Waffen SS in Canada's Parliament: Historians Perspective

[@TemmieContingenC]

Balanced, in-depth and well researched review, thanks a lot. This helped me so much on getting a more broad perspective on the situation instead of seeing it as the black and white nazi issue that the media portrays it as here. Hats off

[@johnd2058]

At least we get a short reprieve from the Kremlin propaganda decrying the media here as blindly pro-western-governments.

[@paulcock8929]

History is indeed not black and white, but Ukraine has certainly its own brand of ideology that has fascistic and racist elements, Bandera, a revealed man in Ukraine, thought his people were the real Arians, and he has a lot of followers.

[@DaveSCameron]

​@@paulcock8929Great comment here, also the OUM and OUM. Not forgetting the SS Nachtegale Division that also is rarely spoken about. Keep it coming folks. #OurHistory 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@abrvalg321]

In which way is it balanced? The guy just tries to white wash the nazi.

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@@paulcock8929 Ukrainian here. Bandera has a following here because he is seen as a freedom-fighter. His ideas of a socialist state with no elections are not popular at all. And be sure, no one loves him for being anti-polish and anti-semitic. Correspondently Ukraine is the most Jew-friendly country in the region and they see Poles as their closest friends. Ideology of modern Ukrainian nationalists are quite opposite because they see Russia, an authoritarian oppressive state as an example of how NOT to build your state. As a shameful as it is, I can compare praising of Bandera to Russian praising of Stalin who became popular again after liberal 1990s. "A hero who fought the absolute evil, although he made some mistakes"

[@paulwee1924dus]

Yes, what happened happened! Now I would like to see an interview with SS man Hunka about his doings between 1941-1946. We can only learn from that.

[@DaveSCameron]

? Ah I'm with you now, so this is all due to the chap you mention being mentioned in the Canadian parliament, I will give it a gander as I wasn't aware of this story until this. Best wishes from Liverpool UK 🇬🇧 📚 #OurHistory

[@paulwee1924dus]

Cheers, mister Cameron.@@DaveSCameron

[@YourTypicalMental]

In my opinion, everyone looked bad in this. The speaker inviting the Vet, the government not consulting historians, news not bothering to provide a hint of background. Everyone sucked and because of the state of historical literacy, everyone else melted down. However, I would primarily place blame on Yaroslav Hunka himself. The man had lived in Canada for decades, learned about and internalized the Canadian perspective on the second world war. Knew exactly what Canadians thought about Nazis. He should've done the right thing when he was invited to the House of Commons by telling them "thanks, but this is why you may not want me to come".

[@jameschristensen1055]

That's right, he should be expected to loathe himself. He made difficult choices in a time of great upheaval and as a result of those choices faced a high risk of death in combat. Perhaps he can be forgiven for thinking, wrongly, that nearly 80 years after the war the 'internalized myths' of that war may have begun to be eroded, and that a balanced, historically informed view might be possible. Sure, in that he may have been mistaken, but expecting such a man, who fought amid the savagery of the Eastern Front and survived, to denounce himself, and implicitly his fallen comrades, demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of the mind of the soldier - and of the complexities of 20th century Eastern European history. Some years ago, General John Shalikashvili, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, denounced his own father for having fought against the Soviets during WW2. I remember this striking me as absolutely perverse. Dimitri Shalikashvili had fought against the Germans in Poland in 1939, but then subsequently for the Germans against the Soviets. Like Hunka, he had found himself caught between two fires; he made a choice and accepted the inherent mortal stakes. If only it had been so simple as choosing to vote Republican or Democratic, Conservative or Liberal. There are times when it seems that people actually think that these men had been pushing a lawnmower in some blissful middle class setting and then suddenly thought, "I know: we'll be Nazis!"

[@YourTypicalMental]

@@jameschristensen1055 Buddy, I'm not saying he needed to denounce himself, I'm saying he needed to do the Nationwide equivalent of READING THE ROOM. If you fought alongside the Nazi's in WWII, regardless of the fact that wartime service is dripping with subtext and nuance and the unpleasant realities of Eastern Europe at the time, You still immigrated to one of the primary participants of the Allied side. You still immigrated to the country that learned the hard way you can't mount an amphibious landing with tanks on a shale beach! Read the room. Stop and think, if word gets out after your appearance at the House of Commons that you technically fought alongside the Nazis, that would not sit well with other Canadians. Canadians whom may not be fully aware of the complexities of what was going on the Eastern Front, but absolutely equate everything Nazi with the Holocaust. It would've taken a moment of reflection to see the ramifications of that, and probably less time replying the invitation.

[@josemarino4270]

After a few months, this incident has been put in the past and no one talks about this. The Prime Minister said that something was going to happen, perhaps even publishing the list of Nazy soldiers residing in the country: nothing, I very much doubt anything will happen.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Seems consistent with the PM's entire track record, as his ratio of achievements to promises is quite low.

[@worldofdoom995]

One thing I think was important to take into account was that in 1918 after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Ukraine was guaranteed independence for a brief period with German Troops occupying Ukraine. Until Germany collapsed in November of course. In 1941 middle aged Ukrainians who remembered 1918 believed that this would be a repeat of that not knowing this was not the same Germany that had visited them 20 years prior.

[@rickmoreno6858]

Their was no Ukraine until the treaty of brest litovsk. Ukraine is a fake nation, fake history,fake culture.

[@ninkd0311]

Nobody in the Canadian government did a background check on this guy and thought waffen SS this could be a very bad idea ?

[@thecoin5394]

4:30 If the USSR was solely Russia, could the Russian federation claim all territories of the USSR? Stalin was not Russian, he was Georgian. Kruschev was Ukrainian. Gorbachev was Russian, he reformed the USSR. And Yetlsin, another Russian, helped in the dissolution of the USSR.

[@cptpayday2080]

in the russian/soviet ideological mind there is no people like ukrainians or even georgians. They are the "soviet" people and in turn russians. The soviet plan was to create one people with a unified russian identity which is why they tried killing off other cultures with their russification like in ukraine and the baltics to expand russias borders and influence.

[@zachhoward9099]

Brezhnev was also Ukrainian and got his WW2 combat experiences serving in Ukraine and Russia as a Commissar

[@JustAsPlanned1]

Let's be honest, Kruschev was Ukrainian only in the name. He was a communist and nationality didn't mean anything to him.

[@JosipRadnik1]

@@JustAsPlanned1 So communists did not care about nationality - yet the communist state was as genocidal as the german Nazis according to this historian? Furthermore: Hunka was born in Poland, yet his childhood was marked by the holdomor which took place in 1932/33 in the USSR? How can he be personally affected by something that happened somewhere else? Thats just a few of the many contradictions that seem so embedded into our historical conciousness that this channel pretends to address but actually fails very badly.

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@JosipRadnik1 Bandera was also a polish citizen. I'll remind you that the Entente allowed Poland to annex Western Ukraine under the condition of creating a Ukrainian autonomy. Poland instead treated them as 2nd grade citizens. Last 400 years of Ukrainian history with Poland is perceived as "Poles treated us as subhumans". The hatred was deep and the dream of Ukrainian People's Republic was fresh.

[@jancieslak8479]

According to the estimates of Polish historians, Ukrainian nationalists murdered about 100,000 Poles. 40-60 thousand died in Volhynia, 20-40 thousand in Eastern Galicia, at least 4,000 in today's Poland.

