Annual Waffen SS march

I suppose and hope no Nazi swastikas were in evidence...Can't see any which is a good thing at least...As I object to Nato forces serving and protection a country or lets its people fly the damn things and would consider it a slap in the face to any current serving Nato soldiers and airmen protecting a nation that can fly the things freely. At least I see no Swastikas...unless anyone can point me to them in which case questions will be asked of our mp's here in the UK I can assure you.

 

Let's just calculate a bit: these guys who really have been SS should have been old enough to die or are too sick to join an event like that. I bet they will organize events like this in 2112. Why should they celebrate and what? That all sounds like political stuff. This event has recalled me to a testimony of horrified German photographer Wilhelm Gunzilius who witnessed “spontaneous” execution of Lithuanian Jews:

May God have mercy upon his soul!

 

Police forces were engaged selectively, SS-men have enjoyed preferential treatment:

When the two young men carrying the sign "No to Hatred, No to Neo-Nazism" refused to leave the middle of the street, they were forcibly removed by police!
<Direct Link>

 

Swastika has already turned into "tradition". Please, read <here>.

 

Most of them didn't have a choice. It was either (hard) labour battalion or military service in Waffen-SS against the greater evil. A no-brainer.

The Stalin's regime killed more civilians than that of Hitler's. The Latvian's - as well as many other nationalities - were just fighting for their country's freedom. They totally deserve their parade as well as other soldiers.

Naturally all possible neo-nazis have to be stopped for using the march for their purposes.

 

Double post.

 

Sorry friend, no parade. But I do agree that it was a hard choice for many to make. However, if I had any link to the Waffen SS or the Arajs Kommando, I would simply live out the rest of life quietly. Cause if any of these old farts lived next door to me, well ...

Legion on Latvian Independence Day 1943

But since we are on the topic lets discuss "sardine packing"
1)The Security Police roused the people out of their houses in the ghetto;
2)The Jews were organized into columns of 1000 people and driven to the killing grounds;
3)The German Order Police (Ordnungspolizei or Orpo) led the columns to Rumbula;
4)Three pits had already been dug where the killing would be done simultaneously;
5)The victims were stripped of their clothing and valuables;
6)The victims were run through a double cordon of guards on the way to the killing pits;
7)To save the trouble of tossing dead bodies into the pits, the killers forced the living victims into the trench on top of other people who had already been shot;
8)Russian submachine guns (another source says semi-automatic pistols[SUP][7][/SUP])were used rather than German arms, because the magazine held 50 rounds, but the weapon could be set to fire one round at a time.[SUP][38][/SUP]
9)The killers forced the victims to lie face down on the trench floor, or more often, on the bodies of the people had just been shot. The people were not sprayed with bullets. Rather, to save ammunition, each person was shot just once, in the back of the head. Anyone not killed outright was simply buried alive when the pit was covered up

Like I said, if I served in any army which had a connection to such atrocities, well I would probably stay quiet.

Also, like I said, many joined for the right reasons, but because of so many atrocities and, oh ya almost forgot, the Nazi connection, well no parade for you. Shame on the Latvian President. I dont know if Latvians know but other nation are trying to come to grips with thier own atrocities during WW2
Poland re-opens 1941 massacre of Jews investigation - National-
Its never too late

 

Both Estonia and Latvia; nations with the smallest populations contributed the most men to the Waffen SS (foreign). Hard to imagine that most were not willing participants...

 

Hitler and his regime started a global conflict. As a result anyone who perished during this conflict can be blamed on Hitler and his posi. They hold the "kill count". I wont even mention that little thing called the Holocaust.... For anyone to willingly want to associate themselves (let alone a government) with such a regime in any way, shape or form, makes my skin crawl....

 

Just for the record. The police is required by law to prevent a lawful public event from being disturbed in an unlawful manner.

 

Willing participants in what exactly? Fighting the Red Army?

All very true but not the full truth. Stalin was Hitler's partner in starting the world war and like his pal Adolf he muerdered millions. Of course not because they were from the 'wrong' race but from the 'wrong' class. (see Holodomor).

 

Ok - the march is ok for all other Latvian Legion members EXCEPT for ex-Arajs Kommando volunteers you are referring to. The volunteers only counted for 15-20 % of all Latvian Legion (= 2 Waffen-SS divisions) members, numbering 87.550 men on July 1944.

Here's some information about the Latvian Legion. It's wikipedia but it seems to give creditable information.

Latvian Legion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arajs Kommando - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Arajs Kommando volunteers did the attrocities against jews (abt. 300-500 men) and were involved in the anti-partisan war (up to 1.500 men) in 1941-early 1943.

The Latvian Legion was founded early 1943. Arajs Kommando was transferred to the Legion and other "volunteers" were added to form 2 Waffen-SS divisions. Eventually ALL Latvian men born 1906-1928 were to choose either Latvian Legion or (hard) labour.

The Latvian Legion did (only) heavy fighting against invading soviets, which had committed attrocities against the Latvians (and many more nationalities) only few years earlier. Some of the Arajs Kommando men were war criminals, Latvian Legion members (after 1943) were and are not.

There's no shame on the Latvian President. He knows perfectly well, as do most other nationalities enslaved by the soviets, which of the WW2 dictatorships was the worst enemy.

I personally am VERY proud of my grandfathers and my KIA grandfather-in-law, who were fighting against the invading soviet dictatorship - together with Germany, which was the ONLY possible source for aid. In the Finnish army the Finnish Jews were fighting as soldiers and officers along all others, entering services in the field synagoge and receiving decorations - also the Iron Crosses from the Germans, which they however declined.

Of course the holocaust was evil, but SU still managed to kill even more civilians - with some (quite a lot actually...) help from the West...

 

ALL military aged men in the Baltics HAD TO. The other "choices" available for them were the sub-human forced labour or the contration camp. Which one would YOU choose...?

Naturally the soviet attrocities against the Latvians (and other nationalities) 1940-1941 made the choice a lot easier...

 

No, he didn't. Stalin wanted the global conflict and started the war together with Hitler.

As a result anyone who perished during this conflict can be blamed on Stalin (first) and Hitler (second) and their regimes. They hold the "kill count".

Anyone who willingly wants to associate himself (let alone a government) with such regimes in any way, shape or form, makes my skin crawl....

 

-The Earth is a sphere!
- No it' isn't!
- Yes it is!
- No it isn't!
- Yes it is!
- No it isn't!
....

We all know the truth ...

 

Funny how a thread with the word "SS" will get enflamed over and over again. As Tamino suggested we have discussed this over and over again and the same story will probably pop up again next March . Since this is going nowhere and is not bringing any postitive contribution to the forum , let me put you out of your misery and close this thread. Hopefully we"ll be rid of this kind of discussion when the last Waffen SS will be facing his final judgment....