K.e.coffman's superlative contributions to military history have made a most significant impact on the project's content. They work continuously removing neo-Nazi apologia from multiple articles. K.e.coffman is the editor most largely responsible for tackling the Clean Wehrmacht myth to the extent that it has impacted articles. Note this essay, in which they cogently outlined the problem and how to deal with it
Willy Cohn – "rescued" from a declined draft; the subject, similar to Viktor Klemperer, was an important chronicler of Jewish life under the Nazi regime
Michael Wittman – new sections: In popular history; Assessment as tank commander; reworked "Who killed JFK?"-style narrative into "Speculation surrounding death"
Black supremacy – race matters are not my general area of interest, but this was an awful article full of OR, Synth, Coatrack, dubious uncited claims and improperly cited POV statements (compare with 26 May 2016 version).
White pride – a magnet for the "white and proud"; my contribution has not been significant, but this was a good edit that caused some edit warring over.
An honorable mention in the Military History Newcomer of the Year 2015 vote:
The WikiProject Barnstar
For "diligence and work on checking into unsourced claims and non-NPOV language of World War II and Waffen-SS related articles," I have the honor of awarding you this WikiProject Barnstar as an honorable mention in the Military History Newcomer of the Year 2015 vote. For the Military history WikiProject, TomStar81 (Talk) 02:33, 22 December 2015 (UTC)
On behalf of the Milhist coordinators, you are hereby awarded the Milhist reviewing award (1 stripe) for reviewing a total of 1 Milhist article during the period April to June 2016. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 02:31, 23 July 2016 (UTC)
Keep track of upcoming reviews. Just copy and paste {{WPMILHIST Review alerts}} to your user space
The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
For your efforts during March Madness 2017, I hereby award you this barnstar. Thank you for your contributions. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 08:58, 2 April 2017 (UTC)
GoldenWiki Award. Your work is pure gold! Congratulations on your amazing diligence, intelligence and above all superlative research and wide backround reading. In honor of all your efforts and in recognition of your contributions to worldwide scholarship that your work on Wikipedia reflects it is my honor to present you with this Goldenwiki award. Mazel Tov ! IZAK (talk) 09:13, 23 November 2021 (UTC)
I believe a massive congratulations are in order for your nearly single-handed efforts to create the Rommel myth article. I am so incredibly happy to see that verdammt "humanitarianism" section eliminated from his article. Keep up the good work correcting the Nazi romancer bias! —Noha307 (talk) 17:28, 20 April 2016 (UTC)
Your comments on the Afd desk are quite insightful, and the amount of research you do to support your comments is commen(t)dable! Great work. Good job! Lourdes 03:57, 6 September 2016 (UTC)
The Barnstar of Diligence
For your ongoing efforts in employing academic rigor to validate Wikipedia pages related to WW2. It is appreciated by many more people than you realize. Obenritter (talk) 21:28, 10 December 2016 (UTC)
The Barnstar of Diligence
For removing alternate history. scope_creep (talk) 10:21, 17 October 2017 (UTC)
On behalf of WikiProject Germany, I want to award you this for your immense work in Nazi Germany, namely the preservation of truth and Wikipedia guidelines. Wear it with pride! ...Somewhere on your humongous userpage, anyhow. Vami_IV✠ 05:59, 16 May 2018 (UTC)
The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
For excellent work in going above and beyond to preserve simple military facts. scope_creep (talk) 13:26, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
"Super Awesome User Page" Award
...I just spent half an hour browsing your user page. In the past I had been bothered by how WWII articles seemed to praise the German side, for skill, valor, etc, etc, but I had no idea of the extent. I am utterly impressed, and I thank you for improving Wiki English. Jd2718 (talk) 23:35, 4 March 2017 (UTC) (Copied from my Talk page: Permalink.)
Problematic WWII content
This is just a portion of what other editors and I have encountered and fixed so far; the list would be far too long to enumerate everything. Click on the diff to see the '"Before and After" text:
Did this general cause the Commissar order to be rescinded? Yes, indeed: "When Reichenau died, and command of the Sixth Army was taken over by General Friedrich Paulus, both the Severity Order and Hitler's Commissar Order were rescinded in his command sector", according to a former subordinate. In Severity Order, which was also decorated with a portrait of the author.
Rundstedt apologia, quoting himself: "In Germany before the war Rundstedt had not been noted as an anti-Semite. He testified at Nuremberg: "The generals either rejected the [Nazi] Party or were indifferent. As for the methods regarding the Jewish question, they absolutely rejected them, particularly because many comrades were severely affected by the Aryan laws." In Gerd von Rundstedt.
The Scorched earth article highlights Albert Speer's role in "defying Hitler's order to destroy Germany's infrastructure"; more representative image provided instead (see right).
"Manstein was one of the very few high-ranking German field commanders who had the courage to confront Hitler about military strategy by putting his views into perspective, spoke objectively, and refused to be browbeaten". In Lost Victories, by self-proclaimed "Hitler's Most Brilliant General".
Credulity-straining prose: "According to Manstein, any low or high ranking Wehrmacht field commander who dared to openly argue or criticize Hitler right to his face resulted in an immediate dismissal and probably a court martial for insubordination or treason". Begs the question, why did Manstein retire in peace? Also in Lost Victories.
Self-serving concern presented in Wikipedia's voice as moral indignation: a Corps commander "made a strong but futile protest" to the OKW about Commissar Order. Let's not forget that it was his units that were "shooting unarmed Russian prisoners" and, if anything, it's testament about how widespread the murders were, that the general was so concerned for his own troops:
"Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers, without weapons and with hands raised, dispatched at close range by shots to the head. The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight--and we shall lose countless comrades.}}
— Did he resign in protest? No. Order his subordinate units to stop the practice? No. Not a single Corps commander did. In Joachim Lemelsen.
Wiki channels Wehrmacht mythology, via dated 1977 and 1957 sources, which I suspect are uncritical and potentially use subject's memoirs as inspiration: "one of the generals who opposed the principles of Nazism" and "his known anti-Nazi feelings resulted in his contribution to the defence of Cassino being played down by the German authorities". This source discusses his "known antipathy to the regime" but nothing about the "opposition to the principles of Nazism". This antipathy did not prevent him from serving the regime faithfully. In Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin.
Have not come across "High moral fiber" content in a while, but some vestiges of "clean Wehrmacht" still remain, as in: Lets blame the SS for "incorrect treatment of civilians". Also seems to suggest that the subject may have filed "non-official protests" – yes, indeed. In Fedor von Bock.
Follow-on: The note specifically advises to list only "humanitarian actions". If would be funny, if it weren't so apologist. Consequently, a Wehrmacht officer is a humanitarian for not "betraying [a victim] to the Nazi authorities". Also in Wehrmacht.
Future convicted war criminal "was hoping to be able to make a start on the rehabilitation of Germany" (sourced to himself). "Instead, he found himself placed under arrest." (read: pesky Allies interfered with his planned endeavors). In Albert Kesselring.
This general is lovingly (but uncited-ly) called "The Humane One" "by his troops". Close enough to a "humanitarian". In Hans-Valentin Hube.
Continuing with the same theme of post-WWII martyrdom: more subtle wording around 'concentration camp', by adding 'former', but with lots of complaining about 'unfair' treatment of Waffen-SS as a criminal organization, even though the lead of the article states that the subject was involved in the Oradour massacre. In Otto Weidinger.
"...an economic management scheme implemented by Nazi Germany during World War II which prioritised the availability of food for Germans ahead of the inhabitants of the German-occupied Soviet territories", to:
Note the convenient linking to neutral war correspondent, while the German term offered Kriegsberichter does have a de.wiki article (Kriegsberichter [de], a World War II section of which contains only: "Main article: Propagandakompanie [de]"
Original article: ...was a war correspondent and Leutnant of the Reserves with the Fallschirmjäger during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Johannes-Matthias Hönscheid was the only war correspondent (Kriegsberichter) in the Wehrmacht to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.—With obligatory totemic translation of the "Knights' Cross" and other flowery language.
French collaborator turns into a "volunteer", who moreover is highly-decorated, and not at all has been criminally convicted. See Der Freiwillige (The Volunteer) of HIAG or Siegrunen by Richard Landwehr. In Henri Joseph Fenet.
Here's another example: Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, famous for causing a furor in West Germany in 1952 when he publicly called the Western Allies "the real war criminals" (and that after having been released from prison early due to personal intervention of Chancellor Adenauer, who was incensed to the point of wanting to have Ramke prosecuted). In Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke.
A perpetrator's own words can 'refute' testimony against them, as is the case with Kurt Meyer; nevermind that he's been convicted of war crimes after all
It is unconscionable that war criminals are denied their well-deserved war pensions. In Sepp Dietrich.
Which section name conveys more information and is more specific: "Postwar" or "Criminal conviction and execution"? In Oswald Pohl.
Another example of the obfuscation principle: the Knight's Cross is present in the lead, but not the sinking of a passenger liner, which in turn is described as merely an "incident". In Fritz-Julius Lemp. Also present: Franz Kurowski in the bibliography.
Four POV captions in one edit: German troops are "entering" Poland, for example. In Wehrmacht.
A peculiar feature of many of the articles on German WWII personnel that I edited is complete omission of the words "Nazi Germany" from article copy; here's sample: diff. The 4 sentence article contains prominent mentions of "highly decorated" and "extreme battlefield bravery" but not the regime that the individual fought for. In Egbert Picker, among hundreds of other articles.
Inmates of a concentration camp are merely sent there as forced labour. (In reality, it should be "slave labour"; I may propose a renaming of the corresponding article in a while). In World War II.
Images on Wiki Commons occasionally display similar obfuscation tendencies. It's known from published records that Wehrmacht soldiers were present at the massacre, and they are clearly visible on the photo. Yet, the description was missing "...and Wehrmacht soldiers". In File:Massacre Kovno Garage 27 JUNE 1942.jpg.
Wiki claims "continued tradition" between the Wehrmacht and the Bundeswehr: diff, even proving a picture of the current symbol:
The tradition continues (though with an edelweiss pin of different design) among current Gebirgsjäger-qualified personnel in the Bundeswehr (common German military soldiers wear a beret rather than the Bergmütze mountain cap used by mountain, ski, and Jäger units). Mountain troops' uniform jackets also bear an edelweiss emblem ovoid sleeve patch.
Another war criminal with no mention of the crime in the lead. That's probably the only thing the subject is notable for. In Kurt Mälzer.
In another example, the description of the award as bestowed for "extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership" is more important than a war-crimes conviction, in Eberhard von Mackensen.
No mention of legal proceedings in the lead, for a general who [euphemistically] "oversaw the German retreat from Greece and most of Yugoslavia". In Maximilian von Weichs.
This is one of the more depressing ones to add here. For this notorious mass murderer, the article's lead only has to say that he was a "German SS-Standartenführer (Colonel)" (with translation): diff. Nothing about the Babi Yar massacre of the subject's conviction in the Einsatzgruppen Trial. In Paul Blobel.
