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|style="vertical-align: middle; padding: 3px;" | Your comments on the Afd desk are quite insightful, and the amount of research you do to support your comments is commen(t)dable! Great work. Good job! [[User talk:Lourdes|<span style="color:#0000FF;">'''Lourdes'''</span>]] 03:57, 6 September 2016 (UTC) |
|style="vertical-align: middle; padding: 3px;" | Your comments on the Afd desk are quite insightful, and the amount of research you do to support your comments is commen(t)dable! Great work. Good job! [[User talk:Lourdes|<span style="color:#0000FF;">'''Lourdes'''</span>]] 03:57, 6 September 2016 (UTC) |
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===''Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross'' (self-awarded)=== |
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I award myself the Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds ({{lang|de|''Vandalekreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten''}}), for achieving, in just two days, three (3) vandalism labels; one (1) pushing-the-envelope label; and one (1) POV label, further distinguishing myself: |
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erwin_Rommel&type=revision&diff=722845293&oldid=722819529 “restore vandalism”]. In [[Erwin Rommel]]. |
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3AK.e.coffman&type=revision&diff=722863387&oldid=722842838 "Please refrain from deleting the Wehrmachtbericht wording. I consider removal without consensus vandalism."]. In my [[User_talk:K.e.coffman/Archive/2016/May#Wehrmachtbericht|Talk page]]. |
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erich_von_dem_Bach-Zelewski&type=revision&diff=723204650&oldid=723201864 “no consensus regarding your POV”]. In [[Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski]]. |
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Peacemaker67&curid=33719696&diff=723206481&oldid=722788813 "He/she is pushing the envelope in my opinion”] |
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*[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Erich_von_Manstein&diff=prev&oldid=723226215 “You guys don't know what you are doing here. Sorry I can't agree to this vandalism.”] Co-nominated with {{u|Diannaa}}. In [[Erich von Manstein]]. |
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Revision as of 00:17, 26 November 2016
About me
I'm interested in the history of World War II and related topics. Some of the articles I am contributing (or have contributed) to include, in no particular order:
Contributions
World War II
- Arthur Nebe – considerable re-write; now at B-class
- Paul Hausser – expansion of post-WWII section; now at B-class
- Wehrmachtbericht – rewrite and expansion with RS citations; now at B-class
- List of World War II Panzer aces from Germany -- added background section explaining the concept of a "panzer ace"; renamed to German tank aces
- Erwin Rommel -- new section: Rommel myth
- Jochen Peiper -- expansion of WWII and post-war areas
- Michael Wittman -- new sections: In popular history; Assessment as tank commander; reworked "Who killed JFK?"-style narrative into "Speculation surrounding death"; now at B-class
- Yelnya Offensive -- rewrote, expanded and got rid of the blasted Franz Kurowski (diff); now at B-class
Historiography
- HIAG – major re-write and expansion to GA.
- Panzerschlachten -- significant re-write, with contemporary perspective by historians
- Lost Victories -- significant pruning of the sections dedicated to retelling of Manstein's claims in Wikipedia voice
- Robert M. Citino -- rewrote and provided requested citations for a BLP
- B. H. Liddell Hart -- new section: Role in Rommel myth
- Himmerod memorandum -- new article; WIP: improvements welcome
- Clean Wehrmacht -- new article (translated from De.wiki); WIP: improvements welcome
- Franz Kurowski -- new article (translated from De.wiki, then significantly expanded with English language sources)
- Rommel myth -- new article; GA nominee
- The Myth of the Eastern Front -- new article
- Waffen-SS in popular culture -- new article
- Rommel: The Desert Fox -- new article
- Waffen-SS im Einsatz -- new article
- Ronald Smelser -- new article
- Jonathan House -- new article
- Christian Hartmann (historian) -- new article
- Geoffrey P. Megargee -- new article
Fringe theories
- Black supremacy -- race matters are not my general area of interest, but this was an awful article full of OR, Synth, Coatrack, dubious uncited claims and improperly cited POV statements (compare with 26 May 2016 version).
- Melanin theory -- article cleanup from May 2016 version
- White pride -- a magnet for the "white and proud"; my contribution has not been significant, but this was a good edit that caused some edit warring over.
- In the pseudoscience realm: Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis; work in progress: Creation Museum and Ark Encounter—articles dealing with creationism promotion
- Jewish Bolshevism, and a related Jewish nose (seriously?)
Need to revisit:
My editing style
My editing style tends to be WP:Bold, so I had a certain number of my edits reverted. However, I'm learning to recognize high-profile and/or controversial articles and I tend to open a discussion on the article's talk page before making substantive edits.
If you'd like to see my editing direction, you can probably get a good picture of it on the above articles' talk pages.
I care about WP:Verifiability, WP:Reliability and achieving WP:Consensus with fellow editors. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a note on my talk page. Thank you and happy editing! K.e.coffman (talk) 07:55, 22 November 2015 (UTC)
Awards and kudos
Awards from WikiProject:Military History
An honorable mention in the Military History Newcomer of the Year 2015 vote:
The WikiProject Barnstar | ||
For "diligence and work on checking into unsourced claims and non-NPOV language of World War II and Waffen-SS related articles," I have the honor of awarding you this WikiProject Barnstar as an honorable mention in the Military History Newcomer of the Year 2015 vote. For the Military history WikiProject, TomStar81 (Talk) 02:33, 22 December 2015 (UTC) |
I receive an award for doing a GAR! I should do more of these!
Military history reviewers' award | ||
On behalf of the Milhist coordinators, you are hereby awarded the Milhist reviewing award (1 stripe) for reviewing a total of 1 Milhist article during the period April to June 2016. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 02:31, 23 July 2016 (UTC) Keep track of upcoming reviews. Just copy and paste |
Community awards
The Tireless Contributor Barnstar | ||
Nice work, both with Rommel myth and Waffen-SS in popular culture MainlyTwelve (talk) 04:59, 17 April 2016 (UTC) |
Your Milhist work is really impressive, especially Rommel myth. Keep up the good work! GABHello! 23:39, 2 May 2016 (UTC) |
The WikiChevrons | ||
I believe a massive congratulations are in order for your nearly single-handed efforts to create the Rommel myth article. I am so incredibly happy to see that verdammt "humanitarianism" section eliminated from his article. Keep up the good work correcting the Nazi romancer bias! —Noha307 (talk) 17:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC) |
The Desert Fox
Thank you for quality articles such as HIAG, Waffen-SS in popular culture and Rommel: The Desert Fox, for uploading book covers and other images, for diligent reviewing, for fighting unsourced facts and POV, and for "I enjoy contributing and engaging with other editors", ---Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:25, 29 June 2016 (UTC) you are an awesome Wikipedian!
The Editor's Barnstar | |
Your comments on the Afd desk are quite insightful, and the amount of research you do to support your comments is commen(t)dable! Great work. Good job! Lourdes 03:57, 6 September 2016 (UTC) |
Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross (self-awarded)
I award myself the Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds ([Vandalekreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), for achieving, in just two days, three (3) vandalism labels; one (1) pushing-the-envelope label; and one (1) POV label, further distinguishing myself:
- “restore vandalism”. In Erwin Rommel.
- "Please refrain from deleting the Wehrmachtbericht wording. I consider removal without consensus vandalism.". In my Talk page.
- “no consensus regarding your POV”. In Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski.
- "He/she is pushing the envelope in my opinion”
- “You guys don't know what you are doing here. Sorry I can't agree to this vandalism.” Co-nominated with Diannaa. In Erich von Manstein.
Fan mail
Waffen-SS / Wehrmacht mythology
- In I can almost smell the GA icon...: "I strongly oppose those mass deletions proposed by K.e.coffman. One cannot explain the performance of the Waffen-SS in Russia in merely two paragraphs." From Jonas Vinther, an editor who shortly thereafter was topic banned from World War II topics. Another editor comments: "As a general comment, the coverage of the Waffen SS is clearly excessive for this top-level article." In Schutzstaffel Talk Archives, November 2015.
- In Mass removal of uncited or poorly cited material at 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking: " I recommend you just restrict yourself to making the language more neutral where necessary". From the archives.
- "Just noticed your recent edits to the Kurt Meyer article – thanks for your work on it. I had always felt the rest of it was a bit concerning but lacked the time or sourcing to follow it up - glad to see someone has given it a good overhaul." From the archives.
- Extended commentary on my problematic behaviour, especially as it relates to a heavily POV and dubious article on Theodor Schere, 2015 version:
He have no interest in building the military history encyclopedia, and is here to just deleting information and push for his own agenda...
...he is calling his "friends" (such as ÄDA - DÄP, sometimes Kierzek and others) and start accusing editors, who disagree with him, admirer for the "neo-nazi"
Even so if we take him serious, what he call neo-nazi publisher, surely there is stuff that's strictly factual like organizational data or movements, awards etc., is unlikely to be tainted?
This must stop.
- link. This editor apparently created an account solely to comment on my editing. Another admiring post from the same editor:
So Nick-D have totally embraced K.e.coffman and started working together to remove as much as possible military history of Nazi Germany from Wikipedia. Introducing several reasons, such as questionable numbers, nazi propaganda, dubious, intricate detail, he is not noticable and so many no time to write.
He always is calling his "friends" (those who have total sympathy for him and his efforts to eredicate information about military history of Nazi Germany), to make sure he wins everytime!
He is still adding crappy or NPOV prose on his page; making sure editors are marked as nazi apologist.
- link.
- I must be doing something right if I'm being attacked for my anti-Nazi leanings; ANI thread: "Personal attacks for 'antifascist reputation' by user: Stonedtower".
- WP:Civility in full display:
- "complaints of intricate detail are ridiculous" -- edit restores said intricate detail & sources deemed non RS to an article recently subjected to a GA reassessment: GAR: Wolfgang Lüth.
- "more nonsense. raids is not euphemistic. heard of air raids?", editor asks, while simultaneously removing "raids" from the article and replacing it with "sorties over Britain" :-)
Panzer aces
- "You have missed an opportunity. As far as I am aware, this guy is only famous in the west for his alleged actions at 'Barkmann's Corner'. " From the archives.
- "Thanks for your work on the Panzer aces article – and for thanking me for basically reverting your addition of the book cover!" From the archives.
- "I'm not sure what's wrong with Panzer Ace as a reference which mentions Kling in its 6th para: http://www.panzerace.net/biography/ostfront-1942-43.htm", in Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Heinrich Kling
- "I love your user page, and the amount of examples of pro-Nazi, nationalist and myth crap you pointed out." From the archives.
- "Same unencyclopedic POV push as on List of World War II Panzer aces from Germany from K.e.coffman." With follow up from the same editor. In Michael Wittmann and my userpage.
- "Your rambling about how invicible the Tiger is or some authors opinions how they view tanks versus tanks engagements is irrelevant to the section". In German panzer aces.
- Click to view -- Not directed at me specifically, bur rather indicative of the audience for the article. Come to think of it, I'm actually quite "pro-German" as I hold de.wiki in high regard for its coverage of World War II topic and I myself have been suspected of being German. From the same editor:
- "Most people know of the unquestioned greatness of Michael Wittmann and
- this edit that turned "hero of all Nazi fanboys" into "hero". All in Michael Wittmann.
The Wehrmacht and its generals
- Epic discussion on Bewegungskrieg, in five parts. Productive dialog which resulted in the reduction of St Manstein's and other German generals' commentary as to the operational approach to the battle. In the Battle of Kursk.
- "The material from Smeltzer & Davies is misleading at best. Noone in his(von Mellenthin) book is referred to in a derogotory way as regards their race. Furthermore, the accusation that "Panzer Battles" is an exculpatory memoir makes no sense." In Friedrich von Mellenthin.
- Related: "I came to this page for more information on the book's contents, and instead find nothing but one-sided attacks against it." In Panzerschlachten.
Misc
- "This is the second time today that someone took the words right out of my mouth and made the same post that I was just about to make!". In Creation Museum.
- "We need to get rid of that unreliable 1950 newspaper source, and I can't do it alone. I need a sensible person to help put an end to the stalemate." and "Thanks for the help on the M4 page." From my Talk page. Also see, Unreliable 1950 newspaper source:
"the Russians [...] produced the best tanks. The Germans came next. And at the bottom of the list were the Allies."—The Russians were part of the Allies.
:-). In M4 Sherman. - After nominating an article for speedy deletion:
Thank you for that. I agree that this articles factual accuracy is questionable enough, and its material unsupported enough to warrant this.
Indy beetle (talk) 07:54, 10 July 2016 (UTC). In Battle of Sulina.
Problematic WWII content
This is just a portion of what other editors and I have encountered and fixed so far; the list would be far too long to enumerate everything. Click on the diff to see the '"Before and After" text:
Alternate History Department
High Moral Fiber Sub-department
- Manstein disobeys the Commissar order, despite what his own page says about it. In Eugen Müller.
- Yet another German general disapproves of the Commissar order, and on moral grounds at that, in one of the main Waffen-SS apologists Felix Steiner.
- Waffen-SS general is a staunch Nazi opponent, even with his pedigree of a president of Waffen-SS revisionist org, in Wilhelm Bittrich
- SS general and killing squad commander "works to reduce atrocities committed" (turns out he's an "opportunist" and "enthusiastic mass murderer" after all), in Arthur Nebe.
- ...responsible for the evacuation of over 40,000 civilians – yes, this is the same general who after the war called the Western Allies the "real war criminals" (after having been convicted himself). In Ramcke Parachute Brigade.
- Assumption that a convicted war criminal would have been accepted into Bundeswehr (same Ramcke), in Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke.
- Abwehr, "the center of anti-Hitler resistance" – who knew? In Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
- Non-notable anecdotes of modesty and concern for hungry German civilians -- from an "admiring subordinate"; in Erich Marcks.
- Rundstedt apologia, quoting himself: "In Germany before the war Rundstedt had not been noted as an anti-Semite. He testified at Nuremberg: "The generals either rejected the [Nazi] Party or were indifferent. As for the methods regarding the Jewish question, they absolutely rejected them, particularly because many comrades were severely affected by the Aryan laws." In Gerd von Rundstedt.
- The Scorched earth article highlights Albert Speer's role in "defying Hitler's order to destroy Germany's infrastructure"; more representative image provided instead.
- "Manstein was one of the very few high-ranking German field commanders who had the courage to confront Hitler about military strategy by putting his views into perspective, spoke objectively, and refused to be browbeaten". In Lost Victories, by self-proclaimed "Hitler's Most Brilliant General".
- Blatant lies: "According to Manstein, any low or high ranking Wehrmacht field commander who dared to openly argue or criticize Hitler right to his face resulted in an immediate dismissal and probably a court martial for insubordination or treason". Begs the question, why did Manstein retire in peace?
- Also blatantly untrue: Manstein never operated at the level of strategy.
- Self-serving concern presented in Wikipedia's voice as moral indignation: a Corps commander "made a strong but futile protest" to the OKW about Commissar Order. Let's not forget that it was his units that were "shooting unarmed Russian prisoners" and, if anything, it's testament about how widespread the murders were, that the general was so concerned for his own troops: "
Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers, without weapons and with hands raised, dispatched at close range by shots to the head. The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight--and we shall lose countless comrades.
— Did he resign in protest? No. Order his subordinate units to stop the practice? No. Not a single Corps commander did. In Joachim Lemelsen. - Wikipedia channels Wehrmacht mythology, via dated 1977 and 1957 sources, which I suspect are uncritical and potentially use subject's memoirs for inspiration: "one of the generals who opposed the principles of Nazism" and "his known anti-Nazi feelings resulted in his contribution to the defence of Cassino being played down by the German authorities". In Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin. This source discusses his "known antipathy to the regime" but nothing about the "opposition to the principles of Nazism". This antipathy did not prevent him from serving the regime faithfully.
Humanitarianism Award Showcase
Deserves its own subsection:
- "Cardinal left notes in the post-war apologist's diary praising his humanitarianism" – according to an unknown source, perhaps to himself. In Fritz Bayerlein.