[@OrkosUA]

Not so long ago those same Polish historians claimed 500k and 200k. Seems like they are not very competent.

[@andymccallum8090]

@@OrkosUA that makes what the Ukrainians did ok then i guess...

[@buckplug2423]

@OrkosUA the point stands, it was a genocide on a significant scale, and I personally don't blame any Poles who are outraged that another government praised a man associated with those same people who butchered their ancestors in the most horrible ways imaginable. I remember seeing a picture of a young Polish girl who was killed during one of those massacres - her body strewn across a table, sawn in half. That sort of brutality doesn't get forgotten easily, and while having anti-Ukrainian sentiment in 2024 because of it is obviously braindead, it's understandable to be angry over someone praising it or ignoring it.

[@jjj8317]

The same poles who ditch the Ukranians and let the Russians rand them over. Let's not create this myth about polish santity. Most poles are ultra racists

[@PBJT292]

A lot people should count themselves lucky for having been born where and when they were…it can get really, really bad.

[@DaveSCameron]

Shout yes and also really, really fast! Best wishes from Liverpool UK 🇬🇧 📚 #OurHistory

[@tommcdonald1873]

When we start treating individuals as such and not trying to place them into a group as a means to categorize them. When Eastern Europeans are caught in the maelstrom it may well be who did the most harm to them they chose to fight against. We tend to look at things in simple black and white, refusing to understand that the shades of grey that are the reality of both history and those who were a part of it. Because my Grandfather died in Russia in 1942, and mean kids called me a Nazi for simply being a first generation German-American makes me understand this situation entirely.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Well, if it makes you feel better, trolling my aunt at her dinner table one Thanksgiving revealed that Russians are pretty much equally bad as Germans! On a serious note, your point is a good one and one that I agree with. I believe in holding each man, woman, and child accountable for the good, bad, and indifferent they do as an individual. As a grandson of one of your father's enemies, and having been told things like, my people were collaborators and encouraged to disown a part of my family, due to their partial German origin by Jewish neighbors, I also sympathize with you, regarding the dumb stereotyping you received as a youth. I suppose that proves, my Polack-American self is in fact, a "collaborator". Pursue truth, brother, and know proper European history, especial when it is not Politically Crrect.

[@Don-sx5xv]

I am a Canadian, I traveled North America coast to coast, ALL I met was beautiful people of every imagination. We laughed and cried and loved together. Few if any of us knew that our countries were busy terrorizing other nations around the world. There were no wars for Peace and Democracy. I met only a few Russians in my day, but the key attribute to those I met was " intelligence " and today I regret that the world was not able to experience the remarkable academia, and knowledge that Russia had to offer. I know that one day when I travel through Russia that we will laugh, cry, and love together, because that is in our DNA . No doubt, among us are natural born killers, war mongers, but their ranks are small and we are not they.

[@HamSuelze]

Two things in this video nagged at me: First, the line: 'The regime of Nazi Germany was as genocidal as the Soviet regime had been'. Please don't do this. You know that's not true. It's obviously important to put their individual background in context and account for their subjectivity, but the context is not one of false equivalence. Second, I think you're taking the Deschênes Commission too much at face value. The report is concerned with the legality of the immigration process and its implications for suspected war criminals and really has nothing much informed to say about the historical particulars of individual or organisational culpability, and some of its history is wobbly. It can be summarised as saying that those Ukrainians who were screened are legal immigrants barring fraud. This rationale had been criticised by those who insist that membership to the Waffen-SS should be disqualifying, to which the report answers that it refuses to investigate this because the Commission was not created to review the government's decision or to indict individuals or groups of Canadians unless there is specific and actionable material against them, which would prove fraud (Chapter 1-8/2). We must also consider the sources that the report uses. The history is in parts informed by interested parties who chart favourable historical narratives, often from the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, some respectable and some tendentious. You might also notice the sympathetic tone in the report which looks favourably on the arguments made by the very activist parties who worked to bring the former Waffen-SS Ukrainians to Canada and the derisive tone against, for example, The International Military Tribunal in Nürnberg, which 'does not go into fine distinctions' (p. 255). The report once again reafirms the legitimacy of the immigration process, and emphasises again that only specific and individual charges can reverse immigration status by example of the fruitless cooperation between the RCMP and Simon Wiesenthal and was deemed to cause 'a considerable amount of purposeless work (p. 257-258). As a document, the Commission of Inquiry of War Criminals in Canada gives good insight into the Canadian migration process for a niche case. It should not be looked to for historical accuracy or neutrality.

[@HamSuelze]

Actually, relistening again just to make sure I heard you right, you mention '10 to 12 million killed in the Holocaust'. This bothers me too. So... Thirdly, 6 million died in the Holocaust. The Holocaust refers to the Nazi extermination of Europe's Jewry. The desire to bring attention to the other often overlooked victims of Nazi violence should not cause us to arbitrarily muddle something which is very well defined.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

The number of victims of the Soviet government exceeds that of Nazi Germany. In the broad sense, I stand by my statement though I generally dislike when people compare the two or try to argue which was "worse" since it is pointless. The Germans had very specific targets to their policies, the Soviets seemed to conduct their genocide on case by case basis as targets came along. In the context of the video, though, to a Pole or Ukrainian living in 1943, there would probably be "equivalence" as to how little they wanted to do with either regime, with its predilection for killing those it didn't like, its secret police, its compulsion of service to the state, repression of freedoms, etc. So in this context, I permitted myself perhaps a bit too much latitude. I agree in general we need to be careful with how we use these terms - and your point on Holocaust is well-taken, my only defence being I have certainly not been the only one to use the wider definition. Given the unreliability of the figures in any event, I will be more careful in future as the figure for non-Jewish victims of German murderous policies is probably much higher, depending on how one defines it. Re: the Deschenes Commission, I appreciate the clarity, but my own reaction to renewed questions about how it operated is the same reaction I have to such things as exonerating Canadians executed in the First World War, or upgrading bravery medals to Victoria Crosses or Medals of Honor years after the fact. I think it's dangerous and unfair to retroactively change policies decades later, after those living in the time and applying the rules as they existed then, have moved on.

[@HamSuelze]

@@HandGrenadeDivision I agree with you and with Ling. Mainly I'm concerned that the Deschênes Commission's report should ever be appealed to as a historical authority. This has been an issue recently in Canadian media. There have been articles written with deference to Ukrainian diaspora authorities who peddle apologia and point to the report as exculpatory. From a subject's personal experience, death by a Nazi bullet versus death by a Bolshevik bullet may indeed seem equivalent. But we have to maintain the discipline of distinction in discussing the larger picture, particularly since that larger picture is the Nazi ambition to annihilate nations and push the survivors into a slave caste, including the Ukrainians. Based on your thoughtful and measured commentary here and in other videos I trust that you will pursue this clarity and objectivity. There's actually an interesting history behind the inflation of Holocaust victims. Per Yehuda Bauer and Deborah Lipstadt, it was Simon Wiesenthal who first started to refer to '11 million Holocaust victims'. He wanted to bring attention to non-Jewish victims of Nazi violence and crafted a figure of 5 million which was suitably large enough to warrant new attention but not enough to eclipse Jews as the majority. Of course, some have pushed well past that already. Sorry if I wrote too much or come across as argumentative. I promise to shut up now.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

One of my favourite things about having a KZbin channel is learning from people who watch my stuff then take the time to craft intelligent, respectful comments. Especially when I've gotten something wrong. I can't think of a better way for me to learn new things than to talk about them with people who know more than I do. I am in your debt.