A reverse example, where the lead needed to be streamlined to make it more comprehensible. Holocaust perpetrators have the strangest leads, i.e. "...was a German member of the [[Nazi Party|Nazi]] police and military organization known as the [[Schutzstaffel]], or, more commonly, by its German initials, SS. He held the rank of [[Obersturmbannführer]]..." (SS was a ''paramilitary'' organisation, not military) etc. In Werner Braune.
Amazingly, the lead does not mention the most important aspect of the subject's career; namely, that he was the Reich Minister for the Occupied Eastern Territories: diff. In Alfred Rosenberg.
Outstanding Achievements in Euphemismia
Nazi bomber pilots never "bombed" anything; instead, they:
From the same article: "operations over Britain"; "raids against London (took place)"; "attacked targets"; "sorties over Britain", etc. Finally found an instance of something being "bombed", but it's in a awkward turn of phrase of "Rail targets were bombed" (not the unit bombed them, similar to "raids took place" as if on their own volition. Sounds somewhat similar to "units being involved in massacres, vs perpetrating them). Also of note is that only "rail targets" and "artillery positions" were bombed, not the city itself. Precision bombing? :-) Also in Kampfgeschwader 6.
However, an editor objects: more nonsense. raids is not euphemistic. heard of air raids?", they ask, while simultaneously removing "raids" from the article and replacing it with "sorties over Britain" :-)
From the same article: "to bomb" into "to attack" & more. Somebody has to stand up for "victor's justice" :-)
Three more: diff. In Jagdgeschwader 1 (one needs to look in articles on German fighter arm to find someone, namely Allied terrorists, bombing cities & civilians, with helpful piping from "U-boat Yards" to the "Bombing of Bremen").
From: Despite JG 2 scoring its 2,000th kill in January 1944, the ongoing defensive operations against the USAAF bomber offensive took its toll on the Jagdgeschwaders, JG 2 being no exception; Many novices and replacement pilots were killed through the first half of 1944, and more importantly the ever fewer experienced and irreplaceable Experten were also being lost.
To: Successful USAAF operations over Germany led to many novice and replacement pilots being killed through the first half of 1944; more importantly, the experienced pilots were also being lost.
Note the undertones of the "defensive operations" against the Allied aggressors with their "bomber offensive" (here's a term I've yet to see used to describe any of the German units) . Plus, "continually bombing" into "operating sorties against...". In Jagdgeschwader 2.
Likewise, only the British conducted "bombing campaigns", while Germany simply defended its borders: "with the country at war", "defended against", and "the Third Reich", as usual. Another instance of "Reich", with "defence attached: diff. See: Defenders of Fortress Europe (yes, there's a WWII book with this name). In Carl-Alfred Schumacher.
In this article, Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany becomes "Defence of Occupied Norway", while the northernmost thrust of Operation Barbarossa is rendered as incomprehensible "Soviet Union Invasion" (which almost reads as if the Soviet Union were invading something). In Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen (could also qualify for the section on "Eagles of the Reich").
Another surprising difference between RAF and Luftwaffe articles is that German aircraft is almost never identified as "bombers"; see for example this diff, where the word "bomber" is mentioned just once, and only in the context of being "crippled". Not so with the RAF articles. The saga of this Good article reassessment is still on-going, and the article in its current state is still pretty much "classic Luftwaffe propaganda", as one reviewer put it. My edit above was reverted, for example, among other attempts of improving this article, on the grounds of them being "very destructive attacks on the text". In Joachim Helbig.
World War II apparently "breaks out" on its own volition. Plus the ever present "Polish Campaign". In Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, with this combo having been found in many other articles.
A new variant of the "Polish Campaign", "fighting in [[Polish September Campaign|Poland]]": diff. In Wilhelm Bittrich.
Invasion of Poland, which began on 1 September 1939, quickly triggering the war in Europe" – a very complicated chain of events, instead of simply stating that Germany invaded Poland, starting WWII.
"...offensive against Poland..." instead of "invasion of Poland"
The perfect showcase for "victim of history" studies: completely innocent Heimkehrer ("home comers") & "soldiers". The article conveniently leaves out the fact that many of the late returnees (1955) were convicted Nazi criminals, both military and civilian, and that some were subsequently tried and convicted in West Germany (after some international outcry & embarrassment). In Heimkehrer.
"For this act, Hitler condemned him in absentia and his family to death. His wife and daughters were arrested in Berlin and Denmark. They were, however released at the end of the war. Lasch was to remain until 1953 in a Soviet labor camp in Workuta, but was released in late October 1955 when, as a result of to Adenauer's Moscow visit, the remaining German prisoners or war were released."
I would say that Hitler's henchmen were not very effective (or may be this did not happen as described?) Also corrected "prisoner of war" to "war criminal" as the generals had by that point been convicted. In Otto Lasch.
Event the opportunist Andrey Vlasov gets a treatment as an "anti-communist" who "tried to unite Russians opposed to [[communism]] and to the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] leader [[Joseph Stalin]] with the goal of fighting with [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] to liberate Russia. The volunteers...". Said "volunteers" were mostly recruited from POW camps where they were more likely to die than to stay alive. In Russian Liberation Army.
Even nations are victims of history: 50 to 70 million people are dead worldwide, the entire continent of Europe lays in ruin, and the article is complaining that Poland got a raw deal with its new western territories. According to the editors, they were in insufficiently tip-top shape: diff. In Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.
Investigative Sub-committee on Abuses of Victor's Justice
Closely related to the above, this section focuses on the implementation of unfair and uncalled-for victor's justice:
Ominous ""He was executed by the Allied Powers for war crimes in 1946"—missing the steps of being (1) indicted, (2) convicted and (3) sentenced to death, let alone any mentions of his "so-called war crimes" (ironic quotation marks"). Read: "An upstanding Wehrmacht general has been treated unfairly in the kangaroo court of victor's justice". In Alfred Jodl.
Jodl's co-defendant at Nuremberg gets the same treatment: From "At the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Nuremberg Trials|court at Nuremberg]], he was tried, [[capital punishment|sentenced to death]], and [[hanging|hanged]] as a [[war crimes|war criminal]] to "Following the war, Keitel was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. He was found guilty, sentenced to death and executed in 1946." diff. PS – unclear why "hanged" needed to be hyperlinked. To make the punishment seem more unfair? In Wilhelm Keitel.
"Convicted as a war criminal by the allies...", read: victorious allies willy nilly slap a "war criminal" label on an upstanding Wehrmacht general. The fact that he was originally sentenced to death strongly suggests that the crimes were extensive and grave. In Nikolaus von Falkenhorst.
This unsourced editorialising deserves being quoted in full: "He was proved (sic) to be somehow lucky, as both Fehn and his successor, GeneralleutnantHartwig von Ludwiger, were executed by the Yugoslavians, with only the latter standing trial."]. In Ernst von Leyser.
Even templates have POV wording, suggestive of (apparently) unfair treatment by the perfidious Allies: "imprisoned" instead of more factual "convicted". In Template:High Command Trial defendants.
Memoirs presented as fact: Okay, this was a highly successful Luftwaffe pilot, but c'mon – 'being chased by hundreds of pursuers with dog packs'? (according to himself); this entry has a dubious distinction of being cited in Smelser & Davies' book The Myth of the Eastern Front. In Hans-Ulrich Rudel.
Altogether unsourced apocrypha: 'the SS were inspired to capture the pass only after Meyer threw a live grenade at the feet of some of his soldiers' – and it only takes 6 years to remove it; in MacKenzie's Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach, this anecdote is cited to Meyer's memoirs, which have been described by Charles Sydnor as 'perhaps the boldest and most truculent of the apologist works'. In 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
*Ah, here's the "Nur-Soldat" concept in action: "The author Heinz Höhne in The Order under the Death Head characterized Gille as an enigma and "Nur-Soldat" (nothing but soldier) who once threatened a newly assigned Weltanschauungsoffizier (political indoctrination officer) with a clean-out squad to (...) throw them and the officer out of the unit." He also successfully surrenders to the U.S. forces: "He marched towards the U.S. troops in order to avoid surrendering to Soviet forces". In Herbert Gille.
Wehrmacht heroes demonstrate unbroken spirit & fight the injustice, even when in captivity, but according to whom?". In Erich Hartmann, the article that keeps on giving.
Here's good one: "Unser Giftzwerg (literally "our poison dwarf", meaning "our tough little bastard")", lovingly included in the infobox. Uncited and does not come up again in the article. In Gotthard Heinrici.
We've seen "Lion of Vilna"; "Lion of Yelnya" and now "Lion of Sebastopol". In Otto Hitzfeld, which also includes one of the "Who Killed JFK" investigative reporting sections:
"Otto Hitzfeld's nomination was rejected by Major Joachim Domaschk on 30 April 1945 and commented: "This is not a nomination!" (Only leadership and organisational achievements, no personal bravery) he additionally noted: "missing in cauldron AOK 11". The nomination was thus assessed as insufficient as well as postponed according to AHA 44 Ziff. 572...." More at: Otto Hitzfeld#Notes.
Yet another "Lion", this time "Lion of Cherkassy". In Theo-Helmut Lieb. Inquiring minds want to know where this is being sourced from, as the nicknames are unlikely (?) to be part of these generals' service records.
We learn that this general's
"nickname among the troops and his fellow officers was der kluge Hans ("Clever Hans"). This nickname was acquired early in his career, partly in admiration of his cleverness and partly as a pun on his name (klug is German for "clever"). The "Hans" component came not from any of his given names but from Clever Hans, a horse which became famous for its apparent ability to do arithmetic."
Maybe the subject was feeling guilty about the crimes he had committed while "assisting the Einsatzgruppen in rounding up the Jewish population in the occupied territories"? Article states: "... committed suicide in an American POW camp on 10 May 1945 because of possible transfer to the Soviet Union". In Fritz Freitag.
Another non-existing battle: Battle of Durkov Pass (link in the original). In Johann Schwerdfeger, which is also notable for including a citation to funtrivia.com.
'Wikipedia takes military matters too seriously sometimes: from "at a meeting before the attack on Tobruk" to "in a propaganda photograph". What else was a propaganda company there for, except to capture moments of Rommel's military genius? In Walther Nehring.
This is probably just plain ignorance, as Commissar Order was not in effect at that time. The division must have been executing officers and commissars all on its own accord. In Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.
In a similar vein, this SS man's unit is sent "at the end of 1940 (...) to subdue insurgents in Lithuania", with "insurgents in Lithuania" being piped to Occupation of the Baltic states. This article clearly states that it's about the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states. They must have been "subduing" some other "insurgents". In Otto Weidinger.
Alternate linguistics: "This offensive was known in German as the Plattensee Offensive, in Russian as the Balaton Defensive Operation" (editor's comment: "these phrases are not in these languages"). In Operation Spring Awakening.