- A humanitarian among Wehrmacht generals: "He was said to have been the most humane commander of fortress Crete", in Bruno Bräuer. Separately, "renowned for his gold cigarette case" is notable how?
- Wehrmacht as a humanitarian organisation. In Wehrmacht—wow.
- Follow-on: The note specifically advises to list only "humanitarian actions". If would be funny, if it weren't so apologist. Consequently, a Wehrmacht officer is a humanitarian for not "betraying [a victim] to the Nazi authorities". Also in Wehrmacht.
- Future convicted war criminal "was hoping to be able to make a start on the rehabilitation of Germany" (sourced to himself). "Instead, he found himself placed under arrest." (read: pesky Allies interfered with his planned endeavors). In Albert Kesselring.
- This general is lovingly (but uncited-ly) called "The Humane One" "by his troops". Close enough to a "humanitarian". In Hans-Valentin Hube.
- "Due to several incidents of openly broadcasting his sinkings to alert the Allies of the plight of the crews, he became [quite a celebrity, even on the Allied side. No indication that Allies knew who that was. In Herbert Schultze.
- Nomination: "... placed in a convalescent home allegedly for refusing to set fire to Smolensk in accordance with the Wehrmacht's scorched earth policy. Heinrici reportedly claimed that had Smolensk been burned to the ground he would not have been able to withdraw his troops through it." Definitely, humanitarianism. In Gotthard Heinrici
False Equivalence Sub-department
- After Nazi Germany's defeat, SS members are held in a 'concentration camp'; another instance of same, but now with a war-crimes trial held 'in a concentration camp', in Jochen Peiper.
- Continuing with the same theme of post-WWII martyrdom: more subtle wording around 'concentration camp', by adding 'former', but with lots of complaining about 'unfair' treatment of Waffen-SS as a criminal organization, even though the lead of the article states that the subject was involved in the Oradour massacre. In Otto Weidinger.
- "Germany was "running low on food supplies", in Wikipedia's voice, in an article describing the Hunger Plan. Update: better lead, from:
- "...an economic management scheme implemented by Nazi Germany during World War II which prioritised the availability of food for Germans ahead of the inhabitants of the German-occupied Soviet territories", to:
- "...a scheme implemented by Nazi Germany during World War II that envisioned death by starvation of millions of Slavic and Jewish "useless eaters" following Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union".
- Service in the SS is equated to a "military career". In Joachim Peiper.
- Ah, Wehrmacht was just like the U.S. army, such friendly chaps! "US equiv. Lieutenant general". In Hugo Sperrle.
- A "war correspondent" in the Wehrmacht during World War II, who knew. In Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid.
- Note the convenient linking to neutral war correspondent, while the German term offered [Kriegsberichter] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) does have a de.wiki article (Kriegsberichter , a World War II section of which contains only: "Main article: Propagandakompanie "
- Original article: ...was a war correspondent and Leutnant of the Reserves with the Fallschirmjäger during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid was the only war correspondent ([Kriegsberichter] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) in the Wehrmacht to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.—With obligatory totemic translation of the "Knights' Cross" and other flowery language.
- Wikipedia claims "continued tradition" between the Wehrmacht and the Bundeswehr: diff, even proving a picture of the current symbol:
The tradition continues (though with an edelweiss pin of different design) among current Gebirgsjäger-qualified personnel in the Bundeswehr (common German military soldiers wear a beret rather than the Bergmütze mountain cap used by mountain, ski, and Jäger units). Mountain troops' uniform jackets also bear an edelweiss emblem ovoid sleeve patch.
In Wehrmacht mountain troops badge.
- French collaborator turns into a "volunteer", who moreover is highly-decorated, and not at all has been criminally convicted. See Der Freiwillige (The Volunteer) of HIAG or Siegrunen by Richard Landwehr. In Henri Joseph Fenet.
- Luftwaffe lives on in Wikipedia, with extra effort taken to pipe German Air Force to Luftwaffe: diff. Also in the section heading; my edit summary was: "english wikipedia". Both in Erich Hartmann.
Co-located Obfuscation Department
- War crimes are minimized through subtle use of linking, in Otto Weidinger, or omission from the lead, even for by-all-accounts-notorious mass murderer Friedrich Jeckeln or somewhat-less-odious, but still with over 10,000 victims on his hands, in Gustav Lombard.
- In another example, the description of the award as bestowed for "extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership" is more important than a war-crimes conviction, in Eberhard von Mackensen.
- A presumed war criminal is merely a highly decorated soldier, according to the lead; in Johannes Blaskowitz.
- Here's another example: Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, famous for causing a furor in West Germany in 1952 when he publicly called the Western Allies "the real war criminals" (and that after having been released from prison early due to personal intervention of Chancellor Adenauer, who was incensed to the point of wanting to have Ramke prosecuted). In Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke.
- Even Himmler's notorious Bandenkämpfung chief Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski gets off easy: he simply "did not stand trial at Nuremberg"
- Similarly, various Waffen-SS units somehow "get involved in", rather than commit, massacres (six instances in one edit). In Waffen-SS.
- In the same vein, French resistance is to blame for Waffen-SS massacres: 'His execution was to have dire consequences...'; it also turns into 'underground Communist threat' (caps in the original). In Waffen-SS, Henri Joseph Fenet.
- A perpetrator's own words can 'refute' testimony against them, as is the case with Kurt Meyer; nevermind that he's been convicted of war crimes after all
- It is unconscionable that war criminals are denied their well-deserved war pensions. In Sepp Dietrich.
- A Holocaust perpetrator is presented as a "prominent dentist" and a mere functionary. In Otto-Heinrich Drechsler.
- Apparently, just because a general retires, he cannot be a war criminal. In Johann Fortner.
- Apologia presented as fact; no wonder, I first spotted it because it referred to the massacre as an "incident" that the unit on the division was "involved in". In 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.
- SS Division Wiking did commit war crimes but its record is ""clear of war crimes prosecutions" – that is some serious twisting of the logic. In Felix Steiner.
- Which section name conveys more information and is more specific: "Postwar" or "Criminal conviction and execution"? In Oswald Pohl.
- Another example of the obfuscation principle: the Knight's Cross is present in the lead, but not the sinking of a passenger liner, which in turn is described as merely an "incident". In Fritz-Julius Lemp. Also present: Franz Kurowski in the bibliography.
- Four POV captions in one edit: troops are "entering" Poland, for example. In Wehrmacht.
- War crimes and execution are not mentioned in the lead, as per usual. In Alexander Löhr.
- Another war criminal with no mention of the crime in the lead.That's probably the only thing the subject is notable for. In Kurt Mälzer.
- White washing of the Wehrmacht generals, as per usual: "expand lead with material from the article" is a typical edit summary in such cases. In Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel.
Outstanding Achievements in Euphemismia
- Nazi bomber pilots never "bombed" anything; instead, they:
- "...executed attack missions against airfields, vehicles, trains, tanks, field artillery positions and antiaircraft artillery, and infantry attacks against the Soviets". The cities and civilians are never mentioned; plus the pejorative "Soviets". In Josef Kociok.
- "...took part in attacks on London". More from the same diff: "unit also attacked Coventry" & "attacked the same targets". In Kampfgeschwader 76
- "...served on the Channel Front, flying missions against England". In Kampfgeschwader 100.
- "...engaged British shipping". More from the same diff: "unit (...) reported attacks over Bristol"; "...continued to operate over Britain"; "...participated in attacks on Portsmouth". Also: ... "unit flew missions over Marseille". All in Kampfgeschwader 51.
- Another bomber pilot who actually never bombed anything, let alone civilian targets:
- ...flew numerous missions against British ports and industrial centers at London, Coventry and Portsmouth". From the same diff: "...attacked airfields, railway stations as well as tank and troop concentrations in the Proskurov and Lvov areas". As editor Roches put it:
"The German bomber pilot only ever hit military targets while the Allied "terrorists" only ever hit churches, hospitals and orphanages"
(diff).This proof of this (aka the truth) lives on in Wikipedia. In Siegfried Barth.
- ...flew numerous missions against British ports and industrial centers at London, Coventry and Portsmouth". From the same diff: "...attacked airfields, railway stations as well as tank and troop concentrations in the Proskurov and Lvov areas". As editor Roches put it:
- Directly from the Ministry of Propaganda, 1943 edition: A bomber wing "took part in reprisal raids against British targets..." (not "bombed"). In Kampfgeschwader 6.
- From the same article: "operations over Britain"; "raids against London (took place)"; "attacked targets"; "sorties over Britain", etc. Finally found an instance of something being "bombed", but it's in a awkward turn of phrase of "Rail targets were bombed" (not the unit bombed them, similar to "raids took place" as if on their own volition. Sounds somewhat similar to "units being involved in massacres, vs perpetrating them). Also of note is that only "rail targets" and "artillery positions" were bombed, not the city itself. Precision bombing? :-) Also in Kampfgeschwader 6.
- However, an editor objects: more nonsense. raids is not euphemistic. heard of air raids?", they ask, while simultaneously removing "raids" from the article and replacing it with "sorties over Britain" :-)
- More objections: "common phrase in air warfare not euphemistic at all", while replacing "bombed Allied convoys" with "was engaged in anti-shipping missions" (also note the typical passive voice). My response: "simpler and in plain English". Let's see if this sticks.
- Operation Margarethe, the German occupation of Hungary, was apparently "done to ensure the country's participation in the war"; read: "it was totes for its own good!" and / or "it was a defensive move". My edit summary: "per linked article". Also note the passive voice of "was done" as if by its own volition. In Panzer Lehr Division.
- The ubiquitous "Polish Campaign", piped (correctly) to the Invasion of Poland article: diff. In Joachim Helbig.
- In a similar vein, German occupation of Czechoslovakia becomes "Annexation of the Sudetenland", also with correct piping. Indeed, the history is written by the losing side (at least on Wikipedia). In Wilhelm Philipps.
- For some, a "victorious Polish Campaign", for others death and destruction: diff. In Junkers Ju 88.
"Annexation of the Sudetenland"], also with correct piping. Indeed, the history is written by the losing side (at least on Wikipedia). In Wilhelm Philipps.
- More of the same: invasion of France becomes ""Western offensive against France" (??). In Jagdgeschwader 2.
- For fun, I turned "American bombing raids" into "American operations over Germany". Nice to see that someone is actually "bombing" on Wikipedia. In Jagdgeschwader 3.
- From the same article: "to bomb" into "to attack" & more. Somebody has to stand up for "victor's justice" :-)
- Three more: diff. In Jagdgeschwader 1 (one needs to look in articles on German fighter arm to find someone, namely Allied terrorists, bombing cities & civilians, with helpful piping from "U-boat Yards" to the "Bombing of Bremen").
- Compare with "attacking" into "bombing" & "operations against" into "bombing". In Joachim Helbig.
- Another reversal:
- From: Despite JG 2 scoring its 2,000th kill in January 1944, the ongoing defensive operations against the USAAF bomber offensive took its toll on the Jagdgeschwaders, JG 2 being no exception; Many novices and replacement pilots were killed through the first half of 1944, and more importantly the ever fewer experienced and irreplaceable Experten were also being lost.
- To: Successful USAAF operations over Germany led to many novice and replacement pilots being killed through the first half of 1944; more importantly, the experienced pilots were also being lost.
- Note the undertones of the "defensive operations" against the Allied aggressors with their "bomber offensive" (here's a term I've yet to see used to describe any of the German units) . Plus, "continually bombing" into "operating sorties against...". In Jagdgeschwader 2.
- Likewise, only the British conducted "bombing campaigns", while Germany simply defended its borders: "with the country at war", "defended against", and "the Third Reich", as usual. Another instance of "Reich", with "defence attached: diff. See: Defenders of Fortress Europe (yes, there's a WWII book with this name). In Carl-Alfred Schumacher.
- In this article, Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany becomes "Defence of Occupied Norway", while the northernmost thrust of Operation Barbarossa is rendered as incomprehensible "Soviet Union Invasion" (which almost reads as if the Soviet Union were invading something). In Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen (could also qualify for the section on "Eagles of the Reich".
- Another surprising difference between RAF and Luftwaffe articles is that German aircraft is almost never identified as "bombers"; see for example this diff, where the word "bomber" is mentioned just once, and only in the context of being "crippled". Not so with the RAF articles. The saga of this Good article reassessment is still on-going, and the article in its current state is still pretty much "classic Luftwaffe propaganda", as one reviewer put it. My edit above was reverted, for example, among other attempts of improving this article, on the grounds of them being "very destructive attacks on the text". In Joachim Helbig.
- The "Invasion of Western Europe; Battle of Britain" section name becomes "Campaigns in Western Europe and over Britain". Also in Joachim Helbig, also reverted.
- World War II apparently "breaks out" on its own volition. Plus the ever present "Polish Campaign". In Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, with this combo having been found in many other articles.
"Victim of History" Studies
German: Opfer der Geschichte Abzeichen:
- Ominous ""He was executed by the Allied Powers for war crimes in 1946"—missing the steps of being (1) indicted, (2) convicted and (3) sentenced to death, let alone any mentions of his "so-called war crimes" (ironic quotation marks"). Read: "An upstanding Wehrmacht general has been treated unfairly in the kangaroo court of victor's justice". In Alfred Jodl.
- Same article: section name goes right from trial to execution.
- Section name: from "Under the regime" (read: victim), to "Serving the regime" (read: perpetrator). In Gerd von Rundstedt
- Another SS man as "victim of history" under the Nazi regime. In Erich Roth.
- Because a subordinate "undertook" (sic) a massacre, this commander's "reputation was tarnished". In Sylvester Stadler.
- Deserves quoting almost in full:
Mummert was determined to lead the survivors of his division in an escape to the west. Ignoring Weidling's calls for a cessation of hostilities, Mummert ordered the breakout attempt to get underway. Late in the day he went missing during heavy fighting, surfacing years later in Soviet captivity. The remnants of 18th Panzergrenadier joined the escape attempt, and both divisions attempted to battle their way to the west and surrender to the Americans. By 3 May the divisions had reached a river crossing in Spandau. The bridge was under heavy Soviet artillery fire, but the few survivors of the Müncheberg attempted to cross the bridge. Those who made it across the bridge found that they were surrounded by the Soviet forces, and on 5 May the division disintegrated. Several small groups of men had managed to reach the Americans.
As of Dec 2015, this one of the early encounters with such POV content; my comment was: "too much high drama. In Panzer Division Müncheberg.
- Another war criminal goes straight from trial to imprisonment, apparently bypassing the important step of having been convicted. In Gustav Knittel.
- Victor's justice: "Imprisonment, trial, and death". Aka "Conviction and execution". In Alexander Löhr.
- Future commander of SS Infantry Brigade was "asked" to join the SS by Himmler. In Karl Fischer von Treuenfeld.
- Another future commander of the SS Infantry Brigade was "exposed to philosophy of NSDAP". In Fritz von Scholz.
- A VoH poem:
- The Tide of War
- As the war turned against Germany,
- [the unit] was forced to operate
- deeper and deeper in the German heartland,
- finally staging out of East Prussia
- by the end of the war.
- In rather POV article on Jagdgeschwader 51. K.e.coffman (talk) 06:46, 28 September 2016 (UTC)
- "Hopelessly outnumbered and hampered by lack of fuel, the unit fought on until the collapse of the Reich" -- with much pathos, and POV "Reich" again. In Jagdgeschwader 3.
- Continuing with the same theme: "... facing overwhelming odds in their struggle...". See also: Lost Cause of the Confederacy. In Jagdgeschwader 53.
- The perfect showcase for "victim of history" studies: completely innocent Heimkehrer ("home comers") & "soldiers". The article conveniently leaves out the fact that many of the late returnees (1955) were convicted Nazi criminals, both military and civilian, and that some were subsequently tried and convicted in West Germany (after some international outcry & embarrassment). In Heimkehrer.
- Another criminal goes straight from arrest to execution; changed to Arrest, trial and conviction. In Josef Albert Meisinger, notable for being a commander of Einsatzgruppe IV on Poland.
