How do Germans feel about WWII?

As the generation that elected Adolf Hitler and fought his genocidal war dies away, most Germans today see World War II through the prism of guilt, responsibility and atonement. And almost all agree that the defeat of the Nazis was a good thing.

How did German civilians feel about ww2?

Even before the end of the war, reports from the Security Service of the SS had described popular feelings of “mourning, despondency, bitterness, and a rising fury,” expressing “the deepest disappointment for having misplaced one's trust.” In the months that followed the war's end, such feelings became ever more ...

Do Germans learn about ww2?

In Germany, history is a compulsory subject in schools. Students learn about World War II in great detail. This can be both interesting and informative, as it provides them with a greater understanding of the events that took place.

What did German soldiers think of Americans in ww2?

“The Americans were what might be called bad prisoners. A group of 14 were brought in one day and when asked about their units refused to talk. They refused to work and talked back to the officers, much to the annoyance of the officers and the concealed delight of the men.”

Is Germany still paying for ww2?

Germany concluded a variety of treaties with Western and Eastern countries as well as the Jewish Claims Conference and the World Jewish Congress to compensate the victims of the Holocaust. Until 2005 about 63 billion euros (equivalent to approximately 87.9 billion euros in 2022) have been paid to individuals.

Hitler, Nazis And World War II: How Germany Deals With Its Dark Past | Meet the Germans

What countries still owe money from WW2?

Did Russia ever pay back Lend Lease?

Similarly, the Soviet Union repaid $722 million in 1971, with the remainder of the debt written off. Reverse Lend-Lease to the United States totalled $7.8 billion.

What was Germany biggest mistake in ww2?

Operation Barbarossa: why Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union was his greatest mistake. Launched on 22 June 1941 and named after the 12th-century Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union represented a decisive breaking of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet pact.

Why were Germans so good in ww2?

In September 1939 the Allies, namely Great Britain, France, and Poland, were together superior in industrial resources, population, and military manpower, but the German Army, or Wehrmacht, because of its armament, training, doctrine, discipline, and fighting spirit, was the most efficient and effective fighting force ...

What did the Germans think of the British in ww2?

However, as Anglo-German relations deteriorated and the Second World War broke out, Nazi propaganda vilified the British as oppressive, German-hating plutocrats. During the war, it accused "perfidious Albion" of war crimes, and sought to drive a wedge between Britain and France.

Were there any good Germans in WW2?

Good Germans is an ironic term — usually placed between single quotes such as 'Good Germans' — referring to German citizens during and after World War II who claimed not to have supported the Nazi regime, but remained silent and did not resist in a meaningful way.

Do they teach WW2 in Japan?

But is ignorance the solution? The Ministry of Education's guidelines for junior high schools state that all children must be taught about Japan's "historical relations with its Asian neighbours and the catastrophic damage caused by the World War II to humanity at large".

Did Germany take the blame for WW2?

The peace agreement forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the Great War, and levied a massive system of reparation payments to help restore areas in Belgium and France devastated during the fighting.

How did people treat Germans after WW2?

After the war, millions of German settlers were forcibly, even violently, expelled and sent back to Germany. Other ethnic Germans, whose families had lived in border regions like the Sudetenland for generations, also fled or were expelled. Allied opinion was divided about these expulsions.

Who were the Germans scared of in WW2?

The poem listed the three groups that were at the heart of German fears of retribution: Jewish Holocaust survivors, Eastern European Displaced Persons (DPs), and American occupation officials.

How did German soldiers feel about D Day?

' In the event, German reaction to the landings on 6 June was slow and confused. The spell of bad weather which had made the decision to go so fraught for Eisenhower also meant the Germans were caught off guard. Rommel was visiting his wife in Germany and many senior commanders were not at their posts.

Did Germany ever have a chance to win WW2?

As we celebrate the ending of the war 75 years ago, know this: victory for the Allies was never guaranteed, and historians agree there were countless ways Germany could have won the war. Defeat never came down to one battle or one campaign. Germany's defeat came about from a number of much larger factors.

What was Germany lacking in WW2?

German weaknesses

These were: the lack of productivity of its war economy, the weak supply lines, the start of a war on two fronts, and the lack of strong leadership. Following the invasion of the Soviet Union, using the Blitzkrieg tactic, the German Army marched far into Russia.

What did Germany want in WW2?

To prepare for the war, German foreign policy sought to undo the Treaty of Versailles, build alliances, and incorporate territories with German populations into the Reich. During the war, German foreign policy sought the cooperation of European states in achieving the Nazi goal of murdering the Jews in Europe.

What was Japan's biggest mistake in WW2?

One of the biggest mistakes the Japanese made was not destroying the smallest American ships in Pearl: our submarines. They survived and put to sea to destroy more Japanese tonnage during the war than the Americans lost at Pearl Harbor. And the biggest mistake of all? Underestimating the American public.

Was Germany banned from having an army after WW2?

Following the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles, firm restrictions were placed on the German military, most notably, the entire army was restricted to just 100,000 men, while the navy was reduced to just 15,000 men.

Has Russia ever lost a war?

Russia has been defeated in war on several occasions in the modern era.

Did China pay back Lend-Lease?

This was done to stabilize their currency. Our own State Department records show that China never paid back this debt to the American government either. In 1949, the People's Republic of China ended decades of military, financial and political cooperation.

Does Russia owe US money for WW2?

At the end of World War II, the United States decided that Russia owed $2.6‐billion for civilian goods that were still in use and wrote off the cost of war matériel. But the United States asked that Russia pay only $1.3‐billion.

Who supplied Russia in WW2?

Totaling $11.3 billion, or $180 billion in today's currency, the Lend-Lease Act of the United States supplied needed goods to the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1945 in support of what Stalin described to Roosevelt as the “enormous and difficult fight against the common enemy — bloodthirsty Hitlerism.”