Sticking this into Ignorance / Comparative Geography department, but it's mostly funny. Editor's comment: "Rm refs to Montana and New York. Wikipedia is an international encyclopedia and refs to US states are off topic and unhelpful to most readers". In Case Blue.
Minor, but nonetheless illustrative: Inability / lack of knowledge to correctly include the name of the opposing army group commander: "Kiponus". In 44th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht).
According to the worldview of Luftwaffe romancers, the "Drive to Moscow" extends well into 1942: "Most of early 1942 was spent in operations supporting the Central Front drive towards Moscow...". The section is appropriately named "Drive to Moscow (1942)". In Jagdgeschwader 51.
Strange turn of phrase: "Following his capitulation Greiner was held as an Allied Prisoner of War until his release and subsequent retirement in 1947." ?? There was nothing to retire from. In Heinz Greiner.
An SS functionary who died in 1936 nonetheless had been a member of the Waffen-SS (which did not yet exist at this point): diff, with ornamentation. In Richard Arauner.
A startling discovery: this SS functionary served "Germany" (not even West Germany), "until 1959", while also having been tried for his crimes and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment / 15 years. Note the notation: {{flag|DE}} (until 1959). In Georg Lörner.
Even WP:AFC occasionally contain alternate history narratives, such as this draft on a Cuban-Romanian artist: As Stalinist influence increased [in Romania], Darié and his family fled to Paris in the 1930s". This actually came from the source, but has the editor never heard of the fascist Iron Guard? "Stalinist influence" would have been applicable after WW2, not before it. In Draft:Sandú Darié.
Werner Kempf was the only German general who managed to reach Kursk during the Battle of Kursk. In Werner Kempf, which qualifies as a double entry as the photo of him "at Kursk" is dated June 1943, before Citadel even started.
Heinz Guderian was nowhere "near Kiev" on 20 August 1941, before the Battle of Kiev even started. In any case, PG 2's pincer closed well east of Kiev, so Guderian was probably not close to Kiev for the entirety of the battle. In Operation Barbarossa, which almost faithfully reproduces the original propaganda caption: "The general is always in the front line. Here he visits the command post of an armored regiment in order to convince himself of the planned course of the advance!" See also: "leads from the front lines, with a jovial, caring attitude".
Disturbing; genocidal warfare described in terms of "belligerents"; "partisans"; "German victory". Yes, killing unarmed civilians is a "battle": link. In Operation Cottbus.
Still on the topic of Masha Bruskina: "...with with [[comrade]]s-[[Partisan (military)|partisans]] before hanging..." diff; she did not take part in armed resistance. In Belarusian resistance during World War II.
The article on a Nazi ghetto subscribes to the "Jew-Bolshevik-Partisan" construct:
During the Red Army's rapid retreat, on 5–7 August 1941 the Waffen SS massacred as many as 11,000 Jewish men of Pińsk aged 16 to 60,[3] due to reports of Soviet guerrilla activity in the area.[4]
Nazi conspiracy theories indeed connected Jews to the "partisan threat". However, the murder of Pinsk Jews in August 1941 had nothing to do with partisans, whether real or imagined. An aside: by the time this massacre occurred, the Wehrmacht had controlled the area since 4 July, and in any case, the source used does not make this connection. Could also possibly qualify under #Debasement of victims; disturbing diff, in Pinsk Ghetto.
More of the "Jew-Bolshevik" construct, now via a hoax caption: Jewish welcoming banner for the Soviet forces invading Poland. In the background the Catholic Church of St. Roch in Białystok (Soviet photo). Actual scene: "Yiddish election notice to the People's council of Western Belarus, Białystok". Took two tries to get there: part 1; part 2. The image was removed altogether in 2020; edit summary: "it is never explained how the image is relevant or contributes to understanding the article subject". In Białystok Ghetto. Also qualifies under #Alternate timeline, as the image was misdated by two years, 1939 (presumably) vs 1941.
This caption is quite silly because Soviet soldiers most definitely did not read Yiddish (if they were literate at all). Unless this "welcoming banner" was intended for the Jew-Commissars, etc. Compare with a poster from the Russian Civil war era: File:WhiteArmyPropagandaPosterOfTrotsky.jpg.
In the same breath, the article informs us that the unit "recorded the killing of 1051 civilians and alleged partisans for the loss of 24 dead and 65 wounded" & that "the reported casualties from the operation were light with 2 men killed and 10 missing compared to several hundred dead partisans". Not a lot of combat was going on. "General Wiejerew" comes from the Alternate Linguistics Department, or likewise copied from Nazi apologia. In 1st SS Infantry Brigade.
"Fourth branch of the Wehrmacht"
Starting a new section with examples of Waffen-SS (and even SS) being "the fourth branch of the Wehrmacht":
This police and SS official participated in "World War II" (not) after which he was "taken prisoner" (arrested): diff. We also learn about his two ranks, in German, from the lead. In Franz Josef Huber.
The world would be better off if a Wikipedia article on the SS Oath existed (caps and link in the original). In Jochen Peiper, the Waffen-SS romancers' darling and martyr.
Himmler is cited in Wikipedia's voice: Reichsführer-SSHeinrich Himmler stated, "Once the Führer himself has made a decision and given the order, it must be carried out, not only according to the word and the letter, but also in spirit." In Schutzstaffel.
What a way to portray a family tragedy: "His wife, Eva Ledien, was of Jewish descent. She committed suicide in October 1938 so that their children could be Aryanized. "This freed Willibald to follow his career". Plus the usual "capture" while the unit "surrenders". In Willibald Borowietz.
Considering that Armia Krajowa lost 15,000 troops KIA, while 150,000 to 200,000 civilians were killed during the Warsaw Uprising, the Knight's Cross in this case was awarded 90% for atrocities, and 10% for "successful military leadership". (I'm pretty sure that "extreme battlefield bravery" was not involved, as it's hard to imagine a high-ranking SS figure to be personally storming barricades).
Bei der Niederwerfung des Aufstandes in Warschau haben sich die im Verband des SS-Obergruppenführers und General der Polizei von Bach unter Führung des Generalmajors Rohr kämpfenden Verbände des Heeres, der Waffen-SS und der Luftwaffe durch Härte und kühnes Draufgängertum besonders ausgezeichnet.
During the suppression of the uprising in Warsaw, fighting forces of the Army, the Waffen-SS and the Luftwaffe under the command of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Police von Bach under the leadership of Major General Rohr have particularly distinguished themselves by showing toughness and audacious recklessness.
"Infobox military biography" seriously needs "Known for" and/or "War crimes" section. In this case, the massacre at Babi Yar was listed under Battles/wars. Yes, slaughtering defenseless civilians, away from the front lines, is a "battle". In Walther von Reichenau.
"General Patton in 1945 to Colonel Aaron Banks in 1953" are turning in their graves that they had "commanded" an SS training camp, in the appropriately named section: "German/US Commanders". In SS-Junkerschule Bad Tölz.
On a related note, the swastikas that flew over Reichskommissariat Ukraine in 1941–1945 were "Ukrainian flags". Jesus f***g Christ. I could not decide whether the person who added them was trolling or deeply ignorant. Judging by the entirety of the section, this individual was possibly motivated by a desire to insert as many Nazi flags as possible into an unrelated article: Seven swastikas, plus SS runes for good measure. In List of Ukrainian flags.
Three Wehrmacht alibis
Taking the lead from Jonathan House's lecture on the mythology of the Eastern Front. House is David Glantz's co-author on When Titans Clashed: "The Three Alibis"
#1: "That idiot Hitler!"
Rundsted blames Hitler for the defeat of Barbarossa, in a paragraph cited to "influential military writer"{{peacock}} Liddel-Hart which in turn is based on "extensive interviews with [...] with Rundsted ("all the Army leaders", "following their training in the Prussian military tradition", blah, blah). In Gerd von Rundstedt.
Verlorene Siege, the mother of the German Wehrmacht apologetic memoir genre, with its suggestive title "Lost Victories" (i.e. if it weren't for Hitler, Russian winter, and "endless waves", Wehrmacht would not have "lost the war"). Read: WWII was Germany's to lose, and not for the Allies to win. In Verlorene Siege.
More from Verlorene Siege. Manstein (via a helpful wikipedia editor) on why he lost: "Hitler had forbidden his armed forces to fortify river lines".
"That idiot Hitler" + "Brutal Russian winter" combo, in one lead & cited to the subject of the article himself:
During the autumn of 1941, his offensive on Moscow was delayed by [[Battle of Kiev (1941)|orders from Hitler]] with whom he disagreed sharply. Soon, German troops found themselves delayed by bad roads and mud {{sfn|Guderian|1952|p=245}} and then suffering from the winter cold, one of the major factors that led to the failure of [[Operation Barbarossa]].
The Red Army wasn't apparently "one of the major factors". And let's throw Greek-tragedy vibe into the mix: This marked the end of his ascendancy.diff-link. In Heinz Guderian.
"The Soviet defense of its capital at the onset of the [[General Winter|brutal Russian winter]] stalled out the hitherto seemingly-unstoppable Nazi German invasion; piping to General Winter, how appropriate – in Strategic victory.
"More of non-ironic use of the General Winter article, with piping: [[Russian Winter|characteristically severe Russian winter weather]] and [[Russian Winter|Russian winter]]. In Tiger I. Did the Wehrmacht not know that it gets cold there in winter?
Follow up to the above entry: second attempt at removing "Brutal 1941 winter". Tiger I was not in production yet. :-) In Tiger I.
"In spite of beginning to suffer heavy rates of attrition, the Panzer Armies marched along. The Rasputitza Season (season of no movement in Russian - due to heavy rains and sluggish muddy roads) was terrible and took its toll on German equipment. Progress was often slowed down to a few kilometres a day. Nonetheless, the Germans marched on." --> becomes: "The rasputitsa season (literally "roadlessness", due to heavy rains and sluggish muddy roads) was terrible, but not unusual. Nonetheless, Wehrmacht did not prepare for this contingency as the German high command had expected the German army to be in Moscow and beyond at this time, with the campaign over by the fall." In 2nd Panzer Army.
The subject "worked tirelessly to ensure the German success before the onset of severe Russian winter which was the most brutal on record ever since the winter of 1940". In Walther von Brauchitsch.
Another favorite alibi of the former Wehrmacht generals; to quote Friedrich von Mellenthin, these waves "eventually submerged the superior Wehrmacht, like the stones in the ocean" (or something to this effect)
"The numerical superiority of the Red Army" was only reason why Operation Spring Awakening failed
"Most of the time it [the Wehrmacht] fought being outnumbered and outgunned but regularly inflicted higher losses than it received", cited to a 1977 source: "Assessment". In Wehrmacht.
Dubious unsourced claims and POV language
Articles in this section bring songs by Sabaton to mind. And look, there's even a tank on stage!Nazi propaganda poster; the headline reads: "German soldier is fighting for Europe", aka "romantic heroicisation of the German army fighting to save Europe from a rapacious Communism".
