PTSD suffered by both parties. However, only soldiers and those flying in their war planes dropping the tons of bombs onto civilians, women and children alike, are being celebrated in Remembrance Day ceremonies as heroes.
Victims of those wars who suffered on the sidelines, or fallout – World War I – and those who suffered heavy bombings and destruction of their home lands, – World War II – particularly starting from 1941 until 1945, are not allowed to ever forget their experiences being persecuted, suffering in concentration camps, and being heavily bombed as small children, growing up in completely destroyed home lands; now also suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
We are not heroes of war, we did not fly over enemy lands and drop bomb loads, we were just trying to survive and rebuild our home lands.
Where is the justice in that ?
Soldiers belong to the governments who declare wars, they are also called GI – government issue for that reason – they get weapons and tanks and war planes and are being deployed, for the sole purpose to kill. They can defend themselves. Not so civilians. They are the real heroes. At the same time, they are the ones who do not want to be reminded of those terrible experiences.
Don’t worry, we do remember without big ceremonies and pompom.
Located in Lower Saxony, Germany. Early history shows human settlements in and around before 12000 B.C. The actual town began to develop around the 9th century, early founders two Dukes of the Welfen Dynasty, and growing as a merchants’ town. During the 12th century the most powerful noble Henry the Lion (Heinrich der Löwe), Duke of both Saxony and Bavaria, founded not only Braunschweig with its many interconnected market towns, but also Munich, Lübeck and Lüneburg. Interesting to note: His father in law was King Henry II of England. By the 19th century Braunschweig was made capital of an independent Duchy. Braunschweig’s centre piece the Saxon lowland Castle (Burg) Dankwarderode from the 12th century exists today restored. Reconstructed during the 19th century and major damages suffered during the war.
The interesting part is about the Lion statue, which was built in honor of Duke Henry the Lion in the 12th century and erected in the center square of the Castle. It is the largest and oldest preserved bronze sculpture of the middle ages. The original Lion – to prevent from being destroyed during WWII – is now inside the castle museum, and a replica erected in the castle square.
The legend of the Lion: Henry the Lion went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. From there he brought a lion back with him. When Henry died 1195 the faithful lion as a result refused all food, and died at Henry’s grave. I was born in Braunschweig, and left my home town in Fall 1961. I remember from this Lion saga, that as children (not during the bombings of our home town but after 1945) we went to the Castle. At the large front portal there were large it appears claw marks in the stone, marks – the story goes – were made by the lion.
Brauschweig also has a dark past. Adolf Hitler who came over from Austria in 1913, paid deciding visits to Braunschweig in the early 1930th, starting the “brown” wave of the Reich and was made a German citizen February 1932 in Braunschweig. Which led to Hitler become Chancellor of the German Reich (consolidation of Austria, Germany and who knows else) on 30 January 1933. Not too late to revoke this “citizenship” thing ? [ http://www.spiegel.de/international/revoking-the-fuehrer-s-passport-hitler-may-be-stripped-of-german-citizenship-a-471168.html ]
Between September 1943 and April 1945 Braunschweig suffered at least forty large Allied bombing raids by the British AF and the American USAAF mostly B17 bombers; the worst October 1944 by 233 Lancaster bombers, destroying 90% of civilian targets. The American bombers focusing onto industrial sites. April 12, 1945, followed the invasion of the 30th US Infantry Division in Braunschweig. Subsequent occupation by British forces. I know, I was there, five years old then. [British Forces Germany, permanent deployment to end by 2020. As of 2015 there were still over 5,000 troops in Germany.].
Today’ Braunschweig: largely reconstructed areas, rebuilt formerly historical quarters, modern buildings, some ridiculous American inspired funky buildings, and populations having moved here from anywhere in the world.
Remembering Christmas 1944 – beautiful memories for us children. It should always be remembered that it was the babies and small children that were responsible for having dropped bombs on London, or not ? I never forget. We had some sort of Christmas tree, and standing around the piano, my mother playing Christmas songs. I believe that this might have been the only night when the British and Canadian bomber planes did stop dropping onto us. The Valor and the Glory – they still revel in it today.
[from one of the millions of WW2 websites: “Flying under the cover of darkness and dropping thousands of tons of high explosive bombs and incendiaries upon the population below, the RAF sought to break the will of the German people to fight. The assaults destroyed nearly 60% of the city (Hamburg, closer by England), killed an estimated 50,000 civilians, and left nearly a million people homeless.”]. Which people are you talking about ? the babies and children and women and unarmed civilians ? My hometown was almost totally destroyed.
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