How Wehrmacht veterans celebrate Victory Day. How do World War II veterans live in other countries?

The very word “veteran” has long been taboo in Germany. World War II soldiers formed unions of former prisoners of war. Now, Bundeswehr soldiers call themselves “veterans.” However, the word has not yet caught on.

There are veterans' unions in almost all countries. And in Germany, after the defeat of Nazism in 1945, all traditions of honoring and perpetuating the memory of veterans were broken. According to Herfried Münkler, professor of political theory at Humboldt University, Germany is a “post-heroic society.” If in Germany they commemorate, it is not the heroes, but the victims of the First and Second World Wars. At the same time, the Bundeswehr, within the framework of NATO and UN peacekeeping missions, participates in combat operations abroad. Therefore, a discussion began among military personnel and politicians: who should be considered veterans?

Bundeswehr veterans

After the war, until 1955, there was no army at all in Germany - both East and West. Veterans' unions were banned. What kind of glorification of heroism is there when German soldiers participated in a criminal war of conquest? But even in the Bundeswehr, founded in 1955, no veteran traditions arose during the Cold War. The army's functions were limited to protecting its own territory; there were no military operations.

In recent years, the Bundeswehr has been participating in operations abroad, for example, in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. In total, it is estimated that about 300 thousand soldiers and officers completed such service. Until very recently, they did not dare to directly call these operations even “war” or “combat operations”. The talk was about “help in establishing a peaceful order,” humanitarian actions and other euphemisms.

Now it has been decided to call a spade a spade. German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere brought the word “veteran” back into use last September. Speaking in the Bundestag, he stated that “if there are veterans in other countries, then in Germany he has the right to talk about ‘Bundeswehr veterans’.”

This discussion was started by the soldiers themselves - those who returned from Afghanistan with wounds or mental trauma. In 2010 they founded the "Union of German Veterans". Critics say that the very term “veteran” is discredited by German history and is therefore unacceptable.

But who is considered a “veteran”? Everyone who wore a Bundeswehr uniform for some time, or just those who served abroad? Or maybe only those who participated in real hostilities? The “Union of German Veterans” has already decided: whoever served abroad is a veteran.

Defense Minister Thomas de Maizières, for his part, is trying to avoid a split on this issue. Many military personnel believe that military service during the Cold War was fraught with risk, so it would be inappropriate to assign “veteran” status exclusively to those who had a chance to smell gunpowder in Afghanistan.

Will there be a Veteran's Day?

For Bundeswehr soldiers who have been in combat, special awards have been established - the “Cross of Honor for Courage” and the medal “For Participation in Combat.” However, many military personnel believe that society does not value their willingness to risk their lives highly enough. After all, decisions on participation in operations abroad are made by the Bundestag, that is, elected representatives of the people. Consequently, soldiers also participate in dangerous operations at the will of the people. So why doesn't society give them the respect they deserve?

The possibility of establishing a special “Veteran’s Day” is currently being discussed. This idea is also supported by the influential “Union of Bundeswehr Military Personnel,” which unites about 200 thousand active and retired military personnel. But there is also a proposal to honor on this day the work of not only soldiers, but also rescue workers, police officers and employees of development assistance organizations.

Defense Minister de Maizière is also considering the establishment of a special commissioner for veterans' affairs and, following the American example, special homes for veterans. But there are no plans to increase benefits for veterans. The Minister of Defense believes that in Germany the social security of active and retired military personnel is already at a fairly high level.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

“The main German TV channel ZDF showed the series “Our Mothers, Our Fathers” about the Second World War, which outraged people in the countries of Eastern Europe. Poland was accused of anti-Semitism, the people of the USSR were accused of collaborating with the Nazis and atrocities on their territory and the lands of Germany. The true victims of the Second World War Wehrmacht soldiers defending their homeland are presented, soldiers who fought against Polish anti-Semitism and Soviet barbarism.