Combo of "ferocious battles", "stemming the tide" and German terms, such as "the abteilung" and "abt"; no italics or translation in the original. In Hubert-Erwin Meierdress.
What is the significance of the date that it apparently needs its own article? '...after an equally gallant action on the 28th...' (link in the original)
"Although the conquest of Crete was considered a grandiose victory of the airborne corps,Kurowski, Frank, 'Jump into Hell: German Paratroopers in World War II', Stackpole Books, (2010), p. 165..." from the beloved Franz Kurowski: diff. In Battle of Crete; h/t Indy beetle.
Said "anti-Nazi" credentials include playing jazz at a party and overhearing a conversion about the "evacuation" of the Jews. Despite frowns at his jazz performance, he's invited back for another party! In the article about 1957 West German movie Der Stern von Afrika, which the allegedly "bull shit" source (James Chapman) describes as "a "whitewash" that presented an "acceptable face of wartime heroics" in West German films of that period. The film did not portray Marseille's Nazi convictions, instead presenting his a rebel in trouble with his superiors". In Der Stern von Afrika.
Why always "captured" and never "taken prisoner" or "surrendered"? In Hans Boeckh-Behrens and dozens, if not hundreds, of other articles.
Even in section names: "Italian Front and capture". Perhaps it is just a "Germanised" turn of phrase, but it reads rather POV: i.e. Germany was not defeated; instead, it was overrun by "overwhelming masses of Allied men, tanks and aircraft" and its soldiers never laid down their weapons and surrendered, but were "captured"? In Gerhard von Schwerin.
The German forces "surrendered" but the general was "captured". That does not make sense. In Werner Sanne.
This German general was "captured" while the caption to the infobox photo is "Hitter and corps commander Gollwitzersurrender to Soviet forces". Moreover, the article states that "his division was encircled and forced to surrender". Seriously. In Alfons Hitter.
In this instance, I was thinking "finally, a general surrenders!" But no, in the very next sentence, we get "capture" again. And another frequent reference: "released from captivity", as well. In Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben.
Here, we are apparently to feel sorry for the general whose army had been "decimated" before he assumed command. He was subsequently "captured", through no fault of his own. In Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller.
A new variant: "was made a prisoner of war", not "surrendered". I'm pretty sure I've seen this construction & the odd passive voice elsewhere. In Joachim Fest.
Alternate geography
Pet peeve – German versions of locality names: example, another one; even POW camps are located in German- (Czech-?) sounding places: Šuja; German spelling results in non-existing Bielgorod or, a variant, Bjelgorod (see diff) (links in the original). Bjelgorod was listed as the place of death, so it must be a variant of the Knight-Cross-Holder-died-there-so-there-must-be-an-article-for-it below.
Just because a Knight's Cross holder dies there, does not mean that an article needs to be created: e.g. Losovka (see diff); Petit Coo (see diff); Büttgenbach (see diff); Bass Bodeux (see diff); "Shepetowka, Russia" (see diff) (This also qualifies under "Alternate geography, as the real-life city of Shepetovka is located in Ukraine, not in Russia)
This improbable locality name Rkiwira comes from the book by Florian Berger The Face of Courage (!) in the Hans Juchem article; it does not sound anywhere close to Ukrainian and Berger's book is the only place where it can be found. Preface to the book by Manfred Dorr: link. Five exclamation points in as many paragraphs.
Kharkov is apparently located in Russia, and not in Ukraine (this was originally spelled Charkow).
The city of Briansk is described as a "village", unless it was indeed a village but with a similar name; but who cares, let's link it anyway! diff. In Erich Hartmann, the subject of the evocatively named The Blond Knight of Germany (the book is extensively cited in the article, with the dubious distinction of being mentioned in The Myth of the Eastern Front as an example of WWII romancing literature).
"Unneeded iconography"
That's a catch-all section for a variety of totemic symbols that often fill articles to the brim, with foreign language unit names, unnecessary translations, and visual depictions of much intricate detail.
The Knight's Cross shown here is literally "larger than life"—a fitting metaphor.
The image on the right is authentic & comes from Bundesarchiv, but the super-gigantic Knight's Cross is not; it was added after this picture was taken. This reminds me of Wikipedia's coverage of the German war effort somehow: every Knight's Cross is more "coveted"; every Panzer/Stuka/U-boat "ace" is more successful; every general is a father to his men; and every soldier displays "extreme battlefield bravery". Rah-rah! In Walter Koch (Fallschirmjäger), where even the disambiguation is a combo of #"Unneeded iconography" and #"Heart of the romancing ethos".
What's with the obsession over SS Panzer Regiment 1 (links in the original): examples 1, 2, 3 and many more. This must be related to the "Panzer ace" myth, as the three examples here come off that list: link to the 2015 version, which also includes a randomly red-linked "SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 12" (translation: 12th SS Tank Destroyer Battalion).
Three same, unneeded links—why? Must be the "fancruft" (the term which I only recently learned). In a typical SS officer article, August Schmidhuber, which does not mention in the lead that he was convicted of war crimes and executed.
Someone decided to illustrate the article on Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II with a WWII propaganda poster, at 275px size: diff. Image can be viewed here: File:Berlin.Gestapo Museum 007.JPG (since deleted, but it was really something).
The Nazism sidebar was decorated with miniature portraits of key Nazi figures: Hitler, Goering, etc.: [5] (see right; actual size). A practical question: who can recognise them at such a miniscule size? In Template:Nazism sidebar.
Alternate geopolitics: "from the countries annexed by [[Russia]] after 1939. They were organised to fight against the Soviets on the [[Germany|German]] side." In Azeri SS Volunteer Formations. Note that the countries linked are Russia and Germany, neither of which were the official designations of these countries at the time of WWII.
Also in "alternate geopolitics" news, this Waffen-SS division was a unit of "Vichy France", displaying a {{flag|Vichy France}}: diff. In SS Division Charlemagne.
[[Category:Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland 1939–41]] applies to a district within the Nazi civilian administration: diff. In District of Galicia.
The rather extensive article on the Holocaust in Poland has a lead that devotes a paragraph (out of four) to rescue by ethnic Poles, emphasising their great personal cost, and half a paragraph that's about Soviet crimes: [6]. In The Holocaust in Poland.
Appropriate quote from The Myth of the Eastern Front: "Little if any sentiment has been extended [by the Americans] to the families of the 8 million Red Army soldiers who died fighting the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS, or the 22 million civilians killed by these military organizations and the killing squads, the Einsatzgruppen", that worked closely with the army formations. "With a forty-year head start", the predominance of the German account "hardly remains a mystery".
Original caption: "The great expanse of Russia made controlling a front line difficult." D'uh, war is not a rest cure. Also vaguely suggestive of the "endless waves (...) submerging the supposedly superior Wehrmacht" (see Panzer Battles).
Endless self-pity: 3 (!) instances of 'remnants' in 2 sentences'; they are worth quoting: "The remnants of the XI SS Panzer Corps got trapped in the Halbe Pocket around April 28, 1945. Together with the remnants of the German 9th Army and 12th Army, the remnants of the 23d SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division "Nederland" surrendered on 4 May 1945 to US troops across the Elbe." (see diff). In III (Germanic) SS Panzer Corps.
More of self-pity & tales of valor and heroic deeds: "against overwhelming odds"; "condemned the troops to bitter and bloody street fighting. Completely encircled and cut off from any reinforcements, his Kampfgruppe fought off the Soviet advances." In Wilhelm Mohnke.
Did the opposing tank crews have air-conditioned vehicles, while the Germans "worked in 'boiling' tanks, in sweltering weather conditions, and frequently suffered from heat exhaustion"? In Battle of Kursk.
War presented as "burden", which is moreover "forced" upon the Wehrmacht: ... would release some of the burden the Germans were forced to take..." (Q: Why are we going to attack? A: We are just trying to relieve the burden. :-) ). Also in Battle of Kursk
In this instance, Waffen-SS divisions "suffer through the Russian winter". In Waffen-SS.
Despite the "many hardships", the subject of the article "learned to make ways of entertainment in the ruins of the city" (which the Wehrmacht first firebombed and then destroyed what remained with artillery). In Alexander Edler von Daniels.
"The defensive, however, effective as it might have been, wasn't able to work wonders for too long, and was overrun during another large-scale Soviet offensive...." – also with undertones of "endless waves of tanks and men" and "victim of history". In Heribert von Larisch, another curiously overwrought article.
"This evacuation is still an issue with surviving veterans of the 79th", the article commiserates, adding: "Most men were taken into Soviet captivity including Generalleutnant Alexander von Daniels, the commander." Replaced both sentences with: "The division, including its commander, Generalleutnant Alexander von Daniels, surrendered to the Red Army when the German forces capitulated." In 79th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), which looked more like a fan page rather than an article: link, with its talk of "second" and "third lives".
In related news, the search for [Trapped remnants wehrmacht desperate] currently produces 33 articles, with snippets offering such language as "A desperate counterattack was mounted against the 2nd Armored Division by German remnants, but this was a disaster..." (Operation Cobra) and "Remnants of the 21st Panzer Division were to cover in a north-westerly direction, while remnants of the 32nd SS Division..." (Battle of Halbe). See also: Lost Cause of the Confederacy.
Are there such things as hot water hydrants? I don't think so. A case of inadvertent First world problems, perhaps? In Battle of Berlin (see right).
Also over at Commons: [7] & [8]; people are apparently not familiar with the function of a fire hydrant.
Another post-war reference, now in the 1970s timeframe: "war time slaughter". What?? Casualties are generally expected in a war and not described as "slaughter". In Thomas Kretschmer.
"Hell's gate", "exhausted", "could advance no further", "the 'answer would be in the form of continued, bitter resistance'", "but even this effort", "trapped forces", "using its last reserves", "5th SS Panzer Division 'did more than any other to ensure the continued survival of Gruppe Stemmermann' ...", "rescuers", probably more in the rest of the article.
Same article: why are German forces always "trapped", and not encircled, surrounded, etc? Not sure how many times I've encountered this already.
How tragic: St Manstein could not pull the units "back to safety".
In a similar vein, a picture of nondescript German military vehicle in a random field is used as a lead image in an article on a major Soviet operation, with this caption: German troops defending Smolensk in August 1943. Who are they "defending Smolensk" from – themselves? In Battle of Smolensk (1943).
Another general claims a "major defensive victory", despite "losing many men and being pushed back around 100 (!) kilometres". In Erhard Raus.
As a variant on the "desperate batttles" theme, the Waffen-SS units never retreat, they are always "engaged in a fighting withdrawal". Example from Eduard Deisenhofer. Plus totemic German-language unit names, as usual.
Not quite a defensive battle, but definitely a "tragic hero" vibe going on, combined with a WP:Crystal ball: "... unaware he could take the town..." and " ... unknowingly bypassing an opportunity to flank and trap the entire division ...", sourced to dubious author Bruce Quarrie. In Jochen Peiper.
