Stille Hilfe

http://voices.yahoo.com/stille-hilfe-aiding-fugitive-imprisoned-8941767.html Stille Hilfe: Aiding Fugitive or Imprisoned Nazis Since 1946 Shelly Barclay Stille Hilfe, full name Die Stille Hilfe Kriegsgefangene und Internierte, is an international organization whose purpose is the subject of much debate. Their name in English means Silent Assistance for Prisoners of War and Interned Persons. Speculation, rumors and the involvement of some members would have many thinking that the only honest thing about the group's name is the silent assistance part. Stille Hilfe is known for their vocal assistance of Nazi war criminals during the Nuremburg Trials. What is a matter of debate is what they did before then and what have they been doing since? In 1945, just before and after the fall of Nazi Germany and its leader Adolf Hitler, prominent members of the Shutzstaffel (SS) and Hitler's staff fled Germany. Well, those who had not killed themselves, been killed or captured fled Germany. Many of these men were successful. They left under the radar, even getting assistance from refugee aid organizations, such as the Red Cross, without their knowledge. It would seem to some that Stille Hilfe aided these war criminals in their escape and continued to help them in hiding. The thinking is that they helped an organization known as ODESSA. The problem is that historians are not in agreement as to whether ODESSA actually existed. One thing is certain, such men as Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele (the Angel of Death) were able to escape. Someone must have helped them. Stille Hilfe was organized in 1946 and officially became a non-profit organization in 1951. Several high-ranking church officials and even a princess have been definitively linked to Stille Hilfe. During the Nuremburg Trials, the group was vocal about how it felt Nazi war criminals should be treated. They opposed the death penalty and helped those in prison. Truth be told, they were not very effective. Ten Nazis were put to death during the initial trials. Since then, Stille Hilfe has continued the trend of helping imprisoned Nazis. Some believe they even help Nazis who are in hiding. The truth is that would explain a lot of the group's secrecy. The problem is that is abetting international fugitives, some of whom are wanted for crimes against humanity. Gudrun Burwitz joined Stille Hilfe in 1951. Burwitz is the daughter of Heinrich Himmler, who was a chief organizer of the Holocaust. He killed himself while in Allied custody. Burwitz was close to her father and has continued to support Neo-Nazism, to all appearances. How far her support goes is largely unknown, though there are rumors that she and Stille Hilfe give financial aid to Neo-Nazi organizations. She is most definitely vocal about trying to stop extraditions of Nazi war criminals to Germany. To many, her actions are not of a woman who is helping those in need. Her actions bespeak support of genocide. To these people, she is showing that she condones the deaths for which her father was partly responsible. Stille Hilfe, at this point, remains either an impotent group of Neo-Nazis or an effective network of Neo-Nazis. No one is quite sure which. Some have called them harmless. Others have claimed that their money is funding a new age of Nazis and that they have prominent politicians on their side. Either way, they support a movement that changed the world for the worse, brought out the evil in some and killed millions. Sources Henley, Paul, Neo-Nazis Silent Support Scheme, retrieved 8/9/11, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1364876.stm Hall, Allan, Himmler's daughter aged 81: She works with neo-Nazis and helps SS officers evade justice, retrieved 8/9/11, dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004873/Himmlers-daughter-81-She-works-neo-Nazis-SS-officers.html#ixzz1Uar8D9R