Luftwaffe War Crimes

- Sources
American Legation, Bern - Switzerland to Secretary of State, Feb 28, 1945;
Arnold Suppan, Nationalsozialistische Herrschaft in Jugoslawien 1941-1945 in Arnold Suppan, Hitler - Benes - Tito, Konflikte, Krieg und Völkermord in Ostmittel- und Südosteuropa, Austrian Academy of Sciences Press;
Bas van Benda-Beckmann, The German Catastrophe? German historians and the Allied Bombings, 1945-2010, AUP Dissertation Series: 2010;
CAMO, Merkblatt 205 - Merkblatt für den Arbeitseinsatz der sowjetischen Kriegsgefangenen im Bereich der Luftwaffe, December 1943;
Constanze Werner, Kriegswirtschaft und Zwangsarbeit bei BMW, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2005.
Corum, James S.: Die Luftwaffe, ihre Führung und Doktrin und die Frage der Kriegsverbrechen, in: Wette, Wolfram; Ueberschär,
Gerd R. (Ed..): Kriegsverbrechen im 20. Jahrhundert. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft: 2001;
Daniel Uziel, Arming the Luftwaffe - The German Aviation Industry in World War II, MacFarland & Company: 2012;
Hermann Knell, To Destroy a City, Da Capo Press: 2003;
Horst Boog, Der anglo-amerikanische strategische Luftkrieg über Europa und die deutsche Luftverteidigung, p.650 in, Horst Boog et al. Die Welt im Krieg 1941-1943, Band 1 (see also Deutsche Reich und der 2. Weltkrieg, Band 6), Fischer Taschenbuch: 1992;
Horst Boog, Strategischer Luftkrieg in Europa und Reichsverteidigung 1943-1944, p.329, in Horst Boog et al. Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg - Band 7: Das Deutsche Reich in der Defensive, dva: 2001;
E.R. Hooton, Eagles in Flames, Arms and Armour: 1997;
Ernst Klee, Auschwitz, die NS-Medizin und ihre Opfer, Fischer Taschenbuch: 2015 (6th ed.);
Karl Heinz Roth, Tödliche Höhen, in Angelika Ebbinghaus und Klaus Dörner, Vernichten und Heilen: Der Nürnberger Aerzteprozeß und seine Folgen, Aufbau-Verlag: 2001;
Mark Clapson, The Blitz Companion, University of Westminster Press, London: 2019;
Manfred Messerschmidt, Strategischer Luftkrieg und Völkerrecht, p.353 in, Horst Boog [Hrsg]. Willi Boelke, Luftkriegführung im Zweiten Weltkrieg: ein interationaler Vergleich, Mittler Verlag: 1993
Marshall De Bruhl, Allied Airpower and the Destruction of Dresden, 1998 Kindle Edition;
Office of the US Chief Counsel for the Prosecution of Axis Criminality, Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression - Opinion and Judgement, US Government Printing Office, Washington: 1947, p. 3-4
Richard Overy, The Bombing War, Penguin Books: 1994;
Rolf Winau, Der Menschenversuch in der Medizin, in Angelika Ebbinghaus und Klaus Dörner, Vernichten und Heilen: Der Nürnberger Aerzteprozeß und seine Folgen, Aufbau-Verlag: 2001;
US Department of Defense, Annual report of the DVA Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War, 1999;
Wolfgang Benz, Dr. Med. Sigmund Rascher, in Dachauer Hefte 4, Medizin im NS-Staat; Täter, Opfer, Handlanger. dtv: 1988.
- Timecodes
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - Luftwaffe as part of Armed Forces
01:40 - Defining War Crimes
02:58 - Luftwaffe War Crimes (incomplete overview)
03:48 - Terror Bombing
09:38 - V-Weapons
10:14 - Slave labor
11:10 - Human Experimentation
16:26 - Treatment of PoW
19:25 - Conclusion
#ww2 #luftwaffe

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Please be respectful. Date mistake (thanks to TigerTimon for spotting): At 05:40 the date is 1939 not 1940.

[@m00nch11d]

come on Bismarck where is the war crimes of Winston Churchill and the USA army??? unless you agree that using phosphorus bombs against your fellow civilian citizens during WWII is not a war crime!!!

[@lorenzorojasv]

yeah..... i rather see what the allies did, the germany bad meme kinda got clear about 30 years ago

[@epikmanthe3rd]

@@m00nch11d You seem to be either defending German warcrimes with what-aboutism, or you think that this video is hypocritical for not mentioning allied warcrimes. Should the former be true, I doubt you would remain welcome here. However should the latter be true, that is a topic for a separate video and does not fall under the scope of this one.

[@jakobc.2558]

@@m00nch11d one side tryed to win a war with loosing as little men as possible, which were men who had nothing to do in Europe in the first place and had to die because the german citicens elected the party which openly stated that they would do the things which they lated did in their election programm. Meanwhile the other side just tryed to exterminated everyone whome they deemed unworth life by which ever means possible simply because of a idiology which was not based on any science. I am german and I have no problem with the allied strategical bombing campagnes. The Volkssturm made it especialy clear that nazi germany would throw everything and everyone they had at the allies and the soviets, no matter how hopeless the situation was. And because the germans started strategical bombing in the first place it is stupid to even think that the right decision for the allies would have been to ether not retaliate at all or bomb german citys just as much as the allies did. F*** no. If you poke a a body builder with a stick continuously then you should not be suprised if he turns around and smashes you threw a wall.

[@kast7n336]

@@epikmanthe3rd thats true Everyone was bad and noone did good But tbh the stug looks good 🙃

[@MorningGI0ry]

Don’t tell me they took a Panther and camouflaged it as a P-47.

[@MarvinT0606]

well they did acquire a Spitfire and gave it a 109's engine (and colors)

[@krautreport202]

@@MarvinT0606 Nothing beats the Schmittfire.

[@gabrielcooper1248]

@@krautreport202 or MesserSpit

[@melmoore6885]

@@gabrielcooper1248 I actually built a model of one of those a year ago.

[@gifty8657]

yeah but thats no crime

[@eamo106]

I am saddened by stupid comments. Our UK Grammar School in Stoke On Trent - German teacher in the early 70s was a Polish man. He was subject to cold water experiments, it left him almost deaf. I wish we had revered him, I'm sad to say we did not. RIP

[@shaunw9270]

@Juaquine Black I doubt it .He would have been a John Doe .

[@shaunw9270]

@Juaquine Black Okay. Here in Britain (and America) , "John Doe" is an unidentified corpse.

[@shaunw9270]

@Juaquine Black What ? I didn't say that . Learn to read lol.

