"If you lived in Nazi Germany, they would have hauled you off to a concentration camp just like any other Jew. Don't think that because your mother isn't Jewish that that would have protected you."
I imagine he was correct. Three of my uncles served, in Europe and in the Pacific theater, in segregated U.S. troops.
My uncle Leo told me the most about his experiences in WWII; he said that the black soldiers were often fighting alongside white Americans who had the same attitudes as the Nazis.
But, he concluded, "it was very important that the Allies win. Because based upon Hitler’s writings and his actions, Jewish people were not the only ones in those camps. If he’d taken over the world, Hitler would’ve made room in those ovens for us, too. Black people mustn’t kid themselves about that." 🥺
@samueltyler2 Germany had anti-Jewish laws. They didn’t have anti-black laws at that time, probably due to not having any significant black population. The U.S. decided to pull Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller and replace them with Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe to "avoid offending Hitler".
@bijouxbroussard that is my interpretation. The movie suggested another explanation. It claims that the Germans leaked information that they were bringing in ringers for the 400 meter relay that would been the American team with the 2 Jews. It turns out, the Americans literally ran away with the race. Not longer after, the American team with the Jews ran in a race in the UK and set a new world record.
@samueltyler2 I once saw Jesse Owens interviewed in a documentary,in which he said that on one occasion Hitler waved to him from one of the stands,he,Owens,was on the arena and waved back.
It depends on what the other half was. If a German was half Jewish, they were classified as a "Mischling," which means something like "mixed." Mischlings weren't sent to concentration camps. If a German was only a quarter Jewish, they had the same rights as full Germans. However, Slavs with any Jewish ancestry were just classified as Jews. So if you're half Russian, half Jewish, you'd have been arrested.
@flipper1966 Yeah, but not for being part Jewish. It was usually for things like speaking out against the government, which was illegal for anyone. There was talk of plans to sterilize half-jewish Mischlings, but that never happened, possibly because of the war.
Pure Aryan German children were exterminated too, if they had a physical or mental disability, under the Aktion T4 program. But, look online and see how the Nazis are trending. It seems to many people today like the wrong guys won. It definitely could happen again.
