War memorial, in the town of Dachau, to the German soldiers who fought in World War One
Today I am responding to a comment made by a reader of my blog, who wrote that there are no war memorials to the German soldiers who fought in the two World Wars. However, there is now a war memorial to German and Austrian soldiers who deserted during war time; they are the real heroes: http://www.dw.de/austria-inaugurates-memorial-to-wehrmacht-deserters-killed-by-the-nazis/a-18019168
The photo, at the top of this page, shows a war memorial in the town of Dachau, which has a statue of St. Sebastion on the top.
I have not seen very many war memorials to the German soldiers who fought in World War II, but there are many monuments in Germany in honor of the German soldiers who fought in the First World War. The photo at the top of this page was taken in the town of Dachau; this monument is in honor of the soldiers who fought and died in World War I.
This website has numerous photos of monuments to German soldiers: http://www.thirdreichruins.com/memorials.htm
The grave of German soldiers who fought against the Communists in 1919
The photograph above shows the final resting place of four men of the Freikorps Görlitz, a militia group which fought the Red Army of the Communists. The names on the grave stone, shown above, are 2nd Lieutenant Bertram, Muskateer Labuke, Private Hauk, and Gunner Hilbig.
These men were killed near the village of Pellheim, just outside the town of Dachau, on April 30, 1919. They were engaged in a battle against the Communists who had set up a Soviet government in the state of Bavaria, after overthrowing the imperial government, under their Jewish leader Kurt Eisner, on November 7, 1918.
War memorial to the German soldiers who fought in World War I
The photo above was taken, by an American soldier in 1945, just outside the Dachau concentration camp. It shows the “death train” in the background.
St. Blaise chapel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The photo above was taken in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It shows St. Blaise chapel which is in honor of the German soldiers who fought and died in two World World wars.
German war memorial inside St. Blaise chapel at Rothenburg ob der Tauber
A war memorial window in St. Blaise chapel honors German soldiers who died in both World Wars
War memorial in town of Mauthausen honors German soldiers, who were killed in both World Wars
New Memorial to German and Austrian soldiers who deserted during war time and were executed
What is the world coming to? Now we have monuments to soldiers who were executed because they were deserters during a war. Can anyone, who is reading this, think of anything more stupid than this?
How long before the Austrians decide that this monument is not adequate to demonize the German soldiers in World War II? Maybe they can put up a 4.7 acre monument, like the one in Berlin, which is inadequate, according to this article in the New York Times: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-inadequacy-of-berlins-memorial-to-the-murdered-jews-of-europe
Scrapbookpages Blog 
The idea that graffiti is tolerated on war memorials in Germany is nonsense. Many Germans remember with pride their fallen but do so without all the pomp and pageant that we see in other countries. Compared to the U.k and America German losses were enormous as they were always fighting on several fronts against huge odds. Only the best soldiers could have withstood this for 5 years. Had it not been for the German soldier there is every possibility we would have ended up under a communist regime. We cannot even contemplate the idea of losing 100,000 in a battle during the Second World War but that is what the Hitler Youth lost in the battle for Berlin against the Russians.Many were as young as 12 years old. History is written by the victors but is often selective and inaccurate and that is still true of the wars as far back as the Napoleonic where Britain seems to think it won the Battle of Waterloo in spite the fact that they only made up a part of a large European Army……..the largest contingent in fact being German. On the Rhine stands a statue to Blucher and his Prussians and underneath the inscription ” The Victor of Waterloo” Who said the Germans aren’t proud of their soldiers?
Comment by powder blue — November 20, 2016 @ 2:57 am
“What is the world coming to? Now we have monuments to soldiers who were executed because they were deserters during a war. Can anyone, who is reading this, think of anything more stupid than this?”
“When you’re fighting in the Devil’s army, deserting is not only a right but a moral duty.” – Something Elie Wiesel could have said. 😉
Is there a Stauffenberg Street in Tel Aviv? No? There should be one…
Comment by hermie — October 30, 2014 @ 9:00 pm
I’m just trying to make sure I read this correctly. A monument to deserters ? I don’t give a damn whose army you’re in,you desert you go to the gallows. Unless they worked at one of the camps,I’m not in line with that. The only person lower than someone who deserts is a damn draft dodger. Send the whole lot to the gallows. Truth be known,they were probably cowards. Hey I didn’t like it when I got packed off to Southeast Asia . I was scared shitless,but I never cut out on my brothers. This is just pathetic. Call it a monument to backstabbers. That would work better
Comment by Tim — October 28, 2014 @ 10:37 pm
Tim, I couldn’t agree more. And if I may say, that stupid monument is ugly as hell. A big “X?” One of these days that stupid monument is going to get bulldozed.