Well, it seems that the EU needs its own version of history, which suits, first of all, the main country of the large European Union - Germany. It cannot be allowed that satellites like Greece or Cyprus can throw in the face a reminder of the recent bloody past. This threatens the existential legitimacy of German dominance.

They have long been trying to use history as the wheel of a propaganda machine. It is doubtful that without the blessing of the “big brothers” in the European Union, SS marches in the Baltics would have been possible. The Germans themselves cannot yet afford this, but the feature film format seems to have been chosen as optimal for shaping public opinion.

After watching - thanks to the Internet! - you understand that the film aims to achieve several goals: the rehabilitation of the Germans who fought in World War II, instilling an inferiority complex in the new EU members, in particular Poland, as well as portraying the victims of fascism - the peoples of the USSR, as stupid biomass hostile to European civilization.

The last task is simplified by the fact that during the Cold War, the image of the Soviet barbarian was successfully formed in the minds of the average person. Therefore, it is only necessary to plant another myth in order for Europeans to clearly see the threat from the East.

What myth? The most accessible, already voiced more than once by European historians: the rape of German women by Soviet soldiers. The figure has been announced: over two million German women.

Tens of thousands of children born to Soviet soldiers are often cited as evidence. To the question of how this could happen, the legal answer arises: they were raped. Let's leave for now the stories about allegedly raped German women. Where did the children come from? More on this below.

Let's get back to the film. Frames flash. Soviet soldiers break into a German hospital. In cold blood, casually, they finish off the wounded. They grab a nurse and immediately try to rape her among the dead bodies of German soldiers. This is the modern interpretation of history.

In general, a film shot through the eyes of German soldiers, those who see the horrors of the war imposed on them, can evoke sympathy. Smart, intelligent Germans witness how Polish partisans expel a refugee who turned out to be a Jew from the detachment, almost to certain death. Ukrainian punitive forces exterminate people in front of the startled Germans. Russian rapists kill and destroy every living thing in their path.

This picture appears before the European viewer. The Germans are trying with all their might to defend their homeland, that is, European civilization. And of course these people could not be to blame for starting the war. A certain top of the Wehrmacht is to blame, which the bulk of the German soldiers, according to the authors of the film, did not support, and the wild Slavic tribes that forced Europe to defend itself from them.

But are ordinary soldiers really that innocent? Were they really in opposition to their commanders? Let's take excerpts from letters from soldiers on the Eastern Front:

“Only a Jew can be a Bolshevik; there is nothing better for these bloodsuckers if there is no one to stop them. Everywhere you spit, there are only Jews all around, whether in the city or in the countryside.”

“Some will be interested in the fact that there were theaters, operas and so on, there were even large buildings, but only for the rich, and the rich are bloodsuckers and their hangers-on.”

“Everyone who observes this grim poverty understands what exactly these Bolshevik animals wanted to bring to us, the hardworking, pure and creative Germans. This is a blessing from God! How right it is that the Fuhrer is called to lead Europe!

“I see the Fuhrer in front of me. He saved the enslaved and raped humanity, giving them again divine freedom and the blessing of a worthy existence. The true and deepest reason for this war is to restore the natural and godly order. This is a battle against slavery, against Bolshevik madness."

“I am proud, extremely proud, that I can fight against this Bolshevik monster, again fighting the enemy against whom I fought to destruction during the difficult years of struggle in Germany. I am proud of the wounds I received in these battles, and I am proud of my new wounds and the medal that I now wear.”

“Our successes so far have been great, and we will not stop until we destroy the roots and branches of this infection, which will be a blessing for European culture and humanity.”

“I am proud to belong to the German nation and to be a member of our great army. Say hello to everyone at home. I am far away. Tell them that Germany is the most beautiful, cultured country in the whole world. Anyone should be happy to be German and serve a Fuhrer like Adolf Hitler."

