Sunday, September 08, 2013

Rochus Misch, A Loyal or Simply a Soldier?

One of the few people who was with the Fuhrer when he and his wife were about to commit suicide died last Thu. at age of 96 in Berlin. Rochus Misch (German spelling, in English it would most likely be Rokhos Mish) was the telephone operator and bodyguard for Adolf Hitler and was captured when the Soviets stormed into the last standing of the Nazis and sent to camps. Surprisingly he survived and was released after doing his time and went back to Berlin where he lived the rest of his life! With Israelis, Americans and British all hunting former SS officers and soldiers all around the world, keeping some of them like Rudolf Hess in jail to their 90s until the guys gives up and hangs himself, it's almost unbelievable for me that Misch was untouched and died of natural causes at that age! Was there anything special about him that the Soviets let him free no media ever points at that. 
Misch, a low rang SS officer, denied any direct involvement in any war crimes but admitted he know that concentration camps existed. He was so brave to step forward and ask not to destroy the Hitler's headquarters in Berlin when they had this plan for development in late 90s. They of course didn't listen to him. He was saying that the building was part of the German history and should be saved. The Allies and then the West German government did the same to most of the remaining of the WWII but there should still be some remaining. There is not much left of Burghof but I will be going there to see no matter what. 
Misch, in his interviews always defended or supported Hitler by stating that he had been a great boss or he was no brute and he was trying to save Europe from the evil Communism of Stalin! And still stayed untouched! He added that war crimes had always been part of the war and will always be, which is right, I think. Look at what Iraqis did to Kurds in northern Iraq and Iranians in the 8-year war, as well as Kuwaitis in early 90s. Balkan War had so much of mass murders as well as genocides in Africa. Isn't what Taliban doing to kids, girls and boys in the schools not considered War Crime? Because it is not in the definition?  They are all wrong but looking closer any war itself is a crime against humanity but sometimes inevitable. Soviets were defending themselves during Operation Barbarossa but would have they start an invasion if Hitler had not attacked them? That is a question which if Misch was alive today would answer it with yes based on what he has said in his interviews. 
(Photo: Misch is pointing at a photo that he took from Hitler in 1940 and in the picture below in his SS uniform. Apparently there was also a movie made about him. It is pointed at in his website. I tried to download and put a photo of him from that website here but could not. It shows him going here and there in Berlin, probably in his last years of his life because he's using a walker)

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