Wehrmachtsausstellung
Encyclopedia
The so-called Wehrmachtsausstellung was an exhibition focusing on War crimes of the Wehrmacht
committed on the East Front from 1941 to 1944.
, and the civilian population". Historian Hannes Heer
and Gerd Hankel had prepared it.
and Hungarian historian Krisztián Ungváry
, the head and founder of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research
, Jan Philipp Reemtsma suspended the display, pending review of its content by a committee of historians.
The committee's report http://www.his-online.de/download/Kommissionsbericht.pdf in 2000 stated that accusations of forged materials were not justified, but that some of the exhibit's documentation had inaccuracies and that the arguments presented were too sweeping. Yet, the committee reaffirmed the reliability of the exhibition in general:
The committee recommended that the exhibition be reopened in revised form, presenting the material and, as far as possible, leaving the formation of conclusions to the exhibition's viewers.
in Berlin.
was in cinemas from August 2006, and is available on DVD since February 2007. It compares the two versions of the exhibitions, and the background of its maker Jan Philipp Reemtsma.
War crimes of the Wehrmacht
War crimes of the Wehrmacht were those carried out by the German armed forces during World War II. While the principal perpetrators of the Holocaust amongst German armed forces were the Nazi German 'political' armies , the regular armed forces represented by the Wehrmacht committed war crimes of...
committed on the East Front from 1941 to 1944.
Original exhibition 1995 - 1999
The view of the "unblemished" Wehrmacht was shaken by an exhibition produced by the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung (Hamburg Institute for Social Research)http://www.his-online.de/ titled Vernichtungskrieg. Verbrechen der Wehrmacht 1941 bis 1944 ("War of Annihilation. Crimes of the Wehrmacht 1941 to 1944"). The popular and controversial traveling exhibition seen by an estimated 1.2 million visitors over the last decade asserted, with the support of written documents and photographs, that the Wehrmacht was "involved in planning and implementing a war of annihilation against Jews, prisoners of warNazi crimes against Soviet POWs
The Nazi crimes against Soviet Prisoners of War relate to the deliberately genocidal policies taken towards the captured soldiers of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany...
, and the civilian population". Historian Hannes Heer
Hannes Heer
Hans Georg Heer is a controversial German historian, chiefly known "Wehrmachtsausstellung" in the 1990s...
and Gerd Hankel had prepared it.
Criticism
After criticisms about incorrect attribution and captioning of some of the images in the exhibition, e.g. by Polish-born historian Bogdan MusialBogdan Musial
Bogdan Musial is a German historian of Polish extraction who specializes in the history of World War II.-Life:Bogdan Musial was born in 1960 in Wielopole, Dąbrowa County, Poland. He worked in Silesian mines and collaborated with the Polish Solidarność movement...
and Hungarian historian Krisztián Ungváry
Krisztián Ungváry
Krisztián Ungváry , Hungarian historian of 20th century political and military history, best known for his definitive work on the siege of Budapest in World War II and his research of the work of the secret service under the communist period of Hungary.- Biography :Son of Rudolf Ungváry, a...
, the head and founder of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research
Hamburg Institute for Social Research
The Hamburg Institute for Social Research is an independent private foundation whose scholarship is focused on both contemporary history and the social sciences. Founded in 1984 it currently employ's around 50 people with roughly 50% working in the research fields of sociology and history...
, Jan Philipp Reemtsma suspended the display, pending review of its content by a committee of historians.
The committee's report http://www.his-online.de/download/Kommissionsbericht.pdf in 2000 stated that accusations of forged materials were not justified, but that some of the exhibit's documentation had inaccuracies and that the arguments presented were too sweeping. Yet, the committee reaffirmed the reliability of the exhibition in general:
- The fundamental statements made in the exhibition about the Wehrmacht and the war of annihilation in 'the east' are correct. It is indisputable that, in the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht not only 'entangled' itself in genocide perpetrated against the Jewish population, in crimes perpetrated against Soviet POWs, and in the fight against the civilian population, but in fact participated in these crimes, playing at times a supporting, at times a leading role. These were not isolated cases of 'abuse' or 'excesses'; they were activities based on decisions reached by top level military leaders or troop leaders on or behind the front lines.
The committee recommended that the exhibition be reopened in revised form, presenting the material and, as far as possible, leaving the formation of conclusions to the exhibition's viewers.
Revised exhibition 2001 - 2004
The revised exhibition was now named Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941–1944. ("Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of a War of Annihilation 1941-1944").. It focused on public international law and travelled from 2001 to 2004. Since then, it has been moved permanently to the Deutsches Historisches MuseumDeutsches Historisches Museum
The German Historical Museum , DHM for short, is a museum in Berlin devoted to German history and defines itself as a place of enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans....
in Berlin.
Movie
The documentary Der unbekannte Soldat (The unknown soldier) by Michael VerhoevenMichael Verhoeven
-Life and work:Verhoeven is the son of German film director, Paul Verhoeven . He married actress Senta Berger in 1966; their son is the actor-director Simon Verhoeven. Together, the couple formed a production company to make films...
was in cinemas from August 2006, and is available on DVD since February 2007. It compares the two versions of the exhibitions, and the background of its maker Jan Philipp Reemtsma.
External links
- Institut für Sozialforschung: Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941-1944
- Bericht der Kommission zur Überprüfung der Ausstellung „Vernichtungskrieg. Verbrechen der Wehrmacht 1941 bis 1944“ (PDF, 362 KB)
- Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Titel zum Thema
- Volker Ullrich (Die ZEIT, 22 January 2004): Gespräch mit Ulrike Jureit, Jan Philipp Reemtsma und Norbert Frei zum Abschluss der Ausstellung
- 'Zwei Ausstellungen - eine Bilanz' von Jan Philipp Reemtsma
- Klick-nach-rechts: Materialiensammlung rund um die Wehrmachtsausstellung