“Whatever it takes, it’s great that the Fuhrer saw the danger in time. The battle was about to happen. Germany, what would happen to you if this stupid bestial horde came to our native land? We all took an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler, and we must fulfill it for our own good, wherever we are."

“Courage is courage inspired by spirituality. The tenacity with which the Bolsheviks defended themselves in their pillboxes in Sevastopol is akin to some kind of animal instinct, and it would be a deep mistake to consider it the result of Bolshevik convictions or upbringing. Russians have always been like this and, most likely, will always remain like this.”

As you can see, there is not a word of repentance. There are Bolshevik Jews all around who need to be destroyed. There is, however, sincere amazement that there are theaters and large buildings here. And even the valor of warriors for them is bestial, inhuman. There is no reason not to trust this evidence. This was written by those who today are trying to present as victims of the Second World War.

And yet, what about the raped German women? Surely this question will arise from the attentive reader. War was war, but were there mass rapes and illegitimate births? It's probably worth looking at the evidence as well.

The famous director Grigory Chukhrai recalled the entry of troops into Romania: “Under the influence of Russian vodka, they relaxed and admitted that they were hiding their daughter in the attic.” The Soviet officers were indignant: “Who do you take us for? We are not fascists! “The owners were ashamed, and soon a lean girl named Mariyka appeared at the table and greedily began to eat. Then, having gotten used to it, she began to flirt and even ask us questions... By the end of dinner, everyone was in a friendly mood and drank to “borotshaz” (friendship). Mariyka understood this toast too straightforwardly. When we went to bed, she appeared in my room wearing only her undershirt. As a Soviet officer, I immediately realized: a provocation was being prepared. “They hope that I will be seduced by Mariyka’s charms and will make a fuss. But I won’t give in to provocation,” I thought. And Mariyka’s charms did not attract me - I showed her the door.

The next morning, the hostess, putting food on the table, rattled the dishes. “He’s nervous.” The provocation failed!“ I thought. I shared this thought with our Hungarian translator. He burst out laughing.

This is not a provocation! They expressed friendship to you, but you neglected it. Now you are not considered a person in this house. You need to move to another apartment!

Why did they hide their daughter in the attic?

They were afraid of violence. It is customary in our country that a girl, with the approval of her parents, can experience intimacy with many men before getting married. They say here: you don’t buy a cat in a tied bag...”

And here is the story of mortarman N.A. Orlov, who was, to put it mildly, surprised by the behavior of German women in 1945. “About violence against German women. It seems to me that when talking about this phenomenon, some people “exaggerate things” a little. I remember an example of a different kind. We went to some German city and settled in houses. “Frau,” about 45 years old, appears and asks for “Herr Kommandant.” They brought her to Marchenko. She declares that she is in charge of the quarter, and has gathered 20 German women for sexual (!!!) service of Russian soldiers. Marchenko understood German, and to the political officer Dolgoborodov standing next to me, I translated the meaning of what the German woman said. The reaction of our officers was angry and abusive. The German woman was driven away, along with her “squad” ready for service. In general, the German submission stunned us. They expected partisan warfare and sabotage from the Germans. But for this nation, order - "Ordnung" - is above all. If you are a winner, then they are “on their hind legs,” and consciously and not under duress. This is the psychology..."

“Herr Commissar,” Frau Friedrich told me complacently (I was wearing a leather jacket). “We understand that soldiers have small needs. “They are ready,” continued Frau Friedrich, “to give them several younger women for... I did not continue the conversation with Frau Friedrich.”

The front-line poet Boris Slutsky recalled: “It was not ethics at all that served as restraining motives, but the fear of infection, the fear of publicity, of pregnancy” ... “general depravity covered and hid the special female depravity, made it invisible and unashamed.”