"Mummert was determined to lead the survivors of his division in an escape to the west. Ignoring Weidling's calls for a cessation of hostilities, Mummert ordered the breakout attempt to get underway. Late in the day he went missing during heavy fighting, surfacing years later in Soviet captivity. The remnants of 18th Panzergrenadier joined the escape attempt, and both divisions attempted to battle their way to the west and surrender to the Americans. By 3 May the divisions had reached a river crossing in Spandau. The bridge was under heavy Soviet artillery fire, but the few survivors of the Münchebergattempted to cross the bridge. Those who made it across the bridge found that they were surrounded by the Soviet forces, and on 5 May the division disintegrated. Several small groups of men had managed to reach the Americans."
Wiki appears to be a place to learn German, plus unnecessary piping (with italics) to an article named in English; in Helmut Wick.
Opportunity to learn all four highest Nazi Germany's awards in just one lead; in Günther Prien, a mythical figure in WWII U-boat lore.
"Not a place to teach readers German", comments an editor. Quote continues: "That's a coatrack problem we just don't need. Interested readers can click related links." In Erwin Rommel.
Another fine example of the language school theme: many translations, plus totemic German-language unit names. I also learned the word Grundschule (elementary school). Why include info on the attendance of a elementary school in an encyclopedia? Apparently, no detail is too small for the hero. In Ernst-Georg Buchterkirch, whose propaganda photo apparently added to his notability: "Buchterkirch (left) in discussion with Generaloberst Walter Model, July 1941". The photo was erroneously included in Battle of Kursk, which took place in 1943. The latter entry belongs in the Ignorance Sub-department.
A rather remarkable entry, "childcare of the Evangelical Relief Fund—''Jugendfürsorge des Evangelischen Hilfswerk''", given that's an article about a submarine commander: diff. In Otto Schuhart.
WP:Memorial
Starting a new section as a reflection of WP:MEMORIAL, in a literal sense:
Geb. 13 December 1919 gef. i. Derna i. Afrika 30 September 1942
Born 13 December 1919 killed in Derna in Africa 30 September 1942
Wübbe, Walter (2001). Hauptmann Hans Joachim Marseille— Ein Jagdfliegerschicksal in Daten, Bildern und Dokumenten [Captain Hans Joachim Marseille— A Fighter Pilots Fate in Data, Images and Documents] (in German). Schnellbach, Germany: Verlag Siegfried Bublies. ISBN978-3-926584-78-6.
Cited to yet another small-time, extreme-right publisher Verlag Siegfried Bublies [de]. In Hans-Joachim Marseille.
Filing under WP:MEMORIAL, although this could also qualify under "Outstanding Achievements in Double-speak": Caption reads: "A military commander of the 45th Estonian Regiment", while the subject is shown in a Waffen-SS uniform (this fact is not alluded to in the lead). Plus "Ball Lightning" nickname. Definitely memorial.
Starting a section for capturing the moments of glorification of military violences:
18 instances of "enemy" removed, including multiples in the same sentence. The prose that showed up in quotations (from the participants of events) was exactly the same: "enemy this", "enemy that". In Hans-Joachim Marseille.
Image included in the article with original caption (diff):
The crew of the Boeing B-17F-5, shot down by Naumann on 30 July 1943.
Let's celebrate the accomplishments of this pilot by showing the people he presumably killed! In Johannes Naumann.
War is exciting stuff! Let's have more of it! Section appropriately named "Summary of raiding history". Equating the military (profession) to enjoyable pastime ("hunting") is a typical approach in similar articles. In German submarine U-88 (1941). Side note: Soldaten: On Fighting, Killing and Dying by Sönke Neitzel & Harald Welzer provides excellent insights into this psychology. I highly recommend this book.
What could be more appropriate and more sensitive to the war dead? In Rudolf Pflanz.
Debasement of victims
This series of edits was quite shocking to have had to perform: referring to sexual slavery as "prostitution", the victims as "prostitutes", and even with a helpful "Category:Prostitution in Germany" in the mix: diff. In German camp brothels in World War II, of all places.
Original caption: "...[[Czesława Kwoka | a fourteen-year-old Polish girl, deported as forced labour]]..." – instead of Czesława Kwoka
Victims are anonymised, while perpetrators are presented in excruciating detail, especially for the lead. In this case, the name of the probable victim is "hidden" via piping, while the Nazi party's name is listed and linked twice: [[National Socialist German Workers Party]] ([[Nazi Party]]). We also learn the subject's obscure rank (with translation): "[[Rottenführer]] (Section Leader)". In Josef Blösche.
More anonymising of victims (see right), in World War II: diff (Czesława Kwoka was also originally "sent" to Auschwitz, not deported). My edit was later replaced with ...[[Czesława Kwoka|Polish girl deported]]..., but let's have more pictures of military action!
A hoax caption, presenting victims as (almost) perpetrators:
To put it more charitably, this could just be plain ignorance. But the poses are too casual and the subjects are too well-dressed; you don't need to be a historian to see that. In Janowska concentration camp.
100% unadulterated Nazi propaganda (aka Wehrmachtbericht)
This section is quite large due to the amount of effort that was involved around the Wehrmachtbericht transcripts (OKW press releases).
The process
To illustrate the scope of the project, I did the following, starting soon from the time I joined MILHIST (Nov 2015):
was greatly puzzled as to what the heck this thing was and why the text blocks were getting so much space, including in original German, and prominently housed in their own sub-sections: sample;
attempted to engage editors on related talk pages, (which was ignored);
initiated removal discussions on three Talk pages including Manstein, Erwin Rommel and Erich von dem Bach-Zalewski (salient quote: In this case [the transcript] may have included euphemisms for criminal actions, but it may equally have been referring to bravery in combat against armed fighters of the Home Army) emphasis mine; pls see, for example: Wola massacre;
observed the resulting blowout: [Name redacted], (...) repeatedly restoring the content that two different established users took out and calling their edits vandalism to boot is definitely a no-no. So be warned that a block might be looming if you insist in continuing your behaviour;
conducted a search for sources as to whether it was a military commendation as alleged (could not find any)
am now finally able to proceed with removal of these OKW press releases (aka "historic testimony", the wording of which "is accepted at GA and FAC levels". (Apparently not any more, as 11 editors have supported the removal, at the NPOV noticeboard and various Talk pages).
Wehrmachtberichte: The Essential Collection
These have already been removed from articles and are being preserved here for archival purposes.
"Endless waves of tanks and men" & "Asiatic hordes" (see Panzerschlachten):
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
29 November 1944
Deutsche Truppen haben zusammen mit den verbündeten ungarischen Streitkräften unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Frießner seit dem 29. Oktober dem fast ununterbrochenen Ansturm von 61 Divisionen und 7 Panzerkorps der Bolschewisten und Rumänen standgehalten.
German forces together with the allied Hungarian armed forces under the command of Colonel General Friessner have since 29 October withstood the almost continuous onslaught of 61 divisions and 7 armored corps of the Bolsheviks and Romanians.
Destroyed "1,754 tanks" and won a "full defensive victory":
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
18 February 1944
In den schweren Kämpfen im Raum von Nikopol haben ostmärkische, bayerische, rheinisch-westfälische, sächsische, mecklenburgische, pommersche und ostpreußische Division unter dem Befehl des Generals der Gebirgstruppen Schörner und der Generale Brandenberger, Mieth und Kreysing in der Zeit vom 5. November 1943 bis 15 Februar 1944 in Angriff und Abwehr starke Durchbruchsversuche der Bolschewisten mit blanker Waffe verhindert und ihnen hohe Verluste zugefügt. Dabei wurden 1754 Panzer, 533 Geschütze, zahlreiche andere Waffen und sonstiges Kriegsgerät erbeutet oder vernichtet und 56 feindliche Flugzeuge durch Infanteriewaffen abgeschossen.}}
During heavy fighting in the area of Nikopol, between 5 November 1943 and 15 February 1944, the divisons from Ostmark, Bavaria, Rhineland-Westphalia, Saxony, Mecklenburg, Pomerania and East Prussia, under the command of Mountain Troops General Schörner and generals Brandenberger, Mieth and Kreysing, with offensive and defensive actions, prevented strong Bolshevik attempts to break through with blank cartridges, and inflicted heavy losses upon them. Thereby 1754 tanks, 533 artillery pieces, numerous other weapons and war material were captured or destroyed, and 56 enemy aircraft were shot down by infantry weapons.
30 November 1944
In der zweiten Abwehrschlacht in Kurland haben die unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Schörner kämpfenden Verbände des Heeres und germanischer Freiwilliger der Waffen-SS wiederum einen vollen Abwehrsieg errungen.
In the second defensive battle in Courland, units of the army and Germanic volunteers of the Waffen SS under the command of Colonel General Schörner, again won a full defensive victory.
This one is interesting because it describes the "heroic death" of Henning von Tresckow, who, according to linked article, had killed himself to avoid exposure of his involvement in the 20 July plot. "Invading Bolsheviks" goes without saying:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
24 July 1944
Zwischen Brest-Litowsk und Grodno sowie nördlich Kauen scheiterten Durchbruchsversuche des Feindes am zähen Widerstand unserer tapferen Divisionen. In einigen Abschnitten warfen sie die eingedrungenen Bolschewisten im Gegenangriff zurück. In diesen Kämpfen fanden der Kommandeur einer Kampfgruppe, Generalleutnant Scheller, und der Chef des Stabes einer Armee, Generalmajor v. Treskow, in vorderster Linie den Heldentod.
Between Brest-Litovsk and Grodno and north of Kaunas, enemy break-through attempts failed because of the stubborn resistance of our brave divisions. In some sectors they threw back the invading Bolsheviks in the counterattack. In these battles, the commander of a combat unit, Lieutenant General Scheller, and the Chief of Staff of an Army, Major-General v. Tresckow, found a heroes death at the front lines.
More "Bolsheviks" & "defensive victories":
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
8 June 1944
Bei den Kämpfen im Raum von Jassy haben deutsch-rumänische Truppen unter dem Befehl des rumänischen Generals der Kavallerie Racovita, des Generals der Panzertruppen von Knobelsdorff sowie des Generals der Infanterie Mieth, hervorragend unterstützt durch starke deutsch-rumänische Kampf- und Schlachtfliegerverbände, in harten Kämpfen die Bolschewisten aus tief gegliederten, zäh verteidigten Stellungen geworfen und die eigenen Stellungen dadurch bedeutend verbessert.
In the battles in the area of Jassy, German and Romanian troops under the command of the Romanian Cavalry General Racoviță, General of Panzer troops von Knobelsdorff and the General of the Infantry Mieth, superbly supported by strong German-Romanian bomber and ground-attack aircraft units, have thrown in fierce combat out of their deeply structured, tough defending, positions, the Bolsheviks, and improved our positions significantly.
A fighter wing claims "8,000 victories":
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
English translation
4 May 1944
Das unter Führung von Oberstleutnant Nordmann stehende Jagdgeschwader "Mölders" meldete seinen 8000. Luftsieg.
