Helmut Schmidt dies, aged 96

[Middle-aged Europe]

http://www.dw.com/en/ex-german-chancellor-helmut-schmidt-dies-aged-96/a-18841187

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34778565

[Phony Moderate]

Good innings. RIP.

[Simfan34]

"Ex-chancellor and chain smoker"

[DavidB.]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Surprised he lasted so long, given ... lifestyle

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

RIP, fellow smoker

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Obviously a major figure and so on, but let us focus first on the fact that he had good taste in hats:

[RodPresident]

Did he finish 38000 menthol cigarettes stock? RIP, FF.

[H. Ross Peron]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

So pretty much like every able-bodied young German male at the time.

[Ban my account ffs!]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

So pretty much like every able-bodied young German male at the time.

Yeah it turns out he was demoted in the Hitler youth for "anti-Nazi party stances" and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. 

[buritobr]

2012: Thatcher and Mandela
2015: Schmidt

The 20th century is disappearing

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

So pretty much like every able-bodied young German male at the time.

Yeah it turns out he was demoted in the Hitler youth for "anti-Nazi party stances" and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. 

Yeah, I'm not going to assume every Hitler Youth member or grunt soldier was actually a Nazi. Resistance often meant death there. It seems Schmidt was simply a reluctant draftee.

I have no such tolerance for those who actually staffed the death machine of the Holocaust, though. Let them all be hunted down unto their dying day. 

[Classic Conservative]

Requiescant in pace meis bonus amicus fuissem. Et videte magnalia Domini mei .
Amen

[Vega]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

I'm sure you would have stood up to the Nazi Regime, spit in their face, and been willing to get shipped off to a Labour Camp, right?

RIP, FF, obviously.

[Green Line]

A huge FF and great Chancellor.  A good American ally

[Classic Conservative]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

I'm sure you would have stood up to the Nazi Regime, spit in their face, and been willing to get shipped off to a Labour Camp, right?

RIP, FF, obviously.

He's Jewish he would be without a choice.

[Dan the Roman]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

I'm sure you would have stood up to the Nazi Regime, spit in their face, and been willing to get shipped off to a Labour Camp, right?

RIP, FF, obviously.

He's Jewish he would be without a choice.

In fairness so was Schmidt as it turned out.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

He looked far more healthy than his French 'alter ego' whom is 89 this year...



Outside of the fact that a French would easily pull out a French-centered comment, well, here, the 'Kanzeller' is often seen through the [/awwwwww look how we're in love] 'Franco-German couple' prism, there it goes then, might have been one of the height of that 'love'.

Seemed like a nice man.

[ingemann]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

I'm sure you would have stood up to the Nazi Regime, spit in their face, and been willing to get shipped off to a Labour Camp, right?

RIP, FF, obviously.

He's Jewish he would be without a choice.

In fairness so was Schmidt as it turned out.

You needed to have 3 Jewish grandparents to be a Jew after the Nazi Germany's legal standards, people with 2 or 1 Jewish grandparents was 1st and 2nd degree Mischlings by Nazi Germany's laws.

[Vosem]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

People should not be judged for their unwillingness to die for the freedom of others. Seems like he was going along with what the dictatorship wanted and became an altogether decent fellow afterwards. RIP.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Helmut Schimdt's life during the Nazi regime was really too unremarkable to warrant a debate of such an extent. He was neither a Nazi party member like Chancellor Kiesinger nor did he flee into Norwegian exile like Chancellor Brandt did.

Schmidt is best-known for being interior minister of Hamburg during the 1962 North Sea flood and Chancellor during the "German Autumn", establishing a reputation of keeping a cool head during crisises. He's also known for being more right-wing than his own party and is often credited for unintentionally helping to establish the Green Party as a opposition force.

[SATW]

"Aged 14 when the Nazi Party came to power, he became a group leader in the Hitler Youth, joined the German army in 1937 and, during World War II, saw action on both the eastern and western fronts."

So pretty much like every able-bodied young German male at the time.

Yeah it turns out he was demoted in the Hitler youth for "anti-Nazi party stances" and his paternal grandfather was Jewish. 

Yeah, I'm not going to assume every Hitler Youth member or grunt soldier was actually a Nazi. Resistance often meant death there. It seems Schmidt was simply a reluctant draftee.

I have no such tolerance for those who actually staffed the death machine of the Holocaust, though. Let them all be hunted down unto their dying day. 

This is my stance as well in this case and in general.

But, Europe let antisemitism run wild for centuries, so I'm not a fan of left-wing European Apologists either.

Also, 100% agreed with the second part of your post, as well.

[DavidB.]

Lmao @ the "Wir haben es nicht gewußt" left-wingers. Shows how pathetic you are