And it was not the fear of syphilis that was the reason for the rather chaste behavior of the Soviet troops. Sergeant Alexander Rodin left notes after visiting a brothel, which happened after the end of the war. “...After leaving, a disgusting, shameful feeling of lies and falsehood arose; I couldn’t get the picture of the woman’s obvious, outright pretense out of my head... It’s interesting that such an unpleasant aftertaste from visiting a brothel remained not only with me, a young man who was brought up, moreover, on principles like “not to give a kiss without love,” but also among most of our soldiers with whom I had to talk... Around the same days, I had to talk with one beautiful Magyar woman (she somehow knew Russian). When she asked if I liked it in Budapest, I replied that I liked it, but the brothels were embarrassing. “But why?” asked the girl. Because it’s unnatural, wild,” I explained: “a woman takes money and then immediately begins to “love!” The girl thought for a while, then nodded in agreement and said: “You’re right: taking money in advance is not nice.” ..”

The difference in the mentality of Europeans and Soviet soldiers, as we see, is striking. So we probably shouldn’t talk about mass rapes. If there were cases, they were either isolated, out of the ordinary, or they were fairly free relationships, which the German women themselves allowed. Hence the offspring that appeared.

But all this, in fact, is not of decisive importance. Just as the Polish objections to the television series are irrelevant. Who, after all, in Europe took into account the opinion of the Polish public? The creators of the film, which, according to the European press, claims to be the main cinematic event of the year in Germany, were not guided by a search for historical truth. Ideological cliches do not require thoughtful artistic decisions. Europe has not changed.

William Shirer once wrote that in the thirties he had two liberal friends in Germany. They both became rabid Nazis. So, is history repeating itself?

Alexander Rzheshevsky. April 2013

Attitude towards veterans is an indicator not only of the economic state of the state, but also of less material things.
It is interesting to compare the situation of World War II veterans in different countries.
Germany
The state provided Wehrmacht veterans with a comfortable old age and a high level of social protection.
Depending on their rank and merit, the size of their pension varies from 1.5 to 8 thousand euros.
For example, a junior officer's pension is 2,500 euros. About 400 euros are awarded to the widows of those killed or deceased in the post-war period.
Payments are guaranteed to persons of German origin who served in the Wehrmacht and “performed statutory military service in accordance with the rules for its completion before May 9, 1945.”

Interestingly, Red Army veterans living in Germany are also entitled to a pension of 400-500 euros per month, as well as social security.
War veterans can count on free hospitalization twice a day during the year, and if we are talking about prisoners of war, the number of hospitalizations is unlimited.
The state also partially pays for former Wehrmacht soldiers to visit the places where they fought, including abroad.

Great Britain
The size of the pension for World War II veterans in the UK directly depends on military rank and the severity of injuries.
Monthly payments in European currency range between 2,000 and 9,000 euros.
If there is a need, then the state pays an additional nurse.
Moreover, the right any Briton who suffered during the Second World War is eligible to receive a pension.
A supplement to the basic pension is also provided to widows of veterans.

USA
US authorities honor American participants in World War II Twice a year.
Fallen soldiers are remembered on Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday in May, and veterans are honored on November 11 on Veterans' Day.
American veterans are entitled to a $1,200 bonus to their pension, which averages $1,500.
Supervises participants of the Second World War in the USA Department of Veterans Affairs, which operates 175 hospitals, hundreds of nursing homes and thousands of district clinics.
If a veteran’s illness or disability is a consequence of military service, then all expenses for his treatment are borne by the state.

Israel
World War II participants living in Israel receive a pension of $1,500.
People from the former USSR can also count on it.
Many veterans, having collected the necessary package of documents at home, receive a pension not only from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, but also from the Russian budget.
Veterans are exempt from paying city taxes, receive a 50% discount on medications, and are also given significant discounts on electricity, heating, telephone and utilities.

Latvia
The situation of war veterans in Latvia can be called deplorable.
They do not have any benefits, unlike the “forest brothers” (nationalist movement), who receive a monthly pension supplement of $100 from the Ministry of Defense.
The average monthly pension in Latvia is approximately 270 euros.
The lack of attention to WWII veterans in Latvia is not surprising, since Victory Day does not officially exist for Latvians.
Moreover, quite recently the Latvian Seimas passed a law banning Nazi and Soviet symbols.
It means that WWII veterans living in Latvia will be deprived of the opportunity to wear military decorations.

