WWII
Response to British disinformation about the Latvian Legion
2009/10/22 Filed in: Latvian Legion
Subject: Timeonline article - "A sordid tale that brings shame on Britain" (about the Latvian Legion)
To: letters@thetimes.co.uk
Received: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 7:10 PM
Dear Mr. Editor:
I was prompted by your Timesonline article, "A sordid tale that brings shame on Britain" (written by Ben Macintyre) to write to you this e-mail. The article indeed contains many half-truths and also a considerable amount of disinformation pertaining to the Latvian Legion (perhaps for political reasons). I would recommend to the author to read some of the post-WWII Nuremberg Tribunal trial documents, especially document Nr. 180 (known as the SS General Walter Stahlecker Report), which clearly illustrates the German SS "execution policy" for the extermination of Jews in the German occupied territories in Europe. It is a well known fact, that on June 22, 1941, one of Hitler's secret and special orders became operational - "without delay completely liquidate Jews in occupied territories" (Andrievs Ezergailis, Okupacijas nodaritie postijumu Latvija (1940-19400), Stockholm-Toronto, 2001. Specifically in Latvia, alongside the invading German Army that occupied Latvia, there was a specially trained German "security force", composed of Sicherheitdienst (SD) and Einsatzkommandos (EK) or operational teams of approximately 1000-men strong (including a few women) that entered Latvia. The SD/EK units' immediate purpose was to execute Jews and to do it in such a way as to make it look like as if the local population had done it; the EK operational units (or killing squads of about 12 men each and all German) were already specially trained in Germany prior to the German offensive (Operation Barbarossa) in the East. The Stahlecker's report also complains that the Germans could not get the local population to participate in these killing operations, even though later, they did recruit a few; and, they recruited only those who had members of their families killed by the Soviet NKVD (KGB) forces. The German SS General and Police Chief (Walter Stahlecker) in Ostland (i.e., the Baltic States and Byelorussia), with headquarters in Riga, issued an order immediately after arrival, that he and he alone is responsible for all security behind the Wehrmacht's front lines; and, he ordered all local inhabitants to surrender all firearms - the penalty for not carrying out that order was death. Thus, the Latvian population was totally disarmed. Later, General Stahlecker was replaced by SS General and Police Chief Friedrich Jeckeln. After arrival in Riga in late 1941, General Jeckeln ordered the execution of 25,000 Jews from the Riga Ghetto at Rumbula, employing only German police units and his own German SS security men; not a single Latvian or any other local inhabitant was involved in this "operation", as per General Jeckeln's own testimony during the Soviet Tribunal proceedings in Riga after WWII. It was all a 100% German SS and German police operation! The interesting part is that the Russians kept the Jeckeln's testimony secret until relatively recently. After WWII, during the Cold War, it was advantageous for the Russians to blame or discredit the Latvian Legion (they were very vocal anti-Communists and served in the British and American so-called guard and enginers' units (wearing their uniforms, but dark blue in color); and, it was also advantageous for the Germans after WWII to blame the Balts (for obvious reasons), not their own real SS Germans who had actually done those dirty deeds. The sad part is that so many people, including many Jews, have fallen for both, the Soviet-Russian and the German SS propaganda. It would be the same, if people were to blame all Jews, those living in Latvia and the Soviet Union in 1940-1941, for the mass deportations and killings of Latvians during the Soviet 1940-1941occupation period in Latvia, just because there were a few Jewish NKVD (KGB) personnel involved in these operations; for example, Simon Shustin, a Jewish NKVD officer, oversaw and personally oredered mass murders and mass deportations of Latvian citizens in 1941. Furthermore, the German Einsatzkommando (EK) killings took place 1941-1942; the Latvian Legion was forcibly formed only in March of 1943 in accordance with Hitler's order of February 10, 1943. And, keep in mind, that the Latvian nation (and the other Baltic States) were literally trapped, at that time, between two Devils and the deep blue Baltic Sea (look at a map).
The Latvian Legion soldiers, conscripted by force to serve in the German armed forces (the same as thousands of other Latvian youths were inducted by the Soviet Red Army, in violation of all international norms and agreements), have never, neither then nor even now, brought any shame on Britain or any other country, because they continuously served only on the Eastern Front (and, only at the front) as exemplary soldiers (as per German own accounts); and, they have never fired a single bullet against the Western Allies. In fact, the Latvian Legion was established well after the German EK units had finished their dirty operations in 1941-1942.. Also, the Latvian Legion refused to fight on the Western Front against the Allies; and, many units deliberately fought and found their way to the West and surrendered to the Western Allies completely intact (fully armed) before the German capitulation on May 8, 1945.
In the interest of fair play, for which the British are well known World-wide, I would like to respond more fully to Mr. Macintyre's article, if you provide that opportunity to me to publish such an article in your newspaper.