[@DisinformationAgent]

If only it roped you instead of nagged you. The soviets were much worse than you think there is a reason people took their chances with the Germans. There is a reason why still nobody wishes to be in the russian sphere. The germans are far from the worse regime ever.

[@Alex11V]

Let be peace in all European countries

[@lukedelport8231]

It’s so refreshing to see someone handling this with the care and respect it deserves not just spouting political talking points or just saying “ boo bad” , but actually providing the context and back round the war was extreme shades of grey and yes the German state was the aggressor but the context and history is often drowned out to make it more appealing or politically acceptable

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

Aggressors and murderers. There's no need to make them look bad. They did that themselves.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

The best honest answer I could give, based on what little I know of it, is that it was a political stunt. The Ukrainian president isn't in Canada on holiday, he's doing a sales job. He wants more money, more guns, more ammo, more tanks, whatever he can get. The Canadian government wanted to tie the current war into a larger historical framework - or at least, that's what I guess the intent was. As far as stunts go, it's not the most crass thing we've ever seen. Every time a candidate for public office or an official gives a speech with, say, wounded veterans in wheelchairs on the stage behind him, it's more of the same.

[@freedomforall236]

Unforgettable UNFORGIVABLE

[@RoverTwoSix]

The best and most balanced view of this entire "incident"...and I completely agree with your assessment of Mr. St. Croix. His OTD has unfortunately become a very emotional response on a variety of topics with little to no historical value.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I don't mean to pick on him, but having tried to post a number of comments on his videos hoping to start conversations on points of view he is unfamiliar with, I was deleted unceremoniously. His viewership would probably go up if, as you say, he dropped the self-righteous attitude toward his subject matter. Who knows, perhaps he'll pick up some subs from my viewership. I have nothing against him personally but a one-sided view of history serves no one well - no matter which side one is looking from.

[@RoverTwoSix]

@@HandGrenadeDivision I am not surprised...I have had a similar experience with him as well. I like the concept of his channel, however, you are absolutely right, there is no room for debate or discussion on his content. Unfortunately, that seems to be a common thread of many of our recent university grads these days.

[@RomanAquila]

I so agree with you...OTD and their "Goblin-King"....borders on being a Joke. Anything You Post on his site that does NOT "Heap wet Arse kissing praises"....gets branded as NAZI.....lol

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Apparently, the process of screening guests from the Speaker is not as stringent as guests from the PM.

[@Andrew-xq7ni]

I will say one thing that complicats things as well the part of the 14th div responsible for the 100s of deaths was under the comand of police units at the time and hadnt been incorporated into the comand of 14th div.

[@RobMcCue-i2s]

Well spoken as usual Mike! Imagine a world where someone can state facts so that others can make their own conclusions...

[@wuthichaiauomsin6237]

This event remind me of Colonel Vicha Dhitavat who was thai ambassador to France in 1973. during WW2 He was study at german military academy and commision as officer in the signal corp. he written his memoire "a thai in nazi army". this book become legendary among thai netizen and was misunderstood by a lot of people since he mostly spending in the rear duty and in embassy.

[@Otaku155]

As a fellow Historian and colleague, I agree with all of the points and contextual issues you have raised in this video. However when all is said and done, there comes a time when we all must acknowledge that an SS uniform is what it is, and that despite the fact that Yaroslav Hunka was not a member of the NSDAP per se, he still agreed enough with what the Nazis were doing that he put on that uniform.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

He may have, he would never admit it now. I got the impression from reading his own words that he cared more about what the Soviets had done, and would do again, than with what the Germans were doing. There were plenty of scores to settle with Germans, Soviets and Poles. I don't see how not picking a side - anyone's side - would have been an option. At Nuremberg they hanged the big fish and reluctantly gave up on the little ones. Today, justice seems to be meted out in reverse and big fish are untouchables. If it can be proven in a fair trial that Hunka conducted medical experiments or killed women and children outside the confines of reprisal actions (which, astonishingly to us today, may not have been prohibited by international law at the time), then walk him to the gallows and if he's too sick to stand up to the noose, hang him in a wheelchair. But I wonder if any such evidence shall be forthcoming unless you can suggest otherwise. Mere membership seems a non-starter to me, volunteer or not.

[@ostwelt]

No, because it was not an absolute decision. It was a relative one. A choice between deportation to effective slave labour in the Reich; service either in this division or its forebearers or, the local police; or, to flee as to most likely join a pro-Soviet partisan unit to await the advancing Soviets who but a time ago where inflicting the Holodomor! As these were the very people who had welcomed the Wehrmacht with bread and salt as liberators from hated collectivisation and Soviet brutality the decision many made can be easily understood. If it were as simple as putting on a uniform why weren't Nazis the fanboys in the US prosecuted post-war? They wore the uniform and swore allegiance to a distant führer. It was a dilemma for the nationalist Ukrainians (Galicians) with no good outcomes. With hindsight the West would have wanted, for the sake of, moral simplicity all nationalist Ukrainians to join the Soviets. But this is complete failure to comprehend the situation.

[@toadkillerdog4282]

I don’t really see the need to insult OTD’s appearance and complain about not pronouncing “Waffen” correctly. It doesn’t really say a whole lot about what he’s saying.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Goes to credibility, your honour, though I have to admit, I was tempted to sub in a picture of Bill Belichick, who has made a pretty good living for himself while looking like he just crawled out of a sleeping bag. Though that may be more due to Tom Brady's arm than his wardrobe. Sports are as complicated as history.

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

@@HandGrenadeDivision Pronunciation does not speak to credibility

[@tonybaloney8401]

​@@HandGrenadeDivisionthrowing more ad homenims put doesn't make him wrong

[@Theredsunrising]

I'm sure they will still call the truckers nazis though

[@DacusMalus1600]