Apocrypha Sub-department
- Memoirs presented as fact: Okay, this was a highly successful Luftwaffe ace, but c'mon – 'being chased by hundreds of pursuers with dog packs'? (according to himself); this entry has a dubious distinction of being cited in Smelser & Davies' book The Myth of the Eastern Front. In Hans-Ulrich Rudel.
- Erhard Raus 'fights a masterpiece of attack', according to himself. In Erhard Raus.
- Altogether unsourced apocrypha: 'the SS were inspired to capture the pass only after Meyer threw a live grenade at the feet of some of his soldiers' – and it only takes 6 years to remove it; in MacKenzie's Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach, this anecdote is cited to Meyer's memoirs, which have been described by Charles Sydnor as 'perhaps the boldest and most truculent of the apologist works'. In 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
- Myth cited as in an encyclopedia: the 'infamous' armband order. In Sepp Dietrich.
- Physical capacity, intelligence, mobility, nerve, pugnacity, daring and stoicism – according to the commanding general, of course. In Afrika Korps.
- "Chivalrous in War, Vigilant for Peace" – Evocative unsourced motto. Also in Afrika Korps.
- Supposedly, led to rivalry between the ministerial bureaucracy and the Wehrmacht executive staff – claim attributed to the chief OKW propagandist and shown to be false. In Wehrmachtbericht.
- Per linked article, "Sepp Allerberger" is a book character. Wikipedia presents this apocryphal personality who may not be a real person as a statement of fact (unsourced from 2013).
- The lead concisely, but eloquently states: "He was a great war leader", in Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen.
- Even this SS Oberst-Gruppenführer comes across as a potential member of the German military opposition: Rommel "was convinced that Dietrich would follow him if there was an armistice in the West", via a 3rd hand account by Davide Fraser, whose writing been described as "dramatic, swirling prose that encapsulates the post-1945 hagiographic approach". In Sepp Dietrich.
- On the brink of victory: "The attack was making good progress and the corps advanced to within sight of the city. However the corps, including 1st Panzer Division, was ordered removed..."; editor's comment: "Highly dubious: the Soviets were fighting like demons" . In 1st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).
- *Ah, here's the "Nur-Soldat" concept in action: "The author Heinz Höhne in The Order under the Death Head characterized Gille as an enigma and "Nur-Soldat" (nothing but soldier) who once threatened a newly assigned Weltanschauungsoffizier (political indoctrination officer) with a clean-out squad to (...) throw them and the officer out of the unit." He also successfully surrenders to the U.S. forces: "He marched towards the U.S. troops in order to avoid surrendering to Soviet forces". In Herbert Gille.
- "The second most successful Austro-German sniper of the war and (possibly) co-recipient of the Knight's Cross, Josef Allerberger, witnessed the Count's injury (and subsequent death) and recalls the incident in his memoirs." My edit summary: "article for this subject has been deleted as a hoax". For AfD, please see: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Josef Allerberger. In Albert Graf von der Goltz.
- Wehrmacht heroes demonstrate unbroken spirit & fight the injustice, even when in captivity, but according to whom?". In Erich Hartmann, the article that keeps on giving.
Apocryphal nicknames
I'm going to start collecting nicknames of various military figures, as this appears to be a theme.
- First entry is Willi in Wilhelm Bittrich.
- Here's good one: "Unser Giftzwerg (literally "our poison dwarf", meaning "our tough little bastard")", lovingly included in the infobox. Uncited and does not come up again in the article. In Gotthard Heinrici.
- 2-for-1 deal: "Lion of Vilna, also Tolsdorff the Great (Tolle Tolsdorff)". In Theodor Tolsdorff.
- Here's a good one: "Känonen". In Kurt Knispel, the "top scoring panzer ace, who continues to draw in WWII buffs: copyvio #1 and copyvio #2.
- Verbatim quotation from article: "Because he had been born in Transylvania, he was nicknamed Count Dracula by his comrades." Dif. fIn Hans-Hartwig Trojer.
- "Bruno, Annihilator of Shturmoviks". Same article, different nickname: "Butcher Killer". Both in
GA articleOtto Kittel. - "The Lion of Yelnya". The article goes on to state that the subject "prevented a complete Soviet encirclement in the Yelnya Offensive" and "for his stiff, hold-out defense of Wehrmacht forces evacuating the salient, earned the nickname the "Lion of Yelnya" from his soldiers". In Heinz Greiner.
- A whimsical one: "Cherry Brandi". In Albrecht Brandi.
- "Papa" (enough said :-) ): diff. In Julius Ringel.
- Another "papa": "Papa Schulze". In Werner Schulze.
Gulag / Allied Treachery Sub-department
- Soviet POW camps are part of the Gulag (favorite word in these articles). In Reiner Stahel.
- Another reference to the Gulag, combined with American perfidy (sourced to a Waffen-SS collector site). In 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf.
- Surprisingly, the Red Army invades Germany; the "invasion" theme apparently has long history on Wikipedia. In 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg.
- What are 'military passenger ships'? They do exist on Wikipedia. In MV Wilhelm Gustloff.
- Fear of the "revenge from the Russians" drives this German general to suicide. In Battle of Slivice.
- "Allied atrocities" cited to dasreich.ca: "According to some sources the murder / killing was in revenge..." In Karl Kloskowski.
- How does the editor know this with such certainty? "..was killed on 14 December 1942 after being beaten by Soviet troops following a crash landing". In Heinrich Krafft.
- Maybe the subject was feeling guilty about the crimes he had committed while "assisting the Einsatzgruppen in rounding up the Jewish population in the occupied territories"? Article states: "... committed suicide in an American POW camp on 10 May 1945 because of possible transfer to the Soviet Union". In Fritz Freitag.
Mountains-out-of-anthills Sub-department
- Non-existing battles prolifirate (links in the original): Milava Position diff, in Hubert-Erwin Meierdress.
- First Battle of Ladoga and Second Battle of Ladoga (diff). In 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland.
- Even Hill 112 deserves a battle: Battle of Hill 112. In Eduard Deisenhofer.
- Yes another battle for a hill: Hill 111. In Georg Hurdelbrink.
- Combo of non-existing pocket and German spelling: Volchow Pocket diff. In Fritz Freitag.
- A "panzer ace" gets his own eponymous non-existing battle, while fighting non-existing Sherman tanks. Compare with "the legend of Barkmann's corner". In Ernst_Barkmann.
- Another non-existing battle: Battle of Durkov Pass (link in the original). In Johann Schwerdfeger, which is also notable for including a citation to funtrivia.com.
- A withdrawal can be a "success". In 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland.
- From the early days of Wiki editing: "After subjugating Poland, his unit...". My edit summary was: "Whoa—his unit subjugated Poland all by itself? :-)". In this particular case, this unit, capable of subjugating an entire country, is a company. In Otto Weidinger.
- Reverse example—Mountains into hills: The Soviet advance is described as a "series of tactical pushes". Editor's commentary: "The soviets moved hundreds of km forward!". In 4th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).
- In the vein of "pan-European fight against Bolshevism", three men do not a unit make. Editor's comment: "As far as the Irish in the Waffen-SS, could only find two men known to have served; maybe a third; so not an 'Irish Brigade'". In Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts.
- 'Wikipedia takes military matters too seriously sometimes: from "at a meeting before the attack on Tobruk" to "in a propaganda photograph". What else was a propaganda company there for, except to capture moments of Rommel's military genius? :-) . In Walther Nehring.
Ignorance Sub-department
- This is probably just plain ignorance, as Commissar Order was not in effect at that time. The division must have been executing officers and commissars all on its own accord. In Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
- In the same Ignorance Department, Operation Barbarossa extends well into 1943, also in Leibstandarte. In another instance, it extends through the winter of 1941/1942. In Eastern Front Medal.
- At the start of Barbarossa, a German panzer division encircles "large Soviet forces" at Lublin, which is impossible as the city had been occupied by Germany since 1939. In 13th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).
- In a similar vein, this SS man's unit is sent "at the end of 1940 (...) to subdue insurgents in Lithuania", with "insurgents in Lithuania" being piped to Occupation of the Baltic states. This article clearly states that it's about the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. They must have been "subduing" some other "insurgents". In Otto Weidinger.
- I assume this belongs in "Ignorance": Nazi propaganda cited verbatim, in block quote, in the Horst Wessel article.
- Musings from an armchair general, uncited from 2011: "Had the 11th Army been available as a reserve, it could have been used to reinforce the 6th Army...". Filing under ignorance of what Wikipedia is, or at least supposed to be. In 11th Army (Wehrmacht).
- Must be seen to be believed: VIII Corps of the Wehrmacht links to a Soviet formation, the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps. In 3rd Estonian SS Volunteer Brigade.
- Alternate linguistics: "This offensive was known in German as the Plattensee Offensive, in Russian as the Balaton Defensive Operation" (editor's comment: "these phrases are not in these languages"). In Operation Spring Awakening.
- Article on an Wehrmacht soldier links to Battle of Kowel, a First World War engagement, in Alfred Großrock.
- Citation to a TV show, with inaccurate information, in Third Battle of Kharkov.
- In the same article, an obscure source is used to claim that "52 Soviet army divisions ceased to be effective fighting units".
- Still on Third Battle of Kharkov: Manstein's forces are simultaneously understrength and have received a fresh SS Panzer Corps and two panzer armies.
- Editor using Paul Carell as a source cannot spell his name correctly, resulting in "Paul Carroll". In Scorched earth.
- Sticking this into Ignorance / Comparative Geography department, but it's mostly funny. Editor's comment: "Rm refs to Montana and New York. Wikipedia is an international encyclopedia and refs to US states are off topic and unhelpful to most readers". In Case Blue.
- Choice of language produces some strange effects: "At the beginning of 1944, along with the rest of German forces on the Eastern Front, the 20th Panzer Division spent the winter fighting near the Polotsk, Vitebsk areas..." My original edit summary: "This did not make sense -- all the rest of the German forces were fighting near Polotsk?" In 20th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).
- Minor, but nonetheless illustrative: Inability / lack of knowledge to correctly include the name of the opposing army group commander: "Kiponus". In 44th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht).
- Link for the Panzer Commander book was going to the video game of the same name. In List of military writers.
- According to the worldview of Luftwaffe romances, the "Drive to Moscow" extends well into 1942: "Most of early 1942 was spent in operations supporting the Central Front drive towards Moscow...". The section is appropriately named "Drive to Moscow (1942)". In Jagdgeschwader 51.
- Strange turn of phrase: "Following his capitulation Greiner was held as an Allied Prisoner of War until his release and subsequent retirement in 1947." ?? There was nothing to retire from. In Heinz Greiner.
- Operations by a Luftwaffe bomber wing are listed as "Soviet Operations". In the iconographically named Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 article.
Hall of fame
- The world would be better off if a Wikipedia article on the SS Oath existed (caps and link in the original). In Jochen Peiper, the Waffen-SS romancers' darling and martyr.
- Hmm, 'increasingly harsh conditions for the concentration camp inmates' in 1945 and because Nazi Germany was losing the war? As if they were not harsh in 1941, 42, 43, etc... There are some real gems here. In SS-Totenkopfverbände.
- Odious 'Blowtorch Battalion' nickname becomes a point of pride (even the SS Div Leibstandarte veterans were not too public using it in the post-war context); compare to saner interpretations. Also in Jochen Peiper.
- Himmler is cited in Wikipedia's voice: Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler stated, "Once the Führer himself has made a decision and given the order, it must be carried out, not only according to the word and the letter, but also in spirit." In Schutzstaffel.
- This takes the cake – "the consummate SS man", wow. In Fritz Klingenberg.
- Broadly applicable: "He was a military genius". In Heinz Guderian.
- As said in The Unknown Soldier documentary by Michael Verhoeven: "Ah, partisanen!", in response to a question about an atrocity in a Dutch village (see clip: "World War II justified by former German soldiers). In Anti-Partisan Guerrilla Warfare Badge.
- Not sure what this even means: "Nationalist is a term to be treated with caution". In Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke.
- In the more extreme case, as Holocaust denier does not know how to spell Holocaust: "Holocost was a lie". In Richard Glücks.
- 1943 Nazi propaganda book included in Further reading. Where would one find such a book? :-) In 17th Panzer Division.
- This edit summary by editor Beyond My Ken warms my heart :-) "Remove Nazi apologist edit". In Oradour-sur-Glane massacre.
- Nazi salute listed in the infobox under "Motto"; my edit summary was "Seriously?". In 1st Cavalry Division (Wehrmacht).
- The article on a "U-boat ace" lists a 1940 publication by the subject in its bibliography: U-Boot-Fahrer von heute. Erzählt und gezeichnet von einem U-Boot-Kommandanten (Translation: "Submarine commanders of today. Narrated and drawn by a U-boat commander"). How could this possibly not lead to a more "nuanced portrayal" of this Wehrmacht hero? In Joachim Schepke.
- Wow, what a way to portray a family tragedy: "His wife, Eva Ledien, was of Jewish descent. She committed suicide in October 1938 so that their children could be Aryanized. "This freed Willibald to follow his career". Plus the usual "capture" while the unit "surrenders". In Willibald Borowietz.
- Considering that Armia Krajowa lost 15,000 troops KIA, while 150,000 to 200,000 civilians were killed during the Warsaw Uprising, the Knight's Cross in this case was awarded 90% for atrocities, and 10% for "successful military leadership". (I'm pretty sure that "extreme battlefield bravery" was not involved, as it's hard to imagine a high-ranking SS figure to be personally storming barricades).
- The achievement was celebrated in the Werhmachtbericht (an OKW press release, aka unadulterated Nazi propaganda) as follows:
Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation 1 October 1944 (addendum) [Bei der Niederwerfung des Aufstandes in Warschau haben sich die im Verband des SS-Obergruppenführers und General der Polizei von Bach unter Führung des Generalmajors Rohr kämpfenden Verbände des Heeres, der Waffen-SS und der Luftwaffe durch Härte und kühnes Draufgängertum besonders ausgezeichnet.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[1] During the suppression of the uprising in Warsaw, fighting forces of the Army, the Waffen-SS and the Luftwaffe under the command of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Police von Bach under the leadership of Major General Rohr have particularly distinguished themselves by showing toughness and audacious recklessness.
References
- In Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski; the said mention required four (!) tries to remove.
Three Wehrmacht alibis
Taking the lead from Jonathan House's lecture on the mythology of the Eastern Front. House is David Glantz’s co-author on When Titans Clashed: "The Three Alibis"
Separately, randomly came across this on a Talk page:
- "It is fairly well established that the effectiveness of the Blitzkrieg has been exaggerated by commentators who remain excessively under the spell cast by the sheer shock and drama of the German offensives, and have therefore overrated the impact on war of military methods which represented more of an improvisation than the fruition of a coherent doctrine. The potential of motorised internal combustion engine-based weaponry and logistics was less fully grasped than talk of Blitzkrieg might suggest. Aside from this analytical issue, there is also a question whether the fighting quality of the Wehrmacht has in fact been exagger- ated. Both were to become apparent with Operation Barbarossa. On the German side, there is still a tendency to regard their defeat as due to being beaten in "the production battle in the factories," (see K.-H. Frieser, "Kursk-Turning Point of the War?" RUSI Journal 148, no. 5 (October 2003): 80) and to minimise or ignore the extent to which they were outfought.
- All-too-much of the work on the German side is based on postwar analyses of their own campaigns by German commanders and staff officers. This places the responsibility for defeat on resource issues, the size and climate of the Soviet Union, and, above all, Hitler's interventions, leading to a situation in which "the quasimythical level of excellence attributed to German operational and tactical planning" persists in the face of extensive archival evidence that highlights battlefield mistakes by German commanders. (See for example: Steven H. Newton, ed., Kursk: The German View. Eyewitness Reports of Operation Citadel by the German Commanders)"
- Source: Jeremy Black. War Stories, The Journal of Military History, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Jul., 2005), pp. 827-832
#1: "That idiot Hitler!"
- Rundsted blames Hitler for the defeat of Barbarossa, in a paragraph cited to "influential military writer"{{peacock}} Liddel-Hart which in turn is based on "extensive interviews with [...] with Rundsted ("all the Army leaders", "following their training in the Prussian military tradition", blah, blah).
