Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Nazi henchmen from Scandinavia dreamed of colonizing Russia and the Ukraine

Scandinavia was to play a special role in the worldview of the German national-socialistы. That was both a cradle of the "Nordic race" and the motherhood for the nations that were related to Germans. Even prior to that, in the beginning of the 20th century, pan-Germanists were laying great hopes for Scandinavia, considering it to be natural for the Northern Europe to be reunited under the auspice of Germany. During the Second World War real opportunity to check both "pan-Germanist" and "Nordic" theories appeared. Thus, to the utmost surprise of the Nazis, it turned out that the "related nations" — the "Vikings" — weren’t much enthusiastic about becoming a part of the Great German Reich.
With the beginning of the Second World War, Scandinavian countries strove to keep their neutrality just like they did during the First World War. Denmark and Norway have failed at that, though. These countries have suddenly fetched themselves under the intent attention of the warring parties, which were attempting to improve their strategic positions for their account. Germans have slightly outstripped Englishmen at that. At that point, Norway — that was initially protesting against the English disregard for its neutrality — had nothing else to do, rather than to beg England of help. But in 1940 British people were unable (or unwilling) to protect Norway, and Germany has consolidated its grip of the Northern Europe.
In Denmark and Norway the population wasn’t showing any specific willingness to participate in the military affairs of the German national-socialism. Yes, the occupational regime in these countries was rather gentle. It cannot by no means be compared with the Nazi regimes at the occupied territories not only of Poland and the USSR, but even with that of France and (by the end of the war) Italy. In a great many senses occupants were relying on the local powers very much. In Denmark most part of Danish administration, police and legal justice bodies was intact — the laws of the Danish Kingdom were still in use there. Similar situation emerged in Norway. It also formally remained to be autonomous; it had its own government, police and judicial bodies. At that, even before the invasion to Norway, Nazi had a strong "fifth column" — the "Nasjonal Samling Party" headed by Vidkun Quisling — in that country. In February of 1942 occupants have appointed Quisling to be the head of the puppet government of Norway. We should say that during the years of the Second World War the very word "quisling" became a common noun denoting the puppet collaborationist, willing to execute any German order. French "Vichy government members", Croatian Ustaša and Slovakian supporters of the pro-fascist regime were dubbed this way.
http://www.win.ru/en/Mysteries-of-History/4200.phtml

No comments:

Post a Comment