TALES OF MY FATHER
My Father, Charles Henry Jenkins (1908-1989)
Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None ……. an enigma
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TALE SIX:
THE WAR YEARS AND
THE LIBERATION OF BERGEN-BELSEN
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THIS TALE IS DEDICATED TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED THROUGH THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES.
IT IS OUR DUTY TO ENSURE THAT SUCH EVENTS STOP HAPPENING.
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IF THE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT UPSETS, ANGERS
OR DISTURBS ANY READER,
PLEASE ACCEPT MY REGRETS AND APOLOGIES.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WHAT FOLLOWS IS
THE BRIEFEST OF ACCOUNTS ON THE RISE OF THE NAZIS
AND DOES NOT PRETEND IN ANYWAY
TO BE A FULL AND COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY.
I AM SURE THAT THERE WILL BE MANY READERS
WHO WILL TAKE UMBRIDGE AT WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN.
THIS IS NOT MY INTENTION.
THE PURPOSE OF THE ACCOUNT
IS SIMPLY TO GIVE A BRIEF BACKGROUND LEADING TO WHAT
MY FATHER, LIKE MANY OTHERS OF THE TIME, SUFFERED ESPECIALLY
WHEN THEY CAME TO BERGEN-BELSEN AND OTHER SUCH CAMPS.
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PAGE FOUR:
I: THE LIBERATION OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP AT BERGEN-BELSEN
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Members of The Nazi Party believed that The Aryan Race was the Master Race and that the German people were the most racially pure existing peoples of Aryan stock.
Herr Hitler with a group of children
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Nazi Party Rally
Herr Hitler believed that the goals of The Nazi Party were German nationalist expansionism and Anti-Semitism.
Since Herr Hitler believed that Britain, France and the U.S.S.R. were enemies of Germany and were under the control of Jews, any German national expansion would therefore entail a war against Jews.
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The Great Depression was to have a profound effect on Germany. By 1930, its economy was in chaos and plagued by mass unemployment and widespread business failures. Herr Hitler and The Nazi Party seized upon the prevailing conditions to formulate an effective solution whereby blame could be lain at the feet of Jewish financiers and Bolsheviks. These scapegoats proved popular with the German populace so much so that in the 1932-elections The Nazi-Party became the largest parliamentary faction of the government.
Victory led to Herr Hitler being appointed Chancellor of Germany on the 30th January, 1933. With the passage of The Enabling Act on the 24th March, 1933, the cabinet was granted the right to enact laws without the consent of parliament (i.e. Reichstag) and, Herr Hitler, dictatorial powers.
With the death of President Hindenburg on the 2nd August, 1934, Herr Hitler merged the offices of Party Leader, Head of State and Chief of Government in one, and allowed him to take the title of Führer und Reichskanzler des deutschen Volkes (i.e. Führer and Reich Chancellor of the German People). Now with unimpeded power, Herr Hitler and The Nazi Party immediately began to exert its vicious and vindictive influence and set Germany on the road to Totalitarianism where the populace would have every aspect of their lives decided for them. With such power, the regime was now ready to put into action the two major goals of The Nazi Party: German nationalist expansionism and Anti-Semitism.
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The government of Nazi-Germany believed that all peoples that were of German origin should be united under its banner and began to demand that this should be granted to them. Once Nazi-Germany took control of certain areas of Europe, occupying forces marched in and the new regime began to exert its influence and encourage its particular brand of hatred to take root.
Invading Poland
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A Book Burning Event
Once Herr Hitler and The Nazi Party gained absolute power, Anti-Jewish Policies were quickly introduced. At this time, there were approximately 500,000 Jews in Germany, which represented 0.86% of the population). Herr Hitler et al considered Jews, together with Romani (i.e. Gypsies), Homosexuals and others, to be inferior beings and an enemy within. Jews were blamed for Germany’s defeat in the First World War and for The Great Depression of the 1920s and subsequent economic disasters.
Random searching of Jews
From 1933 onwards, the German government enacted a series of Anti-Jewish Laws that restricted the rights of German Jews. These including their right:
- to earn a living,
- to enjoy full citizenship and
- to gain education, including the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service of the 7th April 1933, which forbade Jews to work in the civil service.
Demonstration against the Jewish Press
Following the passage of The Nuremberg Laws of 1935, German Jews lost their right to citizenship and also forbade them from marrying non-Jewish Germans.