- Rundsted was "dismissed for resisting Hitler's interference in the Russian campaign", not because Barbarossa failed. In Gerd von Rundstedt.
- Verlorene Siege, the mother of the German Wehrmacht apologetic memoir genre, with its suggestive title "Lost Victories" (i.e. if it weren't for Hitler, Russian winter, and "endless waves", Wehrmacht would not have "lost the war"). Read: WWII was Germany's to lose, and not for the Allies to win. K.e.coffman (talk) 05:37, 30 May 2016 (UTC)
- More from Verlorene Siege. Manstein (via a helpful wikipedia editor) on why he lost: "Hitler had forbidden his armed forces to fortify river lines".
- Typical post-WWII apologia from a German general: "loss of further men unnecessarily due to Hitler's orders to turn cities and towns into fortresses", in Erhard Raus.
- A perfect distillation of post-war Wehrmacht apologia: "Hitler's command of the OKH however, led to disastrous defeats of the German Army in the Eastern Front, and soon on the Western Front". Suggest reading Inside Hitler's High Command by Geoffrey P. Megargee. In Oberkommando des Heeres.
#2: "Brutal Russian winter"
- ""Once the full fury of the Russian winter struck, which was the coldest in over 50 years..." In Fedor von Bock.
- "... but by then the first blizzards of the Russian Winter had already begun". This one was even linked appropriately – in Operation Barbarossa.
- "... before the Russian Winter forced the German forces to take up winter positions"; also linked correctly. In Case Blue.
- "Despite the onset of a brutal winter, the Germans doggedly advanced on Moscow". In Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma.
- "The Soviet defense of its capital at the onset of the [[General Winter|brutal Russian winter]] stalled out the hitherto seemingly-unstoppable Nazi German invasion; piping to General Winter, how appropriate – in Strategic victory.
- "More of non-ironic use of the General Winter article, with piping: [[Russian Winter|characteristically severe Russian winter weather]] and [[Russian Winter|Russian winter]]. In Tiger I. Did the Wehrmacht not know that it gets cold there in winter?
- Follow up to the above entry: second attempt at removing "Brutal 1941 winter". Tiger I was not in production yet. :-) In Tiger I.
- "In spite of beginning to suffer heavy rates of attrition, the Panzer Armies marched along. The Rasputitza Season (season of no movement in Russian - due to heavy rains and sluggish muddy roads) was terrible and took its toll on German equipment. Progress was often slowed down to a few kilometres a day. Nonetheless, the Germans marched on." --> becomes: "The rasputitsa season (literally "roadlessness", due to heavy rains and sluggish muddy roads) was terrible, but not unusual. Nonetheless, Wehrmacht did not prepare for this contingency as the German high command had expected the German army to be in Moscow and beyond at this time, with the campaign over by the fall." In 2nd Panzer Army.
- Both mud and cold in one sentence: "After great initial success,[dubious ] the attack bogged down in mud, and was halted in December by severe cold...". In Georg-Hans Reinhardt.
- "...remained on the front throughout the winter, suffering more from the difficult climatic conditions than from enemy actions", while also "defending against the fierce and continuing Russian attacks". In 1st Parachute Division (Germany).
#3: "Endless waves of men and tanks"
Another favorite alibi of the former Wehrmacht generals; to quote Friedrich von Mellenthin, these waves "eventually submerged the superior Wehrmacht, like the stones in the ocean" (or something to this effect
- "The numerical superiority of the Red Army" was only reason why Operation Spring Awakening failed
- "Allied air and naval superiority forced the German units to retreat" -- Verdammt Allies with their ships and airplanes! Moreover, the units don't just retreat, they are forced to do so (in many other articles, too). In Parachute-Panzer Division Hermann Göring.
- Channeling Panzerschlachten, Wikipedia states: "Reinhardt's shattered forces could not stem these overwhelming attacks, and this caused disputes with [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]." In Georg-Hans Reinhardt.
- "It was no more than an understrength unit formed from remnants, thrown into battle to halt the Soviet onslaught into the German heartland". May also qualify for "Poetic language" and "Selective empathy". In Panzergrenadier Division Kurmark.
Dubious unsourced claims and POV language
"Bled itself white" & more poetic language
- "Leading from the front", in SS Division Wiking
- "Battle of the European SS" – trifecta of unsourced dubious claims, POV language and POV linking, in SS Division Nordland
- "Lead from the front with jovial, caring attitude", in Fritz von Scholz
- "Bled itself white", in SS Division Nordland
- More of "bleeding itself white", in SS Division Wiking.
- Yet more of "bleeding itself white" – Ah, this is the meta theme of sacrifice, in SS Division Totenkopf
- Uncited POV language: "The Dutch were seen as especially well qualified for service in the SS", more, in SS Division Nederland
- More poetic language: "The Legionnaires were stunned, but had little time to mourn their lost leader.". In SS Division Nederland.
- Combo of "ferocious battles", "stemming the tide" and German terms, such as "the abteilung" and "abt"; no italics or translation in the original. In Hubert-Erwin Meierdress.
- The POV language has gone too far here with "resurrection' of the Afrika Korps; "rebirth" (of a division!) is equally poetic, in 21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
- More of the same: "Alternate geography; "stem the tide"; ahistorical terms; "much-needed recuperation"; etc., in 2nd Parachute Division (Germany)
- Only took 9 (!) years to clean up up an article, in Franz Böhme
- The French SS unit was apparently so insignificant, that to pad its 'engagement' listing, locality names were used instead. Also present: Sacrifice; Defiance; Survivors -- all extremely popular concepts in these articles, in SS Division Charlemagne
- (Re)visions of grandeur on behalf of the admirers of the SS Div Leibstandarte.
- More of "desperate fighting" and "repulsing all enemy attacks", in Walloon Legion.
- Infamous (?) Battle of Kursk – since when?. In 82nd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht).
- Yes, "hellish" and "annihilated" in one sentence! In 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland.
- Felix Steiner is described in Wikipedia's voice, without quotation or attribution, as "probably the best SS officer available", in 11th SS Panzer Army.
- Apparently, one can be "liberated" from prison, in the case of a convicted war criminal Albert Kesselring. Second attempt at the same change.
- War as something not to be missed: "... returned to the regiment, in time for the Polish Campaign" is an excellent way to describe the start of World War II; fun times. Also note "Polish Campaign" while the event is (normally) known is the Invasion of Poland. In Walter Schmidt (SS officer).
- "Annihilated" times 2. In Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- What is the significance of the date that it apparently needs its own article? '...after an equally gallant action on the 28th...' (link in the original)
Surrender? Never!
- Why always "captured" and never "taken prisoner" or "surrendered"? In Hans Boeckh-Behrens and dozens, if not hundreds, of other articles.
- Even in section names: "Italian front and "capture". Perhaps it is just a "Germanised" turn of phrase, but it reads rather POV: i.e. Germany was not defeated; instead, it was overrun by "overwhelming masses of Allied men, tanks and aircraft" and its soldiers never laid down their weapons and surrendered, but were "captured"? In Gerhard von Schwerin.
- The German forces "surrendered" but the general was "captured". That does not make sense. In Werner Sanne.
- This German general was "captured" while the caption to the infobox photo is "Hitter and corps commander Gollwitzer surrender to Soviet forces". Moreover, the article states that "his division was encircled and forced to surrender". Seriously. In Alfons Hitter.
- In this instance, I was thinking "finally, a general surrenders!" But no, in the very next sentence, we get "capture" again. And another frequent reference: "released from captivity", as well. In Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben.
Alternate geography
- Pet peeve – German versions of locality names: example, another one; even POW camps are located in German- (Czech-?) sounding places: Šuja; German spelling results in non-existing Bielgorod or, a variant, Bjelgorod (see diff) (links in the original). Bjelgorod was listed as the place of death, so it must be a variant of the Knight-Cross-Holder-died-there-so-there-must-be-an-article-for-it below.
- Just because a Knight's Cross holder dies there, does not mean that an article needs to be created: e.g. Losovka (see diff); Petit Coo (see diff); Büttgenbach (see diff); Bass Bodeux (see diff); "Shepetowka, Russia"(see diff) (The real-life city Shepetovka is located in the Urkaine, not in Russia)
- This improbable locality name Rkiwira comes from the book by Florian Berger The Face of Courage (!) in the Hans Juchem article; it does not sound anywhere close to Ukrainian and Berger's book is the only place where it can be found. Preface to the book by Manfred Dorr: link. Five exclamation points in as many paragraphs.
- Kharkov is apparently located in Russia, and not in Ukraine (this was originally spelled Charkow).
- Either Alternate Timeline or Alternate Geography: Having recaptured Stalingrad earlier in the year, the Soviet Union began a counteroffensive to surround the remaining Axis armies still in the area -- the edit either confused Operation Uranus (1942) with the Battle of Kiev (1943), OR the editor did not realise that by November 1943 the major fighting was happening over 1000 km west of Stalingrad. Not sure which, but improbably either way, even given two citations listed. But leaning towards a geography entry, as the passage states that Stalingrad was recaptured earlier in the year. In November 1943.
- The city of Briansk is described as a "village", unless it was indeed a village but with a similar name; but who cares, let's link it anyway! diff. In Erich Hartmann, the subject of the evocatively named The Blond Knight of Germany (the book is extensively cited in the article, with the dubious distinction of being mentioned in The Myth of the Eastern Front as an example of WWII romancing literature).
"Unneeded iconography"
That's a catch-all section for a variety of totemic symbols that often fill articles to the brim, with foreign language unit names, unnecessary translations, and visual depictions of much intricate detail.
- Pet peeve: excessive linking to unit names, plus unnecessary linking to SS ranks
- Pet peeve: Insistence on using German variants of unit names, despite the fact that suitably named articles exist, plus the usual over-linking to units and commanders; POV issues; unsourced dubious claims. Why use German variants?
- What's with the obsession over SS Panzer Regiment 1 (links in the original): example 1, 2, 3 and many more
- Three same, unneeded links—why? Must be the "fancruft" (the term which I only recently learned). In a typical SS officer article, August Schmidhuber, which does not mention in the lead that he was convicted of war crimes and executed.
- The article teaches us about the the "Correct wearing of the U-boat War Badge". Who would have thunk one could wear it "incorrectly"? Here's a relevant video: "This is What Happens When You Wear a Nazi Uniform in Court". In U-boat War Badge.
Alternate ethnography and geopolitics
- Propensity to call the Red Army as "Russian army" or simply "Soviets" or "Russians"; examples to numerous to list, but here's another one - what's with the German POV?
- Yes, let's blame the Italians for Germans' military defeats. And the 'Russian' are just scaredy cats; in SS Brigade Schuldt
- Ostfront happening in 'Russia' (note the German term for the Eastern Front as well), in 8th Army (Wehrmacht)
- Alternate ethnography: "he had observed the Russians preparing to destroy an important bridge..." In Karl Kloskowski.
- Alternate geopolitics: "from the countries annexed by Russia after 1939. They were organised to fight against the Soviets on the German side." In Azeri SS Volunteer Formations.
"Annihilation of Mobile Group Popov"
This deserves its own subsection:
- II SS Panzer Corps – destruction of Mobile Group Popov
- Franz Bäke – destruction of Mobile Group Popov again (link in the original)
- 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking – more of Mobile Group Popov
- Fritz Witt – including Mobile Group Popov yet again, plus the ever popular "annihilation"
- Hubert-Erwin Meierdress – back to the annihilation of Mobile Group Popov (link in the original)
- Ernst Barkmann - Yet more of 'annihilation of Mobile Group Popov' - link in the original
- 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion – destruction of Mobile Group Popov (link in the original)
Selective empathy
Appropriate quote from The Myth of the Eastern Front: "Little if any sentiment has been extended [by the Americans] to the families of the 8 million Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, or the 22 million civilians killed by these military organizations and the killing squads, the Einsatzgruppen", that worked closely with the army formations. "With a forty-year head start", the predominance of the German account "hardly remains a mystery".
- Endless self-pity: 3 (!) instances of 'remnants' in 2 sentences'; they are worth quoting: "The remnants of the XI SS Panzer Corps got trapped in the Halbe Pocket around April 28, 1945. Together with the remnants of the German 9th Army and 12th Army, the remnants of the 23d SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division "Nederland" surrendered on 4 May 1945 to US troops across the Elbe." (see diff). In III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps.
- "Like all who suffered in the first Russian winter of the war..." – self-pity much? In Siegfried Müller (SS officer).
- More of self-pity & tales of valor and heroic deeds: "against overwhelming odds"; "condemned the troops to bitter and bloody street fighting. Completely encircled and cut off from any reinforcements, his Kampfgruppe fought off the Soviet advances." In Wilhelm Mohnke.
- More: "... hardship endured during the Russian winter" (Begs the question, why was the German army even there?) In Eastern Front Medal.
- Did the opposing tank crews have air-conditioned vehicles, while the Germans "worked in 'boiling' tanks, in sweltering weather conditions, and frequently suffered from heat exhaustion"? In Battle of Kursk.
- War presented as "burden", which is moreover "forced" upon the Wehrmacht: ... would release some of the burden the Germans were forced to take..." (Q: Why are we going to attack? A: We are just trying to relieve the burden. :-) ). Also in Battle of Kursk
- In this instance, Waffen-SS divisions "suffer through the Russian winter". In Waffen-SS.
- Despite the "many hardships", the subject of the article "learned to make ways of entertainment in the ruins of the city" (which the Wehrmacht first firebombed and then destroyed what remained with artillery). In Alexander Edler von Daniels.
- "...taking ever higher toll of the overworked veteran Luftwaffe pilots". Not a rest cure, d'oh. In Jagdgeschwader 52.
- "...Suffering (...) extensive aircrew exhaustion". In Kampfgeschwader 4.
- If only the Axis had more luck... "Unfortunately, North Africa, like other cases proved disastrous for the Abwehr." Editor's comment: "Not so unfortunate". In Abwehr.
- "The defensive, however, effective as it might have been, wasn't able to work wonders for too long, and was overrun during another large-scale Soviet offensive...." -- also with undertones of "endless waves of tanks and men" and "victim of history". In Heribert von Larisch, another curiously overwrought article.
- Unfortunate according to whom? "His first success however, was also unfortunately his last". Moreover, the subject also "dispatched" two terrorist aircraft in just "five minutes". In Heinrich Setz.
Special subsection: Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket
Battle of the Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket seems to have the higher proportion of "selective empathy" than most:
- A photo caption: "The great expanse of Russia made controlling a "front line" difficult" -- boo-hoo.
- "Hell's gate", "exhausted", "could advance no further", "the 'answer would be in the form of continued, bitter resistance'", "but even this effort", "trapped forces", "using its last reserves", "5th SS Panzer Division 'did more than any other to ensure the continued survival of Gruppe Stemmermann' ...", "rescuers", probably more in the rest of the article.
- Same article: why are German forces always "trapped", and not encircled, surrounded, etc? Not sure how many times I've encountered this already.
- How tragic: St Manstein could not pull the units "back to safety".
"Desperate defensive battles"
- In plain English, this is called hastily running away from a fight, in Erich Eberhardt.
- "Defensive operations on the Eastern Front" vs "Retreat" -- which one is in plain English and shorter? In 4th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht).
- Overdoing "defence" and "defenders", especially in the context of an occupied territory: 9 instances in one edit
- There are such things as defensive victories, and even decisive ones. Both in Hubert-Erwin Meierdress.
- Another example of "successful defensive battles" in which the company is reduced to 30 men, and yes, Berlin is about to fall. In Friedrich Blond.
- Another general claims a "major defensive victory", despite "losing many men and being pushed back around 100 (!) kilometres". In Erhard Raus.
- As a variant on the "desperate batttles" theme, the Waffen-SS units never retreat, they are always "engaged in a fighting withdrawal". Example from Eduard Deisenhofer. Plus totemic German-language unit names, as usual.
- Not quite a defensive battle, but definitely a "tragic hero" vibe going on, combined with a WP:Crystal ball: "... unaware he could take the town..." and " ... unknowingly bypassing an opportunity to flank and trap the entire division ...", sourced to dubious author Bruce Quarrie. In Jochen Peiper.