Comment by The Furred Reich — January 25, 2015 @ 10:12 pm
I forgot all about this one,now I see why. I’m am the shining text book example of hypocrisy. I’ll point out my own shortcomings before somebody else does. This one I don’t really have an answer for. Okay,some of them worked at the extermination camps. They’re still under the same government as the boys that were on the field of battle. That one I’ll leave to the “philosophical gurus” and the legal scholars. It deals with morals and legal issues. Whatever their reason for desertion may have been, it’s treason in my opinion. Maybe they were afraid of ending up dead. In that case like my daddy would tell me,”silence their gun before they silence yours.” I’m not saying I’m “billy badass”. I mentioned to someone on here before,my first engagement in southeast Asia i shite and pissed all over myself. I know I wasn’t having a good time. Desertion didn’t enter my mind,because I wouldn’t know which way to go. J was one of three cherries. I can’t say for sure,but o may have been thinking,”I can’t run out on these guys.” Doing that still wouldn’t have guaranteed my place among the living. Deciding they would desert goes a deeper than your country. You gave someone your word you’d cover them and then duck out. I Don’t have a right to say who should live or die,but if it’s execution then so be it. Now we give them a memorial? The men who didn’t desert. The ones that fell. What did they get? Even though they were the opposition I’ll respect them for one simple reason,they stood their ground all the up to when they fell. What’s gonna happen next? Teachers take students to this memorial ? “Here children. These are your new heros.” The first time I saw this site the thought entered onto my head,”another Jew hater”. I’ll admit I was way off there. Actually this person running the site,is giving us new facts. The people that write history are giving us,”their version”. The person at this site is obviously very passionate about this subject. This person is actually letting us decide. I’m given new information here that I feel should be printed in history books. Give the next generation the opportunity to decide for themselves . Present this to them. Ask them if being a cut throat,back stabber is what they would aspire to be. That seems to be the message here. F**k over the people that thought they could depend on you. So what. You get executed,but you will become an immortal. Monument and all. Who came up with this idea? The lunatics at the asylum?
Comment by Tim — January 26, 2015 @ 8:23 am
No deserter deserves a monument. As a soldier you fight for your country not its politics irrespective of whether you agree with them or not. Many Germans were not Nazi’s but were patriots who fought for their Fatherland
Comment by powder blue — November 20, 2016 @ 3:06 am
Fight for your country ? Trust me. That shit goes out the window when you’re being shot at. The only thing me and buddies fought for,was keeping each other alive. Anyone says differently,they’re full of shit. You put your lives in each other’s hands. Someone that ducks out,just shows,they never gave a shit about their brothers in arms. Hang em. Firing squad is too good for them
Comment by Tim — November 20, 2016 @ 3:34 pm
…there are no war memorials to the German soldiers who fought in the two World Wars.
Of course that’s absurd. Absolutely absurd. They are literally all over Germany. Here is the one in front of the large Siemens Verwaltungsgebäude in the northwest of Berlin (on Rohrdamm). Lining the interior walls are metal plaques with the names of Siemens employees killed in WWI. For each year of WWII there is a square stone — similar to the ‘Holocaust’ memorial in central Berlin.
Comment by eah — October 28, 2014 @ 3:34 pm
The quote was from my comment to a previous article which actually said there are no CITY CENTRE war memorials to the fallen of the German army.
There are first world war memorials which are rededicated to all the victims of war and fascism like the Neue Wache and there are memorials like the one you have sent a photo of; these are found often in obscure places, look cheap and neglected and show a year so they can represent all the victims.
As for your picture it looks like a car park with broken slabs it certainly bears no comparison to the HolocaustMemorial in Berlin !
Comment by peter — October 29, 2014 @ 12:59 am
It does not look that bad in person. The foto was taken on a grey day — there are LOTS of those in Berlin — which does not help. Also they ought to remove the leaves, stray bits of trash that find their way there, and the weeds etc that grow between the stones. Anything constructed like that will show signs of where after a few decades.
BTW the Siemens Verwaltungsgebäude, which you see to the left, contains a ‘Mosaikhalle’ on the ground floor, just inside the entrance– here is a foto of the ‘Mosaikhalle’ setup for some kind of reception.
