*Today in History: Jan. 20, 1942: Final Decision Is High-Tech Killing

1942: A malignant but unfocused policy of persecution turns into one of outright mass extermination at the Wannsee Conference. In a meeting lasting a little over six hours at a villa in the fashionable Berlin suburb of Wannsee, Nazi bureaucrats agree on a plan to implement the “final solution to the Jewish question.”

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/47d2c29bb1a7.jpg[/atsimg]
The villa where the Wannsee Conference was held is now a memorial and museum.

No formal plan for dealing with the Jews existed prior to the Wannsee Conference, and many Nazis favored the deportation or forced emigration of those they considered racial enemies. But with Germany’s conquest of Poland and western Russia, the Nazis found themselves with 11 million Jews to deal with. Deportation, they decided, was no longer practical.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/95ba8e1d7909.jpg[/atsimg]
Jews with Polish citizenship being deported from Germany to Zbaszyn.

There had already been mass killings of Jews, with mobile killing units — the Einsatzgruppen — shooting most of the victims. Shooting was deemed inefficient, however, because the number of people killed was relatively small while the men who did the shooting often suffered from depression or shattered nerves.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/63da4b50385e.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0b9329abcad4.jpg[/atsimg]
The Einsatzgruppen murdered more than 1.5 million Jews & Soviets

After the Wannsee Conference the method of killing was refined and expanded with assembly-line precision as the Nazis began employing both engine exhaust and Zyklon B, a commercial pesticide, to gas the Jews in their thousands. It was mass murder on an unprecedented scale, carried out in camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor.

Sobibor death camp in Poland

Incoming:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/da600a655766.jpg[/atsimg]

Daily "Living":
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8bcd51573f21.jpg[/atsimg]

The Way Out:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/fe094360f48d.jpg[/atsimg]

Source: www.wired.com...
& Google pictures/related info.


This one stung me-bad. I thought I knew most everything about WWII and the Germans crimes but this story put a new part into it I hadn't known or thought about.

The planning. Where it all started etc. On purpose and with intent. History is amazing. What is sad that something will come along and make this part of history minor in comparison. I hope to God I am not around for that.

As I looked for photos to add in the piece I came across the colored one, above, of those BOYS. How could they have done it, or at least, continued on with it? At no point did the screams, gunshots, the blood etc etc every make them say WTF!!!! This is WRONG!!

I know some old ATS member will come along and say this topic (German Extermination etc) has been discussed a million times before BLA BLA BLA. Guess what. Too Bad.

This topic can't be discussed and learned about enough. We can never let this happen again.

reply to post by anon72


Don't forget the people who will claim this never happened.

You are 100% correct, this cannot be discussed/brought up enough.
Great read!! S+F

WW2 did no start over the "solution to the Jewish question"
More non Jews were killed than Jews in WW2.
non Jews were in concentrations camps too!
At least 10x more non Jew casualties in WW2 than Jewish casualties.

Just thought I would point these out early in the thread so people don't become disillusioned by more propaganda to think that the "Jewish perspective" is all that mattered at that time in the world.

reply to post by Sly1one

"Jewish perspective" is all that mattered at that time in the world.

I didn't see that in this piece. I saw it more as a straight up historical claim/event.

Maybe I just don't get it- could you please point it out.

And, please expland on your thoughts on this. I'm interested.

Thanks in advance.

reply to post by anon72


Well my thoughts on "this" are:

That restricting what in totality happened (world atrocity) to a specific "Jewish" atrocity puts one above the other in value.

I may be reacting to what has been horrible education and view of what in totality happened during WW2 and the Hitler regime. I remember being taught in school about WW2 and for most of my adolescent life thinking that the whole reason WW2 happened is because of Hitlers distaste for Jews.

I also remember believing that the the Jewish suffered the most, and had the most casualties. I remember there being very distinct relationship link between the words "holocaust" and "WW2". For a long time I held these beliefs as self evident facts of what happened at that time in history.

When I became more curious and first started to dabble in "fringe" topics I started to realize how incredibly bias the story of our history was. I never knew the majority of the casualties during WW2 were non-Jewish, I was completely unaware of the total life loss during WW2 and how much it dwarfed what I presumed (through biased education) was the largest casualties of the entire conflict (6mill).