Czech
Life is slightly better for Czech veterans.
The list of their benefits is quite modest: free use of public transport and telephones and an annual voucher to a sanatorium from the Ministry of Defense.
Unlike other European countries In the Czech Republic, benefits do not apply to widows and orphans.
It is interesting that until recently, Czech veterans were provided with medicines for free, but now they have to pay for them out of their own pockets.
Veterans of the Czech Republic receive a regular pension of 12 thousand crowns, which approximately corresponds to the pension of Russian veterans.

France
The number of World War II veterans in France is approximately 800 thousand people, of which 500 thousand are former military personnel, 200 thousand are members of the Resistance and 100 thousand are deported to Germany.
Also included in the category of veterans were former prisoners of war - 1 million 800 thousand.
The pension of French veterans is higher than that of Russians - 600 euros. They receive it not from the age of 65, like ordinary citizens, but from 60.
French veterans have their own department that deals with their problems Ministry for the Affairs of Former Military Personnel and War Victims.
But the subject of special pride of France is that it has a long history Home for the Invalids.
It is both a hall of military glory and a hospital. Veterans in need of care can count on a permanent stay here. To do this, they will have to give up a third of their pension, and the rest will be transferred by the state to their bank account.

One day, the tabloids of the world's publications will come out with a loud headline on the main page - The last veteran of the Second World War (or the Great Patriotic War) has died - unfortunately, this is inevitable, just as it was several years ago in the case of veterans of the First World War war. The media: radio and television, newspapers and, above all, the Internet community will, albeit briefly, actively discuss this event, which is in no way inferior in terms of resonance to incidents such as a plane crash or a volcanic eruption. The editors decided to get ahead of the inevitability of events a little and conduct research on 3 points at once:

When will the last World War II veteran die (approximate interval in years).
Which country (party to the conflict) will this veteran represent?
When and with what intensity will people begin to become interested in this event and the personality of the veteran, in particular.

Actually, the last point is nothing more than a user request (in the Internet environment - a search request), the dynamics of the origin and development of which we will trace with the help of this article using Google Analytics tools. I would also like to first note:

The editors of outSignal do not in any way wish to offend anyone’s feelings, and ask that this study not be considered blasphemous and immoral in relation to the Heroes who fought on the fields of World War II. We sincerely respect every Veteran who is still alive and wish them many more years of life!

Therefore, the main objective of the study is long-term, prospective: find out (establish) the moment when people become interested in this formulation of the question.

Research tools: empirical research methods, conditional statistics, comparative analysis and hypothetical assumptions - as we see, a simple toolkit that will help, albeit imprecisely, but in a foreseeable manner, give us an idea of when the inevitable will happen.

When did the last World War I veteran die?

The BBC Russian Service published news about the death of the last World War I veteran in May 2011. But another news information service, TSN, with the headline “The last World War I veteran on Earth has died,” reported this in February 2012.

This is where the reports about the “last” of the First World War end, so let’s take 2012 as a starting point. If we subtract this number within a century, that is, from the beginning of the war in 1914 to its end in 1918, we get a value of 6 years - that is how long the last veteran did not live to see the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. It is important to take into account that 15-year-old youths who joined the army of their country literally 2 weeks before the end of the war could become private participants in both the First and Second World Wars, and even managed to take part in the first battle (the same Cloud Stanley Chuls became a sailor in 15 years old, see BBC screenshot).

Through simple comparative analysis and elementary arithmetic, it is not difficult to calculate that the last World War II veteran will die no earlier than 2039 ((1945 - 6) + 100 = 2039). And this is only according to the most modest (minimum) estimates.