Comment by eah — November 2, 2014 @ 10:02 am
Regarding the weeds that grow between the stones, this could have been prevented if sheets of plastic had been put down to kill the weeds and the weed seeds before the stones were put into place. The memorial was three years in the making. Plenty of time to kill all the weeds. I wrote about the site of the Memorial before the stones were put in place on this page of my website: http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Berlin2002/JewishMemorial/
Comment by furtherglory — November 3, 2014 @ 12:26 pm
Vienna is filling up with memorials to the “victims ” of the Nazis. No doubt more are planned. Where is the one to the gay victims and the Roma victims?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judenplatz_Holocaust_Memorial
http://www.memorialmuseums.org/eng/denkmaeler/view/93/Memorial-to-the-Victims-of-National-Socialist-Tyranny-on-Morzinplatz
http://www.nachkriegsjustiz.at/vgew/1010_alb.php
http://gedenkstaettesteinhof.at/en/exibition/steinhof-vienna
http://www.tiscover.com/at/guide/5,en/objectId,SIG706423at,parentId,RGN108866at/intern.html
as for the Viennese who died courtesy of the USAF there is a stone somewhere …oh yes here is a picture and by the way it wasn’t 500 people but many thousands.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9489
Comment by peter — November 4, 2014 @ 7:40 am
Here is another view of the Verwaltungsgebäude with the Mahnmal in front of it, left of center.
Comment by eah — November 2, 2014 @ 10:11 am
Lastly, the ‘Holocaust’ Mahnmal in the center of Berlin is hideous, IMO. And for what they spent, it damn well ought to look better — at least newer — than this Siemens memorial.
Comment by eah — November 2, 2014 @ 10:14 am
By way of contrast, here’s the Red Army memorial in Berlin:
Comment by fnn — October 29, 2014 @ 6:56 am
Red Army memorial in Vienna:
Comment by fnn — October 29, 2014 @ 6:58 am
Time to take down that disgusting monument to an army of rapists.
Comment by The Furred Reich — January 25, 2015 @ 10:14 pm
The soviets have a memorial in Berlin ? A little bit of C4 will eliminate that problem. Sorry,but the last time I checked the “reds” got tossed. Neville Chamberlain would love Berlin now. Big a ass kissers as he was .
Comment by Tim — October 29, 2014 @ 7:55 am
Time to take down that disgusting monument to an army of rapists.
Comment by The Furred Reich — January 25, 2015 @ 10:20 pm
Why would anyone build a memorial to those red bastards. Oops! I forgot. It’s to remind people of all the Berliners about all the rapes and murders the red piles of shit commited when they rolled up on Berlin. That’s some sorry ass shit. Memorial for rapists and killers.
Comment by Tim — November 20, 2016 @ 6:35 pm
Here’s a memorial in Celle to the fallen and victims of WW2 from Marienwerder.
Here’s another in the same Celle park to the fallen and victims from Belgard and Schivelbein.
I’ll hazard a guess that Celle must have become the new home of many of the people who fled/were ethnically cleansed from these areas, all of which are now in Poland.
http://www.bkge.de/Heimatsammlungen/Verzeichnis/Herkunftsgebiete/Pommern/Belgard-Schivelbein.php
Comment by The Black Rabbit of Inlé — October 28, 2014 @ 12:49 pm
The memorial is vandalised with graffiti but nobody would be too bothered. Desecration which would land the culprit in prison in the US or UK is tolerated in Germany and Austria because these are memorials to the worthless. The German memorials to the fallen of WW1 after 1945 were either rededicated as the U boat memorial at Keel was to all the sea mariners killed in the war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laboe_Naval_Memorial
or like the Neue Wache in Berlin re dedicated to the victims of war and dictatorship.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Wache
Most were just left to slowly decay with no maintenance to what they are today.
No city centre memorials to the German forces of WW2 have ever been built and most are just names on plaques on cemetery walls on the outskirts of the big cities.
Still another day another top ” Holocaust” story ; Isn’t it wonderful being able to control the western media !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29798434
Comment by peter — October 28, 2014 @ 1:26 pm
The Daily Mail had to crowbar Auschwitz into this story : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2812432/End-line-rusting-relics-eerie-Hungarian-train-graveyard-including-carriages-carried-Jews-deaths-Auschwitz.html
Comment by The Black Rabbit of Inlé — October 29, 2014 @ 4:43 pm
Thanks for the photos. I visited the town of Celle, which is a beautiful place. I have photos of Celle on my website at http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Celle/index.html
Comment by furtherglory — October 28, 2014 @ 1:27 pm
No worries FG. Yes, I too thought Celle was very beautiful. I think I recall reading/hearing somewhere, that it was never bombed during the war.
Comment by The Black Rabbit of Inlé — October 29, 2014 @ 7:26 pm