WWII vets

[Schure]

I live in California and am writing a book that tells both sides of WWII, showing that not only was the Jew a victim, so were many of the German soldiers and the Ukrainian soldiers who joined the German troops.

I will be traveling to Germany, Poland and Ukraine this summer and would love the opportunity to speak with a Ukrainian WWII vet about his experiences. Can anyone help me find such a person?

It is time to dispel the theory that all German and Ukraine vets were bad guys during WWII. As we know, many of them had no choice other than to fight for their country. Please let me know if you can help.






[Edited by Schure on 3rd June 2005 at 08:07]

[MiguelMichael]

I read that membership in UPA was obligatory and Ukrainians who rejected it were killed.the Condition to join UPA was to kill one Pole,and those who refused were also killed.dunno if it's true at all but i don't agree with you.
Wehrmacht,SS,UPA were criminal organizations after all.if they only fought for their countries their vets would be given privileges long time ago but they all took part in war crimes and genocide.

[Schure]

Hey Miguel,

Yes, of course it's true that many SS guards were brutal killers. However, from my research I am also aware that many were forced to commit the atrocities and fight for their country.

As for the Ukraines, they seemed to be backed in the corner between Russia and Germany. Here are some quotes from http://www.kolos.com

"The Galicia Division never fought the western Allies, and never committed any atrocities against civilians...Now you will hear about the Ukrainians that fought with the Germans. The men joined for different reasons. Most joined because they hated the Soviets, and knew that their military experience would help form the nucleus of a future Ukrainian army after both the Soviets and Germans were defeated. In 1943, the Soviets had the upper hand. By joining the weaker Germans, the division had the chance for both sides to be equal in strength and further weaken each other."

Just one opinion, but it seems to be a valid one. Of course, to clarify the situation even more, I now seek the words of a veteran.

[Petro_moskal]

Heh. kolos.com.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

Plus, we're talking about the UPA here.

[Schure]

So then coming from people who know - afterall I've spent my life in America and only know what I read - what is the real story about the Ukraines who fought with the Germans?

[Petro_moskal]

Well, here's a quick reference... Also, read the UPA topic. I've documented the Ukainian nationalists' crimes there and provided sources.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacr...es_in_Volhynia

By the way, what made you want to write your book?

[Schure]

The book began as a Holocaust memoir. Being a journalist, I like to present all sides of a story, thus the reason for trying to add several points of view into the book. As per the Holocaust survivor's tale, Ukraine soldiers were often right next to the SS guards. From talking to Germans, I see that many soldiers were forced by gunpoint or fear of their own death to commit cruelties.

Truthfully, I don't know much about Ukraine and am not even sure I ever met someone from there. That is why I looked for this forum - to get information and, hopefully, the Ukraine side of the story.

As a start, I will go read the link you posted.

[Edited by Schure on 3rd June 2005 at 12:14]