Fighter wing "Mölders", under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Nordmann, reported its 8 000th aerial victory.
This one did even better! (10,000 "arial victories")[dubious – discuss]:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
3 September 1944 (addendum)
Das auf allen Kriegsschauplätzen bewährte Jagdgeschwader 52 erzielte unter Führung seine Kommodore, Eichenlaubträger Oberstleutnant Hrabak, seinen 10 000 Luftsieg.
The on all theatres of war well proven 52nd Fighter Wing under the leadership of its Wing Commander, Oak Leaves bearer Oberstleutnant Hrabak, achieved its 10 000th aerial victory.
Die Sturmgeschützabteilung 244 hat bei den Kämpfen im Osten am 14. Mai 36 feindliche Panzer vernichtet. Von diesen Panzern hat der Oberfeldwebel Banse (sic) allein 13 abgeschossen.
The Assault Gun Battalion 244 has destroyed 36 enemy tanks in the fighting in the east on 14 May. Of these tanks, Sergeant Banse alone has destroyed 13.
Dubious ("smashed seventy enemy divisions"):
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
12 May 1944
Bei der gestern gemeldeten Zerschlagung des feindlichen Brückenkopfes am unteren Dnjestr haben die unter Führung des General der Infanterie Buschenhagen stehenden Truppen sieben feindlichen Schützendivisionen sowie Teile einer Artillerie- und Flakdivision zerschlagen.
In yesterday reported destruction of the enemy bridgehead at the lower Dniester, troops under the leadership of General of the Infantry Buschenhagen have smashed seven enemy infantry divisions[dubious – discuss] and parts of artillery and anti aircraft divisions.
Almost poetry:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
English translation
6 April 1944
Verbände des Heeres und der Waffen-SS haben unter dem Oberbefehl des Generalobersten Weiss und unter der Führung der Generale der Infanterie Hoßbach und Mattenklott nach tagelangen harten Angriffskämpfen durch die Pripjetsümpfe bei ungewöhnlichen Geländeschwierigkeiten den feindlichen Ring um Kowel gesprengt und damit ihre Kameraden aus der Umklammerung befreit.
Units of the Army and the Waffen-SS have, under the High Command of GeneraloberstWalter Weiss and under the leadership of Generals of the Infantry Hoßbach and Mattenklott, after days of harsh fighting through the Pripyat Marshes at rough terrain, broken the enemy ring at Kowel and by that our comrades were freed from the clutch.
Wehrmachtbericht haiku(TM) based on the preceding entry:
Fight for freedom Units of the Army and the Waffen-SS After days of harsh fighting Through rough terrain Broken the enemy ring, and by that Our comrades were freed from the clutch.
(c)2016
"5,500 enemy tanks destroyed":
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
26 July 1944
Im Abschnitt einer Armee wurden in der Zeit vom 14. Bis 23. Juli 553 feindliche Panzer abgeschossen. Hierbei hat sich die hamburgische 20. Panzer-Grenadier-Division unter Führung des Generalleutnant Jauer besonders ausgezeichnet.
In an army sector, 553 enemy tanks were destroyed in the period from 14 to 23 July. There, the Hamburg 20th Panzer Grenadier Division under the command of Lieutenant-General Jauer has particularly excelled.
In the case of the Manstein article, the transcript was inserted with the edit summary: "insert missing Wehrmachtbericht wording (emphasis mine). Begs the question: who's been missing it?
Im Südabschnitt der Ostfront hat sich das XXX. Armeekorps, unter Führung des Generalleutnants Postel mit der 306. Infanteriedivision, 15. Infanteriedivision und 13. Panzerdivision in aufopfernden Kämpfen gegen überlegene überlegene feindliche Kräfte heldenmütig geschlagen.
The 30th Army Corps under the leadership of Generalleutnant Postel together with the 306th Infantry Division, 15th Infantry Division and 13th Panzer Division fought heroically in sacrificial battles against superior forces in the southern sector of the eastern front.
Woah! Deserves a Wehrmachtbericht haiku(TM):
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
29 June 1942
Unter Führung des Generals der Kavallerie Lindemann haben Truppen des Heeres und der Waffen-SS, dabei auch spanische, niederländische und flämische Freiwilligenverbände, hervorragend unterstützt durch die Luftflotte des Generaloberst Keller, nach monatelangem erbitterten Kämpfen unter schwierigsten Wetter- und Geländeverhältnissen diese feindlichen Armeen zunächst von ihren rückwärtigen Verbindungen abgeriegelt, dann immer mehr zusammengedrängt und heute endgültig vernichtet.
Under the leadership of General of the Cavalry Lindemann, troops of the Army and Waffen-SS, including Spanish, Dutch and Flemish volunteer units, excellently supported by the Air Fleet of Colonel-General Keller, after months of bitter fighting under difficult weather and terrain conditions, these hostile armies, were first sealed off from their communication and supply lines, then crowded together more and more, and today finally destroyed.
United for Europe (extended) Troops of the Army and Waffen-SS Including Spanish, Dutch and Flemish volunteers After months of bitter fighting Under difficult weather and terrain conditions These hostile armies were first sealed off Then crowded together More and more And finally destroyed.
Much poetic language going on, including "defending" an occupied city:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
Wednesday, 17 April 1940
Bei der Verteidigung von Narvik fiel der Führer der Zerstörer, Kapitän zur See und Kommodore Bonte, in heldenmütigem Kampf gegen britische Übermacht. Rund zwei drittel der Besatzungen der beschädigten und nicht mehr gefechtsbereiten Zerstörer, die ihre Munition restlos verschossen haben, wurden in die Verteidigung Narviks zur Verstärkung der im dortigen Raum eingesetzten Heerestruppenteile eingegliedert.
The leader of the destroyers, Captain and Commodore Bonte, was killed in action in a heroic struggle against British supremacy in defense of Narvik. About two-thirds of the crew of the damaged and no longer combat-ready destroyers, their ammunition expended completely, were incorporated in the defense of Narvik to reinforce the army deployed in the vicinity.
Red links, suggesting that articles for these subjects should be created:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
Sunday, 6 July 1941
Rittmeister Niemack, Führer einer Aufklärungsabteilung, die Oberleutnante Freiherr Maercken und Buchterkirch in einem Panzerregiment, sowie Oberleutnant Ritz in einem Schützenregiment zeichneten sich durch vorbildliche Tapferkeit aus.
Rotamaster Niemack, leader of a reconnaissance unit, the first lieutenants Freiherr Maercken and Buchterkirch in a tank regiment, and Lieutenant Ritz in a rifle regiment distinguished themselves through exemplary bravery.
How were the battles victorious if the pilot was killed?
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
Thursday, 10 July 1941
Hauptmann Balthasar, Träger des Eichenlaubes zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, der mit 40 Luftsiegen an den genannten Erfolgen der Luftwaffe hervorragend beteiligt war, fand in siegreichen Luftkämpfen am Kanal den Heldentod. Mit ihm verlor die Luftwaffe einen ihrer tapfersten Jagdflieger.
Captain Balthasar, bearer of the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, who with 40 aerial victories exceptionally contributed on these already mentioned successes of the Luftwaffe, found a hero's death in victorious aerial battles at the channel.
Die Verluste der britischen Luftwaffe bei See- und Luftgefecht im Kanalgebiet am 12. Februar erhöhen sich auf 49 Flugzeuge. Mit dem Abschuß von weiteren feindlichen Flugzeugen in diesen Luftkämpfen ist zu rechnen.
The losses of the British Air Force in sea and aerial combat on 12 February increased to 49 aircraft. It is assumed that further enemy aircraft will be shot down in these aerial battles.
Somehow, the "freedom of Europe" was being sought deep in the Soviet Union, almost in Asia:
Date
Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording
Direct English translation
Monday, 5 October 1942
Bei den Kämpfen an der Don-Front fand der Kommandierenden General eines Panzerkorps, General der Panzertruppe Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, Träger des Eichenlaubs zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, am 3. Oktober 1942 in vorderster Linie den Heldentod. Seite an Seite mit ihm fiel der Kommandeur einer ungarischen Division, Oberst Nagy, im Kampf um die Freiheit Europas.
In the fighting on the Don front the commanding general of an armored corps, General of Panzer Troops Freiherr von Langermann und Erlencamp, bearer of the Oak Leaf to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, met an heroic death on 3 October 1942 on the front line. Side by side with him fell the commander of a Hungarian division, Colonel Nagy, in the struggle for the freedom of Europe.
Recent developments
But no, we were not quite done. There have been additional discussions and attempts to restore the Wehrmachtberichte in a different form.
"I understand that today, the community believes that the verbatim Wehrmachtbericht transcript should not be part of the Wikipedia articles, unless the wording is addressed and commented by other secondary reliable sources. I am not challenging the consensus at this moment." – thank God!
Pleased that the article that I rewrote came in handy: "I think the difference is that whereas the Wehrmachtbericht was "the daily Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) mass-media communiqué and a key component of Nazi propaganda during World War II", the London Gazette was (long before the concepts of mass media or propaganda were thought of), and to some extent still is, an official report of acts of government."
"I don't quite see the point of quoting the daily communiqué verbatim, as its information content is virtually nil. More so, the claims often don't have any foundation in fact and would necessitate profound cross-referencing and double-checking."
"You can't really compare the two works: the Gazette was, and remains, a way for bureaucracies of a country with a system of generally honest and open government to publish official notifications. In contrast, the Wehrmachtbericht was part of the propaganda machine for a totally dishonest government."
Salient quotes from the sole "Keep" voter: The category is useful in identifying how and why the the Wehrmachtbericht was used. it is helpful to researchers in identifying the type of mentions and And I would strongly object to removing mention of this source in the articles, or in removing the transcripts. Note: That ship has already sailed :-)
Sample quote from a "Delete" voter: Trivial; where someone is mentioned is hardly notable except in the rarest circumstances (such as the Bible). I don't think that the German war reports merit such rarity. Closed as "Delete", 6 to 1.
Rommel: "Gentleman warrior, military genius"
Borrowing the title form a Der Spiegelarticle, this section is dedicated to Erwin Rommel:
"Not accused of war crimes"
Rommel was apparently a great humanitarian, simply because he did not have POWs shot out of hand. (That was an achievement vs the Eastern Front; still that did not make him a "humanitarian", i.e. "a person promoting human welfare and social reform", per definition).
Continuing with "Rommel as humanitarian" theme, editor insists on keeping "ancient and bad references for the chivalrous nature of North Africa fighting.
Dubious distinction and a weasel phrase that a unit was "not accused of war crimes", according to a 1950 source.
The Rommel legend, in full bloom: "He was noted to never have committed a war crime during his military service. He also supported the Stauffenberg 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. He was found guilty of treason...", with the last two things demonstrably wrong, and the first one an obfuscation ("noted for not being a criminal" is a dubious honor). In Wehrmacht.
