Il politico AFD glorifica i paracadutisti di Hitler

Deepl translation of the article:

Admiration for the conquerors of Crete

AfD politician Lucassen causes outrage with a post on the anniversary of the invasion of Crete by the Wehrmacht. The member of the Bundestag uncritically honours the role of German paratroopers. In doing so, he ignores the war crimes committed and the role of the troops in the Nazi system.

AfD member of parliament Rüdiger Lucassen has caused outrage with glorifying statements about German paratroopers in the Second World War. On Tuesday, the former Bundeswehr colonel recalled his father’s deployment on Platform X, which he said took place during the German invasion of Crete in 1941.

‘84 years ago today, my father Hans Lucassen and his comrades from Parachute Regiment 1 parachuted over Crete,’ writes Lucassen. ‘The military achievements of the fighting units are still honoured today by military historians and soldiers. The personal fates of the German paratroopers move us to tears.’

The conquest of Crete also established the reputation of the modern paratroopers, claims Lucassen. The key dates and names of this battle are still familiar to Bundeswehr soldiers today. ‘Even if the political leadership tries to prevent it.’

Lucassen’s uncritical and glorifying statements are met with incomprehension by many X users. In the comments section of the post, several users point out the war crimes committed by German paratroopers on the island. In addition, Lucassen is criticised for completely ignoring the historical context of the invasion, namely Adolf Hitler’s war of extermination.

‘Elite of the Führer’

The Battle of Crete raged from 20 May to 1 June 1941. 23,500 German soldiers, mainly paratroopers, attacked the island, which was defended by 32,000 British and 10,300 Greeks. Despite the enormous losses and poor planning, Nazi propaganda played up the conquest of Crete as a magnificent victory.

After the fighting, numerous massacres of the civilian population took place on the island. For example, the 1st Parachute Regiment mentioned by Lucassen shot several hostages in the village of Kondomari on 3 June 1941. In total, more than 2,000 Cretans were murdered in the first months of the German occupation.

The Wehrmacht paratroops, which were formed from volunteers from 1935 onwards, were among the prestige organisations of the Nazi regime. According to historian Magnus Pahl, the paratroopers saw themselves as ‘political soldiers’ and the ‘Führer’s elite’. As head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring held a protective hand over the paratroopers. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels also supported them. His stepson Harald Quandt served as an officer in the 1st Paratrooper Division.

The troops were protected and favoured by the regime. The propaganda created the image of fanatical model soldiers. ‘The myth of a few invincible paratroopers who defied enemy superiority can still be found in specialised literature today,’ said historian Pahl recently in an interview with ntv.de. The numerous war crimes committed by German paratroopers on Crete, on the Eastern Front and in Italy are often pushed into the background.

It isn‘t even a surprise anymore. The Question isn‘t „if one of them posts something like that?“ only „When is someone posting?“

All fucking Degenerates

>Lucassen’s uncritical and glorifying statements

Glorifying the Nazi war machine, and not criticizing their war crimes should not be acceptable anywhere.

I think it’s possible to acknowledge the courage and skill it took to do something like this while at the same time being very critical of the ideology, and the crimes.

Member of a neonazi party glorifying the 3rd reich? Consider me schocked!

Former army member in high position….thats why european army is a bad idea

It was such a success that the paratroopers were never employed by the German army again for the duration of the war.

Some fucking track record. 

At least more sensible nations took notes on what not to do and learned from it. Unlike the German army repeatedly dropping paratroopers into combat, without their weapons. 

They fucked it up over Norway and fucked it up over Crete and then just gave up. 

Cretan villagers were very welcoming to the paratroopers, slowing their fall with bullets and farm tools.

No worries, the US, installed a statue of the pilots who bombed Sofia, Bulgaria during WW2 in the very same place, glorifying their deaths as “They made our future bright”. But it seems nobody even flinched since they are the world’s policeman and you can’t point fingers there.