[@patreidcocolditzcastle632]

yes the comments here will be emotional outbursts and one sided.war brings out the worse in all of us

[@matty6848]

I bet you’d love to speak to him now about his experience of Poland being invaded by the Germans then the Russians. When we’re kids we don’t realise who we are talking too. To kids he was just some silly old foreign teacher so you took the p#*s. But in reality he experienced things we thankfully never did.

[@watchfordpilot]

Well done Chris. From what I can fathom and honest and objective presentation of the facts on a very emotive subject.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thank you

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Excellent Chris. Very timely keep up the Good blogs and excellent discussion

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory >>> Agreed. You did very well...👍👍

[@taylorsmith2258]

Thank you, Chris. In an era of mis and disinformation it is refreshing to see someone approach a difficult subject with clarity. Thank you for your historical legwork and consice presentation.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the kind words!

[@dariuszrutkowski420]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory About the bombing of Warsaw there were pre prepared target lists that the Luftwaffe was using. Areas with "German" architecture were to be spared, Jewish areas and other non german architecture sites were to be bombed. The hospitals had roos painted with a red cross to show that they were not to be bombed (as agreed by international conventions) but the Luftwaffe bombed them in violation of said conventions (saw a testimony of surviving hospital worker from the war) - The red crosses were painte over to try and make targeting them harder.

[@DannyBoy777777]

@@dariuszrutkowski420 Operation Wasserkante was never put into effect. The only bombing of Warsaw occurred during the seige. And then it wasn't especially targeted areas. Most of the Luftwaffe, except Ju 87 and maybe Hs 123 units, were not capable of such precision attacks.

[@markbowen3638]

Interesting subject extremely well presented. Great unbiased account of a little known area of accountability. Well-done Chris superb research as always. Thank you for this one!

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks Mark

[@jayfrank1913]

Nothing and no one is "unbiased."

[@Pikilloification]

@@jayfrank1913 Ok Johnny.

[@markbowen3638]

@@jayfrank1913 How about you upload something as well constructed and researched as this presentation. Then we can critique your efforts! Clearly you have your own sad little agenda and indeed "bias "

[@jayfrank1913]

@@markbowen3638 Of course I am biased. Everyone has both explicit and implicit bias. Bias is not a pejorative. This is one of the first things you learn in a freshman level critical thinking course. It's not an "agenda," it's a fact of life. Perhaps "prejudice" is the word you're looking for. I was not critiquing the video, I was critiquing your comment. The video was excellent.

[@Christopher-xn6rb]

It took some serious moral integrity to compose this video. Duly impressed.

[@thefearhawk8805]

Well...admitting warcrimes is not the hard part. The denial of them is partly illegal and not well recieved in germany. Holocaust for example is a big part of the scedule in public schools over here. But to deal with shitty whataboutism takes some curage...thats right. Seems like we live in a time where everybody desperately wants to be a victim.

[@Lenn869]

stupid. All we germans do is prostrate and whip ourselves over some bs that happened 80 years ago

[@markaxworthy2281]

Very clear and informative. Highly recommended. More please.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks Mark

[@ppkaczmarczyk]

Luftwaffe started to to commit war crimes very quickly. Wieluń bombardment started on the 1st of September 1939 where a total of 46,000 kg bombs being dropped on civilian targets for 9 consecutive hours. Luftwaffe bombed a completely undefended, lacking anti-air capabilities and a military garrison , city. Despite Wieluń having no military targets, airstrikes continued. Or the bombing of Frampol on 13th of Septemebr 1939. Luftwaffe most likely selected Frampol for bombing practice as the town had a extensive market square with a grid plan, making it appear as a large bullseye, and there were no anti-aircraft units located at Frampol. 50% of population became casaulties. 90% of buildings gone. Over a target practice...

[@MBkufel]

@书中自有黄金屋 But the strafing of refugee columns sadly can't be framed as such.

[@haniwa7006]

@@MBkufel No proof that the strafing of refugee columns even happened.

[@billymule961]

@书中自有黄金屋 This guy is a ccp troll, ie he is a liar.

[@owenlj6261]

They were even commiting war crimes before 1939, look at Guernica

[@allangibson8494]

Haniwa The Luftwaffe had a directive to attack refugees as a way of choking up the roads. It happened repeatedly in both Poland and France. Aumale was attacked in line with this directive on the 20th of May 1940 as an example.

[@RyanTheHero3]

I never realised how horrific some of the experiments were. Sounds more like something out of a game to be honest... Though it should all be remembered that no nation was clean of war crimes, just some known less than others. Great video.

[@dennisweidner288]

Just what war crimes did America commit? I assume you are talking about the strategic bombing campaign. It is not a war crime to bomb enemy cuties when your opponent began bombing cities. This idea of a moral equivalency is repulsive.

[@RyanTheHero3]

@@dennisweidner288 I’m talking about cases of rape, revenge killings of POWs, and other such actions committed by the ordinary soldier, not ones necessarily ordered or acknowledged by higher powers but there were the odd few like unrestricted submarine warfare - which I can understand given the Germans did sort of do it first.

[@RyanTheHero3]

To be fair it’s completely understandable when you have such a large army there’s going to be people that do shitty things unfortunately.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@RyanTheHero3 "Sort of"? When tens of millions of people are at war, obviously there is going to be criminal behavior on both sides. But the actions of ordinary Allied soldiers were not different than other armies in modern times. The German soldiers were.

[@RyanTheHero3]

@@dennisweidner288 I wasn’t trying to imply that they were on the same level, though I can see how it did sound like that. Yes, I am aware that what the Germans did was significantly worse than what the allies had done, but it’s just a common case of history being written by the victors if you ask me. Nobody really knows about war crimes outside of Germany and Russia as much. Yes they weren’t nearly as bad and these were the people to save Europe from a horrific fate under Hitler’s rule, but it’s not like anyone was ‘clean’ so to speak.

[@spamvacuum]

A difficult area, as it requires some sensitivity mixed with the ability to relay the stark and terrible facts as they stand. Despite what the Luftwaffe did as an organisation - and living in Hull, the worst hit city after London, with 95% of the housing stock destroyed or damaged in some way - I still say "Hello" to several German airmen buried in a local cemetery when I pass them. Two of the dates are for 1946, for a Heinz Nichter and a Hans Miller, who died as PoWs after the war ended, never to see their home country again. Tragedy known no national boundaries in war. We can only try to learn from those tragedies, no matter who is responsible or who they affected.

[@dave_h_8742]

Liverpool was bombed more than London over the course of the war, got the book that came from upstairs.