- SS divisions never retreat! No such term exists in Waffen-SS mythology. In 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking. They simply "withdraw". In 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen.
- "Desperate defence". In Gustav-Adolf Blancbois.
Language school
- Wikipedia appears to be a place to learn German, plus unnecessary piping (with italics) to an article named in English; in Helmut Wick.
- Opportunity to learn all four highest Nazi Germany's awards in just one lead; in Günther Prien, a mythical figure in WWII U-boat lore.
- "Not a place to teach readers German", comments an editor. Quote continues: "That's a coatrack problem we just don't need. Interested readers can click related links." In Erwin Rommel.
- Another fine example of the language school theme: many translations, plus totemic German-language unit names. I also learned the word Grundschule (elementary school). Why include info on the attendance of a elementary school in an encyclopedia? Apparently, no detail is too small for the hero. In Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch, whose propaganda photo apparently added to his notability: "Buchterkirch (left) in discussion with Generaloberst Walter Model, July 1941". The photo was erroneously included in Battle of Kursk, which took place in 1943. The latter entry belongs in the Ignorance Sub-department.
- Propensity to refer to the German Air Force of West Germany as Luftwaffe -- link -- with definite POV undertones. In Erich Hartmann.
WP:Memorial
Starting a new section as a reflection of WP:MEMORIAL, in a literal sense:
- Plot details are included -- so that fans can visit? plot 47—row 3—grave 120. In Michael Wittmann.
- With a notation that "the stone has been removed. In Georg Bochmann.
- Are people going on tours of various cemeteries? "Block 18-grave 349". In Emil Dürr.
- Repost from Talk:Hans-Joachim Marseille#Overly detailed article, where my attempt to remove this verbatim inscription on an actual memorial went nowhere:
- The left side bears the insignia.[1]
Hauptmann Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille Hans-Joachim Marseille Inh. d. Eichenlaubs m. Schwertern Recipient of the Oak Leaves with Swords u. Brillanten zum Ritterkreuz and Diamonds to the Knight’s Cross Der höchsten Ital. Tapferkeitsmedaille The highest Italian Medal of bravery in Gold u.a. Auszeichnungen in Gold and other Awards Geb. 13 December 1919 gef. i. Derna i. Afrika 30 September 1942 Born 13 December 1919 killed in Derna in Africa 30 September 1942
References
- ^ Wübbe 2001, p. 395.
- Wübbe, Walter (2001). Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille— Ein Jagdfliegerschicksal in Daten, Bildern und Dokumenten (in German). Schnellbach, Germany: Verlag Siegfried Bublies. ISBN 978-3-926584-78-6.
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- Wübbe, Walter (2001). Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille— Ein Jagdfliegerschicksal in Daten, Bildern und Dokumenten (in German). Schnellbach, Germany: Verlag Siegfried Bublies. ISBN 978-3-926584-78-6.
- Cited to yet another small-time, extreme-right publisher Verlag Siegfried Bublies . In Hans-Joachim Marseille.
Enemy in the cross-hairs
Starting a section for capturing the moments of glorification of military violences:
- 18 instances of "enemy" removed, including multiples in the same sentence. The prose that showed up in quotations (from the participants of events) was exactly the same: "enemy this", "enemy that". In Hans-Joachim Marseille.
- Yes, let's glorify military violence some more: JG 400 in action! In Jagdgeschwader 400. (See Soldaten again).
100% unadulterated Nazi propaganda (aka Wehrmachtbericht)
This section is quite large due to the amount of effort that was involved around the Wehrmachtbericht transcripts (OKW press releases). To illustrate the process, I did the following, starting soon from the time I joined the project (Nov 2015):
- rewrote and expanded the Wehrmachtbericht article;
- attempted to engage editors on related talk pages (which was ignored);
- initiated removal discussions on three pages including Manstein, Rommel and Bach-Zalewski;
- observed the resulting blowout;
- conducted a search for sources as to whether it was a military commendation as alleged (could not find any)
- initiated a discussion at the NPOV noticeboard, which may have helped sway one editor’s opinion, and
- am now finally able to proceed with removal of these OKW press releases (aka “historic testimony” the wording of which "is accepted at GA and FAC levels". (Apparently not any more, as 11 editors have supported the removal, at the NPOV noticeboard and various Talk pages).
These have already been removed from articles and are being preserved here for archival purposes.
"Endless waves of tanks and men" & "Asiatic hordes" (see Panzerschlachten):
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
29 November 1944 | [Deutsche Truppen haben zusammen mit den verbündeten ungarischen Streitkräften unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Frießner seit dem 29. Oktober dem fast ununterbrochenen Ansturm von 61 Divisionen und 7 Panzerkorps der Bolschewisten und Rumänen standgehalten.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[1] | German forces together with the allied Hungarian armed forces under the command of Colonel General Friessner have since 29 October withstood the almost continuous onslaught of 61 divisions and 7 armored corps of the Bolsheviks and Romanians. |
Destroyed "17,544 tanks" and won a "full defensive victory":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
18 February 1944 | [In den schweren Kämpfen im Raum von Nikopol haben ostmärkische, bayerische, rheinisch-westfälische, sächsische, mecklenburgische, pommersche und ostpreußische Division unter dem Befehl des Generals der Gebirgstruppen Schörner und der Generale Brandenberger, Mieth und Kreysing in der Zeit vom 5. November 1943 bis 15 Februar 1944 in Angriff und Abwehr starke Durchbruchsversuche der Bolschewisten mit blanker Waffe verhindert und ihnen hohe Verluste zugefügt. Dabei wurden 1754 Panzer, 533 Geschütze, zahlreiche andere Waffen und sonstiges Kriegsgerät erbeutet oder vernichtet und 56 feindliche Flugzeuge durch Infanteriewaffen abgeschossen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[2] | In the heavy fighting in the area of Nikopol have the Ostmark, Bavaria, Rhineland-Westphalia, Saxony, Mecklenburg, Pomerania and East Prussia Division under the command of the General of Mountain Troops Schörner and the generals Brandenberger, Mieth and Kreysing in the time frame of 5 November 1943 to 15 February 1944 in offensive and defensive actions, prevented Bolsheviks attempts to break through with cold steel[clarification needed] and inflicted heavy losses. Thereby have been captured or destroyed. 1754 tanks, 533 guns, many other weapons and other military equipment, 56 enemy aircraft have been shot down by infantry weapons. |
30 November 1944 | [In der zweiten Abwehrschlacht in Kurland haben die unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Schörner kämpfenden Verbände des Heeres und germanischer Freiwilliger der Waffen-SS wiederum einen vollen Abwehrsieg errungen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[3] | In the second defensive battle in Courland, units of the army and Germanic volunteers of the Waffen SS under the command of Colonel General Schörner, again won a full defensive victory. |
This one is interesting because it describes the "heroic death" of Henning von Tresckow, who, according to linked article, had killed himself to avoid exposure of his involvement in the 20 July plot. "Invading Bolsheviks" goes without saying:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
24 July 1944 | [ Zwischen Brest-Litowsk und Grodno sowie nördlich Kauen scheiterten Durchbruchsversuche des Feindes am zähen Widerstand unserer tapferen Divisionen. In einigen Abschnitten warfen sie die eingedrungenen Bolschewisten im Gegenangriff zurück. In diesen Kämpfen fanden der Kommandeur einer Kampfgruppe, Generalleutnant Scheller, und der Chef des Stabes einer Armee, Generalmajor v. Treskow, in vorderster Linie den Heldentod.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[4] |
Between Brest-Litovsk and Grodno and north of Kaunas, enemy break-through attempts failed because of the stubborn resistance of our brave divisions. In some sectors they threw back the invading Bolsheviks in the counterattack. In these battles, the commander of a combat unit, Lieutenant General Scheller, and the Chief of Staff of an Army, Major-General v. Tresckow, found a heroes death at the front lines. |
More "Bolsheviks" & "defensive victories":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
8 June 1944 | [Bei den Kämpfen im Raum von Jassy haben deutsch-rumänische Truppen unter dem Befehl des rumänischen Generals der Kavallerie Racovita, des Generals der Panzertruppen von Knobelsdorff sowie des Generals der Infanterie Mieth, hervorragend unterstützt durch starke deutsch-rumänische Kampf- und Schlachtfliegerverbände, in harten Kämpfen die Bolschewisten aus tief gegliederten, zäh verteidigten Stellungen geworfen und die eigenen Stellungen dadurch bedeutend verbessert.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[5] | In the battles in the area of Jassy, German and Romanian troops under the command of the Romanian Cavalry General Racoviță, General of Panzer troops von Knobelsdorff and the General of the Infantry Mieth, superbly supported by strong German-Romanian bomber and ground-attack aircraft units, have thrown in fierce combat out of their deeply structured, tough defending, positions, the Bolsheviks, and improved our positions significantly. |
A fighter wing claims "8,000 victories":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | English translation |
---|---|---|
4 May 1944 | [Das unter Führung von Oberstleutnant Nordmann stehende Jagdgeschwader "Mölders" meldete seinen 8000. Luftsieg.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[6] | Fighter wing "Mölders", under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Nordmann, reported its 8 000th aerial victory. |
This one did even better! (10,000 "arial victories")[dubious ]:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
3 September 1944 (addendum) | [Das auf allen Kriegsschauplätzen bewährte Jagdgeschwader 52 erzielte unter Führung seine Kommodore, Eichenlaubträger Oberstleutnant Hrabak, seinen 10 000 Luftsieg.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[7] | The on all theatres of war well proven 52nd Fighter Wing under the leadership of its Wing Commander, Oak Leaves bearer Oberstleutnant Hrabak, achieved its 10 000th aerial victory. |
See "Panzer ace":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Friday, 15 May 1942 | [ Die Sturmgeschützabteilung 244 hat bei den Kämpfen im Osten am 14. Mai 36 feindliche Panzer vernichtet. Von diesen Panzern hat der Oberfeldwebel Banse (sic) allein 13 abgeschossen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) [8] | The Assault Gun Battalion 244 has destroyed 36 enemy tanks in the fighting in the east on 14 May. Of these tanks, Sergeant Banse alone has destroyed 13. |
Dubious ("smashed seventy enemy divisions"):
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
12 May 1944 | [Bei der gestern gemeldeten Zerschlagung des feindlichen Brückenkopfes am unteren Dnjestr haben die unter Führung des General der Infanterie Buschenhagen stehenden Truppen sieben feindlichen Schützendivisionen sowie Teile einer Artillerie- und Flakdivision zerschlagen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[9] | In yesterday reported destruction of the enemy bridgehead at the lower Dniester, troops under the leadership of General of the Infantry Buschenhagen have smashed seven enemy infantry divisions[dubious ] and parts of artillery and anti aircraft divisions. |
Almost poetry:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | English translation |
---|---|---|
6 April 1944 | Verbände des Heeres und der Waffen-SS haben unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Weiss und unter der Führung der Generale der Infanterie Hoßbach und Mattenklott nach tagelangen harten Angriffskämpfen durch die Pripjetsümpfe bei ungewöhnlichen Geländeschwierigkeiten den feindlichen Ring um Kowel gesprengt und damit ihre Kameraden aus der Umklammerung befreit.[10] | Units of the Army and the Waffen-SS have, under the High Command of Generaloberst Walter Weiss and under the leadership of Generals of the Infantry Hoßbach and Mattenklott, after days of harsh fighting through the Pripyat Marshes at rough terrain, broken the enemy ring at Kowel and by that our comrades were freed from the clutch. |
Wehrmachtbericht haiku(TM) based on the preceding entry:
Fight for freedom
Units of the Army and the Waffen-SS
After days of harsh fighting through rough terrain
broken the enemy ring, and by that
our comrades were freed from the clutch.
(c)2016
"5,500 enemy tanks destroyed":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
26 July 1944 | [Im Abschnitt einer Armee wurden in der Zeit vom 14. Bis 23. Juli 553 feindliche Panzer abgeschossen. Hierbei hat sich die hamburgische 20. Panzer-Grenadier-Division unter Führung des Generalleutnant Jauer besonders ausgezeichnet.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[11] | In an army sector, 553 enemy tanks were destroyed in the period from 14 to 23 July. There, the Hamburg 20th Panzer Grenadier Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Jauer has particularly excelled. |
This one at Alexander Löhr was a monster: 7,500 characters worth of Nazi propaganda, aka "historic testimony". In Erich von Manstein's case, it was almost 7,000 characters worth.
More of Panzerschlachten & "sacrificial battles":
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
31 August 1944 (Addendum) | Im Südabschnitt der Ostfront hat sich das XXX. Armeekorps, unter Führung des Generalleutnants Postel mit der 306. Infanteriedivision, 15. Infanteriedivision und 13. Panzerdivision in aufopfernden Kämpfen gegen überlegene überlegene feindliche Kräfte heldenmütig geschlagen.[12] | The 30th Army Corps under the leadership of Generalleutnant Postel together with the 306th Infantry Division, 15th Infantry Division and 13th Panzer Division fought heroically in sacrificial battles against superior forces in the southern sector of the eastern front. |
Woah! Will do a haiku later:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
29 June 1942 | [Unter Führung des Generals der Kavallerie Lindemann haben Truppen des Heeres und der Waffen-SS, dabei auch spanische, niederländische und flämische Freiwilligenverbände, hervorragend unterstützt durch die Luftflotte des Generaloberst Keller, nach monatelangem erbitterten Kämpfen unter schwierigsten Wetter- und Geländeverhältnissen diese feindlichen Armeen zunächst von ihren rückwärtigen Verbindungen abgeriegelt, dann immer mehr zusammengedrängt und heute endgültig vernichtet.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[13] | Under the leadership of General of the Cavalry Lindemann, troops of the Army and Waffen-SS, including Spanish, Dutch and Flemish volunteer units, excellently supported by the Air Fleet of Colonel-General Keller, after months of bitter fighting under difficult weather and terrain conditions, these hostile armies, were first sealed off from their communication and supply lines, then crowded together more and more, and today finally destroyed. |
Much poetic language going on, including "defending" an occupied city:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Wednesday, 17 April 1940 | [Bei der Verteidigung von Narvik fiel der Führer der Zerstörer, Kapitän zur See und Kommodore Bonte, in heldenmütigem Kampf gegen britische Übermacht. Rund zwei drittel der Besatzungen der beschädigten und nicht mehr gefechtsbereiten Zerstörer, die ihre Munition restlos verschossen haben, wurden in die Verteidigung Narviks zur Verstärkung der im dortigen Raum eingesetzten Heerestruppenteile eingegliedert.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[14] | The leader of the destroyers, Captain and Commodore Bonte, was killed in action in a heroic struggle against British supremacy in defense of Narvik. About two-thirds of the crew of the damaged and no longer combat-ready destroyers, their ammunition expended completely, were incorporated in the defense of Narvik to reinforce the army deployed in the vicinity. |
Red links, suggesting that articles for these subjects should be created:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Sunday, 6 July 1941 | [Rittmeister Niemack, Führer einer Aufklärungsabteilung, die Oberleutnante Freiherr Maercken und Buchterkirch in einem Panzerregiment, sowie Oberleutnant Ritz in einem Schützenregiment zeichneten sich durch vorbildliche Tapferkeit aus.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[15] | Rotamaster Niemack, leader of a reconnaissance unit, the first lieutenants Freiherr Maercken and Buchterkirch in a tank regiment, and Lieutenant Ritz in a rifle regiment distinguished themselves through exemplary bravery. |
How were the battles victorious if the pilot was killed?