The real problem isn't news calling the man a Nazi or not. That, and even the fact that he was celebrated can be summed up under negligence on the media or parliament side. The real issue arises the moment Zelensky as the Ukranian president doesn't seem to have an issue with it, and even joins in on the celebration. The gesture, shacking the balled fist, done by Hunka, was mirrored by a happily smiling Zelensky. Now we can not just assume the same negligence on Zelenky's side. Due to him being the President of Ukraine, and further due to some of the policies enacted by him. Stepan Bandera, the leader of the movement Hunka was part of, was recently declared a "Hero of Ukraine", streets have been recently named after him and his people, and monuments have been erected in their honor. Together with his reaction to Hunka, we can fairly certainly assume him being at the very very least, complicit! And dont get me wrong, its not just about Hunka as an individual. As he stood there and was celebrated by Zelensky, even though he stud alone, and may very well be realy just a former independence fighter himself. He represents inadvertently the organisation in wich he enlisted. I will not condem this 98 years old man, but one can also not fully separate him and the 14th. Furgher more, i think we all can understand the desire for freedom, and that ocupation and atrocities are a breeding ground for nationalism, but in this understanding we can not allow ourselfs to become blind for the extremes it can spawn. If for example, now Zelensky calls on the Ukranians to rise in defiance of the "Russian aggression", than we can see it as a nation under attack railing its people. If any minority language is suppressed on the other hand, it becomes opressive. If any non Ukranian history of the land is being feet by feet erased, if people get attacked in the buses for speaking Russian it becomes dangerous! Regardles of how horrible the Holodomor (which to this day is debated wether it really was a delibarate genozid or not) was, past tragedies can never justify new ones. We can not forget that Ukraine is not a homogeneous nation. Russians are the second larget ethnic group, and if one counts not ethnicities but first language speakers, than the number is even higher. Forbiding Russian state media is one thing, surpressing the russian language in al areas of public life is another. And as mentioned earlier, its not just the Russian language that is suppressed. All three, Poland Hungary and Romania have repeatedly issued complaints about the increasing suppression of their respectiv minorities in Ukraine! To sum it up, we can understand a d even support a nation under attack becomjng nationalistic, but we can not allow ourselves to become blind to the dangers it poses. Ukraine is on a dangerous path, as it now tries to homogenize its language and some in Kyiv are already clamoring to homogenize the country ethnically.

[@JustAsPlanned1]

"Stepan Bandera was recently declared a "Hero of Ukraine"" I have to add that he was stripped of that title back in 2011. Although he is still like because he us seen as a freedom-fighter fought both Nazis and Communists. And there's no one else who was like that back then. Also I'm pretty sure no one told Zelensky that he will be meeting an SS veteran. So don't blame him. Blame the people who organized the event. And as a Russian-speaking citizen of Ukraine I can assure you we're doing fine here. Even the most hardcore nationalist like Azov are often Russian-speakers . We are all equal here. And talking about rights of other minorities you should've known that Ukraine has passed a minority law that was approved by EU commission. And ethnic minorities in Ukraine have same rights ethnics minorities in EU do. Ukraine is not on a dangerous path. It's you who are on the path to ignorance. No offense.

[@DacusMalus1600]

@JustAsPlanned1 As stated above, Zelensky as the Ukranian president had to be aware of what it entailed "fighting the Russians during WW2"! not to sound rude, but just because the EU (parliament) which has nnow clearlytaken sidesand is fairly deep investedi the conflict, accepts the "rights" granted to the minorities, doesn't mean much! As an example: prior to the escalation of conflict in February 2022, the EU had on multiple occasions named AZOV a radical paramilitary nazi organization. After the start, no one in Brussles wanted to say anything against them, and anyone who did was called a russian propagandist or conspiracy theorist. Another example is in Yemen, where the Saudis are engaging in a genocide and the EU still can't seem to be able to condemn it. Then there's the "moderate" rebels in Syria where voices warning that we would arm radical islamists we're also called Russian trolls, or conspiracy theorists! ... Let me give you some advise: never take the stance of a government at face value! Never! I bet I don't have to name you examples of cases where Russia was morally "questionable" (to put it mildly)! Governments have no morals, they have interests! In some rare cases their interests are aligned with the interests of their people, in most cases with the interests of the wallet of the government representatives!

[@decafjava8565]

Well said.

[@fishyfish6050]

​@@DacusMalus1600 the reason Azov was seen by the EU as nazis was because it was the only Ukrainian volunteer unit who let foreigners join. Many of them were neo nazis but there were also alot of of normal people in the battalion. For them this was a war and discussing politics were not seen as important when your friends are dying on the front. Yes there were nazis in Azov at first in 2014 most of them were kicked out when Azov was integrated into the National guard the most well know Swedish volunteer mikael skillt was kicked out of Azov because of his neo nazi views in 2017 Even then there is a russia today documentary of them praising Swedish resistance movement for simply being against immigration. This was in 2015 when much of europe was having problems with an immigration crisis and alot of the media calling everyone nazis for questoning didnt help it any better. In that same documentary the Swedish neo nazis said "We need to slaughter the jews to save the white race" and wearing numerous 1488 slogans and even footage of them doing literal nazi salutes Azov has had a dark history and start but to say they have always been nazis is simply wrong. By this logic should we call modern day Germany nazis because they used to be? No of course not

[@AK-hi7mg]

As a german with Canadian citizenship, i always found it strange how even on CBC it was sometimes praised that canadian soldiers in WW1 were fierce oponents and would not take Pow's. I dont know to what extend the kaiserliche armee "feared" anyone to be honest. We see simmilar claims by some Americans that the Marine corps received special recognition and even bitter admiration by german soldiers. I often tought that the shooting of canadian POWs in Normandy by the SS division "die Hitlerjugend" could have very well been an act of revenge by German SS soldiers who had overheard these stories about WW1. On the other hand given the chaotic situation in normandy around D-day i think it was almost impossible to take Pow's without serious negative effects for operational success.

[@punishedgloyperstormtroope8098]

The west won the war so the war crimes of Canada don’t matter and they control the information and can demonise Germany for both real and fictitious war crimes

[@Cloudman572]

Thank you for posting this, very informative.

[@Semper_Iratus]

The truest definition of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I recommend ‘Bloodlands Europe between Hitler and Stalin’ as a good book on the subject.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Thank you for this recommendation. It is on my shelf but the nature of the material has made it hard to get through. I may need to try again.

[@Semper_Iratus]

@@HandGrenadeDivision👈it is a tough book to get through but the insights it provides puts the current conflict in a sharper focus.

[@dbassman27]

With respect to whether or not members of the Wehrmacht were "Nazis", were they not required to swear a personal oath to Hitler?

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Yes, at the time of their recruit training, and after 20 July 1944 I believe all ranks were required to re-swear the oath. Is that the definition?

[@dbassman27]

Well, after the war, the "oath" was referred to by many higher-ups to explain why they couldn't oppose Hitler. My only comment about whether or not Mr Hunka was a "Nazi" would be that he volunteered for the unit 3 years after the occupation of his homeland by the representatives of the 3rd Reich. So by that time he could have been under no misunderstandings about the nature of the regime to which he was pledging his support. As stated in Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you shall know them. @@HandGrenadeDivision

[@sayhelllotomylittlefriends]

​@@HandGrenadeDivisionGalicia division didn't sweat an oath to Hitler

[@tonybaloney8401]

​@@HandGrenadeDivisionwhy are you making the "not all german soldiers were nazis, look at the wehrmacht" argument when talking about a literal SS division?

[@user-sq5bw2fc4n]

Wow you covered this topic so well with actual facts - and covered the same objections I had when the media badly reported it to fuel spectacle. Your conclusions are spot on. I suspect a teenager page (ignorant of history) suggested this idea to Mr Rota, whom blindly included it, causing the greatest unforced error ever made in Canadian politics.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I almost wish that were true if for no other reason than it meant at least one more teenager was interested in world history... Ignorance can be fixed, in part by conversations like this, for which I thank you.

[@Tgungen]

Possibly the most unbiased coverage on this story we're ever going to get

[@GenMaj_Knight]

Wait until people hear about Lauri Torni (Larry Thorne) and where he's buried.