I then started to get a distaste in my mouth for the perpetuation on the focus of the Jewish suffering and the ignoring or dismissal of the totality of suffering through WW2 and Hitler's regime. In my mind it was propaganda because there seemed to be some lies (omission) surrounding the whole picture of that history.

I wouldn't feel as "lied to" or "mislead" about this part of history if there were some balance in education, coverage of the totality of WW2/Hitler but it undeniably leans towards the totality of the Jewish suffering as opposed to the suffering other groups endured or just humanity as a whole. There is no balance though, our media, our politicians, our teachers and professors, our entertainment industries ALL focus on the "Jewish perspective" and omit or ignore the totality of the suffering. Its not fair and its wrong on so many levels.

Its wrong because it teaches a bias history. It not the "entire truth" its akin to "lying by omission". Whether or not it is a conspiracy is a different subject all together but it is definitely not a true representation of the suffering the WORLD and HUMANITY went through at that time. There are too many people/deaths forgotten and unrepresented when the focus remains on the "Jewish perspective".

Originally posted by Sly1one
WW2 did no start over the "solution to the Jewish question"
More non Jews were killed than Jews in WW2.
non Jews were in concentrations camps too!
At least 10x more non Jew casualties in WW2 than Jewish casualties.

Roughly 78% of all Jews living in Europe were purposely destroyed. The total death toll of the conflict was well over 60 million deaths. I don't know where you were educated, but this is common knowledge, taught in school. Usually a distinction is made between the Holocaust (the planned extermination of Jews, Romani, homosexuals, etc.) and the military conflict in which great numbers of soldiers and civilians died. You do understand the difference between the two?

BTW, as you may know, if you look at the losses in percentages of populations of certain countries, Russia ranks highest with some 14% of the population.That includes approx. 1000000 deaths as a consequence of the Holocaust.

reply to post by Sly1one


Outstanding reply. Great job. Now I got ya.

Okay. Now you got me thinking and I will say-at the start.... I have to agree with 95% of what you are saying and I wavier on the rest only slightly.

I couldn't find my Nail Hitting the Head pic but you got it.

Thank you for taking the time. Much appreciated.

reply to post by anon72


Thank you for actually being interested in my response and actually understanding where I was coming from! I appreciate the effort as you could have simply waved me off as an "anti-Semite" or any other of labels.

Thanks again for the courtesy.

~sly~

Originally posted by steve_montana

Originally posted by Sly1one
WW2 did no start over the "solution to the Jewish question"
More non Jews were killed than Jews in WW2.
non Jews were in concentrations camps too!
At least 10x more non Jew casualties in WW2 than Jewish casualties.

Roughly 78% of all Jews living in Europe were purposely destroyed. The total death toll of the conflict was well over 60 million deaths. I don't know where you were educated, but this is common knowledge, taught in school. Usually a distinction is made between the Holocaust (the planned extermination of Jews, Romani, homosexuals, etc.) and the military conflict in which great numbers of soldiers and civilians died. You do understand the difference between the two?

BTW, as you may know, if you look at the losses in percentages of populations of certain countries, Russia ranks highest with some 14% of the population.That includes approx. 1000000 deaths as a consequence of the Holocaust.

I do know the difference what I was trying to get across in my post is that MANY do NOT know the difference between holocaust and WW2 and tie them together so closely out of ignorance (mostly not at their own fault) of what the whole truth is. I was saying that for a good portion of my adolescent life I was given a truth of omission which is a half truth. This half truth is what became my world view and consequently had me in support of things I do not support now (as I know better now).

All of this I KNOW but I had to search this information out on my own. It was NOT what was emphasized in my gen ed history/social study classes. I was educated in the US of A so you know it wasn't top notch stuff I was being fed. I took 1 history class in college and it covered mostly the ancient mundane such as what the "Fraggle Rock" tribe ate for dinner on Thursdays...



Anyway I agree with what you have said.

reply to post by Sly1one


I was a history major in college but I never taught. Took another job path etc.

But, when I read what you wrote and then applied it to what I know of history. It is hard to refute what you say.

And, you aren't denying the Jewish events happened-just that other things-some more terrible-occurred also & is often overlooked.

Peace

reply to post by Sly1one


Didn't mean to be harsh to you, I have no clue what you're taught in the US. I suppose it's not abnormal that WW2 gets more attention in European high schools, as many events (including the Holocaust, in my small country, 25% of the Jewish population was killed) took place in our backyard. Anyways, kudos for educating yourself on the subject.