Who knew that the US planned to push Germany back to the middle ages after WW2? Morgenthau Plan?

ToneControl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgenthau_Plan

"The Morgenthau Plan (German: Morgenthau-Plan; pronounced [ˈmɔʁgəntaʊ ˌpla:n]), first proposed by United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr. in a memorandum entitled Suggested Post-Surrender Program for Germany, advocated that the Allied occupation of Germany following World War II include measures to eliminate Germany's ability to wage war by eliminating its armament industry, and the removal or destruction of other key industries basic to military strength. This included the removal or destruction of all industrial plants and equipment in the Ruhr."

ICBM

Yes - although it was only ever a proposal. Luckily they chose the better idea of peace through prosperity. They also needed a strong (West) Germany during the Cold War.

The Russians came a fair bit closer to it in East Germany though.

ToneControl

ICBM said:

Yes - although it was only ever a proposal. Luckily they chose the better idea of peace through prosperity. They also needed a strong (West) Germany during the Cold War.

The Russians came a fair bit closer to it in East Germany though.

yeah, very scary what the Russians did.  Mass rapes and  millions taken to die in work camps

IvisonGuitars

Many of the top Nazis and SS guards escaped punishment and were recruited by the US as spies against Russia.

thecolourbox

miserneil said:

Many of the top Nazis and SS guards escaped punishment and were recruited by the US as spies against Russia.

Or put to use inventing space rockets or other scientific things

ICBM

thecolourbox said:

miserneil said:

Many of the top Nazis and SS guards escaped punishment and were recruited by the US as spies against Russia.

Or put to use inventing space rockets or other scientific things

Yes. Although it's true that Von Braun famously said that the main flaw with the V2 was that it landed on the wrong planet, he was responsible for developing a weapon of mass civilian murder, since he knew it wasn't accurate enough to hit anything other than a city. He and his team also certainly knew about the use of slave labour in the construction works at Peenemünde and the underground V2 factory.

peteri

I would recommend the book Nazi Hunters to anyone. 

Tells the the story of the (at the time disbanded) SAS tracking people down only to find the CIA protecting them. 

Appalling

Reverend

peteri said:

I would recommend the book Nazi Hunters to anyone. 

Tells the the story of the (at the time disbanded) SAS tracking people down only to find the CIA protecting them. 

Appalling

It's a shame Christopher Lee kept this side of his story secret. He was a nazi hunter after the war. 

marktheharp

I read the nazi hunters, the other month. .. good book and a story that needed to be told. . The other book by the same author,  is even better,  I think it's called Churchill secret army,  the formation of the SAS/SBS. With the great Danish warrior and chums. .!

ESBlonde

It should come as no surprise that the Americans would take such a hostile and commercial view of the whole thing, after all it was those very same johnny come latelys that screwed the Germans at the last evening on the armistice following WWI. Both France, Great Britain and indeed Russia had some quite sensible terms to allow Germany to remain with some dignity and earn her way back to financial strength until the might of the US $ screwed the pooch without telling the Germans. When they sat down to sign the treaty it was not the one they had agreed to and the French and British delegates were embarressed to be taking part in the charade.
Eventually the Marshall plan was invoked and Germany rebuilt following WWII, we as the USAs allies got screwed over that time.