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Colleagues, Here are some questions that one of the people here at the Museum asked of me and two other military historians recently. We had quite an enlightening discussion about them, and I thought you all might like to take a crack at them too. I'll wait to give my answers until others have had a chance. As a sort of aside, it's nice to be reminded from time to time, especially in the context of the continuing discussion here of the value of military history, that there *are* other historians out there who take our viewpoints seriously! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have what is probably a dumb, very basic question, but keep in mind I am a social not a military historian. I am just trying to find my way to some kind of proper professional objectivity when listening to accounts of the German army's actions. Sorry to be so pedestrian, but as I said, I am not a military historian. As I listen to accounts of the way the invasion of Poland, and later of the USSR, was planned, executed, and enforced, I cannot help but remember accounts I have read of the way other armies (including the U.S.) in other wars in other places have proceeded. Isn't the way the Wehrmacht went about its work essentially the same as the way any other well-trained modern army would work? Also, aren't the miscommunications, breakdowns in organization, slips in chain of command, decay of battlefield order and such ordinary consequences of the prosecution of warfare and the circumstances of daily battlefield life? Isn't this just the way planning and carrying out a war simply is--or am I missing what was "special" about the Wehrmacht and the invasion of Europe? Or is it that we are at the USHMM and thus, the Wehrmacht is automatically "special"? Similarily, doesn't a well-prepared invading nation have organizations that are parallel to the SS and Gestapo in task (although not ideology), namely, assembling the names of the leadership to be captured (or otherwise "neutralized"), and responsiblity for securing the rear and establishing the occupation? THAT the SS and Gestapo did this (to pacify the occupied population, etc.) seems to me excellent operating procedure, and I hope to heaven that the U.S. Army has just such information-gathering as part of its planning for future wars! The ideology, however, that inspired the SS and the Gestapo (how the "enemy" is defined and treated), is of course, different and reprehensible--but not necessarily the method of preparing the occupation and maintaining it itself. I suspect the U.S. Army Intelligence and the CIA have a similar operating manual. Should I be more exercized about the "crimes" of the organizers of the invasion of Poland and the USSR--when it seems that they were doing what nations--as represented by armies--do when they are "at work" and doing a rather good job of it, no matter how disgusting the task is to us! The point of war, as Patton reminded us, is not to go out there and die for your country, but to make sure the other poor S.O.B. goes out there and dies for his country (one way or another), which, I am told is his homey paraphrase of Clausewitz's first principle. The Germans were rather good at making sure their particular "other S.O.B."s ended up dead. When does the action of the Wehrmacht--even the SS and the Gestapo, as servants of an effective invasion and occupation strategy--cease to be "war as usual" and become "war crimes"? Is there a "gold standard" applied by military historians? I usually end up after monitoring such thoughts while hearing a military historian talk feeling totally amoral and willing to "give a break" to even the Wehrmacht et al. You must not leave me languishing in this moral lassitude and cynicism (O.K., you can, but answer my questions anyhow :-) ). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Geoffrey P. Megargee Applied Research Scholar Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Still haven't registered to review books? --> http://www.ksu.edu/history/h-warbook/ Want to manage your H-War subscription? --> http://www.h-net.msu.edu/lists/help/ Have you seen H-War on the Web lately? --> http://h-net2.msu.edu/~war/ ************************************************* *************************************************
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