These laws resulted in the exclusion of Jews from German social and political life. In addition, people were actively discouraged from frequenting shops owned by Jews. Besides being physically and mentally abused, by 1936 they were being forced to forfeit their property and possessions.
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From 1929 onwards, Herr Hitler and The Nazi Party favoured a number of Paramilitary Organisations that were formed outside of the formal armed forces and police whose duties were to do the direct bidding of their superiors.
The Sturmabteilung (i.e. S.A.; English: Storm Detachment) functioned as the original paramilitary wing of The Nazi Party (NSDAP)) played an important part in bringing Herr Hitler and The Nazi Party to power. The organisation was originally formed in the 1920s and continued to operate until 1945. Its primary functions were to those at rallies and assemblies and to battle any group who held viewpoints that did not reflect their own. The S.A. fell from grace after Herr Hitler ordered The Night of the Long Knives (Die Nacht der langen Messer) in 1934 where upon their roles were taken over by The Schutzstaffel (i.e. SS, 
; English: Protection Squadron).
The SS was also a paramilitary organisation that was formed in 1925 and under Herr Hitler’s direct rule and carried out surveillance and acts of terror. As a result of its particularly brutal activities throughout Nazi-Germany and affiliated countries, it became greatly feared.
In 1933, The Gestapo (i.e. Geheime Staatspolzei; English: Secret State Police) was formed by Hermann Göring (1893-1946) and became the official secret police of Nazi-Germany. By 1934, the organisation was placed under the administrative command of The SS with Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) as its leader.
Left: Hermann Göring; Right: Heinrich Himmler
Both were found guilty of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity at the Nuremberg trials; Himmler was hanged, but Göring committed suicide before his sentence could be carried out
The very mention of either The SA, The SS or The Gestapo was sufficient to strike fear in the minds of people since their powers were far reaching. Once a person fell into their clutches, whether he or she lived or perished depended on their response to their methods of interrogation.
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The persecution, humiliation and violence directed towards Jews came to a tragic head on the night of the 9th November, 1938. On this night, The SS organised more horrors against Jews, which they and German civilians committed, on what has become known as Kristallnacht (English: The Night of Broken Glass). Here, the windows of Jewish-owned shops were smashed and the contents looted. Many Synagogues and other Jewish buildings including hospitals and schools were smashed and burned. It was estimated that over one thousand Synagogues were burned together with over seven thousand Jewish businesses being ransacked and/or burned and a large number of Jews were injured
Some of the results of Kristallnacht
The excuse for Kristallnacht was the assassination of the Nazi German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by a German-born Polish Jew living in Paris and named Herschel Grynszpan. Kristallnacht was followed by further economic and political persecution of Jews and has come to be seen as being part of the broader racial policy of The Nazi Party and the beginning of The Final Solution and The Holocaust.
Jews forced to clean pavements
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As a result of the restrictions, persecution and violence directed against Jews once The Nazi Party came to power, many of the Jewish population living in Germany decided to leave the country . Between 1933 and 1938, approximately 304,000 Jews emigrated from Germany to Palestine, Britain and the U.S.A. By 1937, approximately 214,000 Jews remained in the country. However, as Jews decided to leave, many countries began to make it difficult to accept them.
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Arno Breker (sculptor; 1900 -1991) was renown for his public works in Nazi-Germany
where they were endorsed by the authorities since they typified Nazi ideals
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While The Battles of France and Britain were raging, while Denmark, Norway and Poland and a number of other countries were being gobbled up, Nazi-Germany was also busy refining its particular brand of hatred and deciding how best to deal with those considered to be inferior. Foremost amongst those that were different, and therefore inferior. and were to receive the most vehement displays of hatred were the Jews, criminals, homosexuals, and Romani.
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Charles
Dates and places of events are so important. History which must never be forgotten. Excellent portrayal. CONGRATULATIONS.
One theory of why Hitler hated the Jews: he was a struggling artist who applied to enter the artist academy and/or college – but was refused by the Jewish committee.
Hitler’s own paintings and art work would fetch a fortune now. And of course, Jews owned most of the industries – most were professional people. Talented race. Robbing them paid for HITLER’S POLITICAL PROGRESSION. The horror that man and his followers created – is beyond words. Almost beyond belief – accept for those who witnessed the horrors and the surviving victims.