[@richardvernon317]

@@dave_h_8742 London got hit by 18Kt of HE in 1940-41 and that was before the baby Blitz or the V Weapon Offensive. Liverpool was the Second most bombed city in the UK after London (4,000 people were killed in the Merseyside throughout the War (including Birkenhead, Bootle and Wallasey). London death figures was 10 times that.

[@andrewmoore7022]

I'm sorry but "Hans Miller" is extremely stereotypically German

[@matty6848]

@@dave_h_8742 I always thought it was Coventry that got the worst hit after London? One thing that’s interesting is why Churchill sacrificed Coventry for Birmingham? The Luftwaffe thought they were bombing Birmingham because the Austin Rover and Jaguar factories were producing vast amounts of aircraft at the time, but one thing i learned is that Churchill because it too late to launch a counter attack that he sacrificed Coventry with the Luftwaffe thinking they had bombed Birmingham into oblivion.

[@kingafleischer]

Don't forget that meanwhile Germany (Berlin) was bombed more times than London. Neither side was better, they committed crimes equally.

[@jackprichard6780]

I am always impressed by the honesty and rigor shown by German historians. You are an example to us all.

[@tzeentchnianexaltedsorcero2041]

@ Cry harder Wehraboo

[@jackprichard6780]

The whole point of the video was to discuss German war crimes, obviously a small subset. I can't think of many New Zealand historians who would do that so openly.

[@dennisweidner288]

@@jackprichard6780 The same can be said of most of the woke and now openly anti-semantic historians coming out of our universities today and I expect German universities. However, the modern generation of military historians tends to be both honest and objective.

[@ArnoSchmidt70]

Wasn't there a documentary series about a Luftwaffe prison camp on TV? Can't remember the name. Was about Stalag 13.....

[@Kamina1703]

No Prsoners ever escaped from Stalag 13 whilst under the command of the Kommandant, known as the "Bald Eagle"

[@Calatriste54]

Great Escape(?)

[@Frserthegreenengine]

@@Calatriste54 The Great Escape occurred in Stalag Luft III. Not the same camp.

[@GeneralBurkhalter1]

Hooooooooogan!!!!!

[@jeffbangle4710]

I liked that show when I was a kid. It wasn't until many years later, during US military training, that I realized that the Allied "prisoners" in the camp were actually committing war crimes every time they carried out military sabotage.

[@BobJones-dq9mx]

After fire bombing Tokyo,Gen. Curtis LaMay stated "if America looses, I would be a war criminal!

[@artmcteagle]

I commend your courage in pointing out the facts and the truth which really need not be debated. It saddens me that human suffering through criminal actions, can be dismissed offhand, by people who refuse to look at the historical facts and instead pursue their own agendas.

[@therealmp40]

I never knew about the human experiments, that gives me a much more grim view of the branch, I had always seen the air branches as the "cleanest" branch of all the participating nations of the war

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Glad it was a helpful video

[@clevernamegotban1752]

The Luftwaffe also used prisoners or Holocaust Victims for their prototype testing of early ejection seats.

[@jayfrank1913]

The air forces of almost every country participating in the war were often the "dirtiest" of the military branches because they bombed and killed more civilians than any other.

[@mikemontgomery2654]

Oh yeah! The Germans gained knowledge from these experiments were also captured by the allies and used for their own research and development.

[@MarvinT0606]

The most neglected sub-branches (Fighters and Air Transport) have OK-ish records. Then again, you really have to go out of your way to commit war crimes with a *fighter* plane.

[@jimpolicke7639]

A very honest assessment. Unfortunately, when it comes to terror bombing, no country comes to the table with clean hands.

[@mpetersen6]

Even if an air force in WW2 was engaged in the bombing of strategic or tactical targets. Rail marshalling yards, factories, refineries, steel works etc. The precision of bombing technology then was so poor that every bombing raid was for all intense and purposes terror bombing. Even in a tactical situation war crimes occurred. The strafing of refugee columns if it occurred is one example. For ground troops a war crime committed by all parties would include shooting prisoners out of hand for the simple reason that their captors could not effectively guard them in the situation they were in at the time. An example. An infantry unit is trapped behind enemy lines. They are attempting to make their way out. They somehow capture a group of enemy personnel close to the size of their unit. These captured enemy personnel are a hindrance to their escape. What do they do? Another situation would be the intentional targeting of medics. I have a hard time believing that troops of all nations involved in the conflict did not at times engage in such activity. Even the two theaters generally considered the "cleanest" in terms of war crimes (North Africa and possibly Italy) were hardly clean. For the POW the best treated were undoubtedly those German and Italian POWs that were held in camps in the US. Even here the US doesn't have totally clean hands. There is one incident in which German POWs were machineguned by a soldier in a guard tower. Another group that had it pretty good were the crew of the Graf Spee interned in Argentina. Contrast that to German, Soviet or Japanese run POW camps. The number of German, Romanian, Italian, Bulgarian. Japanese and Spanish that were taken prisoner by the Soviets and survived to return home eventually was a small percentage.

[@Slevin91120]

Some do better than other. That the important fact.

[@ant8504]

Jim Policke the difference between Germany and everyone else is that terror bombing was more a part of German doctrine which is more fucked up

[@Dayrahl]

Yeah my dude but did we du human experiments? No.. soo I don't get the point of you pathetic comment

[@jimpolicke7639]

@@Dayrahl I was speaking exclusively about bombing. Try to keep up.

[@kurumi394]

Me: reads the title Also me: Thinks back to what the IJN and IJA air branches did during WW2 possible sequel coming?

[@Julian-wd8ym]

idk, he primarily focuses on the German side, so I would not bet on that, but who knows. I mean he is from Germany so it is easy for him to get footage from museums

[@liamweaver2944]

Finished Finnish How come it made people angry?

[@albertojoseyanespantin2803]

@@liamweaver2944 Describing how Japanese ate the livers of downed US pilots.

[@stephaniewilson3955]

@@liamweaver2944 because they do not want to believe it.

[@OtakuLoki]

Thank you for a very interesting and well produced video. As a bit of historical context to support your point about how existing medical and scientific codes of the day were officially cautious about human experimentation - one of the reasons in the UK, at least, that Louis Pasteur had something of a mixed reputation in his lifetime was that his experiments with his rabies vaccination/treatment were seen as being the work of someone who wasn't a medical doctor experimenting upon human subjects. Even in France, at the time of his first human subject in 1885, there was every reason to expect that Pasteur would have been prosecuted had his treatment not worked.

[@boli2746]

Whilst I do not want to take away from the nurenburg trial - a lot of the allied leaders and generals should have also stood trial. The bengal famine alone would have had our 'great war leader' executed along side the nazis.