Hypothetical assumptions based on observable statistics

Let's look at a simple example that shows the difference in the scale of the two world wars:

The screenshot shows approximate statistics of the ratio in numbers, scale and scope of the First and Second World Wars. As you can see, the Second World War is significantly “ahead” of the First in terms of coverage in all respects. This number of factors plays a crucial role in the question: when will the last World War II veteran on Earth die. Let's figure out which of these factors are most significant in the digital aspect.

So, the duration of the wars varies in favor of the Second by almost 2 years, and this does not take into account the time difference between the wars of 21 years: from the end of the First in 1918 and the beginning of the Second in 1939.

We may still somehow miss the “number of participating states” factor, since at the time of the First World War there were too many empires. But the number of people who fought is indisputably the determining factor, since, despite the status of “the bloodiest war,” the First World War cannot in any way compete with the number of participants in the Second World War, the scale of which was practically unlimited in human resources (in any moment, several more millions of people could be drawn into the war, which often happened at various stages of history).

Other other factors are either much less significant or even “duplicate” the importance of each other, therefore, it remains to determine one more, albeit post-war, but still important factor that influences the solution of the question: when the last veteran of World War II will die. This is a social factor, namely, the level of social and medical care for World War II veterans in different countries.

Veteran of which country participating in World War II will be the last

There is no need to list all the countries that participated in the Second World War; the “winners” in the matter of who the last veteran belongs to are already known in advance:

Now let's figure out why German veterans who fought on the side of Nazi Germany (Third Reich) have the greatest chance of becoming the "last"... Hitlerjugend (Hitlerjugend) is, as you know, the youth organization of the National Socialist Party of Germany, whose young soldiers were 14-18 years old at the time of April-May 1945, that is, during the period of heavy street fighting in Berlin, and some boys from the JungVolk unit are 10 years old or younger.

A special place in this assumption is occupied by the notorious elite 12th SS Panzer Division (12th SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend), the average age of its soldiers at the end of the war did not exceed 21 years (Hitler Youth students born in 1926).

As for the second contender - the Soviet Union, the decisive factor here is the large number of soldiers of the Red Army, but at the same time, due to low social security and medical services, the likelihood that the last veteran of the Second World War (Great Patriotic War) will be the "Soviet" soldier is much shorter.
But Japan, due to the generally accepted opinion about the centenarians of the island state, has, albeit small, but still quite realistic chances of becoming the country of residence of the last veteran of World War II. Also, one should not forget here the date of the end of World War II - September 2, 1945 - that is, the signing of the act of surrender of Japan, which happened almost 4 months later than the surrender of the Third Reich (Germany).

When will people become interested in this event?

Naturally, over time, more and more people will become interested in this issue in its various aspects: who, where and when the last veteran of World War II and the Great Patriotic War died. The frequency of search queries will increase especially sharply during informational occasions: holidays on May 8th and 9th, dates of pivotal battles and battles, messages on this topic in the media.

As already established above, the last veteran will live until the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, that is, until 2039, but there is still a high probability that, due to the age of the soldiers of some units, as well as the total number of human resources involved, the last veteran will live until the mid-40s of the 21st century, but is unlikely to survive the equator of the century.

P.S.: once again I would like to appeal to readers not to judge the point of view of the authors of the article... all assumptions are speculative and do not have clear statistical grounds... we sincerely wish health and longevity to all veterans of the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War. Thank the granfather for the victory!

Hans Schmidt.
(died May 30, 2010)
His letter to the director of the film "Saving Private Ryan", Steven Spielberg:

Dear Mr. Spielberg,

allow me, a twice-wounded Waffen SS veteran and participant in three campaigns (the battles of Belgium, Hungary and Austria), to comment on your painting “Saving Private Ryan”.

Having read many rave reviews of this successful and let's say "impressive" film, I hope you don't mind some criticism from a German and German-American point of view.