[@Forester-]

I thought of him too. Perfect example of someone who can't be so easily labeled

[@KevinSmith-yh6tl]

Excellent Sir, Thank You for this vid. I understood everything you spoke of. Since I was in my early teens, I have been studying the war (WW2) in depth. I'm an old man now, but continue to learn more. Strange how the 1st. "Educated Historian" you referenced, had nothing but a knee jerk, emotional commentary on the subject. Please keep up the great work you're doing for all of us who love the history of this period. 👍

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

I take you didn’t watch my video and just relied on the misrepresentation of it here.

[@KevinSmith-yh6tl]

@@OTDMilitaryHistory I seriously recommend to you, that you find a "Safe Place" and enter into it immediately, for your own mental well being. I see receiving criticism definitely troubles you.

[@RomanAquila]

​@@OTDMilitaryHistory DUROCK! DUROCK! DUROCK!

[@stevewoolfrey7903]

In a milder sense, he described passage of a Omnibus bill well - lesser of two evils

[@franciszeklatinik889]

Thank you for bringing to light some nuance to the whole situation.

[@typxxilps]

ATTENTION: 11:06 if you wanna be precise this footages does not belong there in that particular context where you talk about the memoirs as a member of that devision. The Ukrainian Waffen SS divison war on the lowest level of acceptance inside the SS which meant that those not from a germanic country were not allowed to wear the SS insignia cause they are not ordensfähig which means they can not really belong to the orden cause the SS saw themselve as an orden. ordensfähig meant to fit into an Order like fit into the templar order, but the ukrainians fitted not into the SS order. So they were a part of the Waffen SS division but not so much or really part of the SS, more or like associated supporters , tolerated but not integrated. Of cause for the usual viewer wearing the SS runs would not make a big difference but in this case it is important how many levels the SS had, germans, germanic foreigners and non germanic foreigners on the lowest level. And this also meant that it would have needed a differentiation that the non germanic waffen ss divisons had the lowest acceptance and tolerance inside the SS, not so much appreciated compared to a Viking SS division. It is a messy topic but the canadians must have awaken in the second the speaker spoke about a war hero fighting the russians that this could not have been an ally. Of cause the fins fought against the russians too, but also with the russians against the germans.

[@typxxilps]

Ah you explained it later 14:14 but still the photo used in 11:06 does not fit, rather those at 14:14 .

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

@@typxxilps I appreciate the comments and your interest. Thanks for the response. Great clarification.

[@rockmusicman21]

Finally a nuanced take.

[@angelogarcia2189]

Who vetted and approved his presence?

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Think we'll ever *really* know? There will certainly be a review of their procedures. I remember as a kid going to a provincial legislature and sitting in the gallery with classmates. We were recognized for the Hansard of which we got a sample copy to take home. I remember being disappointed not to see our school's name in it, since it was from a different date, not realizing they didn't have the capacity to just print out same-day editions. But I got the sense that it was common to recognize visitors and like any human endeavour, people slack off a bit in their procedures, particularly ones that become both common and routine. When a catastrophe like this strikes, you no longer have "human nature" as an excuse.

[@angelogarcia2189]

@HandGrenadeDivision it just seems strange to me that no one on staff knew this was going to be problematic. Like you say, he didn't hide or deceive anyone regarding his membership in the SS. I'm neither condemning nor condoning anything here, but I would think that someone would have realized having a member of the waffen ss in the auditorium as a guest was probably going to end up as bad press. Especially considering it was planned that he be mentioned in the speaker's speech.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I couldn't agree more, I think a lot of us are as stumped as you are. If I was a kooky conspiracy nut, I'd say they did it on purpose so they could bring down the memorials in Edmonton and Oakville. That's just too crazy to consider, but at the same time, is the only thing so far that seems even remotely plausible...

[@angelogarcia2189]

@HandGrenadeDivision "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity". I think that more people than we like to think are ignorant on the second world war. Probably history in general. I don't see it getting any better.

[@Andrew-xq7ni]

​@@angelogarcia2189well the thing is Canada did screen him in the 50s and 80s on an individual bases. I guess they didn't bother to check the records

[@lorifitzgerald2891]

Very well done. Thank you.

[@DavidBagshaw]

Please provide a citation for for your 'quote/unquote' from Trudeau, I can't find one, and I don't think you can either, though he did mention swastikas.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

In that very specific world where a mother is actually a "person who gives birth," and people refresh themselves from "drink-box, water bottle sorta things," there is a certainty around what was referred to by the phrase "people who wave swastikas." Unless you can provide a citation for an alternate explanation, it is very doubtful he was referring to Indian sun worshippers or iconographers. www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-conservative-swastikas-1.6354970

[@ludaMerlin69]

There's so much worse in our parliaments, compared to a teenager who fought a war 80 yrs ago.

[@beenokok529]

This is what happen when all you do is frame the conflict as black and white.

[@cornyhorsecornhorsington7522]

Thank you so much for this. ❤

[@mrdensvenske]

Very good review on the situation

[@rosesprog1722]

The Americans fought on the side with the Soviets, does that make all them communists. And no, you cannot accuse someone of being part of a criminal organization if it was not illegal when they joined, inventing a criminal accusation to punish anything done before the implementation of the law, no matter the gravity of the infraction, mass murder included is, in legal terms, an ex-post-facto accusation and it is strictly forbidden in any court of law worthy of the name, something Nuremberg was not.

[@TheGuyInTheCheapSeats]

The moral outrage over Hunka's appearance was understandable. After a year and a half of hearing how Ukraine's fight was the world's fight, backlash was inevitable. Edit: the word parsing in this video is impressive. "Yes, the Ukrainians massacred Jews, and, yes, anyone fighting for the Germans was fighting for Hitler, but that's not relevant."

[@Marshaluranus]

the truth is irrelevant only interests matter

[@chaffcutter58.]

This was the most hilarious stuff ups in Red Troudou 's history, but to see Zelinsky there begging bowl in hand was the icing on the cake.

[@JustAsPlanned1]

"Begging bowl in hand" Can you not be an asshole and respect him for how he's trying to get aid for his country? I bet you wouldn't use same words to describe the time when Churchill visited the US in 1941 asking for help.

[@kommando5562]

My grandfather was drafted and sent to Vietnam and has ptsd over not committing war crimes war is terrible. Weather this guy did anything or not he fought communism and for his country and definitely suffered horrendously. People can ignorantly throw people into boxes but if you’ve had family hurt by war you understand nothing is simple

[@libertane.4659]

Russian does not equals Soviets! Stalin ,Hrushchev were not Russian yet they were main sculptors of agricultural reform that caused famine in first place! Saying that famine was genocide implies purpose and intent,like Russians did it with bad intention against Ukrainians,and also deletes other victims of famine .We don't call Irish famine genocide ,do we? Also it needs to be said,that most of Ukrainians fought against Nazis and Quislings and that is rare;y being said. Canada has been harboring nazi collaborators from other places in Europe ,as well as USA and G.Britain and kept them in their original purpose to be Fifth Column! It was really hard to extradited ,and if they were ,usually happened at the deathbed like Andrija Artukovic,or Damyanuk

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I think you're on to something. That 98 year old sleeper agent has to go back to Poland where he came from before he does some real damage!

