David Irving on Hitler's Admiration For Greeks
British historian David Irving is widely considered to be the greatest living authority on German Second World War documents and historical primary sources in general pertaining to the Second World War. His prolific historical writing career has included such bestsellers as Hitler's War, which has recently been translated into Greek.
Recently David Irving had an interview with major Greek daily newspaper Eleftheros Typos
Here's an excerpt, from the man who can claim to have shaken more hands that have shaken Hitler's hand than any man alive today:
What is your opinion about the role of the Greece in the World War II?
Brave and honorable; Hitler had great admiration for the Greeks and for all that they had done for civilization, and he greatly disliked having to make war against Greece, as he told his staff (men like Walther Hewel, whose diary I have used); he instructed them that he wanted to treat the defeated Greek nation honourably. The Italians put pressure on him to act differently.
Recently David Irving had an interview with major Greek daily newspaper Eleftheros Typos
Here's an excerpt, from the man who can claim to have shaken more hands that have shaken Hitler's hand than any man alive today:
What is your opinion about the role of the Greece in the World War II?
Brave and honorable; Hitler had great admiration for the Greeks and for all that they had done for civilization, and he greatly disliked having to make war against Greece, as he told his staff (men like Walther Hewel, whose diary I have used); he instructed them that he wanted to treat the defeated Greek nation honourably. The Italians put pressure on him to act differently.
2 Comments:
Reading that comment would have been a huge relief for my grandfather, who saw his home and family burned during the occupation.
Unfortunately he didn't live to read this. He was executed soon after.
There are Greeks who are passionate for their nation and democratic. Who know what Nazis really were like. Who know what fascism really was like.
My point is this: We should try to find common ground. We should concentrate on what we have in common. I admire your love for Hellenism and share it. Should we not work together, instead of each other?
On another point, if we want to pass on our message of Philhellenism we should stay clear of discredited ideologies. I will not contest your belief in fascism, I am merely pointing out that to associate Hellenism with it, may well decrese its appeal. Further it would discredit us, in the eyes of the vast majority of people, who instictively associate it with evil.
We have plenty of enemies, without fighting amingst ourselves.
Closing, I want to say that I appreciate your efforts to promote Hellenism and laud them. Euge.
I agree wholeheartedly with you , we have plenty of enemies and ought not fight amongst ourselvs. That is why Nationalism under various political systems has historically had such success in unifying a Nation.
The stubborn NO given to Italy's invasion of our Fatherland is a great example of how Nationalism was the instant catalyst from the Leader who orignally issued the NO, to the people who fought the bloody campaigns,and braved superior enemy firepower, in the snowy mountains of Albania, the Nation was unified in thwarting an invader. And this was not necessarily done because of the enemy's political system, nor ours, since we (the dictator Metaxas and the Greek people)technically shared the same political system (with our enemy) at the time.
The noble resistance of EOKA under the leadership of Grivas is a more poignant recent example of a Nationalist resisting an invasion and occupation of our Fatherland. In this particular instance, the Cypriot Nationalist resistance fought the most widely admired parliamentary democracy in recent world history--Great Britian, whose political system has become a model for today's Greece.
I appreciate your concerns about unity, and I live by them. The people of Greece should swear the most loyalty to Greece, first and foremost.
At the same time I am not presumptious enough to make value judgements of political systems, due to eitheir geography or accident of birth, that I am not privilged to have ever lived under. I have lived under one system--in two vastly different countries--in both Greece and America.
My blog entry simply exposed a Second World War historical writer's research on a major Second World War personality's admiration for the Greek people. As to whether this man is more evil than Stalin, his political antipode, the man who commandeered the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Pontic Greeks and scores of Orthodox houses of worship or ,perhaps, more evil than Clinton, a major democratic persona, who killed upwards of a million Serbs and further empowered our mortal enemies or Kissinger,yet another major democratic persona, who oversaw the massacre of Attila '74 is merely, in my opinion , a question of degree.
I do agree with the historical writer's opinion that 'we' should get over the Second World War. The Axis powers are more thoroughly vanquished than any defeated enemy can possible be, there is no doubt , in any sane person's mind that Hitler lost the war. As did Mussolini. It's time we move on and build on the mistakes of the past , by more throughly rsearching the past, with an objective eye,and hopefully, with less emotion and more justice.
Post a Comment
<< Home