Wehrmachtsausstellung

The so-called Wehrmachtsausstellung ( _de. German Army exhibition) was an exhibition focusing on War crimes of the Wehrmacht committed on the East Front from 1941 to 1944.

Original exhibition 1995 - 1999

The view of the "unblemished" Wehrmacht was shaken by an exhibition produced by the "Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung" (Hamburg Institute for Social Research) [http://www.his-online.de/] titled "Vernichtungskrieg. Verbrechen der Wehrmacht 1941 bis 1944" ("War of Annihilation. Crimes of the Wehrmacht 1941 to 1944"). The popular and controversial traveling exhibition seen by an estimated 1.2 million visitors over the last decade asserted, with the support of written documents and photographs, that the Wehrmacht was "involved in planning and implementing a war of annihilation against Jews, prisoners of war, and the civilian population". Historian Hannes Heer and Gerd Hankel had prepared it.

Criticism

After criticisms about incorrect attribution and captioning of some of the images in the exhibition, e.g. by Polish-born historian Bogdan Musial and Hungarian historian Krisztián Ungváry, the head and founder of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research, Jan Philipp Reemtsma suspended the display, pending review of its content by a committee of historians. Hannes Heer was ousted after reports about his extreme left wing past in which he was sentenced several times.

The committee's report [http://www.his-online.de/download/Kommissionsbericht.pdf] in 2000 stated that accusations of forged materials were not justified, but that some of the exhibit's documentation had inaccuracies and that the arguments presented were too sweeping. Yet, the committee reaffirmed the reliability of the exhibition in general:

: "The fundamental statements made in the exhibition about the Wehrmacht and the war of annihilation in 'the east' are correct. It is indisputable that, in the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht not only 'entangled' itself in genocide perpetrated against the Jewish population, in crimes perpetrated against Soviet POWs, and in the fight against the civilian population, but in fact participated in these crimes, playing at times a supporting, at times a leading role. These were not isolated cases of 'abuse' or 'excesses'; they were activities based on decisions reached by top level military leaders or troop leaders on or behind the front lines." [cite web| url=http://www.verbrechen-der-wehrmacht.de/pdf/vdw_en.pdf| title= Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of a War of Annihilation 1941-1944: An outline of the exhibition| language=English| publisher=Hamburg Institute for Social Research| format=PDF| accessdate=2006-03-12]

The committee recommended that the exhibition be reopened in revised form, presenting the material and, as far as possible, leaving the formation of conclusions to the exhibition's viewers.

Revised exhibition 2001 - 2004

The revised exhibition was now named "Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941–1944." ("Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of a War of Annihilation 1941-1944"). [cite web| url=http://www.verbrechen-der-wehrmacht.de| title=Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941—1944| accessdate=2006-03-12] . It focuses on Public international law and travelled from 2001 to 2004. Since, it is since permanently at Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.

Movie

The documentary "Der unbekannte Soldat" (The unknown soldier) by Michael Verhoeven was in cinemas from August 2006, and is available on DVD since February 2007. It compares the two versions of the exhibitions, and the background of its maker Jan Philipp Reemtsma, heir of the Reemtsma tobacco company which had held a reported 60% market share in Nazi Germany.

References

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External links

* [http://www.verbrechen-der-wehrmacht.de/docs/home.htm Institut für Sozialforschung: Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941-1944]
* [http://www.his-online.de/download/Kommissionsbericht.pdf Bericht der Kommission zur Überprüfung der Ausstellung „Vernichtungskrieg. Verbrechen der Wehrmacht 1941 bis 1944“ (PDF, 362 KB)]
* [http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/SET=1/TTL=4/CMD?ACT=SRCHA&IKT=8500&SRT=YOP&TRM=verbrechen+wehrmacht+ausstellung Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: Titel zum Thema]
* [http://hermes.zeit.de/pdf/archiv/2004/05/Wehrmacht_.pdf Volker Ullrich (Die ZEIT, 22. Januar 2004): Gespräch mit Ulrike Jureit, Jan Philipp Reemtsma und Norbert Frei zum Abschluss der Ausstellung]
* [http://www.his-online.de/cms.asp?IDN=297&H='512' 'Zwei Ausstellungen - eine Bilanz' von Jan Philipp Reemtsma]
* [http://www.klick-nach-rechts.de/wehrmacht/ Klick-nach-rechts: Materialiensammlung rund um die Wehrmachtsausstellung]