Rommel is sent to Italy to "prepare a defensive line", not to participate in Operation Achse. Also, "his disagreements with Hitler reached a new level" – this disagreements were over military matters, and moreover, Rommel appeared to have been wrong. (emphasis mine)
More gushing from Liddell Hart: "Awe for his dynamic generalship developed into an almost affectionate admiration for him as a man". For real.
The saviour Rommel: "If given more time, he may have succeeded." – If only he had a bit more time to reenforce the Atlantic Wall, he would have "succeeded"! And succeeded at what? Repelling the Allied invasion? That's quite a bit of conjecture going on. The statement is cited to "effusive and uncritical" biography by Ronald Lewin. (Side note: The book appears to borrow design elements from the best traditions of the colonial war literature, with an intertwined palm tree and swastika embossed on the cloth cover.)
Excellent example of Rommel's insubordination and opportunism, which appears to be presented as a point of pride in this note: "Quote from Rommel: I had maintained secrecy over the Panzer Group's forthcoming attack eastwards from Mersa el Brega and informed neither the Italian nor the German High Command. We knew from experience that Italian Headquarters cannot keep things to themselves and that everything they wireless to Rome gets round to British ears." (emphasis mine)
Random mythology
The Rommel legend can be found in unexpected places: a completely unrelated propaganda photo, as Rommel in not discussed in the article at all. In Tank.
"His fearless command of the 7th Panzer Division showed his confidence and understanding of blitzkrieg concepts. The success they experienced and his favor with Hitler prevented any repercussions from the High Command, some of whom criticized Rommel for being difficult to contact and locate. Rommel described the French Campaign in his letters to his wife as "a lightning Tour de France"."
An article sourced almost exclusively to Wehrmacht "guru" Franz Kurowski:
Warning: Fan fiction ahead
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
Kittel claimed his first victory on 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa. Kittel took time to amass his personal tally of aerial victories. By February 1943, he reached 39 kills, relatively insignificant when compared with some other German aces. A large number of his Soviet victims included the IL-2 Shturmovik aircraft, leading the German Army to call him the "Butcher Killer", a nickname they had given to the tough Shturmovik. – military statistics cited to a non-WP:RS source, odd language about "took time to amass" etc
Edith had travelled into occupied Soviet territory near the front line to marry Kittel. – not notable
His comrade, and a member of the flight, Herbert Broennle, advised him to hide after landing, to travel only by night and use a compass on a heading of 255 degrees (north-west) which would take him to Stayara Russa, towards JG 54's base behind German lines. Broennle himself had been shot down under the same circumstances in 1941, and had experience. Kittel ran for the nearest forest after landing. Several Russian women and children saw the crash from two houses nearby and came running out. No men were in sight. When Kittel got to the forest he found he had left his emergency rations behind, having only chocolate bar with him. He continued through the forest, able to move through the forest during the day unseen, resting often. Needing to eat, he raided several empty houses and found clothes but no food. Determined to find food, and now looking like a Russian peasant, he passed through several Soviet checkpoints looking for something to eat. – potentially unverifiable
His Bf 109 suffered damage and Kittel returned to base, resisting the urge to chase more and risk his life. His motto was to get back in one piece and avoid risks: "Take the safe route and avoid ill-considered and wild offensive tactics". – military statistics and potentially unverifiable statements about "resisting the urge" etc.
In the end that alone produced success. Risking himself for a single victory was not Kittel's way. Within two months his tally had risen to 17. Sometime in May 1942 Kittel claimed a further two victories, one bomber and one fighter, in a single mission. During the combat he became involved in a dogfight with two experienced opponents. Using clever tactics, the Soviet fighters tried to force him into a trap; one chasing the other in an attempt to cut him off. Kittel's aircraft was fired on several times and hit. However, he managed to escape, in the process shooting down one of the enemy fighters. – military statistics and potentially unverifiable statements about "not Kittel's way" etc.
Every now and again an enemy aircraft would be sighted and shot down, but Kittel was frustrated. The ground crews kept up his spirits. – potentially unverifiable/non-notable statements about "frustrated", "spirits" etc
(Wing Commander) Hannes Trautloft congratulated Kittel and said the following: "I have instructed that you're no longer to be assigned as wingman. Instead you're to be sent on freie Jagd [combat patrol] on your own whenever there's an opportunity." – not notable / potentially unverifiable
Kittel, in particular, was pleased. The Fw 190 was an ideal interceptor against the tough and heavily armoured Shturmovik, his favourite target. At this point, Kittel's victory tally climbed rapidly. – not notable / potentially unverifiable ("pleased", "his favorite target")
His comrade, and a member of the flight, Herbert Broennle, advised him to hide after landing, to travel only by night and use a compass on a heading of 255 degrees (north-west) which would take him to Stayara Russa, towards JG 54's base behind German lines. Broennle himself had been shot down under the same circumstances in 1941, and had experience. Kittel ran for the nearest forest after landing. Several Russian women and children saw the crash from two houses nearby and came running out. No men were in sight. When Kittel got to the forest he found he had left his emergency rations behind, having only chocolate bar with him. He continued through the forest, able to move through the forest during the day unseen, resting often. Needing to eat, he raided several empty houses and found clothes but no food. Determined to find food, and now looking like a Russian peasant, he passed through several Soviet checkpoints looking for something to eat. – potentially unverifiable
Sources that list him with 221 aerial victories include Luftwaffe Aces by Franz Kurowski.
Hermann Göring's personal dislike of Bär, coupled with Bär's insubordinate character and lack of military discipline, deprived him of this award.
His first sight of a Junkers transport aircraft changed his mind and convinced him that he should become an aviator.
Incidents like this are testimony to his often blatant disregard for higher authority, a trait that frequently landed him in trouble.
He suffered back injuries while bailing out, but managed to walk back to the German lines; his wounds necessitated a lengthy hospital treatment.
Thus began a comradeship which outlasted World War II.
Morale of the group soared following his appointment. He was considered the unofficial leader of the group and the best officer in the entire Geschwader.
it is believed that Göring disliked Bär for his insubordinate character and strong Saxon dialect, which Göring was known to detest.
Article built almost entirely on the Landserhefte work by Gerhard Bracke:
Gegen vielfache Übermacht—Mit dem Jagdflieger und Ritterkreuzträger Hans Waldmann an der Ostfront, an der Invasionsfront und in der Reichsverteidigung [Against Manifold Supremacy—With the Fighter Pilot and Knight's Cross Bearer Hans Waldmann on the Eastern Front, on the Invasion Front and in Defense of the Reich] (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany. 1997.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link),
– published by militaria and right-wing publisher VDM Heinz Nickel [de].
Special mention for using the term "Fortress Europe" non-ironically:
Ohmsen was the first German defender of Fortress Europe to sight the invasion force. His battery engaged in heavy fighting and subsequently Ohmsen was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes)... (emphasis mine)
According to the linked article, "Fortress Europe (German: Festung Europa) was a military propaganda term used by both sides of the Second World War."
The collection of material that I gathered here reads like a mini-version of my user page: Wiki: Good article reassessment/Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz/1: "led from the front"; "destroyed 2,700 tanks in 4 hours"; "received a move out order while at lunch"; "rose to fame"[according to whom?]; Victim of History nominee (in both wars); joined the NSDAP, but strictly for reasons of civic duty; etc.
The GA / A-class article is largely based on fringe sources: Franz Kurowski, two works published by a German right-wing publisher, and a self-published source.
Via editor Roches: "That is absolutely classic Luftwaffe propaganda; the German bomber pilot only ever hit military targets while the Allied "terrorists" only ever hit churches, hospitals and orphanages."
The section heading borrows language from The Myth of the Eastern Front to describe the material put out by J.J. Fedorowitz. This section will be used to highlight examples that perfectly align with the book's analysis.
Paratroop forces
Fallschirmjäger (World War II): the elite paratroop units are of special interest for romances, with better weapons, better training and daring raids.
Five (!) links to reenactor groups; two links to "weapons and uniforms" and a link to fan page, all in one External links section.
Plus the usual unsourced content full of awe for these units that still needs to be cleaned up.
Waffen-SS
These elite units (better equipment, higher strength) are fascinating to those how romanticise Nazi Germany's war effort:
Hubert-Erwin Meierdress: This is from a Talk page, when someone asked "What is his significance?", but deserves replicating almost in full (comment is from 2010): "Herbert-Erwin Meierdress held off a major Soviet Counteroffensive {why capitalise "counteroffensive? so that it sounds more significant?} and saved German forces from complete encirclement {can an encirclement be incomplete?} using just 120 men, 30 of whom survived. He was awarded the Knights Cross for his actions, and his story was published in the SS Magazine DAS SCHWARZE KORPS. {dubious honor} German propaganda would have been all over this, and Meierdress would have been a known hero of the Reich, even more so as his career progressed. This man saw ferocious combat {poetic language} on the Eastern-Front and nearly survived to see the end of the war. His decorations include the Wound Badge in GOLD [...], {this is notable how?} Tank Assault Badge, {another totemic badge} Iron Cross First and Second Class, the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross (as previously mentioned), with Oak Leaves (a separate award for another act of valor in combat equal to that of the one in which he received his first Knight's Cross, awarded to him personally by Adolf Hitler on 5 October 1943). {dubious honor} [...] So needless to say, his resume speaks as to why he is significant." (emphasis mine) Compare Oct 2015 version and now, March 2016.
Luftwaffe articles are generally filled to the gulls with romantic notions of "aces", "hunters" and Experten (aka the Knights of the Third Reich), so I'm starting a dedicated sections devoted to this area of Wiki English.
The report highlighted that he "has excelled in action as a fighter pilot" and that "during 449 combat flights, he has 97 kills because of his audacity". The report further described Beißwenger as having "good leadership talent" and being "positive as a National Socialist". In Hans Beißwenger.
Is it typical to include GPS coordinates indicating the spot where the pilot died, as well as where he is buried? diff. In Walter Oesau.
Deserves replicating in full, with the language of "kills", "dispatched", "personal total", "Assi" (nickname); "emerged as one of the top aces", etc.:
Battle of Britain
JG 2 took part in the Battle of Britain, operating Bf 109Es over the South Coast of England and the English Channel from bases in Cherbourg and Normandy. MajorHelmut Wick emerged as one of the Battle’s top Luftwaffe aces, claiming 31 kills for a personal total of 56, before being killed (MIA) in action versus Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron in November 1940. Wick was seen to bail out successfully but was not found by German Air/Sea Rescue attempts. The Spitfire who dispatched him was immediately shot down by OberleutnantRudolf Pflanz. Ofw. Schnell, Ofw. Machold and Olt. Hans "Assi" Hahn also claimed heavily during this period, with 16 kills each. Some 42 JG 2 pilots were killed or made POW during the Battle.
Cannot quote them all; pls see diff, with "built a fearsome reputation", "skill and determination", "Allied bomber crews dispersing in fear", etc. In Jagdgeschwader 26.
