The "official" mortality rate for those camps is grossly under reported.
Official United States statistics conclude there were just over 3,000 deaths in the Rheinwiesenlager while German figures state them to be 4,537. American academic R. J. Rummel believes the figure is around 6,000. Canadian writer James Bacque claimed in his 1989 book Other Losses that the number is likely in the hundreds of thousands, and may be as high as 1,000,000. But historians including Stephen Ambrose, Albert E. Cowdrey and Rüdiger Overmans have examined and rejected Bacque's claims, arguing that they were the result of faulty research practices. More recently, writing in the Encyclopedia of Prisoners of War and Internment, military historian S.P. MacKenzie stated: "That German prisoners were treated very badly in the months immediately after the war […] is beyond dispute. All in all, however, Bacque's thesis and mortality figures cannot be taken as accurate".
Everyone needs to read Bacque's book "Other Losses". He has all of the references to back up his claim.
[ - ] dass 1 point 10 monthsJul 28, 2024 21:25:49 ago (+1/-0)*
Yea, i recall a doco series online that included Mainstream new paper clippings of the time gleefully extolling estimates of the huge losses of life in the first months of the camps - something like 100 000 a month (or a 2-3 month period) and reported that 'hopefully' it could be as high as 1 million in the first year or so if the numbers kept up. Basically, a deliberated willful policy of - lack of food - Eisenhower memos informing camp comanders to deny red cross food parcels, and a policy oif shoot on sight anyone approaching the wire attempting to (among other things) distribute food - lack of access to clean water/ despite being adjacent/ accessible to the Rhine - lack of adequate medical supplies/ treatment, substandard and or complete lack of shelter - being exposed to the elements and into the cold wet season - with huge open sewage pits inside the camp itself - rampant disease/ cholera etc.
Some of the personal testimonies of survivors make absolute dreadful chilling reading.
The numbers were purposely obfuscated because names etc of all the dead were never taken and those dying were simply disposed off. Thus a purposeful lack of accurate record keeping.
[ + ] Lost_In_The_Thinking
[ - ] Lost_In_The_Thinking 0 points 10 monthsJul 28, 2024 17:16:25 ago (+0/-0)
Everyone needs to read Bacque's book "Other Losses". He has all of the references to back up his claim.
[ + ] dass
[ - ] dass 1 point 10 monthsJul 28, 2024 21:25:49 ago (+1/-0)*
Basically, a deliberated willful policy of - lack of food - Eisenhower memos informing camp comanders to deny red cross food parcels, and a policy oif shoot on sight anyone approaching the wire attempting to (among other things) distribute food - lack of access to clean water/ despite being adjacent/ accessible to the Rhine - lack of adequate medical supplies/ treatment, substandard and or complete lack of shelter - being exposed to the elements and into the cold wet season - with huge open sewage pits inside the camp itself - rampant disease/ cholera etc.
Some of the personal testimonies of survivors make absolute dreadful chilling reading.
The numbers were purposely obfuscated because names etc of all the dead were never taken and those dying were simply disposed off. Thus a purposeful lack of accurate record keeping.
[ + ] Razzoriel
[ - ] Razzoriel 0 points 10 monthsJul 28, 2024 21:07:05 ago (+0/-0)