[@citadel9508]

-47 views -45 likes Now that is a deserving like rate

[@sr7129]

Just wait for the wehraboos to get here.

[@johnaitken7430]

Well done. Thankyou

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks John

[@stuarthannay3370]

I am always amazed how even handily you deal with emotive subjects like this. I could, (and sometimes do) listen to you all day.

[@deanstuart8012]

Congratulations on a very good and thoughtful video. I can't imagine that it would have been easy for a native German to produce.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks Dean, I am happy that you and others like it

[@jamespfp]

1:10 -- Oh Wow, thanks Bismarck! You have totally corrected my thinking w.r.t the Luftwaffe as it relates to the period of the Third Reich and the Nazi Party.

[@colinthompson2335]

Thanks for a very fair assessment. I would make two comments, 1) you have overlooked the deliberate straffing of civilians during Nazi campaigns, this was highlighted in the secret voice recordings of German POWs in the UK. I mention it because it is such a direct terroristic act, rather than indiscriminate bombing, where the aircrew can at least kid themselves that any civilians will be in cellars or shelters. 2) One branch of the Wehrmacht was very prepared to destroy cities totally, the U Boat arm of the Kriegsmarine, which sank those “floating cities” known as ocean liners from the start of the war. The Luftwaffe too. Morally I see no difference between sinking a civilian liner, with civilian crew, and civilian passengers (women and children too) and bombing a city. In fact more of the city population will survive, compared to the passengers on a bombed or torpedoed liner.

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Colin Thompson Good point.

[@randomname1251]

I always enjoy this channel and it’s interesting and informative videos. Keep up the good work!

[@gordonmcinnes8328]

"Man's inhumanity to man Makes countless thousands mourn!" Robert Burns

[@chrisredding6673]

(I am British). We do not normally regard German bombing of the UK as a 'war crime'. We were not 'delighted', but accept them as normal acts of war. The other crimes on the continent that you discuss are a very different matter. Only the Stalag Luft 3 massacre is known as a crime here.

[@richardvernon317]

Which for the great escape was done by the Gestapo and the SS, not the Luftwaffe, but Fat man Herman did play a part in making the decision to kill 50 and not the whole lot as Hitler wanted to do. Bombing of cities that had not surrendered or been declared open cities was totally legal in WW2. It only became a War Crime in the 1949 Geneva Conventions.

[@ericlegear7134]

the research of this must have been tough. thank you for researching and educating

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thank you, Eric

[@tidertom13]

Indeed. There were many honorable warriors on both sides as always. As the conquered, you bear the burden of the victors history.

[@arsenal-slr9552]

Thanks for making this Bismarck. I know its not an easy subject but it is for the best that these things are acknowledged

[@lennarthumpf8031]

The description of the experiments feel like a part of a lovecraftian horror story

[@carrotsix]

A very interesting subject Reminds me of the comment "there are no war criminals on the winning side" and also Curtis LeMays quote “If we’d lost the war, we’d all have been prosecuted as war criminals.”

[@nonamesplease6288]

This reminds one of what happened to Karl Donitz. The allies attempted to prosecute him for waging unrestricted submarine warfare. They were unable to make a successful case because the Allies waged an unrestricted submarine war against Japan. You actually look ridiculous if you try someone for a "crime" you committed more successfully than the defendant.

[@jayfrank1913]

Plenty of Allied soldiers were prosecuted for "petty" war crimes like theft, rape, murder, looting, etc.. It is the leaders like LeMay who would have been hanged as a war criminal for the hundreds of thousands of civilians he incinerated. Later, in the 60s, he tried to start a nuclear war over the Cuban Missile Crises against Kennedy's wishes.

[@MarvinT0606]

There are only two real war crimes: starting a war, and losing that war. Germany did both.

[@IrishCarney]

@@nonamesplease6288 If the Axis had won, there would be no cases like a Doenitz acquittal on count three. The only trials, if any, would have been farcical kangaroo courts such as Germany's "People's Court" which was set up specifically outside the law because Hitler was annoyed that defendants in the Reichstag Fire trial had been acquitted. The Allies, at least the Western Allies, took matters such as evidence and law seriously.

[@IrishCarney]

@ Garbage claim. The Nuremberg trials were not show trials. They acquitted defendants on various counts, sometimes on all counts. Defendants had serious, motivated defense counsel obviously doing their best for their clients. Don't be a gullible sucker for neo Nazi myths.

[@tigertimon]

05:40 isn't that September 1939? Really interesting subject by the way.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks for pointing it out, yes, should be 1939

[@lovablesnowman]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory literally unwatchable

@@lovablesnowman oh so your a perfect person. Nice. People make mistakes man. Sorry you are so perfect.

[@lovablesnowman]

@ whooosh

[@kstreet7438]

@ it's a joke.

[@yalelingoz6346]

Good on you for doing this topic. It must have been rough to research, and you presented it perfectly. But I'm more knowledgeable now than I was at the start, and I figure that's the goal. Thank you. (I wasn't expecting this to be a pleasant topic, but it turned out to be a whole lot more grim than I expected.)

[@maxheadshot3287]

Great video but i missed something about incidents of shooting at parachuting pilots which happened on both sides. I would like to know if this has to be declared as war crime as well ?

[@666bambucia]

What about the literal first Luftwaffe attack of WW2? Wieluń, a completely civilian undefended town, bombs were dropped on hospitals and other vulnerable places.

[@tomaszfrankowski4214]

I am bit suprised about that oversight. As the first air attack of the second world war it would be a fitting topic for this chanel. I guess using sources in Polish language is the problem.

[@davidjohn6913]

Interesting, if the bombing of hospitals were to be declared a war crime, than the Allies did this plentyful. If the bombing of unprotected cities were to be deemed as a war crime aswell, than the Allies did this plentyful aswell. Good for the Germans that the Allies practiced this, just as the Germans, but tenfold, otherwise the Allies would have surely brought that up in the Nuremberg Trials.

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@davidjohn6913 the Nazis purposely targeted non-military targets as policy. The Allies pretty much attacked cities because of their manufacturing for the war effort. The Nazis attacked civilian refugee columns.

[@EstonianShark]

@@oldesertguy9616 Britain basically only bombed German towns and cities (in civilian areas, they would sometimes also go for industrial areas/places that are important for the German war machine) Germany had the Blitz (1940-41) and the baby blitz (1943-45) the baby blitz was essentially sending over singular aircraft at high altitude armed with a single 250kg or 500kg bomb and dropping roughly where a city would be, you've also got the V-1s and V-2s. Britain was sending over massive formations of bombers to bomb highly populated cities/towns, they did this for about 4 years straight. Both sides were wrong to do so but war is war.