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Thursday, 10 July 1941 | [Hauptmann Balthasar, Träger des Eichenlaubes zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, der mit 40 Luftsiegen an den genannten Erfolgen der Luftwaffe hervorragend beteiligt war, fand in siegreichen Luftkämpfen am Kanal den Heldentod. Mit ihm verlor die Luftwaffe einen ihrer tapfersten Jagdflieger.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[16] | Captain Balthasar, bearer of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, who with 40 aerial victories exceptionally contributed on these already mentioned successes of the Luftwaffe, found a hero's death in victorious aerial battles at the channel. |
Nazi propaganda's version of WP:CRYSTAL:
Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
---|---|---|
Sunday, 15 February 1942 | [Die Verluste der britischen Luftwaffe bei See- und Luftgefecht im Kanalgebiet am 12. Februar erhöhen sich auf 49 Flugzeuge. Mit dem Abschuß von weiteren feindlichen Flugzeugen in diesen Luftkämpfen ist zu rechnen.] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)[17] | The losses of the British Air Force in sea and aerial combat on 12 February increased to 49 aircraft. It is assumed that further enemy aircraft will be shot down in these aerial battles. |
References
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 350.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 37.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Volume 3, p. 352.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 174.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 121.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 95.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 231.
- ^ The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 2, p. 141.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 101.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 74.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 176.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 226.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 180.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 114.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 608.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 613.
- ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, p. 35.
Rommel: "Gentleman warrior, military genius"
Borrowing the title form a Der Spiegel article, this section is dedicated to Erwin Rommel:
"Not accused of war crimes"
- Rommel was apparently a great humanitarian, simply because he did not have POWs shot out of hand. (That was an achievement vs the Eastern Front; still that did not make him a "humanitarian", i.e. "a person promoting human welfare and social reform", per definition).
- Continuing with "Rommel as humanitarian" theme, editor insists on keeping "ancient and bad references for the chivalrous nature of North Africa fighting.
- Dubious distinction and a weasel phrase that a unit was "not accused of war crimes", according to a 1950 source.
- The Rommel legend, in full bloom: "He was noted to never have committed a war crime during his military service. He also supported the Stauffenberg 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. He was found guilty of treason...", with the last two things demonstrably wrong, and the first one an obfuscation ("noted for not being a criminal" is a dubious honor). In Wehrmacht.
- A classic! "While Rommel developed an admiration for Hitler, he never joined the Nazi Party". See also: "The 'I Was Not a Nazi' Polka".
Heroics
- The word "exploits" used non-ironically.
- Rommel is sent to Italy to "prepare a defensive line", not to participate in Operation Achse. Also, "his disagreements with Hitler reached a new level" -- this disagreements were over military matters, and moreover, Rommel appeared to have been wrong. (emphasis mine)
- More gushing from Liddell Hart: "Awe for his dynamic generalship developed into an almost affectionate admiration for him as a man". For real.
- The saviour Rommel: "If given more time, he may have succeeded." -- If only he had a bit more time to reenforce the Atlantic Wall, he would have "succeeded"! And succeeded at what? Repelling the Allied invasion? That's quite a bit of conjecture going on. The statement is cited to "effusive and uncritical" biography by Ronald Lewin. (Side note: The book appears to borrow design elements from the best traditions of the colonial war literature, with an intertwined palm tree and swastika embossed on the cloth cover.)
Complaining
- Great edit summary: "Tweak WP:Peacock text, including implication that the situation was somehow unfair to the Germans".
- Rommel ungentlemanly blames his subordinates for his own failings, while Basil Liddell Hart gushes.
- Excellent example of Rommel's insubordination and opportunism, which appears to be presented as a point of pride in this note: "Quote from Rommel: I had maintained secrecy over the Panzer Group's forthcoming attack eastwards from Mersa el Brega and informed neither the Italian nor the German High Command. We knew from experience that Italian Headquarters cannot keep things to themselves and that everything they wireless to Rome gets round to British ears." (emphasis mine)
Random mythology
- The Rommel legend can be found in unexpected places: a completely unrelated propaganda photo, as Rommel in not discussed in the article at all. In Tank.
- Gullible wikipedia article takes St Rommel at his words: "I felt it my duty to do all in my power...". In the mothership: Erwin Rommel. (That said, the article has gotten much less Rommel-worshipy in recent time).
- Pops up in unexpected places, such as In 7th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht):
- "His fearless command of the 7th Panzer Division showed his confidence and understanding of blitzkrieg concepts. The success they experienced and his favor with Hitler prevented any repercussions from the High Command, some of whom criticized Rommel for being difficult to contact and locate. Rommel described the French Campaign in his letters to his wife as "a lightning Tour de France"."[1]
- My edit summary: Replace hagiographic & overly detailed content with material from Erwin Rommel.
References
- ^ Rommel 1982, p. 85.
Special mentions, including FA/GA articles
Otto Kittel (GA article)
A GA article sourced almost exclusively to Wehrmacht "guru" Franz Kurowski:
- Kittel claimed his first victory on 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa. Kittel took time to amass his personal tally of aerial victories. By February 1943, he reached 39 kills, relatively insignificant when compared with some other German aces. A large number of his Soviet victims included the IL-2 Shturmovik aircraft, leading the German Army to call him the "Butcher Killer", a nickname they had given to the tough Shturmovik.[1] -- military statistics cited to a non WP:RS source, odd language about "took time to amass" etc
- Edith had travelled into occupied Soviet territory near the front line to marry Kittel.[2] - not notable
- His comrade, and a member of the flight, Herbert Broennle, advised him to hide after landing, to travel only by night and use a compass on a heading of 255 degrees (north-west) which would take him to Stayara Russa, towards JG 54's base behind German lines. Broennle himself had been shot down under the same circumstances in 1941, and had experience. Kittel ran for the nearest forest after landing. Several Russian women and children saw the crash from two houses nearby and came running out. No men were in sight. When Kittel got to the forest he found he had left his emergency rations behind, having only chocolate bar with him. He continued through the forest, able to move through the forest during the day unseen, resting often. Needing to eat, he raided several empty houses and found clothes but no food. Determined to find food, and now looking like a Russian peasant, he passed through several Soviet checkpoints looking for something to eat.[3] -- potentially unverifiable
- His Bf 109 suffered damage and Kittel returned to base, resisting the urge to chase more and risk his life. His motto was to get back in one piece and avoid risks: "Take the safe route and avoid ill-considered and wild offensive tactics".[4] -- military statistics and potentially unverifiable statements about "resisting the urge" etc
- In the end that alone produced success. Risking himself for a single victory was not Kittel's way. Within two months his tally had risen to 17. Sometime in May 1942 Kittel claimed a further two victories, one bomber and one fighter, in a single mission. During the combat he became involved in a dogfight with two experienced opponents. Using clever tactics, the Soviet fighters tried to force him into a trap; one chasing the other in an attempt to cut him off. Kittel's aircraft was fired on several times and hit. However, he managed to escape, in the process shooting down one of the enemy fighters.[5][6] -- military statistics and potentially unverifiable statements about "not Kittel's way" etc
- Every now and again an enemy aircraft would be sighted and shot down, but Kittel was frustrated. The ground crews kept up his spirits.[7] -- potentially unverifiable/non-notable statements about "frustrated", "spirits" etc
- (Wing Commander) Hannes Trautloft congratulated Kittel and said the following: "I have instructed that you're no longer to be assigned as wingman. Instead you're to be sent on freie Jagd [combat patrol] on your own whenever there's an opportunity."[8][9] -- not notable / potentially unverifiable
- Kittel, in particular, was pleased. The Fw 190 was an ideal interceptor against the tough and heavily armoured Shturmovik, his favourite target. At this point, Kittel's victory tally climbed rapidly.[10] -- not notable / potentially unverifiable ("pleased", "his favorite target")
- His comrade, and a member of the flight, Herbert Broennle, advised him to hide after landing, to travel only by night and use a compass on a heading of 255 degrees (north-west) which would take him to Stayara Russa, towards JG 54's base behind German lines. Broennle himself had been shot down under the same circumstances in 1941, and had experience. Kittel ran for the nearest forest after landing. Several Russian women and children saw the crash from two houses nearby and came running out. No men were in sight. When Kittel got to the forest he found he had left his emergency rations behind, having only chocolate bar with him. He continued through the forest, able to move through the forest during the day unseen, resting often. Needing to eat, he raided several empty houses and found clothes but no food. Determined to find food, and now looking like a Russian peasant, he passed through several Soviet checkpoints looking for something to eat.[3] -- potentially unverifiable
References
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 268.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, pp. 299–300.
- ^ a b Kurowski 1996, pp. 292–296.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 277.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, pp. 277–280.
- ^ Weal 1996, p. 16.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 281.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, pp. 285–287.
- ^ Kurowski 2007, pp. 67–69.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 288.
Saga continues
- Still battling it with another editor who insists on keeping the dubious, non-encyclopedic material. More details on Otto Kittel talk page.
- Started a discussion on the Reliable Sources Noticeboard.
- Editor apparently does not understand what an RS is; also accuses me of "canvassing" for posting to RSN: "The canvassing for the opinion of other editors belies your ultimate problem: it isn't the opinion of Wikipedia editors that matters it sources".
- Editor is requesting "infinitely more" editors to comment at RSN to be convinced that Franz Kurowski is not a WP:RS source
Epic edit summaries from involved editor
- "false; no consensus, not explaining relevance, evidence of deleting a lot of information."
- "disingenuous explanation about the removal of information; unsatisfactory and evasive answers to the questions posed."
- "uncivil/failed to prove case as can be seen in evasive and irrelevant answers."
- Favorite one: "No Stephan, no. A clear lack of understanding."
- "no way, read the thread. First allegation was of unreliability. Onus is on those MAKING the allegation"
- "weird response. editor doesn't understand burden of proof, and isn't offering any"
- "very odd in the way he presents an argument, doesn't make sense"
- "trying to gather support without proof"
GAR
- Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Otto Kittel/1 concluded as delist.
Heinrich Bär – FA article
More semi-fictional accounts:
- Sources that list him with 221 aerial victories include Luftwaffe Aces by Franz Kurowski.[1]
- Hermann Göring's personal dislike of Bär, coupled with Bär's insubordinate character and lack of military discipline, deprived him of this award.[2]
- His first sight of a Junkers transport aircraft changed his mind and convinced him that he should become an aviator.[3]
- Incidents like this are testimony to his often blatant disregard for higher authority, a trait that frequently landed him in trouble.[2]
- He suffered back injuries while bailing out, but managed to walk back to the German lines; his wounds necessitated a lengthy hospital treatment.[4]
- Thus began a comradeship which outlasted World War II.[5]
References
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 122.
- ^ a b Kurowski 1996, pp. 103–105.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 73.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, pp. 83–87.
- ^ Kurowski 2007, p. 70.
- Morale of the group soared following his appointment. He was considered the unofficial leader of the group and the best officer in the entire Geschwader.[1]
- it is believed that Göring disliked Bär for his insubordinate character and strong Saxon dialect, which Göring was known to detest.[2]
26 total citations.
Erich Hartmann – GA article
A GA article built on:
- a coffee-table book by Philip Kaplan Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe in World War WWII -- 18 citations
- "Insidiously titled" by Toliver, Raymond F.; Constable, Trevor J. (1986). The Blond Knight of Germany. -- 20 citations
From The Myth of the Eastern Front: The Blond Knight of Germany is a "hallmark of romanization", with its "insidious" title suggesting medieval chivalry that "not only fails to characterize the conduct of the German Army in the East, but, indeed, marks its opposite".[3]
References
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 107.
- ^ Kurowski 1996, p. 96.
- ^ Smelser & Davies 2008, pp. 170–173.
Hans Waldmann (fighter pilot) – GA article
Article built almost entirely on the work by Gerhard Bracke:
- Gegen vielfache Übermacht—Mit dem Jagdflieger und Ritterkreuzträger Hans Waldmann an der Ostfront, an der Invasionsfront und in der Reichsverteidigung (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany. 1997.
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– published by militaria and right-wing publisher VDM Heinz Nickel .
Walter Ohmsen – GA article
Special mention for using the term "Fortress Europe" non-ironically:
- Ohmsen was the first German defender of Fortress Europe to sight the invasion force. His battery engaged in heavy fighting and subsequently Ohmsen was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes)... (emphasis mine)
According to the linked article:
- Fortress Europe (German: Festung Europa) was a military propaganda term used by both sides of the Second World War
Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz — currently in GAR
The collection of material that I gathered here reads like a mini-version of my user page: Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz/1: "led from the front"; "destroyed 2,700 tanks in 4 hours"; "received a move out order while at lunch"; "rose to fame"[according to whom?]; Victim of History nominee (in both wars); joined the NSDAP, but strictly for reasons of civic duty; etc.
- According to a source deemed reliable for a GA article, the subject "destroyed 105 Soviet tanks in 30 minutes, with just four Panzers of his own.
Joachim Helbig (GA article)
The GA / A-class article is largely based on fringe sources: Franz Kurowski, two works published by a German right-wing publisher, and a self-published source.
- Via editor Roches:
"That is absolutely classic Luftwaffe propaganda; the German bomber pilot only ever hit military targets while the Allied "terrorists" only ever hit churches, hospitals and orphanages."
- Via editor Roches:
GA / A-class Reassessments
- Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz/1 -- inconclusive
- Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Otto Kittel/1 -- delisted
- Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Wolfgang Lüth/1 -- redacted to remove problematic sources
- Wikipedia:Good article reassessment/Joachim Helbig/1 -- in progress
"Vandalism"
- It's "vandalism" to remove sources not used for citations, especially if they are WP:SELFPUBLISH and/or come from non WP:RS right-wing publisher Nation Europa. In Wilhelm Bittrich.
- "Unfounded claim that Franz Kurowski is not WP:RS. In Otto Kittel.
- The content, uncited from Mar 2015, was apparently "vandalized", then what's the point of going in and adding citations and sources? In Hugo Primozic.
- It's "vandalism" to remove mythology from Franz Kurowski in the article about the "panzer ace" and "the hero of all the Nazi fanboys", Michael Wittmann.[1]
References
- ^ Zaloga, Steven (2015). Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-1437-2.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)
- Too many to list individually: 26 vandalism labels, in various Luftwaffe fighter ace articles
- Excellent RS works, Florian Berger (of the "Selbstverlag (sefl-published) Florian Berger" imprint and the Rkiwira fame), and Günther Fraschka, with Knights of the Reich (sic), with Gordon Williamson (writer) for good measure: "fixed vandalism". In Herbert Gille.
- Even more excellent work, by Karl Alman, Panzer: The Dramatic (sic) History of German Armored Forces and their Brave Soldiers: "vandalism". In Hermann Bix.
- Also Alman: "vandalism" in Jan 2016. Eventually took in Mach, with my edit summary "likely to be a (semi-) fictional account". Both in Hans-Detloff von Cossel.
- This is a rare instance of someone other than me being called a "vandal"; the addition was hilarious" ."..which if it were true would give him the highest scoring rate of any pilot, of any country, in any war, ever". In Kurt Welter, a GA article.
- In February 2016, editor restores a speculative statement, which disparages the subject of the article and has been challenged since 2012 ("...caused him to be rejected by many of his comrades during, but particularly after the war"), and calls it "restoring vandalism". The edit took on a second try in March. In Alfred Schwarzmann.
- Removing foreign translation is "vandalism". Or perhaps adding "... awarded by Nazi Germany..."? Unclear. :-). In Heinrich Hoffmann (pilot).
- All of these labels were in violation of policy, BTW; pls see: WP:VANDNOT. And a pertinent aside: Not vandalism.
Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds
I award myself the Vandal's Cross of the Iron Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds ([Vandalekreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)), for achieving, in just two days, three (3) vandalism labels; one (1) pushing-the-envelope label; and one (1) POV label, further distinguishing myself:
- “restore vandalism”. In Erwin Rommel.
- "Please refrain from deleting the Wehrmachtbericht wording. I consider removal without consensus vandalism.". In my Talk page.
- “no consensus regarding your POV”. In Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski.
- "He/she is pushing the envelope in my opinion”
- “You guys don't know what you are doing here. Sorry I can't agree to this vandalism.” Co-nominated with Diannaa. In Erich von Manstein.