[@libertane.4659]

Sarcasm? What for?@@HandGrenadeDivisionI am not calling for sending this old man to Poland or anywhere else. But for sure not gonna whitewash history by empathizing with Nazis

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

You do make an interesting point about the Irish famine, I don't know enough about it to comment. But I think you're on less firm ground with so-called "weasel" words like "most Ukrainians." The point of the video was to demonstrate just sweeping generalizations aren't particularly useful, and even if true (and it may be) their individual motivations would have been rather more diverse than you suggest.

[@casioak1683]

Russians allowing them to rule meant Russia = Soviet, indeed.

[@valerijoukov239]

BS - Famine in Ukraine were created by Ukrainian communists, not by Russian - Russian communists did not allowed cannibalism to be happened in Volga region.....where famine were also existed.... @@casioak1683

[@murraywilkinson6515]

I heard that Speaker Rota has a degree in political science yet he doesn't know history very well.If this ex-soldier was fighting Russia during WW2 then that means he must have been fighting for Nazi Germany despite fact that he did it or Ukrainian independence.Does Speaker Rota not know that Russia was on OUR side during the war? I was taught that in High School?

[@rockmusicman21]

Also subbed

[@Broken_dish]

its no annoying how people wanna make things so black and white in actuality nothing in life is black and white let alone someone's life and will to live im grateful someone has actually laid out the truth for people to say instead of just trying to politicize things to there own advantage i hope things will change soon but it dose not look promising if anything the future looks darker than ever in my life i just hope better sane heads will prevail

[@filipkowalski3828]

You should be aware that SS Galizien where involved in lots of war crimes in Poland. Pacyfication of Warsaw uprisinng, along with einsatzgroupen - genocide of Wola. THEIR SS supervisor where impresed by brutality and bestiality of Ukrainian SS troops. You should pay more interest why Poland want this "hero" deported. Dont judge People by strenge and very brutal time their live, but remember that kiling women and children doesnt make you hero. Yaroslaw Hunka is suspected to be inolved in masacre on Polish citizens in Huta Pieniacka, 800 people killed. This unit of SS Galizien troops are also suspected for masacers in Iwonicz, Chodaczkòw Wielki, Prehoryłe and Smoligów. This soldiers took oportunity to fight for free Ukrain but insted they where kiling civilians and burning villages with einsatzgrupen... even germans write raport about brutality and demoralisation of Ukrainian troops.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I've seen nothing yet to indicate Hunka was involved at Huta Pieniacka, and from what I *can* gather, there is no consensus on who was responsible. "Suspected" means something different than "proven" no matter how bad the crimes.

[@filipkowalski3828]

@@HandGrenadeDivision IPN Polish institute of National Remember is gathering information about genocide in Poland, and it's checking that he personally was or wasn't evolved in this action. "Suspected" is a strong word, like your YT channel and know that as a historian you are analysing facts. Im too emotional, SS Galizien and UPA make me nervous. Still being part of this brutal and unhuman organisation is something, that people shouldn't be proud of.

[@TheGhostofCarlSchmitt]

it's always so funny to me that the biggest outrage concerning these things always comes from countries far away from the bloodlands of the eastern front. as a finn, i understand this man's decision to join the german army against the soviet union. that time in the eastern front was a time when there were no good options for the majority of people or peoples involved. for the ukrainians, it's only natural to fight against the people who caused the holodomor, in addition to many other things the soviets did there. the whitewashing of the red army needs to stop and the outrage mob needs to shut up

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

As an American grandson of a Polish army veteran and patriot, I absolutely agree. I do wonder, however, what's a good Bear hunting party comprised of recent and mortal enemies, without Sweden? Maybe, it is true that they reek of fermented fish! The Swedes gave us Saboton without asking, they should join NATO without hesitation as well!

[@TheGhostofCarlSchmitt]

@@jed-henrywitkowski6470 i don't like sabaton, but sweden has many, many good bands regardless!

[@NareshSinghOctagon]

@@TheGhostofCarlSchmitt ,Finland loves its' Euro-metal,that be a fact for sure. No idea what they think about current US-metal.

[@TheGhostofCarlSchmitt]

Have you seen my SS ID card? i seem to have lost it here when i visited the last time...@@KristijanRisteski-zp7bx

[@decafjava8565]

So to fight against the Soviets meant slaughtering Jews, Gypsies and Slavs in general?

[@rafail3]

12:42 So, Hunka's family must have been offended by Russians due to famine? How? You clearly said that he was from the territory freed from Poland in 1939. The famine in the Ukraine was in 1932-1933, the Western Ukraine became the part of the USSR in 1939, so he chose to join SS because Russians let him starve when he was living in Poland? On a general note, do you think Hunka wouldn't kill Zelensky' relatives, if he saw them?

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I don't even know where to begin with your comments, other than it sounds like you're throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. Your use of the word "freed" suggests an agenda as well. Regardless, I don't see how all the bad blood and Ukrainian nationalism of the region could have flourished without people being aware of the general history of where they lived and what their neighbours had been doing in the 10 or so years previous. Your comments are pretty disengenuous. Your general note is ridiculous. Aside from the fact he is 98, he has been a Canadian for decades. I couldn't speak to his opinion of Zelenskyy, though his presence at the event suggests he supports Ukraine's fight against Russia. Otherwise, why would he be there?

[@rafail3]

@@HandGrenadeDivision There is nothing to begin with. If he and his family experienced famine, then it was Polish fault. The lands Hunka was living in, were part of Russian Empire before 1918 occupied by the Poles, so they were freed. The Greek Catholics in the Galicia could not care less about their Orthodox brethren who suffered famine and who they killed in the Ukraine and Belorussia. Ever heard about Dirlewanger? "he has been a Canadian for decades" In other words, you say Canada is hell on earth, where the Nazi killers are forgiven for their sins? Facts are facts: a Ukraininan President of Jewish origin gave a standing ovation to the guy who definitely would have killed his family. Why? Read Mein Kampf or anything from Alfred Rosenberg or Stepan Bandera, for that matter.

[@NareshSinghOctagon]

@@rafail3 ,and as we all know,the main reason behind all of it is to follow authority. They were given orders to kill after they volunteered to join a side that had seemingly freed them from Soviet oppression and had stoked nationalism,and they did so,with whatever issues they had being summed up to the higher ups taking responsibilty...which vapourised as soon as those higher ups started making one way trips to South America. America did tests after the war to see why anyone would do something to harm another,and they found out it was the authority above that did it,"a good person follows commands given" is a way to sum it up. This aspect is also why the Bundeswher has the right for their soldiers to refuse orders that are "patently wrong",something that if any German,Russian,Japanese,Italian,British,American,Canadian,French,or anyone else had tried during WWII would come with serious reprecussions. With that tangent in mind,as shown in Hands' video,the Canadians did double check this later,and did confirm that those with no evidence,AKA innocent until proven guilty,of any war crimes were let in,so either the evidence is just not obtainable,they weren't given war crime level orders,they were justified in simply doing what they were told,or there really was nothing wrong that the vetted individual had done. So with no evidence that Hunka is a war criminal killer nor evidence that he was a Nazi believer,just that he served with a Nazi lead foreign volunteer military unit,why are you calling him a Nazi?... Sure,he could've been ordered to kill a Jewish/Polish/allied POW/German deserter/Russian/civilian/gypsy/any other undersirable to Nazi ideology,but does that mean he's a Aryan supporting believer of a superior Germanic culture?,was what he thought a way to help his nation get independence,like so many of his nationalist comrades were like minded on,trully the same as what Himmler wanted to do? Call him what he is,a retired Ukranian SS volunteer who was properly vetted as being war crime free and is now just a 98 year old man supporting Ukraine from post modern Russian aggression who was used by a blind Canadian parliment as a political piece.