[@EstonianShark]

@iStichy The British first bombed German territory in 1940. So 4 years.

[@Mr_Fancypants]

Wehraboos: LALALA CAN'T HEAR U LALALA!

[@bladfadsfblaadsfsadf900]

Less than an hour and your prophecy is playing out. Damn you!

[@bfaproductions7121]

Perhaps that's where the dislikes are coming from

[@Vibakari]

Der Alman'ach gross

[@randomuser5443]

Der Alman'ach Found one

[@randomuser5443]

Der Alman'ach Better fix yours first

[@randylong6550]

This was extremely informative brother. I very much enjoy your content and the very in depth way you use visual aids in your presentations. Keep up brother!

[@Julian-wd8ym]

schönes Video. Es gibt viel zu viele Leute (lustigerweise auch viele Nicht-Deutsche), die die Kriegsverbrechen unserer Vorfahren runterspielen und sagen "nicht alle Wehrmachtsoldaten waren Nazis". Das mag vielleicht stimmen, aber ein zu großer Teil war eben aktiv daran beteiligt, oder hat zu wenig dagegen unternommen. Das ist ja auch nicht unbedingt verwerflich, es ist nicht einfach gegen den Strom zu schwimmen und ich behaupte auch nicht, ich hätte es anders gemacht, es ist aber trotzdem wichtig darüber zu sprechen, ohne es runter zu spielen

[@H.Kirsch]

"Zu wenig dagegen unternommen" Sag das mal den Chinesen oder Nordkoreanern, was soll man denn bitteschön groß gegen eine Diktatorische regierung machen ohne selbst getötet oder eingesperrt zu werden?

[@Riceball01]

FYI, the p in pneumonia is silent andi s not pronounced, at least not in American English. Geat video otherwise. One quick question which I don't know if it was addressed in the video or not. Aside from the bombing and V! & V2 campaigns, how much of the Luftwaffe's war crimes were the result of directives from the Luftwaffe High Command and how much was the result of individual commanders in the field with HIgh Command either not knowing or not caring?

[@RyanTheHero3]

Likewise, I want to know how many low-ranking men in the Luftwaffe willingly committed war crimes, or if they were under threat to do them. I remember reading something about Himmler saying that no German should be punished for refusing to do an illegal action, yet other sources have told me that at least 100 men were killed for refusing to do them, and plenty were beaten, which suggests an element of fear still present. There were definitely those who did it willingly but I’m just interested to find out.

[@a.e.richardson218]

@@RyanTheHero3 So there is a thing with how humans work they didn't see them as human and likely though what they were doing was necessary and they likely lost no sleep over what they didd even well after the war

[@RyanTheHero3]

@@a.e.richardson218 You really think *all* of them were like that?

[@dennisweidner288]

@ Riceball01It went above the Luftwaffe commanders right to Hitler and Goering. Even before the War, Hitler and Goering threatened the Czech President that they woukd level Prague if he didn't surrender,

[@Keckegenkai]

waiting for an RAF or USAF war crime video

[@arkadyromanov7803]

Clear, concise and factual. Good work.

[@Geoduck.]

Due to the content this was difficult to view but critically important to be known. Thank you.

[@heralds]

If you did an allied warcrimes vid, it would be pretty interesting. The pacific is filled with US war crimes

[@JamLeGull]

“Civilians could not simply be counted as collateral damage towards an overall objective” wow wouldn’t it be nice if people still held that view

[@BillMcD]

@Seine O'More some people, not enough. dehumanization is a big problem in preserving human life and dignity that results in the trampling of basic human rights time and again. Its a natural mental defense used to protect the mind from madness when causing or justifying trauma to others. That doesn't mean its good though. It means its endemic.

[@a.e.richardson218]

Why do you think we dislike the US we are doing a lot of warcrimes and no one cares except the far left

[@ShaneBaker]

A courageous and balanced video. Thank you.

[@blogfiles]

Excellent work. Thank You.

[@EstonianShark]

Me: Enjoying Thursday evening. Bismarck: "N A U G H T Y L U F T W A F F E" and you bet your ass I stopped enjoying my Thursday evening and watched this video to enjoy to my Thursday evening even more.

[@toddmoss1689]

I visited Dachau concentration camp on a warm October day in 1990 and walked out chilled. Of all the crimes reported in the museum we toured, the portion dedicated to medical experiments caught my attention. Having completed extensive deep water survival training and familiarization with hypoxia during my US Navy flight training, I had wondered how it was known how long humans could endure prolonged exposure to hypoxia and hypothermia. Now I could see through grizzly pictures how it was done with cold blooded calculation and indifference to human suffering. They simply dressed a Russian POW in a flight suit, dropped him in a tank of freezing water, started the clock, and then waited for him to freeze to death. Then they extensively autopsied the body and repeated the same on more victims. I sincerely hope that the USA never cut a deal with any of these monsters for their data.

[@Telecasterland]

Public schools in both Germany and Japan avoid these topics so it is vital that proper research and info reach the populace. Thank you Chris.

[@Lenn869]

xD

[@actualbrad]

I read / listened to a bunch of stuff about the Nuremburg trials, and did not know any of this, really good video!

[@navyseal1414]

Holy shit i'm early. Always very informative videos, thank you.

[@skylerblake1925]

Eh the Bombing of Guernica, Warsaw, and Rotterdam were not war-crimes by the allies own definition. The Allies bombed Rome multiple times despite the fact that Italy had already capitulated/switched sides, The Germans weren't defending it, and it was in fact declared it an open city. The Allies bombed it anyway stating that it was still a center of government and industry. The fact was that in that war economics played a key role and any target even if it was civilian in nature was valid if it significantly affected the overall ability to produce. Guernica was bombed to destroy the bridge and roads in order to allow for a successful attack. The civilian casualties are now known to have been greatly exaggerated for propaganda purposes and the stories of the Germans strafing people on the roads likely were as well. There is solid documentation that not only did the Luftwaffe at the time reject the notion of terror bombing but the pilots were under orders to target the bridge and roads specifically. Wielun is also brought up as an example because the Germans bombed it on the opening of the offensive into Poland, according to the Poles it was the actual first act of the second world war. The town was in fact undefended and had no military targets in it, however according to German intelligence they believed that polish cavalry was stationed in the town and they were in fact the intended target. This was actually similar to a later Allied attack, the bombing of Monte Cassino. The monastery of Monte Cassino was bombed on the belief that the Germans were using it for artillery observers, I actually remember watching a US veteran give an interview on the History Channel (way back when it still had history on it) he was adamant that he saw the reflections of binoculars in the windows of the Monastery. over 200 Italian refugees were killed and no Germans were in fact In the Monastery. This was also not considered a war crime because they intended to attack the enemy. Mind you the entire attack on Poland, being a crime against peace was still a war crime in itself. The German Air raids during the Blitz are arguable, as it was the British that actually began targeting unambiguously civilian targets first. they began night bombing in the Ruhr two days after Rotterdam was bombed (which was ambiguous since Rotterdam did have defenders in it that refused to surrender) They also targeted Berlin in a night raid before the Germans switched to bombing cities and it is likely the reason why the Germans switched to bombing British cities. However, the Blitz can still at best be seen as retaliatory and two wrongs don't make a right so still a war crime. On the whole the pre-war Luftwaffe was probably right, history has shown that terror attacks don't work unless the victims don't have the ability to resist in the first place in which case they are unnecessary. if people do have the capacity to resist then it simply hardens their resolve. They campaigns of terror waged by both sides and the ensuing escalation likely only served to make the war worse for everyone.

