WI: Old Nazis Today, After German Victory

Since the end of WW2 and as our Second World War veterans have aged, they have received a greater place of reverence in the society and culture of the former Allied nations. We honor them as the greatest generation, who fought the good war. We hold ceremonies, interview them, play documentaries on them, and revere them.

That has lead me to think, had Germany won the war, how would it's elderly soldiers be viewed and treated?
 
That has lead me to think, had Germany won the war, how would it's elderly soldiers be viewed and treated?

Ordinary German soliders didn't start being blamed for the war and the Final Solution in Germany until the late 60s/early 70s and the idea didn't really take hold until the 90s. So, the views of many today that they were as guilty as those who led Jews into the ovens was not there.

A confluence of factors led to that which would have never happened if say the Cold War stayed hotter longer and doesn't end in 89 or Hitler had been coup'ed successfully early enough and a sane government manages to make a peace sans occupation which is as close to victory as you are going to get.

PS memorials for some WW2 era Germans still do occur on a yearly basis, but they are mostly made up of old vets, current soliders and tourists from the pics they release. From two weeks ago.

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ThePest179

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A confluence of factors led to that which would have never happened if say the Cold War stayed hotter longer and doesn't end in 89 or Hitler had been coup'ed successfully early enough and a sane government manages to make a peace sans occupation which is as close to victory as you are going to get.

No, the closest thing to a Nazi victory is The Anglo/American-Nazi War.

As to the OP, I imagine that German veterans would likely be revered by Germans, as an enforced policy of the Nazis.
 
No, the closest thing to a Nazi victory is The Anglo/American-Nazi War.

As to the OP, I imagine that German veterans would likely be revered by Germans, as an enforced policy of the Nazis.

Victory means different things to different people. If you are talking about Hitler's dream for victory of a Germany ruling Western Europe to the Urals that is impossible. But, Germany controlling Central Europe and a good chunk of Eastern Europe was possible and quite a few Germans would view that as victory.
 
If Germany won I'm sure their veterans would be seen as patriots even if the Nazis did lose power at some point.

In Russia the general consensus seems to be the average Red Army soldier was patriotic defending the motherland even if Stalin turned out to be a bad guy in hindsight. And even with that hindsight a lot of Russians still have fond feelings for Stalin.

If Germany has a voluntary de-Nazification at some point after their victory I would assume the effects would be similar to de-Stalinazation.
 
Ordinary German soliders didn't start being blamed for the war and the Final Solution in Germany until the late 60s/early 70s and the idea didn't really take hold until the 90s. So, the views of many today that they were as guilty as those who led Jews into the ovens was not there.

A confluence of factors led to that which would have never happened if say the Cold War stayed hotter longer and doesn't end in 89 or Hitler had been coup'ed successfully early enough and a sane government manages to make a peace sans occupation which is as close to victory as you are going to get.

PS memorials for some WW2 era Germans still do occur on a yearly basis, but they are mostly made up of old vets, current soliders and tourists from the pics they release. From two weeks ago.

image_9.jpeg~original


image_10.jpeg~original

There is every year a memorial celebration with Federal Defence Force for the Operation Valkyrie Juli plotters (Stauffenberg etc.). But no veteran´s are offisially honored as "heros" for obvous reasons.(There are rememberences regarding the fallen, thought). There is no official recognation of soldiers, who fought in WW1 and WW2. The last WW1 vet Erich Keastner died unrecognized in 2008. In Austria the Wehrmacht veteran honoring seems to be more practiced , the distance to the Wehrmacht past oddly small. Even within the Federal Army of Germany there are odd honor cult practises from time to time to. Sometimes units related themselves to SS-units in tradition and then there are greetings and obituaries and congratulations to officers of the Thrid Reich forces (like the 100th birthday of one U-boat commander last year).
On the other hand, in 1956 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck had been buried with military honors, also Ernst Juenger, a German expressionist and WW1 veteran in 1998.
 
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There is every year a memorial celebration with Federal Defence Force for the Operation Valkyrie Juli plotters (Stauffenberg etc.). But no veteran´s are offisially honored as "heros" for obvous reasons.(There are rememberences regarding the fallen, thought). There is no official recognation of soldiers, who fought in WW1 and WW2. The last WW1 vet Erich Keastner died unrecognized in 2008. In Austria the Wehrmacht veteran honoring seems to be more practiced , the distance to the Wehrmacht past oddly small. Even within the Federal Army of Germany there are odd honor cult practises from time to time to. Sometimes units related themselves to SS-units in tradition and then there are greetings and obituaries and congratulations to officers of the Thrid Reich forces (like the 100th birthday of one U-boat commander last year).
On the other hand, in 1956 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck had been buried with military honors, also Ernst Juenger, a German expressionist and WW1 veteran in 1998.

I am well aware Germany today the stated position of the government itself against honoring even WW1 soldiers.

But, I also know Germany did have official recognition of WW1 and WW2 soldiers who fought in Africa in the 50s and 60s. Yes, you had public celebrations of WW1 and WW2 Africa veterans with von Lettow-Vorbeck, Rommel's wife and those who fought in Africa in WW1 and WW2 in attendance along with top officials of the German government. Why? Because, they knew it wouldn't piss off ordinary French citizens or British citizens in honoring soldiers in some far off battlefield over colonies.

Economics was and is at the forefront of why ordinary German soldiers who served in Europe in WW1 and WW2 are regarded officially as they are, European economic integration gave a rational to try to keep anything that might keep anything possibly contentious from being publicly seen or officially sanctioned down.

You actually don't need a full on Germany victory in WW2 to change how ordinary German troops who served in Europe in WW1 and WW2 were regarded by the German government, just change the politics of the Cold War era. Say by France going Communist after the war and Stalin staying alive longer.

Suddenly you would have a Germany much more like Japan in regard to its veterans who served in Europe as Japan acts the way it does towards its war dead because they don't have the economic incentive to act differently as Germany came to believe it does. Significantly delayed European economic integration alone would do the trick.
 
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