[@OrkosUA]

A good chunk of Jews who lived in America were not targeted by Holocaust, yet Holocaust is a tragedy for all Jews. Same appllies for Holodomor which is a tragedy for all Ukrainians. Also, you are making speculations, why would Hunka kill Zelensky and his relatives. Also any comparison between Bandera and nazis is a fallacy

[@JustAsPlanned1]

@@rafail3 "Ukraininan President of Jewish origin gave a standing ovation to the guy who definitely would have killed his family. Why?" Because no one told him the old man in front of him was served in SS. When I first heard about the Zelensky's visit I though Hunka was some sort of an anti-soviet partisan who escaped to the West.

[@TheDeenactor]

Decent video though I don’t like some of the wording you made in your video specifically the morality part

[@PatGilliland]

Instead of addressing the substance of Dr. St Croix's video, you take a cheap shot at his appearance then launch into hagiographic praise for Mr. Ling's article. Perhaps you should spend more time criticising a person's arguments rather than how they look.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

I am sure you're correct. Don't mistake my praise for Mr. Ling as hagiography though, just sincere admiration. I looked over some of the other articles on his substack and concluded his politics are both very different from mine, and also impossible to discern from the article he wrote on this specific topic. I find the latter admirable and suggest not only is he a decent historical researcher, but a damn good writer all around. I wish more writers would take pains to conceal their own biases. I suspect that takes great skill these days.

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

@@HandGrenadeDivision And you ignore the comment about you coming after my appearance. That speaks volumes.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

@@OTDMilitaryHistory I responded directly to it by saying "I am sure you're correct."

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

@@HandGrenadeDivision That doesn’t mean anything.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

You'll have to forgive me, Brad, this is my first actual bromance so I'm kind of learning on the fly.

[@leesander1802]

Great video as usual. I must make some points since I am a well read person and has family history in the game. 1. Both USSR & Nazi Germany were horrible. 2. The Nazi planned to Remove, enslave or starve the peoples of the East including Ukraine 3. This man is NOT a Nazi but he is a ally and complicit in their crimes and evil The 14th SS aided the regime in the east. 4. Just because they did not find direct evidence of crimes he did does not absolve him. 5. He had a choice like everyone. Over a million partisans fought in Ukraine, 5 million fought in the Red Army or he could have done what millions did and sat on sidelines. 6. My grandparents in Denmark could have joined the Nazi or helped them.... they chose to work against them 7. Ukraine after the 2014 USA coup is not a freedom loving land of milk and honey 8. They banned the Russian language, destroyed the Orthodox church, banned political opposition, corrupt extreme, no freedom of speech and now no elections. 9. Millions of Russians have fled Ukraine into Russian and they have WW2 symbols on the flags and uniforms - swastika and nordic sun. I have seen with my own eyes. 10. Why get involve in Ukraine in the first place??? Where was the support for Libya, Syria, Iraq 2003, Afghanistan 2001, Kazakhstan, the anti - covid lockdown people??? Is NATO & The West the good guys these days?

[@FreiherrvonReuental]

Ukraine did not ban the Russian Language or Orthodox church. Nice try putin bot.

[@leesander1802]

Hi 1. Not a Bot let alone a Putin Bot 2. You need look up the story about what has happened to the Orthodox Church there. Banned, Shutdown, Nationalized are all hallmarks of Fascism, Communism and Socialism.

[@leesander1802]

When it comes to the Russian language it is not an “outright ban”. Though it ended the equality of the languages in the country and put one over the other including in the Russian dominant areas and in the institutions.

[@leesander1802]

Hi What’s really interesting is that you getting picky on the exact terms on “banned” things on a comment section with limited space yet do not refute my other points I made specifically related to NAZI Ukraine

[@FreiherrvonReuental]

@@leesander1802 Ukranians should speak Ukranian not Russian and theres nothing wrong about it.

[@OrkosUA]

As a Ukrainian I am very grateful for this video, you did better job than the entire news media of the world. Expecially thanks for empathy and humanity.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Justin Ling, whom I've never met or communicated with, gets the credit for inspiring this presentation. I recommend visiting his substack at the link in the description and reading his article in full.

[@leemarriott7961]

Thank you, a good and fair discussion of a very emotive topic.

[@bigl161985]

Eww justification. We've reached this point in ww2 history already smh. From a military service member's prospective dude is a war criminal. Doesn't matter if records prove or disprove he participated in the actually acts. He was/still is a part of the criminal organization SS by volunteering I might add. (I wonder if he may trips back to Ukraine for their annual march) When he dies his name will be added next to the other war criminals in Ontario Canada. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario. To better clear up records even with the 2 pass wars I participated in its not difficult for people to cover up war crimes. Not everything is documented in the chaos of battle. (No i didnt participate in warcrimes) So in conclusion: dude volunteered and wore the uniform of a unit and belong to an organization that had participated in war crimes = guilty by association.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Based on your post, you're saying you should be locked up for war crimes, because guilt by association is a thing. How odd.

[@bigl161985]

Not really...its literally how punishments have always been conducted 😂😂

[@bigl161985]

@@HandGrenadeDivision did the US lose?

[@Don-sx5xv]

Excellent Report...the fog of war, and the psychology of belief. We have all been programmed to pick sides. The collective west has been slowly funneling people into two party systems which often results with one party winning by narrow margins. This takes entire populations and makes them into 2. They take this one more step further in " Party Politics " all banding to one leader. With this comes blue or red, most care less, but in the same way we support our favorite sports team this enthusiasm can quickly be molded into extremism or terrorism, as we have seen recently played out in America. The most difficult task in unweaving any story is clearing all the propaganda. I am a Canadian, I have watched the building blocks of Tyranny go up one by one in our country for 50 years. i am one of only a few. I have watched as NATO has struck nations one after another after another. In knowing this I understand Putin's war. In my view this is the ultimate war between good and evil, and as a Canadian I struggle with the fact that my country is on the evil side, and that the country which I was programmed to believe was evil, has now become good. Where does this place me on the defenders of peace scale. In 1945 would I have been considered a NAZI, extremist, militant, terrorist, radical extremist, etc. When you own the media, you own the narrative, and throughout history the victor writes the chapter for that time. Excellent report.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

We keep adding all this technology to our lives that is supposed to help us communicate better, but there is often a glum realization that it actually obscures and divides more than unites. But I'm fairly certain it cannot solely be the fault of the technology.

[@Don-sx5xv]

@@HandGrenadeDivision Division is the name of the game, divide and conquer, easy to do when you control the media. I am seeing a shift from Legacy to Social, weaving through the propaganda on Legacy media was easy, it was all propaganda. Now we have another option which often disguises propaganda. The good thing is that more and more people are waking up, we have little time left.

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

I was giving my perspective and nothing more. Your critiques provide nothing. Thanks for insulting my appearance. How very mature of you. And my pronunciation of words has no bearing on my thoughts' validity. And I'd appreciate a heads up before using one of my videos. And there's no evidence that Hunka faced a "Sophie's Choice". You are making assumptions here, like many other points in your video. That's appealing to emotion, the actual same thing you accuse me of doing.