[@buggerall]

Thanks for this. A subject I was wondering about for some time now but turned out to be hard to research without the proper documentation. Your channel still rocks!

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks

[@DannyBoy777777]

Really? There is a shit-load of stuff on Luftwaffe war crimes.

[@TheMalarz1989]

Well done video. Thank you.

[@exactlybasically8603]

“B-but DRESDEN!!!1!1! the ALLIES were JUST AS BAD!!1!1!1”

[@matty6848]

Yes agreed but remember they bombed us first. You reap what you sow.. Dresden was a pure revenge attack for all the British cities bombed that killed thousands of civilians including children..

[@West_Coast_Gang]

@@matty6848 sarcasm

[@wkelly3053]

Yes, candid and well done. This is apart from the material you covered, but books I have read about Hans-Joachim Marseille, Adolf Galland, and other Luftwaffe crewmembers seemed to indicate that many were not followers of the Nazi party in their personal views, if it is possible to separate this from their duty. What is your opinion? Thank you.

[@Calatriste54]

The list goes on; Gunter Rall, Erich Hartmann, Gerd Barkhorn, Heinz Bar... Men are faced with huge eternal, moral consequences in our lives. I cast no stones. I too would like your thoughts..

[@lovablesnowman]

Whether you actively believed in Nazism is irrelevant if you're fighting, killing and dying for it. It doesn't matter to the victims of the Nazis whether individuals "believed" in Nazism or not. The Wehermacht were the armed forces of the Nazi state and everyone who served in them was complicit in Nazi war crimes

[@kristianfagerstrom7011]

@@lovablesnowman Hm. I get where you're coming from, but on that same note, were all Soviet soldiers culpable of war crimes? British? US?

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@lovablesnowman That is a step too far. Fighting for one's country is different than being a party supporter. 26 million Russians didn't die because they loved Stalin.

[@lovablesnowman]

@@kristianfagerstrom7011 the British and Americans didn't have committing war crimes as a policy. Individual war crimes obviously happened but it wasn't policy and they were punished for it (rape resulted in execution for example) Unlike the Nazis where aggressive illegal wars of conquest and extermination were the norm. The Soviets are a bit more complicated but again the context is completely different. The Soviet red army didn't have war crimes as a policy. And certainly not on the same scale as the Nazis.

[@kbellanger4140]

Thanks for all your work

[@juno1915]

Very interesting and informative. Thanks Bismarck

[@howardprice8839]

I look forward to your videos on Allied and Soviet war crimes. Or are they off-limits?

[@howardprice8839]

@PBJMan Because Allied and Soviet war crimes seem to be a taboo subject. See any videos on that subject? There are some books detailing Allied war crimes, but no documentaries.

[@pbjman5809]

That’s just blatantly wrong

[@Gingerbreadley]

Kriegsmarine sweating...

[@randomuser5443]

They are a floating war crime

[@MarvinT0606]

getting pummeled by British destroyers

[@burnttoast111]

@@randomuser5443 More like a war crime sinking to the bottom of the ocean. 70% mortality rate with that service, at least in a U-boat.

[@abercrombieblovs2042]

Not trying to play their role down or anything, but... What kinds of war crimes did they commit? I honestly don’t know.

[@martijn9568]

@@abercrombieblovs2042 Attacking vessels, most notably civilian vessels of neutral nations.

[@Hachiae]

i would love for you to do a few videos on lesser known planes, e.g. the firefly

[@paulmanson253]

Interesting. One subject you did not mention. Various novels,especially ones where the period after May 10,1940,and the attack on France started. The novels invariably make reference to Luftwaffe machine gunning the civilians fleeing the Germans. How much this was done and just why,I really do not know. Are there reputable sources out there that can make it clear ,and not just a plot point in a novel ?

[@2.Panzerdivision]

"Atrocities were committed by both sides. That fall our fighter group received orders from the Eighth Air Force to stage a maximum effort. Our seventy-five Mustangs were assigned an area of fifty miles by fifty miles inside Germany and ordered to strafe anything that moved. The object was to demoralize the German population. Nobody asked our opinion about whether we were actually demoralizing the survivors or maybe enraging them to stage their own maximum effort in behalf of the Nazi war effort. We weren't asked how we felt zapping people. It was a miserable, dirty mission, but we all took off on time and did it. If it occurred to anyone to refuse to participate (nobody refused, as I recall) that person would have probably been court-martialed. I remember sitting next to Bochkay at the briefing and whispering to him "If we're gonna do things like this, we sure as hell better make sure we're on the winning side. That's still my view. By definition, war is immoral; there is no such thing as a clean war. Once arimies are engaged, war is total. We were ordered to commit an atrocity, pure and simple but the brass who approved this action probably felt justified because wartime Germany wasn't easily divided between "innocent civilians" and its military machine. The farmer tilling his potato field might have been feeding German Troops. And because German industry was wrecked by constant bombing, muntions-making was now a cottage industry, dispersed across the country in hundreds of homes and neighborhood factories, which was the British excuse for staging carpet bombing and fire bombing attacks on civilian targets. In war, the military will seldom hesitate to hit civilians if they are in the way, or to target them purposely for various strategic reasons. That's been true in every war that has ever been fought and will be fought. That is the savage nature of war itself. I'm certainly not proud of that particular strafing mission against civilians. But it is there, on the record and in my memory." Chuck Yeager, Leo Janos: Yeager: An Autobiography. (Bantam Books, 1986) (ISBN 0-553-256742), pgs 79-80

[@kimcooper4751]

Wife's account and not her oppinions Well said sir

[@jessealexander2695]

Good job on a tough topic, Chris.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks, Jesse!

