Pursuit of Nazi collaborators Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The pursuit of Nazi collaborators refers to the post-WW2 pursuit and apprehension of individuals believed to have been Nazis responsible for crimes committed under the Third Reich, as well as those believed to have assisted them in their crimes, during World War II. The organised persecution of ethnic Germans is a related subject.
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2 Means of Pursuit 3 Controversial Aspects 4 Pursuit in specific countries 5 Related articles |
The main motives for the apprehension of suspected collaborators were:
Background
Other motives included:
There were two other factors which fuelled the hunt to a wider scale. First, there was a very large number of people who had been involved in what would now be classed as war crimes, crimes against humanity and Genocide, and likewise there were also millions of survivors who had seen at first hand those involved for weeks, months or years at a time and hated them bitterly. Second, the allied authorities rapidly turned their attention elsewhere and there was not the will to prosecute all cases legally, it was felt they would probably "turn tail" to be rid of it, and allow the majority to escape without punishment for the sake of legal and political expediency. (Indeed, in the aftermath of WW2, America scoured Europe for "useful" Nazis, who were effectively allowed to immigrate and "wipe their Nazi past clean" by working on the host countries nuclear and other military projects, known as Operation Paperclip)
This pursuit takes many forms, both individual and organised. Several organizations hunt for and pursue individuals they believe complicit in Nazi war crimes. Others were due to after-war spontaneous retaliation commited by populations within occupied countries.
Some of the main ways this pursuit took place were:
Sometimes several policies outlined by the Potsdam Conference and its decision to force German expulsions outside German borders, are percieved as part of punishment of Germans, regardless of history of the guilt or innocence of the population.
Controversy surrounds all forms. Every form is described by some advocates as unjust - the hunts are labled as "persecutions". Treatment of larger groups are criticized as organised persecution of ethnic Germans under the guise of a "World War II traitors hunt". Forced resettlement is another very controversial topic - see Expulsion of Germans after World War II for details.
On the other hand, almost every form of persecution of Nazi collaborators has also advocates, stating "hunt" was legitimate punishment. Treatment of whole groups was essentialy just, because e.g. whole Nazi-related organizations were criminal. Whether people were listed as "Germans" (Volksdeutsche) was more related to other aspects than ethnicity.
Frequent view, promoted also by many historians, point out it is impossible to understand what happened without knowing historical context. Revenge of civil population was the most harsh in countries of Eastern Europe, where Nazi occupation was the most merciless. Slavs were inferior people and expulsion of whole nations have been planned under doctrines such as Lebensraum.
It is also problemtic to apply todays international law standards and various todays concepts to judge events in first half of 20th century.
Punishments of alleged Nazi collaborators generally percieved as unjustifiable today are also sometimes used to relativize German crimes against humanity, Holocaust and other topics.
Volksdeutsche of Polish origins were treated by Poles with special contempt, and also it constituted high treason according to Polish law.
German citizens that remained on territory of Poland became as a group personae non gratae. They had a choice of applying for Polish citizenship or being expulsed to Germany. The property that belonged to Germans, German companies and German state, was confiscated by the Polish state along with many other properties in communist Poland. German owners, as explicitly stated by the law, were not eligible for any compensation. Those who decided to apply became subject to a verification process. At the beginning many acts of violence against Volksdeutsche took place. However, soon the verification of Volksdeutsche became controlled by the juridical process and was completed in a more fair manner.
Actions against Nazi collaborators, real or alleged, had two significant forms.
Immediately after liberation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet and American armies, in atmosphere of chaos, wild chase started. Individual revenge, mob violence, and simply criminal acts motivated by possibility to rob or loot, took place. In some places, where conducted by organized groups of self-styled partisans, violence resembled what is today known as ethnic cleansing. In most places this stopped when provisional Czechoslovak government and local authorities took power.
Other form were legal action, undertaken by state administration. After war, until regular Czechoslovak parliament was set up, president Benes ruled by issuing decrees. These were later ratified by parliament.
By decree 5/1945 property of untrustworthy persons was put under national administration. Untrustworthy were considered German and Hungarin nationals, people who were active in destruction of Czechoslovak state and its democratic government, supported Nazi occupation by any means or were members of organizations considered fascist or collaborator.
By the same decree, property of people of German and Hungarin nationality, who could prove they were anti-nazi, should have been returned to them.
By decree 12/1945 Sb. farm property of German and Hungarin nationals or citizens was confiscated, unless they could prove active resistance against nacism. Property of treators, and enemies of republic was confiscated no matter what nationality or citizenship.
By decree 16/1945 Sb. special tribunals were set up. These people courts had right to sentence to long term imprisonment, life sentence or death. Prosecuted were
By 33/1945 Sb. people of German and Hungarian nationality or ethnicity lost Czechoslovakian citizenship. However, they had right to apply for renewal.
Most problematic is the law 115/1946 about resistance against Nazi regime, which shifted limit of immunity to year 1946, effectively amnesting all crimes, acts of individual revenge and atrocities against Germans and Hungarians long after war.
People, who lost Czechoslovakian citizenship and did not apply for new or had not get it, were transferred to Germany. (Population transfers are discussed in article Expulsion of Germans after World War II).
The children of Norwegian mothers and German soldiers were persecuted after the war, see Children of the Nazi era
After the liberation, France was swept with the wave of assassinations of the people connected with Vichy regime. Women who were suspected of having romantic liaisons with Nazi officers or soldiers were publicly humiliated by having their heads shaved.
After the war, a significant number of Nazis took refuge in South America, often Brazil or Argentina. Adolf Eichmann, Josef Mengele, and Erich Priebke were among many Nazi smuggled to South America by ODESSA. Eichmann was kidnapped from Argentina by a team of Mossad on May 11, 1960. He was tried and executed by Israel. Priebke gave a press interview in 1994 which led to his extradition from Argentina and conviction in Italy. Mengele lived in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil and was exhumed from his grave for DNA testing before the search was concluded.
This is an Article on Pursuit of Nazi collaborators. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Pursuit of Nazi collaborators Means of Pursuit
This affected not only individuals, but whole groups percieved as collaborators. Another part was legal action and laws punishing cooperation with Nazis, implemented by provisional authorities.Controversial Aspects
Pursuit in specific countries
Soviet Union
In general, alleged German collaborators (and other ethnic Germans) were imprisoned in Gulag forced labor camps. The Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished and Volga Germans were banished from their settlements on the Volga River with many being deported to Siberia or Kazakhstan.Poland
In occupied Poland the status of Volksdeutsche had many privileges but one big disadvantage: Volksdeutsche were conscripted into the German army. The Volksliste had 4 categories. No. 1 and No. 2 were considered ethnic Germans, while No. 3 and No. 4 were ethnic Poles that signed the Volksliste. No. 1 and No. 2 in the Polish areas re-annexed by Germany numbered ~1,000,000 and No. 3 and No. 4 ~1,700,000. In the General Government there were ~120,000 Volksdeutsche. Czechoslovakia
No prosecution was based on ethnicity. However, many Sudeten Germans were members of SdP or voiced support for annextion of Sudetenland by Third Reich.Norway
France
South America
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