I suspect if I live for a thousand years, I will see Nazi stories right up until my demise. No man has had a greater impact on the Western world than you know who. Even though his youngest followers are now well into decrepitude, governments are still putting them on trial for the gratification of the usual suspects. None of it has anything to do with justice. It is all propaganda at this point.
I wondered the other day what happens when we run out of Nazis to hunt. The actuarial tables tell us that day is coming soon. Even anti-racist loons will have a tough time putting an old guy on trial, who was enrolled in the Hitler Youth when he was five by his parents at the end of the war. With the youngest former Nazis in their 80’s now, the only living example left in a few years will be those who were children in the 40’s.
I think I have the answer and that will be the centuries long hunt to find the Nazi art and return it to the “rightful owners”, as long as they are Jewish, by returning it to their decedents. There’s no expiry date on that game as almost all European art was touched by the Nazis at some point. That means the provenance of just about every piece can be disputed if you try hard enough.
What got me thinking about it is this story about Nazi art from last week.
A Dutch art sleuth best known for identifying works looted from Jewish owners by the Nazis said he helped German police recover two massive bronze horse sculptures crafted for Adolf Hitler, as more details emerged Friday about an amazing trove of Nazi-era art seized by authorities this week.
Arthur Brand provided tips to German detectives who made the stunning discovery in a series of coordinated raids, capping a long investigation into illegal art trafficking. Berlin police spokesman Michael Gassen, who confirmed authorities worked with Brand, said so far some 100 tons of art has been loaded onto trucks in the southwestern spa town of Bad Duerkheim where they were found in warehouses.
Eight suspects, whose identities have not been released by police, are under investigation on suspicion of dealing in stolen goods and fraud, Gassen said.
But Attorney Andreas Hiemsch, who represents the Bad Duerkheim man who was in possession of the art, denied the allegations, telling The Associated Press that his client had rightfully obtained the pieces from the Russian army more than 25 years ago.
Apparently, possessing art created by or for the Nazis is against German law. Given that the Nazi were nuts about creating display items, all of which could be construed as art, that means hunting for Nazi art is a never ending racket. There can never be a time when all of it has been recovered.
The real selling point here to the fascist loons in charge of the West is that they can also rewrite history in the process of “righting those historical wrongs.” That means taking the gaudy display items like these horses in the story and hiding them away from public sight. Before long it will be extended to books and personal items in private collections. The real Nazis will be erased and replaced with the mythological ones.
My favorite episode of Hogan’s Heroes involves the creation of a copy of Manet’s The Fifer; or as General Burchalter calls it “Ze Boy viss ze Fife”.
A hoary old BBC TV comedy series was ‘Allo ‘Allo which featured hapless French resistance workers and incompetent occupying Nazis, centred round a cafe. One of the on-going plots hinged on a painting called ‘The Fallen Madonna With The Big Boobies.’
Yes, it was that sort of show.
Or you could end up with the story of Hans van Meergeen, who was busy as a successful art forger prior to WW2, specializing in Vermeer. Homemade authentic paints, the works. (He had even worked out that Vermeer used badger hair brushes.) One of his paintings ended up being sold to Goering. (Not a particularly good one.)
He was charged as a collaborator, but was able to show the painting wasn’t authentic. So the court dismissed the collaboration charge, and charged him as a forger.
The lesson here is evidently you were supposed to be honest when dealing with Nazis.