Patton’s view of using former NAZI administrators in post war Germany is clear for those who studied WWII history. Patton was criticized for comparing NAZI party membership to American political party membership. All pre war German government officials were required by law to be a member of the NAZI party whether they personally subscribed to NAZI party ideology or not. If Patton refused to use any former member of the NAZI party meant not using any pre war German government officials – period.

Post war Germany was in utterly in shambles. Patton firmly believed in never telling someone HOW to do their job after they have been told what his objective was. Patton was able to communicate his vision to others and inspired others to follow it. Therefore as the administration of post war Germany was in his charge and he felt that it entirely was up to him how accomplish the task assigned him.

Regarding former Nazis don’t forget:

Werner von Braun was a NAZI party member who knowingly used slave labour in the construction of V1 and V2 production. He got America to the Moon.

Oskar Schindler was also a NAZI party member who used his NAZI connections for what was ultimately was a great humanitarian act.

Many people forget Patton was correct about Russia and wanted to attack Russia while America (and Allies) were in the best position to do so as war, he felt, was inevitable. The only reason Russia was a member of Allies was they were fighting the Germans as well. No one trusted Stalin due to his policies and agreements with Hiter.

Yes, Britain had also signed treaties with Nazi Germany but for quite different reasons than Stalin. Britain was attempting to prevent war while Stalin and the Soviet Union was on the road of expansion in as much as Hitler was such as USSR annexation of the Baltic States etc.

Russia had signed a non-aggression pact with NAZI Germany and agreed with the deposition and division of Poland between both countries. Thus allowing Hitler to proceed with his plan of Nazi Germany’s expansion.

Russia, as well, was supplying food stuff and raw materials for NAZI Germany’s war effort right until Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa in 1941- the invasion of the Soviet Union. Until that point Russia, while not trusting Hitler, was not planning to join the Allies in its war with NAZI Germany.

Prior to Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland, Hitler wanted the support of Britain, France etc as the Soviet Union was moving West so if he didn’t act Russia would soon be on Germany’s doorstep, something which was unthinkable. It was a forgon conclusion anyway that Poland was going to be wiped out of existence by the Soviet Union as Hitler reasoned so he thought Britain, France etc would join with him in fighting the true enemy – and was surprised when this didn’t happen.

Sorry I got a bit long winded…

Cheers

Yup. Bring ‘em home, out of harm’s way.

#23 – Odyssey67 – Extremely well said – please consider this a standing ovation from a 21-year military veteran. Thank you.

Comment by Bob”

Fuck you, Bob.

I served my country, as did my father and too many uncles to list. And MOST of us – myself included – didn’t need a draft to do it. So I won’t have some little keyboard jockey like you telling me I don’t “appreciate” my brothers & sisters who have died, or that there sacrifices were indeed to help make us the greatest country in the world, just because I have enough sense to see the hurricane on the horizon bearing down on all of us.

The problem with chicken hawks like you is that you have no idea – NONE – what military service is all about, let alone war & the death/destruction wrought by it. You think in the 1 dimensional, hollywood-like terms about what patriotsm & sacrifice mean. The kindthat your Svengalis in FOX News knows appeals to you.

True patriotism to your country is like being a true friend to your buddy – you tell ‘em when they’re screwing up, if only to keep them from hurting themselves and their loved ones down the line. If you really care, you call a spade a spade. But if you’re the superficial sort, and only care about your bud insofar as the next kegger, yeah – you let them fuck up and then maybe shake your head later & say “What could I do?”

I’ll tell you what you can do – you can get your head out of your ass and do the right thing. You sacrifice your own complacency to do something hard – the hardest thing of all – which is to realize and accept when you are wrong. Realize and accept that just because someone’s a president they aren’t always in their right mind. Understand and accept that greatness comes from more than just being able to blow shit up. And then realize and accept that We the People must INSIST that our leaders in government think in more than 1 dimension, and to act on our behalf in all ways (liberty as well as security), because that’s what we pay them to do. If they can’t protect the freedoms at home that they say they are sending our soldiers to die for abroad, what’s the goddamn point? We won’t stay great for long without holding ourselves to our own 230 year old standards.

George Bush IS the greater danger. Because oil and money and power all mean more to him than people. Because he can’t figure out how to fight the terrorists without sacrificing our cherished principles, as well as our cherished lives.

His is a scorched-earth strategy, Bob, and sooner or later you will realize that the burning smell is coming from beneath your feet too.

What I have never figured out is why GOUSA did not extend the no fly zone over the entire country once Sadam’s use of helicopters was displayed.

Shameful the way GOUSA acts and then expects all to be forgotten with our next lie.

He also went on to admit that he and his team screwed up when discussing the terms of surrender with the Iraqi generals. When the Iraqi general asked for permission to fly their military aircraft (including armed helicopters) Schwartzkopf and his team said okay since so much of their infrastructure had been demolished. It was believed that they needed that concession to conduct the day-to-day business of recovery. The mistake in that concession became clear when some of those helicopters were used to attack Kurds in the north. That’s why Operation Provide Comfort became Northern Watch.

Rather than “cover my ass” consider yourself mooned.

The general consensus is that the first gulf war was stopped because the US did not want to become an occupation army in Iraq. The objective was to severely decimate the Iraqi military, obtain major surrender concessions and let the regime fall on it’s own. The politicians and leaders of the time knew all around that going into Iraq and becoming an occupying force in a foreign land was something that should not even be considered.

The difference between Bush Sr and Bush Jr is that Bush Sr actually listened to the generals, diplomats and advisers around him regardless of his agreement with them, while Bush Jr only listens to his inner circle of people that see things (or at least pretend to see things) the way that the president wishes them to be.

How does that work exactly? I mean, what a simplistic, silly thing to say. I hate the people responsible for making the world less safe, less good. Right now, there are some pretty horrid people (under the flag “radical terrorist”) but to assume George Bush is automatically better is distinctly un-American. To me, George Bush and those who are his past (like, oh, his dad) are the reason they even wanted to come “fight us over here” in the first place…we were “fighting them there” a long time ago, before there was a threat. To miss the retaliation angle…to miss that the “new radicals” come chiefly from what WE (under George Bush) have done, is just ignorance…ignorance that will keep this dangerous war fueled.

I hate the first truly radical terrorists…but I hate that one of our own has gone and made a lot more people turn that direction than could have. They are not my responsibility, though maybe my concern…but, George Bush is one of us…he should be held to a standard of knowing better.