Andrejs Mezmalis
Rear Admiral, Retired (Author of The Latvian Legion; Riga, 2008)
To: letters@thetimes.co.uk
Received: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 7:10 PM
Dear Mr. Editor:
I was prompted by your Timesonline article, "A sordid tale that brings shame on Britain" (written by Ben Macintyre) to write to you this e-mail. The article indeed contains many half-truths and also a considerable amount of disinformation pertaining to the Latvian Legion (perhaps for political reasons). I would recommend to the author to read some of the post-WWII Nuremberg Tribunal trial documents, especially document Nr. 180 (known as the SS General Walter Stahlecker Report), which clearly illustrates the German SS "execution policy" for the extermination of Jews in the German occupied territories in Europe. It is a well known fact, that on June 22, 1941, one of Hitler's secret and special orders became operational - "without delay completely liquidate Jews in occupied territories" (Andrievs Ezergailis, Okupacijas nodaritie postijumu Latvija (1940-19400), Stockholm-Toronto, 2001. Specifically in Latvia, alongside the invading German Army that occupied Latvia, there was a specially trained German "security force", composed of Sicherheitdienst (SD) and Einsatzkommandos (EK) or operational teams of approximately 1000-men strong (including a few women) that entered Latvia. The SD/EK units' immediate purpose was to execute Jews and to do it in such a way as to make it look like as if the local population had done it; the EK operational units (or killing squads of about 12 men each and all German) were already specially trained in Germany prior to the German offensive (Operation Barbarossa) in the East. The Stahlecker's report also complains that the Germans could not get the local population to participate in these killing operations, even though later, they did recruit a few; and, they recruited only those who had members of their families killed by the Soviet NKVD (KGB) forces. The German SS General and Police Chief (Walter Stahlecker) in Ostland (i.e., the Baltic States and Byelorussia), with headquarters in Riga, issued an order immediately after arrival, that he and he alone is responsible for all security behind the Wehrmacht's front lines; and, he ordered all local inhabitants to surrender all firearms - the penalty for not carrying out that order was death. Thus, the Latvian population was totally disarmed. Later, General Stahlecker was replaced by SS General and Police Chief Friedrich Jeckeln. After arrival in Riga in late 1941, General Jeckeln ordered the execution of 25,000 Jews from the Riga Ghetto at Rumbula, employing only German police units and his own German SS security men; not a single Latvian or any other local inhabitant was involved in this "operation", as per General Jeckeln's own testimony during the Soviet Tribunal proceedings in Riga after WWII. It was all a 100% German SS and German police operation! The interesting part is that the Russians kept the Jeckeln's testimony secret until relatively recently. After WWII, during the Cold War, it was advantageous for the Russians to blame or discredit the Latvian Legion (they were very vocal anti-Communists and served in the British and American so-called guard and enginers' units (wearing their uniforms, but dark blue in color); and, it was also advantageous for the Germans after WWII to blame the Balts (for obvious reasons), not their own real SS Germans who had actually done those dirty deeds. The sad part is that so many people, including many Jews, have fallen for both, the Soviet-Russian and the German SS propaganda. It would be the same, if people were to blame all Jews, those living in Latvia and the Soviet Union in 1940-1941, for the mass deportations and killings of Latvians during the Soviet 1940-1941occupation period in Latvia, just because there were a few Jewish NKVD (KGB) personnel involved in these operations; for example, Simon Shustin, a Jewish NKVD officer, oversaw and personally oredered mass murders and mass deportations of Latvian citizens in 1941. Furthermore, the German Einsatzkommando (EK) killings took place 1941-1942; the Latvian Legion was forcibly formed only in March of 1943 in accordance with Hitler's order of February 10, 1943. And, keep in mind, that the Latvian nation (and the other Baltic States) were literally trapped, at that time, between two Devils and the deep blue Baltic Sea (look at a map).
The Latvian Legion soldiers, conscripted by force to serve in the German armed forces (the same as thousands of other Latvian youths were inducted by the Soviet Red Army, in violation of all international norms and agreements), have never, neither then nor even now, brought any shame on Britain or any other country, because they continuously served only on the Eastern Front (and, only at the front) as exemplary soldiers (as per German own accounts); and, they have never fired a single bullet against the Western Allies. In fact, the Latvian Legion was established well after the German EK units had finished their dirty operations in 1941-1942.. Also, the Latvian Legion refused to fight on the Western Front against the Allies; and, many units deliberately fought and found their way to the West and surrendered to the Western Allies completely intact (fully armed) before the German capitulation on May 8, 1945.
In the interest of fair play, for which the British are well known World-wide, I would like to respond more fully to Mr. Macintyre's article, if you provide that opportunity to me to publish such an article in your newspaper.
Andrejs Mezmalis
Rear Admiral, Retired (Author of The Latvian Legion; Riga, 2008)