380,000 WWII German POWs in the USA were well fed and looked after so as to illustrate democracy, is one of the claims that has been made by numerous historians since WWII and it now appears as though Hitler acknowledged this.
Many of Hitler's conversations and monologues were recorded in short hand by his personal secretary Martin Bormann and others were recorded in diary's kept by German officers, one of whom was Rommel. (en.wikipedia.org)
Rommel was remarkably cinematised in the WWII Series "War and Remembrance" where he fronts Hitler after the collapse of his Africa Corp. Rommel had been called back to Germany by Hitler so as to recuperate his health as he was in a very serious state of exhaustion. Moreover. Hitler did not want Rommel captured by the Allies as the Africa Corp retreated toward Tunis.
In this historic "War and Remembrance" scene in the Reich Chancellery, Rommel in in a spirit of war resignation exclaims, "My Africa Corp!" and shrugs his shoulders in utter despair.
Hitler for his part replies, that Rommel should be thankful that the Africa Corp became prisoners of the Americans and not the Russians. Hitler went on, that the Africa Corp will grow fat on rich American rations and implies they would be in danger of losing the National Socialist ardour.
A strong armed ideology
The Apocalypse WWII series also takes up this same themes and with WWII film footage shows the 380,000 German prisoners being loaded onto POW troop ships heading to the USA.
The concern at the time was that the vast majority of these German POWS were being caracoled into maintaining their NAZI ideology as true blue Nazi's were forcing these POWs to sustain their Nationalist Socialist beliefs under pain of death. Several such death penalties were carried out by the die hard Nazi's in the dead of night to ensure this collaboration.
The German POWS are shown alighting from the ships on American soil giving the Nazi salute and to break this stranglehold of National Socialism, many of the POWS were sent to the southern states to work on farms.
In many cases, as shown in the Apocalypse series, they were on cotton farms replacing the Negro farming population who had signed up for military service. The full retinue of where they were sent is on public record. (en.wikipedia.org)
After the end of the war, many of those Germans, from what was to become East Germany under Russian control, sought to stay in America, but the vast majority returned to a war ravaged but free Germany where they made their own contributions to the rise of German democracy. (mshistory.k12.ms.us)
A positive influence
As the German economy once again rose from the devastation of war, many are now acknowledging that it was these returned POWs now in civilian life and participating in their national recovery, that influenced whole communities for the good. They were also part of a new German military free of the Nazi stain.
This is not something new, says Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson, who cites the Babylonian exile and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and in particular Nehemiah. Such was his devotion to rebuilding the city that he had the builders armed and ready to meet any eventuality by those who would come against them.
Likewise Israel today has an at-the-ready-civilian fully trained army that can down tools, as it were, and be ready for front line duty. Many may not be aware, says Mark Tronson, that Switzerland too has a similar capability with an armed and ready civilian population. If anything ANZAC reminds us that there is a constant vigilance required for this freedom we enjoy.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html