[@jfahey8984]

Great work.

[@hpholland]

Thanks for this. This video proves this channel is truly wholistic in its research and perspective.

[@darrellsmith4204]

Very delicately done. As a US citizen I'd like to acknowledge Dresden as a war crime also.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

As a “US citizen” you should have access to plenty of material proving that the common Dresden narrative is complete crap, and based on holocaust denial tier scholarship. Dresden was a valid military target, it had been bombed previously in the war, the death toll based on Dresden city record, was almost an order of magnitude lower than oft cited false figures. The common narrative was created by the nazis themselves and then perpetuated by both neo-nazis and East German communists during the Cold War. Oh and I forgot, ignorant idiots like you, who lack even the most basic ability to do easy research.

[@yamato3870]

Darrell Smith you should do your research.

[@GearheadDaily]

Actually surprised its only 20 mins long...

[@kstreet7438]

For real. Now time for war crimes after september 2nd 1939 lol.

[@Citadin]

@Charles McCarron nearly every village in Germany got bombed.

[@HistoryGameV]

@@Citadin Not really, if the villages didn't happen to be on the frontline. My area here was never hit once, and the city I lived in before was bombed only once despite being a railway hub close to a concentration camp and the biggest military training ground in Northern Germany. Damage was minor, only the trainstation was hit.

[@Calatriste54]

Thank you, we won't forget..

[@paulwood6729]

Very sensitively handled.

[@WildBillCox13]

You can imagine how I feel. History suggests no government is altogether free of taint for unethical approaches to treatment of prisoners and/or the disenfranchised. But doctors without conscience . . . the only word that comes to mind is: "monster".

[@fulcrum2951]

Not monster, human

[@mpetersen6]

@@fulcrum2951 Physically human. Psychological monsters.

[@fulcrum2951]

@@mpetersen6 a psychologist during the nuremburg trial had tested the officers being prosecuted there and found a majority of them to be psychologically sound. Douglas Kelly is his name

[@nonamesplease6288]

Interesting video, and one that very clearly enumerates the Luftwaffe's complicity in war crimes. This is not surprising. The entire Nzzi apparatus cooperated with the hierarchy's aims.

[@an_asian_guy]

Thanks for your work

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thank you for watching

[@an_asian_guy]

@@MilitaryAviationHistory your welcome Bismarck

[@jonsouth1545]

Another fantastic video although little pointer when you get Pn together as in pneumonia or pneumatic the p is silent

[@lotnylotny671]

September 1, 1939. In the early morning, the Luftwaffe bombards the city of Wieluń. A city with no army, not even military fortifications. The bombs also hit the marked Hospital (red cross on a white background). Soon the Wehramacht, the German military police, enters and the first crimes against civilians begin. Moments after the attack on Wieluń, the German battleship Shleswig Holstein fires at Westerplatte. This is how World War II began. A few years ago, the German president in the Wieluń square, together with the Polish president Andrzej Duda, celebrated the anniversary of the attack on Wieluń.

[@randomuser5443]

I actually was wondering about this. I knew about the SS but not the luftwaffa

[@Calatriste54]

That's why this was such a valuable presentation, B.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Glad this helped you, you can find more information within the sources in the description

[@buchanjay]

Excellent Video

[@the_bigdaddy420]

Wonderful video title Chris

[@AssassinAgent]

I assume that there'll be videos of the rest of ww2 participants air forces war crimes.

[@AssassinAgent]

@Mialisus???

[@christopherrhodes2578]

Very well done and with respect and detail. I do have to ask, what are your thoughts on the allies terror bombings of major German cities?

[@mpetersen6]

There is one aspect of the bombing of German cities in regards to strategic vs terror bombings. The factories producing war material unfortunately were surrounded by urban areas. The RAF was at least more honest th han the USAAF. They admitted as much as hitting a target was as much about trying to make the workforce homeless as anything else. The Americans tried to pay lip service to the idea of precision bombing in which they attempted to target industrial facilities. Yah, right. Maybe the lead bombardier in the first group of the bomber stream got a clear view of the target. The follow on groups in the bomber stream were mainly bombing into the smoke. They could be a couple of miles off of target. Precision bombing only came into it's own once guided bombs came of age. Even then unless your intelligence is accurate you can still hit targets you do not want to.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

Martin Ralph Do it again Bomber Harris

[@petertenthije]

Martin Ralph the bombing of german civilians the biggest war crime? Seriously? You might be forgetting the holocaust. Or starting the damn war to begin with! You reap what you sow. The luftwaffe was never too bothered by bombing civilians. Can’t complain when someone does the same to you.

[@fulcrum2951]

@ have you heard of poland?

[@ThermicLight]

@@petertenthije - Did the Germans start the war? Namely the USSR was reeking havoc across eastern Europe including even the joint invasion of Poland. Yet they got no such declaration of war. Instead the Allies sided with the communists who were killing millions before national socialism was even a freaking thing. So honest mate as far as the morality of these events go they're hardly black and white.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Thank you so much.

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Thanks for watching

[@robertfoote3255]

Very good post Chris....many atrocities by all parties.... Weather it was aggressive tactics or a retaliation.....all must be called out.... History lessons can be had from all points here! Unfortunately this subject has no favorites!

[@dashvinny1]

Didnt the allies do just a bit of terror bombing?

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Thr razing of the suburbs of Stalingrad were the first thing that sprang to mind. Tens of thousands killed in a single night.

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

Hi Chris (Sorry if I misspelled that. I’m American). Do you know if the 109’s wing had the space to hold an MG 151 and ammo internally? If not, what about the MG FF/M with a 90-round drum magazine on the Fw 190A-5? Thanks

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

See the vid on the 109. It has the FF canons in the wings?

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

@@WALTERBROADDUS Yes. I know. But they only have 60-round drums

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@TyrannoJoris_Rex That load is not uncommon in planes of the day.

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

@@WALTERBROADDUS That's not the point. The 109 had a very thin wing that struggled to carry even an MG 17, where the magazine spanned from wing root to wing tip. I appreciate your efforts to answer this question, but it's evident that you don't know enough about the 109 to understand my question.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@TyrannoJoris_Rex Then why ask the question? You seem to have a answer filled in.

[@gordonclark7632]

I never understood the definition of a 'war crime' until I watched this video and it was explained. Now I understand why so many of the German military were put on trial after the Second World War.

[@nigeh5326]

Actually the majority who committed crimes weren’t prosecuted. It was a conscious decision by the allies not to prosecute all but only some.

[@johnnypopper-pc3ss]

So everything WASN'T like Hogan's Heroes... No Sargeant Schultz !

