The historian Götz Aly, author of the provocative history of Nazi Germany Hitler's Beneficiaries, has made some inflammatory comments concerning the role of black soldiers in World War II:
Götz Aly, the popular historian, accused black Allied soldiers of the systematic rape of German women during the Second World War.
He also dismissed their contribution to defeating the Nazis on the grounds that they were forced to fight.
Mr Aly, the author of the controversial Hitler's Beneficiaries, made the remarks during a press conference at "The Third World in the Second World War", a Berlin exhibition aimed at recognising the role of thousands of Africans and Asians in defeating Nazism.
He compared the behaviour of Britain and France's black soldiers to the notorious mass rapes by the Russians in eastern Germany and Berlin.
"Every town in southwest Germany could tell stories of rape by black soldiers", which was "no different to the Russian" practice of systematic rape, Mr Aly claimed.
He also described Britain and France's black and Asian soldiers as "unfree liberators", whose contribution to the defeat of Hitler ought therefore not be celebrated.
Fortunately, Aly did not include black American GI's directly in his comments. Comparing the rape by black solidiers to the systematic rape by the Red Army is absurd. Also, what black battalions did the British forces have in Germany at the time? There were none.
It is estimated that 2 million German women and girls were raped in the invasion of Germany and the aftermath of the war. The overwhelming majority of rapes were committed by the advancing Red Army, who boasted of their actions. There were also hundreds of rape cases in southwest Germany – mostly in Pforzheim and Freudenstadt – committed by French forces. There is no evidence that black French soldiers were more involved here than their white counterparts. There were virtually no cases of rapes reported involving British forces – black or otherwise.
Why would a supposedly reputable historian like Götz Aly accuse black soldiers of systematic rape, contrary to any historical evidence? Pure racism.
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I know such stories from my grandmother, a swabian woman, who was in fear of the black people. I think, Aly repeats old myths about black people raping white women. As you stated correctly, there have been rapings by french and american soldiers. But there are two problems with that:
1. Many Germans living in this period have an very racial attitude towards black people, which was taught them in the Kaiserreich and even more in the 3.Reich. They blame the black soldiers, because some of them despise the blacks.
2. Even today, it is easy to talk about rapings commited by russians in Germany. I was taught that fact in school.
But even so Iam living in Swabia, a region which experienced rapings by french/american soldiers, I never ever heard about it, untill I read it in your blog. Saying something about it is still very unusual in Germany and many people will call this “revisionistisch”. Because of this tabu, there are many rumors going around about this topic. Best thing to conter such guys as Aly would be an open discussion about, even so it endangers us having some real revisionists taking part in it.
But anyway, what do you exepect from Aly, who made himself an idiot several times due his weird theories and arrogant behavior?
Greetings from Pforzheim,
Max
He might not have said black American soldiers, but what he said was black soldiers. Even the politically right-leaning Daily Telegraph (circulation 1 mio) criticised him heavily. Considering that Aly is one of the most popular historians in Germany, one can only assume that up to now he was able to hide his racism behind the literature he is writing about the Jewish Shoah. These type of people thrive on the divide minorities and rule them – disgusting character.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/6140002/Mahatma-Gandhi-was-one-of-Nazis-greatest-friends-German-historian-claims.html
Max, I agree there needs to be more open discussion about this chapter in history. I think the new Nina Hoss film (“Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin”) should start the process…
I wonder what Oprah would think about this idiot. I might forward this to her, or would that be too much of an honour if she would pick that up?
American and Soviet soldiers represent opposite extremes in terms of a critical factor: ability and willingness to PAY (cigarettes, chocolates, stockings) for sexual favors, with British and French falling between the two. Sex without compensation is more likely to be complained about.
If a German woman conceives and bears after sex with a white (of any nationality), it cannot be clearly discerned that the father was not German. If she does this after sex with a black, it is typically obvious, which changes the matter drastically.
Sex between black men and white women was an explosive issue in the American South for almost a century after the Civil War. The situation would be similarly charged in Germany after WWII.
The practice of some German women today to fly to Africa for trysts with black male prostitutes offers an ironic postscript to this controversy. The circumstances, of course, are all very different.
Excellent postwar novel that deals with a German woman having a baby with a black GI: Wolfgang Koeppen’s “Tauben im Gras” (available in English – “Pigeons in the Grass).
Maria said
“I wonder what Oprah would think about this idiot. I might forward this to her, or would that be too much of an honour if she would pick that up?”
Distinguished German historian = idiot.
TV personality in America = arbiter of morality.
Interesting values you have, Maria.
You are all niggers