"Deletionism"
I'm working towards a Deletionist's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- Editor chastises me for "deletionism" while providing no valid arguments as to why the AfDs should not proceed:
- "That type of behaviour is deplorable,[neutrality is disputed] and not appropriate on en WP"[clarification needed]
- "I suggest you stop, otherwise I will take your conduct to ANI and request that the community[who?] sanction you for it"
- "You misunderstand or misapply several core en WP policies[which?] resulting in you effectively vandalising en WP with your deletionist zeal"
- "Your tagging is clearly linked to your text and source deletion and nomination behaviour"[dubious ]
- "Some editors[weasel words] on en WP take a very dim view of deletionism, of which I am afraid your current behaviour smacks."
NOTE: My "deletionist" activities can be observed via this handy AFD tracker. My AfD nominations only: link. My PROD log is at User:K.e.coffman/PROD log.
"Heart of the romancing ethos"
The section heading borrows language from The Myth of the Eastern Front to describe the material put out by J.J. Fedorowitz. This section will be used to highlight examples that perfectly align with the book's analysis.
Paratroop forces
- Fallschirmjäger (World War II): the elite paratroop units are of special interest for romances, with better weapons, better training and daring raids.
- WP:OR, citing verbatim supposed "commandments" (war-time propaganda) of these units and using two non WP:RS websites as sources.
- Five (!) links to reenactor groups; two links to "weapons and uniforms" and a link to fan page, all in one External links section.
- Plus the usual unsourced content full of awe for these units that still needs to be cleaned up.
Waffen-SS
These elite units (better equipment, higher strength) are fascinating to those how romanticise Nazi Germany's war effort:
- Hubert-Erwin Meierdress: This is from a Talk page, when someone asked "What is his significance?", but deserves replicating almost in full (comment is from 2010): "
Herbert-Erwin Meierdress held off a major Soviet Counteroffensive
{why capitalise "counteroffensive? so that it sounds more significant?}and saved German forces from complete encirclement
{can an encirclement be incomplete?}using just 120 men, 30 of whom survived. He was awarded the Knights Cross for his actions, and his story was published in the SS Magazine DAS SCHWARZE KORPS
. {dubious honor}German propaganda would have been all over this, and Meierdress would have been a known hero of the Reich, even more so as his career progressed. This man saw ferocious combat
{poetic language}on the Eastern-Front and nearly survived to see the end of the war. His decorations include the Wound Badge in GOLD [...],
{this is notable how?}Tank Assault Badge,
{another totemic badge}Iron Cross First and Second Class, the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross (as previously mentioned), with Oak Leaves (a separate award for another act of valor in combat equal to that of the one in which he received his first Knight's Cross, awarded to him personally by Adolf Hitler on 5 October 1943).
{dubious honor}[...] So needless to say, his resume speaks as to why he is significant.
" (emphasis mine) Compare Oct 2015 version and now, March 2016. - This is rich: peacock on weasel on peacock: "Helmut was one of the heroes of the 1941/42 Winter war, in the same category as August Dieckmann, Otto Baum, Georg Bochmann, Hinrich Schuldt, Otto Kumm, Wilhelm Bittrich and Hermann Fegelein". Here's more from the very next sentence: "Born in 1909, Dörner soon reminded his superiors of his true potential, winning..." Just keeps on giving: "he and his battalion soon established a reputation within the Army Group North as a crack unit. No end in sight (still the same article). Finally, the end. In Helmut Dörner.
"Eagles of the Reich"
Luftwaffe articles are generally filled to the gulls with romantic notions of "aces", "hunters" and Experten (aka the Knights of the Third Reich), so I'm starting a dedicated sections devoted to this area of Wikipedia.
- Promotion report replicated in full, with underlining and references to fulfilling his task very well and being fully eligible for promotion to Oberleutnant. I've converted the quote to:
- The report highlighted that he "has excelled in action as a fighter pilot" and that "during 449 combat flights, he has 97 kills because of his audacity". The report further described Beißwenger as having "good leadership talent" and being "positive as a National Socialist". In Hans Beißwenger.
- Is it typical to include GPS coordinates indicating the spot where the pilot died, as well as where he is buried? diff. In Walter Oesau.
- "His nose is long and straight, and his facial expression is a determined and confident smile; his eyes gaze into the distance" -- verbatim quoting from Helden Der Wehrmacht? In Joachim Helbig, currently undergoing a GAR.
- Deserves replicating in full, with the language of "kills", "dispatched", "personal total", "Assi" (nickname); "emerged as one of the top aces", etc.:
- Battle of Britain
- JG 2 took part in the Battle of Britain, operating Bf 109Es over the South Coast of England and the English Channel from bases in Cherbourg and Normandy. Major Helmut Wick emerged as one of the Battle’s top Luftwaffe aces, claiming 31 kills for a personal total of 56, before being killed (MIA) in action versus Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron in November 1940. Wick was seen to bail out successfully but was not found by German Air/Sea Rescue attempts. The Spitfire who dispatched him was immediately shot down by Oberleutnant Rudolf Pflanz. Ofw. Schnell, Ofw. Machold and Olt. Hans "Assi" Hahn also claimed heavily during this period, with 16 kills each. Some 42 JG 2 pilots were killed or made POW during the Battle.
- Also present: "defense of the Reich" (italics in the original). In Jagdgeschwader 2.
- Cannot quote them all; pls see diff, with "built a fearsome reputation", "skill and determination", "Allied bomber crews dispersing in fear", etc. In Jagdgeschwader 26.
- Dramatic retelling of the last minutes of a pilot's death, cited to likely semi-fictional (90% fictional?] account by Franz Kurowski: "His chest strikes the vertical fin as he departs the fighter....". In List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1940–44).
- A celebrated Luftwaffe ace cannot absolutely be a Nazi, editor contends, while removing cited material:
- Said ace's "rabid anti-Nazi" credentials include playing jazz at a party and overhearing a conversion about the "evacuation" of the Jews. Despite frowns at his jazz performance, he's invited back for another party! In the article about 1957 West German movie Der Stern von Afrika, which the allegedly "bull shit" source (James Chapman) describes as "a "whitewash" that presented an "acceptable face of wartime heroics" in West German films of that period. He film did not portray Marseille's Nazi convictions, instead presenting his a rebel in trouble with his superiors". In Der Stern von Afrika.
- Is it me, or are Luftwaffe associated articles have the highest percentage of the use of Third Reich? "...after the defeat of the Third Reich...", with the Third Reich appropriately linked. In the mothership article, the Luftwaffe.
- Poetic: "East of Waluiki the duo observed a Russian air base teeming with Russian fighters. Beckh threw his aircraft into combat against a large force of LaGG-3s that appeared in the skies. While shooting down at least two Russian fighters, ... diff. Also present: Charkov. Well, at least it's not Charkow. In Friedrich Beckh.
U-boat lore
- The U-boat wiki content is where you can spot a romancer quite easily.
- Herbert Werner: "widely regarded as an outstanding personal memoir" is cited to amazon.co.uk, and the article is basically a retelling of said memoirs, which the historian Michael Hadley describes as a "willful distortion".
- From the Talk page of Herbert Werner, with punctuation, capitalization, etc:
IMHO Excellent article: I have recently read this excellent book by Herbert Werner,and imho this article is a very good outline of his book.Iron Coffins has in the past had its detractors,BUT i have spent a fair while doing my own research and the book is pretty accurate, the parts where it does suffer are essentially numbers ie of ships sunk ect,however it must be remembered that the Nazis AND the Allies both "cooked" their official books when they considered it in their interests,so its quite likely Werner was looking at "factual" books as HE saw them....One aspect that is often dismissed by the people who rubbish his book as "fiction" is the mine laying operation of Chesepeake Bay VA,this DID happen as werner has described it can be followed at UBOAT.NET the boat was U-230 and the dates all correspond its worth also noting Werner NEVER claimed to be the skipper on this boat,however the inconsistancy was in the number of mines dropped he says twenty four the OFFICIAL records say eight, either way IT HAPPENED it was not fiction,.....
- Exuberant language: "Two more British vessels fell victim to Prien...". In Günther Prien.
- War is exciting stuff! Let's have more of it! Section appropriately named "Summary of raiding history". Equating the military (profession) to enjoyable past time ("hunting") is a typical approach in similar articles. In German submarine U-88 (1941). Side note: Soldaten: On Fighting, Killing and Dying by Sönke Neitzel & Harald Welzer provides excellent insights into this psychology. I highly recommend this book.
Tiger I tank and other wonder weapons
"The Golgotha of the 6th Army"
The "tragic losses" and standing fast in the face of adversity are common themes, especially in the Battle of Stalingrad narratives:
- Despite his protests," he was flown out from the snow-covered Gumrak Airfield on the 19th in a [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200|Focke-Wulf 200C]] transport flown by the ace Leutnant Hans Gilbert (including totemic linking, with piping, to the exact type of the aircraft involved, plus the "the ace Leutnant", who needs his own article, of course. Red link in the original). In Hans-Valentin Hube.
- "Disaster struck the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, for on 18 November the Russians (sic) counter-attacked...". In Kampfgeschwader 55 (plus gratuitous, totemic use of the incomprehensible "Kampfgeschwader").
Imaginative awards
- Armelband Crete, or [[Cuff title|Armelband Crete]] (diff). In Alfred Genz.
- Variant #2: Armband Afrika, or [[Cuff title|Armband Afrika]] (diff). In Eduard Crasemann.
- Variant #3: *Armband Courland, or [[Cuff title|Armband Courland]] (diff). In Albert Henze.
- Variant #4: Ärmelband Afrika, or [[Cuff title|Ärmelband Afrika]] (diff). In Hans Cramer.
Perfect distillation of a "WP:Memorial" article
- Johannes Kümmel -- a WP:Memorial with
- reverently preserved nickname: "The Lion of Capuzzo" (uncited)
- memorial photo (literally: photo of awards being held by the commanding officer at the subject's funeral);
- list of medals and badges;
- list of battles not discussed further in the article;
- ubiquitous pulp writer Franz Kurowski in bibliography;
- dubious web sites in external links
- including to romancer favourite Achtung Panzer, for more memorial content: Johannes Kümmel: Der Löwe von Capuzzo / The Lion of Capuzzo. Ah, now I get where the nicknames come from.
You can't make this stuff up!
October 2016 update: Somebody has come along and interfered with this showcase article; edit summaries:
- External links (achtungpanzer.com, lexicon-der-wehrmacht, etc): "None of these seem appropriate".
- Regarding the statement "Knight's Cross (...) was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership": "redundant - the linked article says this and any wartime decorations are rarely for excellence in managing the stores".
- On the subject's rank: "he was not a "highly decorated Oberst" since he was not an Oberst until after he was dead".
- Nickname: "Just no".
Here's the article as it was reviewed above: Janury 2016.
Problematic sourcing
Neo-Nazi sources, re-enactor websites, abuse of RS
- Using terrible sources (SS Div. Totenkopf), including neo-Nazi sources, such as theneworder.org: SS Div Charlemagne
- Using fan pages as sources: SS Div Das Reich
- External link sections that include re-enactor groups: SS Div Hitlerjugend; SS Div Norland; SS Mountain Div Nord
- External links to fan pages: SS Div Wiking; other dubious external links throughout: axishistory.com, feldgrau.com, panzerace.net; too many to cite
- External link to wargamer.com – yes, per WP:MILMOS and WP:EXT that would be an accurate link (in this case, it was dead anyway)
- Misuse (if not outright abuse) of reliable sources, as with the article on Arthur Nebe – 3 separate instances: Gerlach, Reitlinger, Hoffmann
Imprints potentially not known for rigorous works
- Selbstverlag Florian Berger – WP:SELFPUBLISH by Florian Berger
- Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall – imprint of writer Klaus D. Patzwall
- R. James Bender – imprint of Roger Bender
- NeunundzwanzigSechs Verlag – imprint affiliated with Kurt Braatz
- Motorbooks International – Imprint for motoring enthusiasts, as described on the web site: "Motorbooks is among the world's leading transportation publishers, offering books created by motoring's top photographers and writers." This area apparently includes panzers. (Although Max Hastings looks legit.)
- Brown Books Publishing – history is not listed under 'genres', except for 'corporate histories' :-)
- Truppenkameradschaft der 3. SS-Panzer-Division - 3rd SS Panzer Division's veterans' association (as appears in 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf); the author also wrote for HIAG's Der Freiwillige]
- J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing -- needs an article, an imprint for Waffen-SS/Wehrmacht guru authors
- Schiffer Publishing -- needs an update; same as above
- Merriam Press -- needs an article; same as above
- Amber Books (?)
- Osprey Publishing – Mixed bag: 'mostly an illustrated publisher', but also brings out solid military history, especially on the operational side.
- Stackpole Books – Mixed bag: published memoirs/popular histories by former high-ranking Waffen-SS members Kurt Meyer, Willi Fey, Hubert Meyer, along with scholarly works such as Rommel Reconsidered (which I read).
- Arcadia Publishing/History Press ? "We are the largest publisher of local and regional content in America."
Known right-wing publishers
- Munin Verlag : imprint of HIAG, a lobbying organization founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS members, – and later of author "neo-Nazi, neo-pagan" author Patrick Agte
- Nation Europa Verlag – link speaks for itself
- Druffel Verlag
- Türmer Verlag
- Arndt Verlag
- VDM Heinz Nickel -- extreme right-wing publisher
- Pour le Mérite Verlag : publishes revisionist, xenophobic and pseudoscientific works, including materials from the Nazi era
- Ares Verlag : publishes right-wing extremist literature; Book by Kaltenegger, Roland (2008). Totenkopf und Edelweiss used in 24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger
- Winkelried Verlag : right-wing extremist publisher
- Verlag Siegfried Bublies de:Verlag Bublies "a small, extreme-right publisher from Beltheim".
POV-titled sources
"In Good Faith"? Via J.J. Fedorowicz
- Huseman, Friedrich (2003). In Good Faith: The History of 4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division: Volume 1, 1939–1943. Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz. ISBN 0-921991-74-6.
Yes, let's re-use the SS motto for a book title! In Heinrich Sonne
- Schneider J. W. Their Honor was Loyalty!, R. James Bender Publishing, 1977
- I had that book, which covers the Knights Cross winners of the Waffen-SS. One could argue the title could be better but the book was sound. Kierzek (talk) 12:49, 29 July 2016 (UTC)
- @Kierzek: The name is rather odd, reminding me of Waffen-SS im Einsatz by Paul Hausser, with the SS motto embossed on the cloth cover. Why would someone want to put the it on the cover of a book? In any case, thanks for the comment and I renamed the section to highlight the titles, rather than the content, as the publisher decides on the title, not the author.
- I had that book, which covers the Knights Cross winners of the Waffen-SS. One could argue the title could be better but the book was sound. Kierzek (talk) 12:49, 29 July 2016 (UTC)
Here's another "Loyalty" one, from Gordon Williamson (writer), who seems to be only slightly less prolific vs Franz Kurowski. In Joachim Peiper.
- Williamson, Gordon (1995). Loyalty is my Honor. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International. ISBN 978-0-7603-0012-1.
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Alternate geography, as Kharkov is located in Ukraine, and some historians don't even call it a "victory" (see: Third Battle of Kharkov#Aftermath:
- Nipe, George M. Jr. (2000). Last Victory in Russia: The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein's Kharkov Counteroffensive—February–March 1943. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-76431-186-7.
- Samuel W. Mitcham: Eagles of the Third Reich: Men of the Luftwaffe in World War II
List of articles with major sourcing problems
- Heinrich Kling – mostly cited to Axishistory.com, panzerace.net, etc. and to the hagiographic work by Patrick Agte
- 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich – much of the article is unsourced; revisionist work by Mark Yerger in references
- Joachim Peiper – dubious claims sourced to a hagiography from Patrick Agte, characterized as such by Danny S. Parker in Hitler's Warrior: The Life and Wars of SS Colonel Jochen Peiper; see my note on the talk page: Agte
- 1 SS Infantry Brigade – much of the article cited to Axishistory.com (~20 cites)
- Albert Graf von der Goltz – link speaks for itself
- 1st Panzer Army – dubious minimal sources, minimal cites
- 5th Panzer Army – no sources listed
- SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 49; Henri Joseph Fenet; Norwegian Legion; SS Panzergrenadier Brigade 51 – Sourced largely to revisionist works by an "extreme admirer" of the Waffen SS Richard Landwehr, who writes from "the fringes of the far right" (quotes are from Mackenzie, Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach)
- 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division – cites from the usual dubious online sources, plus extensive citations from another "admirer" of Waffen-SS Gordon Williamson (also per Mackenszie).