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Brad. Rest assured I am happy to display your comments here along with my response. My use of parts of your video fall under fair use and my comments constitute a review. As such no permission need be sought, or granted. Given how prolific your channel is, and how much our interests overlap, I suspect there is room there for additional commentary in future videos by me on items of mutual interest. I've found out the hard way that leaving comments that challenge your assumptions don't live long, so perhaps this is a workable alternative. I sincerely hope you'll consider being as generous as myself in the future, and viewer comments to your channel will be permitted to either flourish or perish based on their merits rather than the degree to which they stroke, or wound, your ego.

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

@@HandGrenadeDivision I have no idea what you are talking about regarding deleting a comment. And nothing about insulting my appearance I see. That was extremely unbecoming.

[@OTDMilitaryHistory]

Critique my ideas all you want but appearance has nothing to do with my ideas. Why would anyone take you seriously when you do such things?

[@NareshSinghOctagon]

@@OTDMilitaryHistory ,the fact that you're so butt hurt about it means you can't handle critism for obviously looking like someone who will get easily targetted for being low effort. You made it easy,and that's on you.

[@RockedChad-ts7ch]

Imagine after 50 years Canadian parliament will applause to an activist of Hamas!!!!

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

There is a school named after Louis Riel a few blocks from my childhood home. A Canadian school. Named after Riel. It's fascinating how views change over time.

[@WangAiHua]

He gave away his bias when he said " the war against Russia", instead of Russia's war against Ukraine.

[@GermanConquistador08]

Absolutely the best take out there on the matter truthfully. Thank you - So long as voices like this continue to grow, there will be hope.

[@FreedomFox1]

NATO needs the public response to be driven by moral outrage aimed at the individuals involved. A more nuanced discussion of the history of Ukrainian nationalism risks undermining the official narrative. Americans and Canadians have been told that this was an unprovoked attack by Russia, with no mention of the Ukrainian civil war or the years of ethnic conflict that preceded it. The last thing our leaders want is to discuss the wider context for this war.

[@fridrekr7510]

All of that is common knowledge. The reason why these things aren't discussed in public is, that people like you will try to use things that happened 80 years ago and some dubious symbols worn by Ukrainian soldiers to justify Russia's aggressive unprovoked war. If Russia had just assassinated Zelensky or bombed the HQ of Azov, or whatever strawman unit the Russians claim are Nazis, nobody would have cared. But instead Russia launched a full scale invasion that has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties, and the replacement and genocide of Ukrainians. I'm sure you think you're really smart and finding hidden information, but in reality you're just lapping up Russian propaganda and agitating for undermining the West to spite the Liberals.

[@YaroSSlav88]

What civil war and ethnic conflicts are we talking about?

[@decafjava8565]

@@YaroSSlav88 the Donbass in 2014 for example.

[@YaroSSlav88]

@@decafjava8565 Since when did Girkin become a citizen of Ukraine, and his combat group a Ukrainian combat unit?

[@peterrobbins2862]

You have to see the funny side of it ,though someone is going to be looking for a new job a wonder who will end up being the fall guy

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

Looks like that was the Speaker of the House, who resigned from that position. I expect we won't know for sometime what the real impetus for the resignation was - if it was his personal reaction to the public pressure, or something more crassly political behind the scenes. Or both.

[@sayhelllotomylittlefriends]

Thanks a lot. As a Ukrainian its good to know there are people out there who can analyze thing as they were not just scream "eVIL Nahtzi" and realize the sheer pain Ukrainian nation go through. I personally condemn all athoritorian regimes and Germans were not our friend in WWII they were evil occupiers

[@rhy45bianchi31]

Okay i don't wanna offend you but letteraly he was appart of a battalion that was comprised ukrainians that remeber they were volontarily joining the SS he Is not an common german soldier he Is SS he mostl likely did war Crimes against jew, slavic people in those Areas

[@JustAsPlanned1]

​@@rhy45bianchi31 Let's be honest, no one has evidence he did any war crimes. He was 18-year old boy who thought he was helping his people. He was not a regular SS soldier but more like associated supporter as the comment above said. Leave the man alone, he was a law-abiding citizen his whole life.

[@rhy45bianchi31]

@@JustAsPlanned1 like no he was appart of the SS and problably did war Crimes that division did a lot of war crimes and in a lot documentary on SS in those area there did problably the most inumane shit and im not accusimg the original comenter but the old man and even if he ""didn't do war Crimes""" even t'ho i doubt It since the SS were the Worst of the worst but even if we Give the benefit of the doubt that Person didn't do war Crimes he still accepted the applause even tho he should know what his coulleges did or Have done i don't blame ukrainians or Russian citizens but i hate both politicians in this war and how disgusting they find anything to find a way to kill eachother and that thing they did they gave Putin free propaganda that doesn't change the fact of what the SS and what that division problably did and yes even the soviets did a lot fucked up shit too but The germans attacked the soviets first and the battles in Russian terreterory were much much more brutal than After in Germany but then you Have to account that japanese, american, italian, British soldiers might Have did war Crimes but the germans were the Worst BC of what they belived in.. i don't want people to miss rapresent me and Say im Russian bot or ukranian cuck BC im not i only pray for the civilians Who don't want this and never did and the people applauding that Person did it's disgusting...

[@TemmieContingenC]

@@rhy45bianchi31didn’t they clear the man before he moved to Canada, and nothing has arisen about war crimes he had personally been a part of while in service of the unit? No doubt the unit did a good amount of those, and village burning, but I’m not going to call someone a war criminal if there isn’t a lock of evidence except his membership in SS Galicia. Not to mention the nuance that HGD describes on how people joined these units in the first place. The Polish government & an institution I forgot the name of is looking into the matter and giving his background a through digging into, but as of writing nothing has come up yet. I’ll keep a lookout.

[@rhy45bianchi31]

@@TemmieContingenC he still accepted the applouse about ""fighting for Freedom"" and he was still appart of that unit that could Have did a lot of war crimes or Crimes against humanity and May i remind you that a lot of SS officers After the war run away from Europe and came into south America and US and lot them helped the US goverment with the research on weaponry and go to the Moon right? And even the soviets got their Fair share of SS officers or scientist rafuges that were offered a new home and the clearing of their name in Exchange for weapon research.... People can't Say that he was 18 he didn't know what to do and even if he personaly didn't do any war Crimes or Crimes against humanity he shouldnt Have come in the First place or accept that applause

[@voskoff7]

"Holocaust machinery" such as what?

[@HandGrenadeDivision]

German police battalions, the einsatzgruppen, local security forces, occupation governments, local governments, and of course the coordinating forces back home. The Wannsee Conference gives an idea of how many government agencies had a stake in it.

[@tomskonieczka2385]

@@voskoff7 perhaps I am misreading your intent, but it seems to me that you are questioning the machinery of mass murder imposed by the Germans in occupied Europe. For all such "experts" I would recommend a visit to Treblinka, Auschwitz, Majdanek, Sobibor etc. Walking through those camps will say more to any denier than any documents, films or eyewitness accounts ever could.

[@cptpayday2080]

@@voskoff7 in profiting off murdering local populations and stealing their food and ressources for the war machinery