[@joeyjamison5772]

There was no 'funny side' to WWII.

[@abercrombieblovs2042]

Except for rare moments of humor shining through an incredibly s****y situation they were in most of the time... But I get your point.

[@stuartwald2395]

Actually, see the great movie "Stalag 17" which was much of the basis for the Hogan's Heroes satire, with the fat sergeant dealing with the barracks of American prisoners as comedy but also lethal portions.

[@SadCheetah]

The English numbers are quite comical when you incorporate the use of their colonies, a few thousand in terms of what? they drew up millions of Indians in manpower and billions in resources at the expense of millions dying through the lack of food and disease control in areas nearby, it really shows how pathetic the German situation was not only on terms of industrial superpowers like the USSR and the US but also colonial world powers like the UK.

[@tzeentchnianexaltedsorcero2041]

Whataboutism

[@SadCheetah]

@@tzeentchnianexaltedsorcero2041 Try to expand on your one word response numbnuts, if you're trying to claim what i said is whataboutism then I say good luck, I don't think your intelligent enough to understand what I said let alone trying to claim it's an argument against what's being presented in the original video. bang on though.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

SadCheetah W H A T A B O U T I S M

[@SadCheetah]

@@MaxwellAerialPhotography CAN'T BELIEVE DIS

[@Amshraw]

Great well made video. If you had better graphics this could reach more people

[@deltaboy767]

Just a heads up for future references. The P in Pneumonia is silent. Thought I'd give you that tidbit.

[@nicopeursum8208]

As for Rotterdam. This city capitulated in time, but still got bombed

[@nickjung7394]

The German argument was that the aircraft could not be contacted because the radio aerials had been reeled in. I spoke, many years ago with a German who had been a radio operator; he reckoned that this case rubbish and that the raid could have been cancelled right up to the last minute. The conversation took place in Dusseldorf after I had commented on the open spaces and roads. His reply was "we have the RAF to thank for that". My father's family were in Rotterdam when it was bombed. My father and three of his brothers (who were born in England) joined the British army; his older brother was awarded the Dutch Crouse Cross.

[@hjalmar4565]

@@nickjung7394 They did cancel the raid on Rotterdam in the last minutes, because the Dutch troops surrendered. German troops in the south of Rotterdam used green flares to warn the German bombers, but not all the pilots saw the flares. Most did return without dropping their bombs, so it could have been way worse.

[@ismoojanen8601]

In some countries they study and published crimes their Air Forces have done at WW2. In some another countries they still build statues to honour flight staff who contribute to those terror raids against civilians. Tells something.

[@alexpopescu8137]

Now do one on soviet war crimes please :D

[@frogstamper]

As a Brit of 56 I've always considered I had a fairly good knowledge of WW2, I always considered that Nazi war crimes were exclusively carried out by the Waffen SS and not the Heer, Kriegsmarine, or Luftwaffe, clearly, my knowledge was lacking. Of course, these examples seem to be of high ranking members of the Luftwaffe and even worse members of the medical profession. One thing I've always admired about Germany and 99.9% of Germans is their acceptance of their fore-father's wrongdoing and a clear desire not to gloss over wartime atrocities, sadly this cannot be said about Japan who readily wish to erase their behavior in the war. Excellent channel, very informative.

[@mixererunio1757]

Well German war crimes and Luftwaffe stay very close together, because the very first war crime of the WW2 and one of the very first actions of the war - Bombing of Wieluń, city of no military value, and with none military installations was a war crime commited by German aviators.

[@noobster4779]

The first war crime was technically faking the gleiwitz incident by using polish uniforms and thereby committing a false flag attack. Also I never understood what the point of that bombing was. Didnt the Luftwaffe had better things to do on day/night 1 of attacking poland then bomb a random village in the backlands into a ruin? Propably simply missed the place they really wanted to bomb, happened in WW2 all the time.

[@allangibson8494]

书中自有黄金屋 The Gleiwitz incident was planned and executed by the Gestapo and SS. The bodies were from Dachau and deliberately shot in the face to make identification as hard as possible. This was based on evidence given by Erwin von Lahousen of the Abwehr.

[@allangibson8494]

书中自有黄金屋 Naujocks narrative was backed up by General Erwin von Lahousen. The Germans attacked the DAY AFTER. Hitler had stated on August 22,1939, “I will provide a propagandistic casual belli. It’s credibility doesn’t matter. The victor will not be asked whether he told the truth”. The Japanese staged the Mukden incident on a similar basis to invade China.

[@lizardb8694]

@书中自有黄金屋 You failed to mention, that Jerzy Cynk cites in his book primary source that is I./StG 2 after action report that was wrote shortly after the mission and simply states what Germans thought they were doing. The truth was that there wasn t any Polish Army Cavalry unit stationed in, near or marching through Wieluń at that time and so Germans bombed the city devoided of any military targets and inflicted significant civilian casualties. Source: Marius Emmerling Luftwaffe over Poland 1939 vol 3 Stukaflieger

[@lizardb8694]

@书中自有黄金屋 There is no contradiction. I am actually agreeing with You in that regard. I was just adding to your comment and providing additional sources. Is it the case of Luftwaffe acting on out of date aerial intelligence and targeting mud instead of non existent on that day troop concentration, but due to literal and figurative fog of war "flattening" the town in the process? Well it s not so clear cut. Luftwaffe on that day dropped 112 50 Kg bombs and 29 500 Kg heavy incendiary bombs on that town and Stuka pilots attacked using dive bombing profile despite heavy cloud cover. 75% of the town was destroyed. Most of the Stuka pilots on that day did not reported any enemy ground forces sighting and clearly bombed the city as a target. Oskar Dinort, commander of I/StG 2 boasted in german press, that he bombed the city main square. Polish and German military historians painstakingly researched records of movement of Polish Military units, that could be located in the area on that day and concluded that there weren t any. Sources: Marius Emmerling: Luftwaffe over Poland. Jagdflieger. s. 21, 26, 33, 34, 51, 54, 71, 229 Marius Emmerling: Luftwaffe over Poland. Stukaflieger. preface, s. 297

[@johnbolt665]

War Crimes - crimes other than those commited by the winners!

[@markstratton1679]

Great video as always, your presentations are always informative and thought-provoking. 2 points. You say that Goring was Deputy Fuhrer, I thought Rudolf Hess was until his famous flight. Secondly, the V2 (or A4) was developed and operated by the Heer and SS, not the Luftwaffe, the V1 was a Luftwaffe weapon.

[@StalwartPikeman]

I'm pretty sure coming up with the name Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager at is some form of war crime. (16:33)