förhör i allierad fångenskap 1945:
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The camp was not really inefficient before you (the Allies) crossed the Rhine. There was running water, regular meals of a kind -- I had to accept what food I was given for the camp and distribute it the best way I could. But then they suddenly began to send me trainloads of new prisoners from all over Germany. It was impossible to cope with them. I appealed for more staff, more food. I was told that this was impossible. I had to carry on with what I had.
Then as a last straw the Allies bombed the electric plant that pumped our water. Loads of food were unable to reach the camp because of the Allied fighters. Then things really got out of hand. During the last six weeks I have been helpless. I did not even have sufficient staff to bury the dead, let alone segregate the sick [... ]
I tried to get medicines and food for the prisoners and I failed. I was swamped. I may have been hated, but I was doing my duty.
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Civila i Tyskland hade väl inte ens en aning, eller dom visste väl att dom samlade ihop judar men visste inte säkert vad dom gjorde med dom.
En bekant som levde i Tyskland under hela NS-tiden visste om att judarna skickades iväg österrut och tyckte synd om dem, men visste inte att de massmördades.
Tydligen kände inte de flesta militärer och partifunktionärer om massmorden i lägren heller. Ingen av de 28.000 i SA som förhördes kände till Förintelsen, och inte heller de huvudåtalade i Nürnbergrättegången, som Göring, Ribbentrop, Speer, Rosenberg m.fl. (Hess var i brittisk fångenskap sedan 1941 och kunde förstås inte veta mycket om vad som skedde därefter).
Hermann Göring, som gav order om att dra upp en slutgiltig lösning av judefrågan, sade under Nürnbergrättegången att han hörde talas om massmorden först då, under rättegången.
"This I maintain, and the reason for this is that these things were kept secret from me. I might add that in my opinion not even the Fuehrer knew the extent of what was going on. This is also explained by the fact that Himmler kept all these matters very secret. We were never given figures or any other details."
Vad de visste kan man spekulera i. Liksom åklagare gärna vill överdriva så vill ju de åtalade underdriva.