Poetic: "East of Waluiki the duo observed a Russian air base teeming with Russian fighters. Beckh threw his aircraft into combat against a large force of LaGG-3s that appeared in the skies. While shooting down at least two Russian fighters, ... diff. Also present: Charkov. Well, at least it's not Charkow. In Friedrich Beckh.
Special mention: 55th Bomber Wing
Round One
Who said that fighting for "victor's justice" was going to be easy? Had to do essentially the same edit for NPOV twice; the first one was reverted with the edit summary: "erroneous to say there is anything wrong with the tone". Let's play the NPOV bingo:
"the crew bailed out but were later found by advancing German forces to have been shot in the head. Two of the men were found at the local Commissar's house".[citation needed] – cn tag removal for Allied Treachery Sub-department
"The vast expanse of the front" – selective empathy
"the severe winter" – brutal Russian winter
"Charkow" – alternate linguistics
"bore the brunt of Göring's supply plan" – double! selective empathy and that idiot Hitler (or his stand-in, Goering)
"the meagre 90 tonnes of supplies" – Golgotha of the 6th Army
"[[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|German 6. Armee]] " – totemic value of German-language unit names
"celebrated their 10,000 mission" – enemy in the crosshairs
"Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes holder Oberfeldwebel Willi Nemitz" – double! language school and totemic value of German-language award names
"Most notable during this year was the completion of KG 55's 50,000th mission" – enemy in the crosshairs
Round Two
Addressing very similar issues again; I hope this time this sticks: diff. In Kampfgeschwader 55.
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0704-500, Smolensk, Karl Gottfried Nordmann Recolored.jpg|thumb|upright|Seems appropriate to decorate this section with recoloured images of the noses being "long and straight", courtesy of [[c:Special:Contributions/Ruffneck'88&offset=&limit=500&target=Ruffneck'88|Commons user "Ruffneck'88"]. (Gee, I wonder what 88 stands for in this context.)]]
The colour job is pretty creepy here.These steely blue eyes!A bonus SS-man, appropriately displaying Nordic character.
The diffs come from alt-text content associated with the main portrait of the subject of the article:
From the Talk page of Herbert Werner, with punctuation, capitalization, etc: "IMHO Excellent article: I have recently read this excellent book by Herbert Werner,and imho this article is a very good outline of his book.Iron Coffins has in the past had its detractors,BUT i have spent a fair while doing my own research and the book is pretty accurate, the parts where it does suffer are essentially numbers ie of ships sunk ect,however it must be remembered that the Nazis AND the Allies both "cooked" their official books when they considered it in their interests,so its quite likely Werner was looking at "factual" books as HE saw them....One aspect that is often dismissed by the people who rubbish his book as "fiction" is the mine laying operation of Chesepeake Bay VA,this DID happen as werner has described it can be followed at UBOAT.NET the boat was U-230 and the dates all correspond its worth also noting Werner NEVER claimed to be the skipper on this boat,however the inconsistancy was in the number of mines dropped he says twenty four the OFFICIAL records say eight, either way IT HAPPENED it was not fiction,....."
The "tragic losses" and standing fast in the face of adversity are common themes, especially in the Battle of Stalingrad narratives:
Despite his protests," he was flown out from the snow-covered Gumrak Airfield on the 19th in a [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200|Focke-Wulf 200C]] transport flown by the ace Leutnant Hans Gilbert (including totemic linking, with piping, to the exact type of the aircraft involved, plus the "the ace Leutnant", who needs his own article, of course. Red link in the original). In Hans-Valentin Hube.
"Disaster struck the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, for on 18 November the Russians (sic) counter-attacked...". In Kampfgeschwader 55 (plus gratuitous, totemic use of the incomprehensible "Kampfgeschwader").
including to romancer favourite Achtung Panzer, for more memorial content: Johannes Kümmel: Der Löwe von Capuzzo / The Lion of Capuzzo. Ah, now I get where the nicknames come from.
You can't make this stuff up!
October 2016 update: Somebody has come along and interfered with this showcase article; edit summaries:
All images come from the Commons upload log by User:Ruffneck88. The selection is presented strictly for educational purposes and does not imply an endorsement of such activities.
Generals, Panzers, and aces—oh my
A distinct case of Wehrmacht & Waffen-SS hero worship is on display here, even including German collaborator Stepan Bandera (bottom right):
External links to fan pages: SS Div Wiking; other dubious external links throughout: axishistory.com, feldgrau.com, panzerace.net; too many to cite
External link to wargamer.com – yes, per WP:MILMOS and WP:EXT that would be an accurate link (in this case, it was dead anyway)
Misuse (if not outright abuse) of reliable sources, as with the article on Arthur Nebe – 3 separate instances: Gerlach, Reitlinger, Hoffmann
Imprints potentially not known for rigorous works
Selbstverlag Florian Berger – WP:SELFPUBLISH by Florian Berger
Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall – imprint of writer Klaus D. Patzwall
R. James Bender – imprint of Roger Bender
NeunundzwanzigSechs Verlag – imprint affiliated with Kurt Braatz
Motorbooks International – Imprint for motoring enthusiasts, as described on the web site: "Motorbooks is among the world's leading transportation publishers, offering books created by motoring's top photographers and writers." This area apparently includes panzers. (Although Max Hastings looks legit.)
Truppenkameradschaft der 3. SS-Panzer-Division - 3rd SS Panzer Division's veterans' association (as appears in 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf); the author also wrote for HIAG's Der Freiwillige]
Merriam Press – an imprint for Waffen-SS/Wehrmacht guru authors, including Richard Landwehr
Amber Books (?)
Osprey Publishing – Mixed bag: 'mostly an illustrated publisher', but also puts out solid military history, especially on the operational side.
Stackpole Books – Mixed bag: published memoirs/popular histories by former high-ranking Waffen-SS members Kurt Meyer, Willi Fey, Hubert Meyer, along with scholarly works such as Rommel Reconsidered (which I read).
Huseman, Friedrich (2003). In Good Faith: The History of 4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division: Volume 1, 1939–1943. Winnipeg: J.J. Fedorowicz. ISBN0-921991-74-6.
Yes, let's re-use the SS motto for a book title! In Heinrich Sonne
Schneider J. W. Their Honor was Loyalty!, R. James Bender Publishing, 1977
Williamson, Gordon (1995). Loyalty is my Honor. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International. ISBN978-0-7603-0012-1.
Alternate geography, as Kharkov is located in Ukraine, and some historians don't even call it a "victory" (see: Third Battle of Kharkov#Aftermath):
Nipe, George M. Jr. (2000). Last Victory in Russia: The SS-Panzerkorps and Manstein's Kharkov Counteroffensive—February–March 1943. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN0-76431-186-7.
Joachim Peiper – dubious claims sourced to a hagiography from Patrick Agte, characterized as such by Danny S. Parker in Hitler's Warrior: The Life and Wars of SS Colonel Jochen Peiper; see my note on the talk page: Agte
Henri Joseph Fenet; Norwegian Legion – Sourced largely to revisionist works by an "extreme admirer" of the Waffen SS Richard Landwehr, who writes from "the fringes of the far right" (quotes are from Mackenzie, Revolutionary Armies in the Modern Era: A Revisionist Approach)
4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division – cites from the usual dubious online sources, plus extensive citations from another "admirer" of Waffen-SS Gordon Williamson (also per Mackenzie).
Geheime Feldpolizei – no citations, problematic minimal sources, alternate geopolitics, dubious claims, POV language
German Army (Wehrmacht) – minimal citations (only 9) for an important article like this; unreasonably high proportion of militaria content, and even a picture of the period [bread bag] (as some sort of a relic, perhaps?)
Cleaned-up articles
Here are some of the articles already copyedited to remove above issues; further improvements are welcome:
Erhard Raus – article was almost entirely based on Raus's memoirs; see diff
Helmut Dörner – this is probably the worst I've seen so far due to ratio of WP:Weasel per word count diff
Recommended reading
Here are two excellent books that cover the topic of historical revisionism in the coverage of the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS. They do an excellent job of explaining why and how these myths took hold, and why Wikipedia (for example) is such a fertile ground for messages that romanticize the two organisations. The book by Smelser and Davies even quotes from Wikipedia; it's both sad and (unintentionally) hilarious to read:
Jean Mabire: Known for far-right extremist views; per French Wikipedia: Jean Mabire is "the specialist" of "rehabilitation of Nazism", taking the form of a presentation of the SS men as heroic and exemplary men." Per MacKenzie, Mabire "reproduces in large part the HIAG version of the Waffen-SS at war". Mabire focuses on French Waffen-SS troops and has written "a dozen" unit histories.
Richard Landwehr "More radical guru", with 14 books, most of them having to do with Waffen-SS and, especially, its foreign volunteer units. Some of the books are self-published; some in Shelf Books (UK) or Bibliophile Legion Books (US). Incl. "very-much-romanticized" renderings (cover art and inside). 14th Waffen-Grenadier Division (1st Galician) - "clearly revisionist."
Antonio Munoz: Specializes in various non-German ethnic groups that fought with the German army, who "needed their valiant tales of heroism retold to a public largely unaware of these men and their sacrifices." He has benefited from a close relationship with Landwehr and Siegrunen, which started in 1980s. Served as a contributing editor to Siegrunen and launched his own journal Axis Europa. Exhibited professional commitment in the quality of his research and acknowledged war crimes and crimes against humanity by the German army, which separates him from Landwehr. Shut down Axis Europa in 1999 to focus on book publishing via his imprint Europa Books, which as of 2008 had 25 titles.
Carlos Jurado: Like Munoz, served as a contributing editor to Siegrunen. Also worked with Mark Yerger and with Ray Merriam, whose press, Merriam Press later published Siegrunen monographs.
Revisionist and / or dated German-language sources
Gerhard Frey & Hajo Herrmann: Authors of Helden der Wehrmacht – Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten [Heroes of the Wehrmacht – Immortal German soldiers]. This book was classified as a far-right wing publication by Claudia Fröhlich and Horst-Alfred Heinrich.
Munin Verlag [de]: imprint of HIAG, a lobbying organization founded by former high-ranking Waffen-SS members, – and later of author "neo-Nazi, neo-pagan" author Patrick Agte
Verlag Siegfried Bublies [de]de:Verlag Bublies "a small, extreme-right publisher from Beltheim".
Other
Jonathan Trigg – 'fired first shots in anger'; 'vicious fighting'; ' fierce fighting'; 'hard-pressed comrades'; 'flung themselves'; 'bitter fighting'; etc.
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GoldenWiki Award. Your work is pure gold! Congratulations on your amazing diligence, intelligence and above all superlative research and wide backround reading. In honor of all your efforts and in recognition of your contributions to worldwide scholarship that your work on Wikipedia reflects it is my honor to present you with this Goldenwiki award. Mazel Tov ! IZAK (talk) 09:13, 23 November 2021 (UTC) 
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