A brief question about WW2

[megakiller32]

I was just thinking, in WW2, during the period America was in isolation and refused to join the war, did they know about Hitler's Death camps and Concentration camps, and the injustice some people suffered from?

[Infi]

From a quick scanning from my previous knowledge, I'd have to say yes. Remember that the U.S. entered the war because of the bombing at Pearl Harbour, yet prior to them entering the war they refused to accept Jewish refugees from areas in Europe into their country, fully aware that they were under such conditions. I'm 98% sure about this though, however don't quote me on this lol.

[gamer1234]

Yes, it was all over the news. Until the President decided to go join France and the other EU countries in fighting Germany.

[RichieMcD]

Basically during WW2 Germany's biggest allies were Japan and Italy. Japan were reasonable fighters and not scared of allied forces while Italy didn't help Germany until it had a decent foothold in Europe and when it did help it did a very poor effort at it.

 

 

 

When Germany's biggest ally attacked America they dropped their attitude of Isolation and decided to help the European Allies while also combating the Japanese forces in the pacific islands.

 

 

 

The whole time they did know what was going on in Nazi death camp / Nazi ruled countries yet they didn't budge till Pearl harbor.

[Lenticular_J]

Err, no, nobody knew about the concentration camps. People knew Jews were discriminated against, but they thought it was along the lines blacks were treated. They didn't know they were being "exterminated", as Hitler said. Where do you guys get these ideas, nobody knew anything about it except Germany :?

 

 

 

Italy took over nearly all of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Not too shabby, Kranked. Japanese fighters weren't just reasonable, they were crazy and patriotic and scared of nothing. They'd kill Americans with their bare hands if need be.

[anonymous1234]

I learned in school what Lenticular said, but it seems the majority disagrees :?

 

 

 

I don't think America would stand by for 3 years if they knew about the genocide that was going on

[Lenticular_J]

I learned in school what Lenticular said, but it seems the majority disagrees :?

 

 

 

I don't think America would stand by for 3 years if they knew about the genocide that was going on

 

Nobody would. It's like the idea with Cambodia, only that sort of resolved itself. With some help from other nations, but not really enough or when it was needed.

[jackattack]

I'm pretty sure most people didn't know until they actually found the camps. I think the very top people in the office of war information and the President knew as early as late 1942. They had no idea of it when they turned away the St. Louis. However Roosevelt didn't bomb the tracks going into Aushwitz or Buchenwald after they did know. I don't know why they didn't though. I've heard that it was outside the range of the bombers but I'm not sure if that is true. I remember when Bush gave his speech at the Holocaust memorial or something he said something about it.

[mmmcannibalism]

Its very unlikely the government knew about the genocide. I can see it feasible that they knew there was discrimination going on even knew that jews were being imprisioned but theres no way we would let it happen. This is different then something like darfur(spelling) where there are policitcal issues, there was already an open war so its not like we would be scorned for going in

[Lateralus]

From the Auschwitz wiki page:

 

 

Information regarding Auschwitz was available to the Allies during years 19411943 by accurate and frequent reports of Polish Army Captain Witold Pilecki. Pilecki was the only known person to volunteer to be imprisoned at Auschwitz concentration camp, spending 945 days at Auschwitz not only actively gathering evidence of genocide and supplying it to the British in London by Polish resistance movement but also organizing resistance structures at the camp. Pilecki escaped on April 27, 1943, but the claims of mass killings were generally dismissed as exaggerations. This changed with receipt of the very detailed report of two prisoners, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler who escaped on April 7, 1944 which finally convinced most Allied leaders of the truth about Auschwitz in the middle of 1944.

 

 

 

Detailed air reconnaissance photographs of the camp were taken accidentally during 1944 by aircraft seeking to photograph nearby military-industrial targets, but no effort was made to analyse them. (In fact, it was not until the 1970s that these photographs of Auschwitz were looked at carefully.)

 

 

 

Starting with a plea from the Slovakian rabbi Weissmandl in May 1944, there was a growing campaign to persuade the Allies to bomb Auschwitz or the railway lines leading to it. At one point Winston Churchill ordered that such a plan be prepared, but he was told that bombing the camp would most likely kill prisoners without disrupting the killing operation, and that bombing the railway lines was not technically feasible. Later several nearby military targets were bombed. One bomb accidentally fell into the camp and killed some prisoners. The debate over what could have been done, or what should have been attempted even if success was unlikely, has continued heatedly ever since.

