Germany

Nov. 1, 2014

Margaret Huffstickler returns after too long of an absence with a wide range of music styles and performers that personify the cultural life during the National-Socialist period. We begin with composer-conductor Richard Strauss and singers Jussi Björling, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Heinrich Schlusnus, plus Gerhard Huesch and Rudolf Schock (pictured at right in top hat).

We play two degenerate composers to give you an idea of what the Third Reich didn't allow in its concert halls or on it's record labels ... by the Jew Schoenberg and the communist Hindemith. For the intermission, we play the full 11 minutes of Wilhelm Furtwaengler conducting Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on the Fuehrer's birthday when he is in the audience.

Following that we feature Erna Berger, Hermann Prey and Hans Albers with more popular-type music, ending with Heinrich Spitta singing a Hitler Jugend song. As an encore, the incomparable Zarah Leander.

Much appreciation to Margaret Huffstickler for bringing this musical show to us. 2hr9min

Oct. 30, 2014

"Thanks to the presence of a regiment of the Leibstandarte, the countryside is abounding with jolly and healthy young children."

Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the April 12-24, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr24sec. Included in this episode:

• Cost/benefit of the Olympic Games in Berlin;
• Elementary schooling, schoolmasters vs schoolmistresses, "Reich Schools;
• Installing Dr. Schacht as head of the Reichsbank over Dr. Luther was a complicated processes;
• Why the Metropolitan Opera House in New York has just closed its doors;
• The SS contribution to good German blood and babies - the importance of who carries arms;
• Praise for the Duce, dislike of the Italian aristocracy;
• Decisive events of the war so far reveal the weakness of German High Command in 1st WW - the build-up of the new navy;
• No sanction for soldiers to marry foreign women - the importance for children of true affection between marriage partners - domestic trouble in marriages of National-Socialist leaders.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Oct. 20, 2014

Why Hitler and Himmler did not enlist nationalist Russians and other Slavs to help them fight the war on the Eastern Front.2hr04min.

• Adolf Hitler's opinion of Jews and Slavs originated with his experiences in Vienna in his late teens, early twenties;
• Hitler considered the Germanic peoples the leading race of Europe and once much of Europe was occupied by the German Reich, thought to include other Germanic nations/peoples into the Reich, but only after careful "Germanization";
• Himmler was desirous of preserving all "Germanic blood" - Hitler advised caution;
• Danzig Free State and "Falsifications of Polish History" give important background on the true long-term intentions of Poland against Germany;
• Himmler speaks at some length about "the Russian" whether Czarist or Stalinist, and about General Vlasov in his speech at Posen, Oct. 4, 1943;
• The N-S attitude is "we take care of our own first" and this is what the so-called anti-slavism is all about.

Image: Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler shakes hands with captive Russian General Andrey Vlasov. Enlarge

Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer gestures during an interview with Reuters in Berlin, October 13, 2014. REUTERS/Hannibal

"The big question is whether we are moving towards a German Europe or continuing on the post-war path of a European Germany," Joschka Fischer told a Reuter's interviewer on Monday. He makes it clear he favors the latter and fears the former.

"Even today, no one knows what Merkel's goal is, what Europe she wants to have." Angela Merkel's electoral victory in 2005 put Fischer out of power.

Former German foreign minister and vice chancellor under Social-Democrat Gerhard Schroeder from 1998 to 2005, Joschka (Joseph) Fischer was instrumental in founding the ultra-left Green Party with which he remains associated today.

Hazards of a Russian highway in winter-spring

Paul Goble reports:

October 10 – The state of Russia’s road system, which now ranks 136 out of 144 countries evaluated, is so bad that even Vladimir Putin, who recently has been given to upbeat statements about the country, has had to change his tone.

At a meeting of the presidium of the State Council in Novosibirsk yesterday (the day after his birthday break), Putin changed his approach and spoke about the real problems of what he said was “a vitally important” sector of the Russian economy, one that other participants painted in even darker colors than he.

Oct. 9, 2014

Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the March 29-April 4, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr29m. Included in this episode:

• Honesty in trade set by the Hanseatic League for over 500 years, which only degraded to "Buyer Beware" when Jews got involved;

• The sorry state of the Judiciary, and Hitler's intention for judges to put the interests of the State first;
• Hitler sees the mentality of the Russians revealed in their Feb. 24th attempted assassination of Amb. Franz von Papen in Turkey;
• Explains why the Turks are better allies than the Bulgarians;
• Long exposition of the Policy of the Reich in the East, with historical perspective including Charlemagne and Frederick the Great;
• Why Frederick the Great was a better man than Napoleon and the weakness of hereditary monarchies;
• Hitler concludes that the future Germany must be a republic with a Führer at the head, chosen by a specially selected Senate.
• Very important ideas are presented in this episode.

Image: Lübeck, on the Baltic Sea, was the capital of the Hanseatic League that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. Enlarge.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Schröder with President of Russia Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 9 May 2005, sealing their new oil/gas partnership. 

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder today called for an end to Germany's sanctions against Russia. Of the various reasons he might have, one must be that he is a top stockholder representative of Nord Stream AG, the Russian-German natural gas pipeline company that's 51% owned by Russia's state-monopoly Gazprom.

“Germany doesn’t need a new Russia policy based on confrontation, as is being demanded by some hawks,” Schroeder said Wednesday. He said he was proud to understand Russia’s position and urged a return to “detente,” the policy of easing tension in Europe during the Cold War. [During the "cold war" the Soviet Union had tyrannical control over all Eastern European countries--is that what he wants to return to? See here.]

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Don't miss this article: We will execute you!

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"Victories of U-9" - a contemporary German postcard showing the photo of Weddigen against the background of the sinking "Aboukir" and "Hogue".

On September 22, 1914 Lieutenant Otto Weddigen sunk three British armored cruisers. He was the first war hero for Germany.

A mere 600 tons of water was displaced when the Imperial U-boat "SMS U9" was immersed. Only 60 meters long, the boat had a driving force of about 1000 hp – not particularly strong. Although only four years old in September 1914, it was already outdated because it had petrol instead of more powerful diesel engines to power itself over water.

The three Goliaths the "U9" sighted in the early morning of September 22, 1914 were even older, but each was 144 meters long, with 12,000 tons displacement, 23.3-inch guns and 760-man crews,

Not the latest battleships of the British Home Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet, certainly—but each of these ironclads was deadly dangerous for a single small submarine anyway. Unless several special circumstances came together. That was the case on this Tuesday.