- Otto Binge – will nominate for deletion
- Geheime Feldpolizei – no citations, problematic minimal sources, alternate geopolitics, dubious claims, POV language
- German Army (Wehrmacht) – minimal citations (only 9) for an important article like this; unreasonably high proportion of militaria content, and even a picture of the period [bread bag] (as some sort of a relic, perhaps?)
Cleaned-up articles
Here are some of the articles already copyedited to remove above issues; further improvements are welcome:
- 33rd Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Charlemagne (1st French) – see diff
- 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking – see diff
- 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland – see diff
- 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland – see diff
- 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend – mostly cited to the revisionist work by unit commander Kurt Meyer and to a HistoryNet article, which is in turned sourced from Meyer: see note on the Talk page: Sources; see diff
- Fritz Witt – see diff
- Max Wünsche – see diff
- Hubert-Erwin Meierdress – see diff
- Kurt Meyer – WIP; see current diff
- Ernst Barkmann – see diff; this case is somewhat unique due to a eponymous non-existing battle in the infobox
- Erhard Raus – article was almost entirely based on Raus's memoirs; see diff
- Helmut Dörner – this is probably the worst I've seen so far due to ratio of WP:Weasel per word count diff
Guru/militaria books
Here are the books I tried to check up on, but was unable to:
- Ripley, Tim (2000). SS Steel Storm: Waffen-SS Panzer Battles on the Eastern Front 1943–1945. Osceola, Wis: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7603-0937-7.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Agte, Patrick (2000). Jochen Peiper: Commander Panzerregiment Leibstandarte. J.J. Fedorowicz Publishing. ISBN 0-921991-46-0.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
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Why be concerned about this?
- Please see this discussion in my archives: User_talk:K.e.coffman/Archive/2015/December#Mass_removal_of_uncited_or_poorly_cited_material_at_5th_SS_Panzer_Division_Wiking.
- Also see:
- Waffen-SS historical revisionism and HIAG's legacy
- The myth of the "clean Wehrmacht"
Recommended reading
Here are two excellent books that cover the topic of historical revisionism in the coverage of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS. They do an excellent job of explaining why and how these myths took hold, and why Wikipedia (for example) is such a fertile ground for messages that romanticize the two organisations. The book by Smelser and Davies even quotes from Wikipedia; it's both sad and (unintentionally) hilarious to read:
- Smelser, Ronald; Davies, Edward J. (2008). The myth of the Eastern Front: the Nazi-Soviet war in American popular culture. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521833653.
{{cite book}}
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(help) - MacKenzie, S.P. (2014). Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415867771.
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References
Waffen-SS revisionism
HIAG
As part of its lobbying efforts, HIAG attempted to "manipulate historical record or simply to ignore it."[1] HIAG rewriting of history included significant multi-prong propaganda efforts, including tendentious periodicals, books and public speeches, alongside with a publishing house to serve as a platform for its publicity aims. See: HIAG - Historical revisionism
'Extreme admirers'
Paul Carell
Jean Mabire
Known for far-right extremist views; per French wikipedia: Jean Mabire is "the specialist" of "rehabilitation of Nazism" taking the form of a presentation of the SS men as heroic and exemplary men." Per MacKenzie, Mabire "reproduces in large part the HIAG version of the Waffen-SS at war". Mabire focuses on French Waffen-SS troops and has written "a dozen" unit histories. Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach.
Richard Landwehr
Per MacKenzie
Waffen-SS 'gurus'
Gurus are the authors who are popular among the readers who romanticize the German army, and, in particular, the Waffen-SS. Stages of ascension:
- Self-publishing
- Small presses: Schiffer Publishing, Bibliophile Legion Books, Merriam Press
- Top of the line: Fedorowicz. "To be published through Fedorowicz is to have arrived."
MO:
- Gurus do not write history at all, for this would require an interpretive framework, rather, they are creating the basis for a fictional community, which they bid the reader to enter.
- The favorite outfit of the gurus is the Waffen-SS: better armed; better trained: acting as 'fire brigades', esp in the East
- Therefore, more dramatic victories and more harrowing escapes - grist for the mill of the 'romancers'. "Aura of heroism, sacrifice, virtue, and ultimate tragedy that infuses [the guru's] work."
Mark Yerger
- 11 books, most through Schiffer Publishing; one contained foreword by Otto Baum, condemning the 'foolish and unfair treatment [of Waffen-SS] at Nuremberg' and 'false or enflamed representations from the time following the war that continue to the present'
- Yerger's heros: Otto Kumm, whose 'leadership [of his unit] was both incredible as well as legendary'; Otto Weidinger
- These and other Waffen-SS veterans "influenced Yerger away from objectivity"
Major works
Waffen-SS Commanders: Army, Corps, and Divisional Leaders, Vol.2. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History. (1999).
In this two-part series, Yerger comes closest to being a historian, amassing documents from German archives, as well as from personal archives. But far from conducting a prosopographical study with his extensive primary materials, he seems mainly interested in recording the military exploits of the Waffen-SS commanders and the medals they won for them. Where available, he quotes at length from the letters of superiors nominating them for their decorations and reproduces photos (including of them being decorated by Hitler). These pictures and documents have an iconographical effect.
Franz Kurowski
Richard Landwehr
"More radical guru", with 14 books, most of them having to do with Waffen-SS and, especially, its foreign volunteer units (p. 161). Some of the books are self-published; some in Shelf Books (UK) or Bibliophile Legion Books (US). Incl. "very-much-romanticized" renderings (cover art and inside). 14th Waffen-Grenadier Division (1st Galician) - "clearly revisionist."
Antonio Munoz
Specializes in various non-German ethnic groups that fought with the German army, who "needed their valiant tales of heroism retold to a public largely unaware of these men and their sacrifices." He has benefited from a close relationship with Landwehr and Siegrunen, which started in 1980s. Served as a contributing editor to Siegrunen and launched his own journal Axis Europa. Exhibited professional commitment in the quality of his research and acknowledged war crimes and crimes against humanity by the German army, which separates him from Landwehr.
Shut down Axis Europa in 1999 to focus on book publishing via his imprint Europa Books, which as of 2008 had 25 titles.
Carlos Jurado
Like Munoz, served as a contributing editor to Siegrunen. Also worked with Mark Yerger and with Ray Merriam, whose press, Merriam Press later published Siegrunen monographs.
Günter Fraschka
- Günter Fraschka
- Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 978-0-88740-580-8.
Gerhard Frey; Hajo Herrmann
From the Alexander Löhr article: In 2004 an abstract of his biography was published in the book Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten [Heroes of the Wehrmacht - Immortal German soldiers]. This abstract whitewashes his role in the war crimes and depicts him as victim of unjust Allied victor's justice.[2] This book was classified as a far-right wing publication by Claudia Fröhlich and Horst-Alfred Heinrich.[3]
Unit histories
Wolfgang Vopersal, editor. Soldaten, Kämpfer, Kameraden: March und Kämpf der SS-Totenkopf Division. Bielefeld, Germany: Truppenkameradschaft der 3. SS-Panzer-Division, 1983– 8 parts in 5 vols. (Soldiers, fighters, comrades)
WP:OR
- Jonathan Trigg? – 'fired first shots in anger' (what??); 'vicious fighting'; ' fierce fighting'; 'hard-pressed comrades'; 'flung themselves'; 'bitter fighting'; etc.
- George Nipe? + telltale sign of "Prochorowka"
- Douglas Nash? - published via RZM Publishing: '136 photographs'; 'stunning images'; 'crushing defeat'; 'relief of Gren. Btl. z.b.V. 560' (wth does this mean?)
- Thomas McGuirl & Remy Spezzano? -- Award for best book title ever: GOD, HONOR, FATHERLAND: A Photo History of Panzergrenadier Division "Grossdeutschland" on the Eastern Front 1942-1944 (387 pictures!)
- Gerhard Frey (politician) -- authored Heroes of the Armed Forces - Immortal German soldiers (Helden der Wehrmacht – Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten); Wikipedia article speaks for itself
- Intriguing evolution in Peiper's article
- Michael Reynolds: Brit officers; one-sided use of sources (German only) & factual mistakes
- Florian Berger – The Face of Courage (!): sounds like an admirer, if not extreme, but dedicated
- "Karl Alman" - pseudonym of Franz Kurowski; book authored: Panzer vor - Die dramtische Geschichte der deutschen Panzerwaffe und ihre tapferen Soldaten (Trans: Panzers: The dramatic history of German armored forces and their brave soldiers (!)
- Krätschmer, Ernst-Günther (1999). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS. Coburg, Germany: Nation Europa Verlag. ISBN 978-3-920677-43-9.
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- Heaton -- see SS Div Das Reich
References
Citations
- ^ Large 1987, p. 81.
- ^ Helden der Wehrmacht 2004, pp. 116–117.
- ^ Fröhlich and Heinrich 2004, p. 134.
Bibliography
- Large, David Clay (1987). "Reckoning without the Past: The HIAG of the Waffen-SS and the Politics of Rehabilitation in the Bonn Republic, 1950–1961". The Journal of Modern History. 59 (1). University of Chicago Press: 79–113.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - Lee, Martin A. (1999). The Beast Reawakens: Fascism's Resurgence from Hitler's Spymasters to Today's Neo-Nazi Groups and Right-Wing Extremists. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415925464.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - MacKenzie, S.P. (2014). Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415867771.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Parker, Danny S. (2014). Hitler's Warrior: The Life and Wars of SS Colonel Jochen Peiper. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306821547.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Picaper, Jean-Paul (2014). Les ombres d'Oradour: 10 Juin 1944 (in French). Paris: Éditions l'Archipel. ISBN 978-2809814675.
{{cite book}}
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suggested) (help) - Smelser, Ronald; Davies II, Edward J. (2008). The myth of the Eastern Front: the Nazi-Soviet war in American popular culture. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521833653.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Sydnor, Charles W. (1990) [1977]. Soldiers of destruction: the SS Death's Head Division, 1933–1945. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691008530.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - Sydnor, Charles W. (1973). "The History of the SS Totenkopfdivision and the Postwar Mythology of the Waffen SS". Central European History. 6 (4). Cambridge University Press: 339–362. doi:10.1017/S0008938900000960.
{{cite journal}}
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(help)
- Wilke, Karsten (2011). Die "Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit" (HIAG) 1950–1990: Veteranen der Waffen-SS in der Bundesrepublik (in German). Schoeningh Ferdinand GmbH. ISBN 978-3506772350.
Historians
Revisionist historians
- Heinz Magenheimer – "advanced the discredited theory of preemptive strike"
Historians in need of English Wiki articles
Reliable sources
From WP:RS:
- Base articles on reliable, third-party, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Source material must have been published, the definition of which for our purposes is "made available to the public in some form". Unpublished materials are not considered reliable. Use sources that directly support the material presented in an article and are appropriate to the claims made. The appropriateness of any source depends on the context. The best sources have a professional structure in place for checking or analyzing facts, legal issues, evidence, and arguments. The greater the degree of scrutiny given to these issues, the more reliable the source.
- Wikipedia articles should be based mainly on reliable secondary sources, i.e., a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere. Reputable tertiary sources, such as lower-level textbooks, almanacs, and encyclopedias, may be cited. However, although Wikipedia articles are tertiary sources, Wikipedia employs no systematic mechanism for fact checking or accuracy. Thus Wikipedia articles (or Wikipedia mirrors) are not reliable sources for any purpose. Because Wikipedia forbids original research, there is nothing reliable in it that isn't citable with something else.
- When dealing with a potentially biased source, editors should consider whether the source meets the normal requirements for reliable sources, such as editorial control and a reputation for fact-checking.
Useful templates
- Inline cleanup tags
- {{reflist-talk}}
- cite contribution example: Gregorius, Fredrik (2006). "The "Allgermanische Heidnische Front" and Old Norse Religion". Old Norse Religion in Long-Term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions. Lund: Nordic Academic Press. pp. 389–392. ISBN 978-91-89116-81-8.
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WIP
Until the conclusion of the Battle of Stalingrad on 4 February 1943, German propaganda emphasized the prowess of German arms and the humanity German soldiers had shown to the peoples of occupied territories. Pilots of the Allied bombing fleets were depicted as cowardly murderers, and Americans in particular as gangsters in the style of Al Capone. At the same time, German propaganda sought to alienate Americans and British from each other, and both these Western nations from the Soviets. One of the primary sources for propaganda was the Wehrmachtbericht, a daily radio broadcast that described the military situation on all fronts. Nazi victories lent themselves easily to propaganda broadcasts and were at this point difficult to mishandle.[1]
Werth's observations are echoed by Soviet records. 70 percent of captured Axis personnel exhibited symptoms of dystrophy and almost all were in a state of extreme physical and mental exhaustion. Pneumonia, tuberculosis, heart and kidney diseases were widespread. Almost 60% of POWs had advanced frostbite which had progressed to gangrene and sepsis. About 10% of captured POWs were in such poor state of health that their condition was considered hopeless.
Specifically, General Matthew Ridgeway urged to 'pardon all German officers convicted of war crimes on the Eastern Front' [!] (exclamation mark in the original). *The federal government would have to issue a declaration to the effect that German soldiers fought honorably. and the political parties
The HIAG (German: Hilfsgemeinschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit der Angehörigen der ehemaligen Waffen-SS, literally "Mutual help association of former Waffen-SS members") was a West German organization founded in 1951 by former high-ranking personnel of the Waffen-SS. It lobbied for the cause of the Waffen-SS and campaigned for its legal, economic and historical rehabilitation.[2] Its advocacy work often attempted to "rewrite history" and the organisation drifted into right-wing extremism in its later history.[3] Perceived by the West German government to be a Nazi organization, it was disbanded in 1992.[4] [Lombard
References
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Michael Balfour p234
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Large 1987, p. 81.
- ^ Der Spiegel 2011.
- ^ Levenda 2014, p. 167.
- Müller, Rolf-Dieter; Uberschär, Gerd (1997). Hitler's War in the East 1941–1945: A Critical Assessment. New York: Berghan Books. ISBN 978-1-84545-501-9.
{{cite book}}
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RSHA
Group 1
- An Uncompromising Generation: The Nazi Leadership of the Reich Security Main Office; by Michael Wildt (2002)
- Gellately Backing Hitler (2001)
Group 2
- Headland: Messages of Murder (1992)
Parking spot
- Jonathan M House: Combined Arms Warfare (pdf)
DY: Hans Stern (SS officer) -- with Wikipedia:WikiProject_Spam/LinkReports/ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de and not much else. Gerhard Fischer (soldier); Johannes Kümmel; Alfred Montag; Hermann Lang (Wehrmacht officer); Gerlach von Gaudecker-Zuch; Otto Barth; Wilhelm Weber (SS officer); Ernst Philipp; Eckart Afheldt; Wilhelm Walther; Clemens-Heinrich Graf von Kageneck; Hans-Jürgen Burmester; Heinrich Krafft; Felix Adamowitsch
JS: Friedrich Holzer -- non-RS websites; Kurowski; etc. Günther Degen; Lino Masarie; Otto Paetsch; Ernst Stäudle; Ernst Häußler; Otto Schneider (SS officer); Heinrich Debus (SS officer); Alfred Großrock; Berndt Lubich von Milovan; Hans Endreß; Erwin Bachmann; Adolf Pittschellis; Hans Hirning; Johann Fiedler; Karl Nicolussi-Leck; Walter Girg; Miervaldis Ādamsons
CJ: Fritz Christen
NA: Heinrich Bastian; Heinz Heuer; Kārlis Sensbergs; Hans-Jürgen von Cramon-Taubadel; Manfred Büttner; Harald Netzbandt
OL: Hans-Detloff von Cossel; Gerhart Schirmer; Franz Kieslich