Apart from the massacre at the very beginning of the story, during the invasion of Omaha Beach, (which I can't comment on because I wasn't there), many of the battle scenes seemed unrealistic. Yes, you made a very commendable effort to ensure the authenticity of the action with original German equipment and weapons. (Schützenpanzerwagen (SPW), 42 MG and Kettenkrad) And, while the appearance of German regular army infantry in the bunkers of Normandy was not well depicted, The Waffen SS taking part in the urban battle at the end of the film were quite properly depicted. My comment about the unrealisticness of the battle scenes is based on the fact that the Waffen SS did not act the way you portrayed them in the film. We were familiar with the sight of American and Russian infantry gathering around their tanks, but the Waffen SS themselves acted in this way very rarely. (the first Americans I met while fighting in Belgium were a dozen G.I.s who died next to a self-propelled gun destroyed by a howitzer) In addition, almost all the German soldiers in the film either have very short haircuts or shaved heads, which is not true. It is possible that you have confused German soldiers with Russians. Or, to put it another way, the fact that you are a Jew played a role, and you simply wanted to draw a parallel from modern skinheads to the Waffen SS and other soldiers of the Third Reich.

Also, you had to use 18 or 19 year old boys for the filming, not older guys. The average age of the military personnel of the heroic division "Hitlerjugend", including officers, in the battles for Cannes was 19 years!

The scene where G.I. showing his "Star of David" to German prisoners of war with the words: "I am a Jew, I am a Jew" is so outrageous that it is even funny. I can tell you that if such an incident had actually happened, the German soldiers would have said to each other: “This guy is an idiot!” You don't seem to know that for the average German WWII soldier, regardless of the branch of service, the race, color or religion of the enemy made absolutely no difference. He didn't care. In addition, you made a serious mistake: in the film the camera moves from one Jewish grave with a Star of David to all the other graves with Christian crosses. I know what you wanted to say by this, but I am sure that I was not the only one who tried to find at least one more Star of David among hundreds of grave crosses. I'm sure you know she wasn't there. In fact, you produced the exact opposite effect of what you intended. This scene makes false the claims of Jewish organizations that the number of Jewish volunteers in World War II was enormous and that their contribution to the victory was also great. I visited the Luxembourg military cemetery where General Patton is buried and tried to count the Jewish stars on the graves. I was surprised by their absence.
After World War I, some leaders of German Jews used this trick: they stated then and say now that “12,000 Jews gave their lives for the Fatherland,” which, in theory, should emphasize their role in that war, but in reality this was not the case. Perhaps they are using these "12,000" as some kind of symbol that "from our point of view, we have done enough."

During World War II, as now, a quarter of the American population can be considered German-American. Knowing about the patriotism of American Germans we can be convinced that their number in the armed forces was equal to or even higher than their official percentage of the total population. And in this film we do not hear a single German name among the Americans. Have you forgotten Nimitz, Arnold, Spaetz or even Eisenhower? Well, perhaps Captain Miller from Pennsylvania was a German whose name sounded English. Perhaps one thinks that the abundance of German names such as Goldberg, Rosenthal, Silverstein and Spielberg satisfies the need for "German-American" representation.

My final comment concerns the description of the execution of German prisoners of war. A study of American literature on World War II shows that there were many such incidents and such violations of the laws of war were usually forgiven "because some G.I. was angry at the Germans who had just killed one of his dearest comrades." In other words, the anger and war crime were understandable and forgivable. In the film, you seem to agree with this position, since you only allow one of the soldiers, namely an admitted coward, to say that no one dares shoot at enemy soldiers who have laid down their arms.
As a former German soldier I can assure you that we did not have what I call non-Aryan thinking. I remember well when we sat with ten captured Americans after a brutal battle in January 1945, and G.I. They were sincerely surprised that we treated them almost like friends, without malice. If you want to know why, I will answer you. We were not subjected to many years of propaganda, unlike American and British soldiers who had seen too many anti-German war films, usually made by your brethren.

(FYI: I have never seen an anti-American war film—UFA had no Jewish directors.)