[RichieMcD]

Italy took over nearly all of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Not too shabby, Kranked. Japanese fighters weren't just reasonable, they were crazy and patriotic and scared of nothing. They'd kill Americans with their bare hands if need be.

 

 

 

North Africa was relatively easy to take over considering they were very well behind the European standards of weapons / tactics / technology. When ever Italy took on a equal force they made very little impacts, a good example of this is Italy's attempt of taking over Greece / when the allied forces entered North Africa, both times Germany had to save them, both times they lost severely.

[pryomancer]

The majority didn't know about the camps until after the war. The Nazi's kept it secret and used propaganda to recruit their army.

 

Do you really think the German's would fight for the Nazis if they really knew what was happening?

[Giordano]

Well actually the death camps weren't made until the war happened. So in the 1930s there were so such camps; only the discrimination and hatred against Jews.

 

 

 

And besides, before then the countries had a bit more of realism. There were no superpowers back then, making like ten nations being the strongest. USA wasn't the superpower here; it was Germany, Britian, Russia, US, Italy, France, all the major countries etc etc. The outcome of WW2 would create the superpowers of the 20th centry...making the victor of the Cold War the only remaining super power.

[Tom_Servo]

Well actually the death camps weren't made until the war happened. So in the 1930s there were so such camps; only the discrimination and hatred against Jews.

 

Bingo. "The Final Solution" was implemented in 1942, which was after the U.S. had already entered the war. However, construction of the death camps did begin in late 1941, and many jews were killed, but it was kept in secrecy. There were rumors of their existence, but the stories were so horrific that not many people believed them and dismissed them as horror stories. Even some residents that lived in the towns near the camps had no idea they existed until after the war, or so they say.

[mrpez]

are you asking what the american people knew, or what the american government knew?

 

 

 

the answers are probably much different, but no one here will know for sure.

[Deiophobus]

Yes, it was all over the news. Until the President decided to go join France and the other EU countries in fighting Germany.

 

 

 

The EU was formed in 1993.

[Da_Latios]

Yes, it was all over the news. Until the President decided to go join France and the other EU countries in fighting Germany.

 

 

 

The EU was formed in 1993.

 

OH MY GOD! We've just received a glimpse of World War 3 from the psychic gamer1234!

[fgfuyfyuiuy0]

I heard that America thought they did, but didn't do anything until they knew for sure.

 

 

 

^ All coming from what I heard in history :

[pryomancer]

Yes, it was all over the news. Until the President decided to go join France and the other EU countries in fighting Germany.

 

 

 

The EU was formed in 1993.

 

I think he really means the Triple Entente.

[Deiophobus]

Wasn't the triple entente world war one? Triple entente vs. the triple alliance. But then they changed their names.

[Kragg3802]

Yes, they knew 'bout it.

 

But they joined war after they get owned in Pearl Harbour

[JeremyM]

does anyone know the name of the guy who performed experiments on the jews in camps?

[1_man_army]

does anyone know the name of the guy who performed experiments on the jews in camps?

 

 

 

There were a few, Josef Mengele and Aribert Heim are the most notorious.

 

 

 

In fact, there was a thing in todays paper about Heim's son (who he fathered in the 50's) trying to have him declared legally dead although many believe he is still alive, reportedly in South America.

[Lenticular_J]

Yes, they knew 'bout it.

 

But they joined war after they get owned in Pearl Harbour

 

Your blatant wisdom blinds me.

 

 

 

Sorry for the flamish post, but that's such a stupid "point", just trying to be honest. What, should we say it's Poland's fault they got "0wn3d lol" by the blitzkrieg? And it's the Polish peoples' fault for "allowing" a number camps to be built in their nation?

[Kragg3802]

Yes, they knew 'bout it.

 

But they joined war after they get owned in Pearl Harbour

 

Your blatant wisdom blinds me.

 

 

 

Sorry for the flamish post, but that's such a stupid "point", just trying to be honest. What, should we say it's Poland's fault they got "0wn3d lol" by the blitzkrieg? And it's the Polish peoples' fault for "allowing" a number camps to be built in their nation?

 

 

 

Wait, did I say it's someones fault about Pearl Harbour? They didn't even expect (or correct me if I'm wrong) that Japanees would do this. And It's not Poland's fault that Germans started WW2 and created camps. BTW, blitzkrieg is the best strategy to take over country. ever. So why a country which had exactly 21 to rebuild itself after being broken into 3 pieces for 123 years would defend itself from such a thing?