# Should Germany be allowed to participate in European D-Day ceremonies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981 "2004-06-06T17:58:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/21 "2004-06-09T11:02:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Perhaps I carry a genetic seed of evil. This would be a great opening line in a book. That’s all. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/22 "2004-06-09T11:44:38Z")
Yes, I believe that it was entirely appropriate for Germany to take part in the D-Day Commemoration. Firstly, to continue to demonise Germany would be to engage in the same mind-set that allowed the Nazis to demonise the Jews, Gypsies and other minority groups. Not something we want, surely. Secondly, more than one speaker on the day made the point that what was being celebrated was not only the great personal courage and achievement of those who took part in the invasion, but also what had been achieved because of it: peace and co-operation in Western Europe (and now in Eastern Europe) for the rest of not only their lives, but their children’s (and hopefully grandchildren’s) lives. That this peace includes Germany as a full partner is a measure of this achievement, and of their legacy to us all. In my mind, to have denied Germany a place would have been an insult to those who fought there. Thirdly, while of course I haven’t done any sort of poll, all the veterans whom I’ve seen interviewed welcomed the Germans’ participation, and the chance to compare notes. ---
**Author:** ![johncole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/23 "2004-06-11T04:28:11Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > In my mind, to have denied Germany a place would have been an insult to those who fought there. > > Thirdly, while of course I haven’t done any sort of poll, all the veterans whom I’ve seen interviewed welcomed the Germans’ participation, and the chance to compare notes. In general I tend to agree with your comments. However, in the coverage I followed (over a number of news channels) there were several veterans who expressed a distinct antipathy to the presence of the German Chancellor. e.g. IIRC “Wait until we are all dead and gone and then invite them, but not now.” Perhaps we could have waited until next May to close the book, when Germany could _host_ the celebrations to mark the end of the war in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/24 "2004-06-11T07:37:12Z")
Originally posted by **johncole** > [@](#): > > _Perhaps we could have waited until next May to close the book, when Germany could host the celebrations to mark the end of the war in Europe._ Why? Do you think all veterans will be dead, next May? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/25 "2004-06-11T07:45:41Z")
I wouldn’t be able to think of anything to say if I were the German representative. “Hey, everyone … uh, glad we got our butts kicked?” ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/26 "2004-06-11T08:12:28Z")
hehehehe, **Snooooopy**. I remember a movie about WWII where a German soldier fled from a bunker on fire, while shouting “Hilfe, hilfe”. The American soldiers shot him. One of them said: "I wonder what ‘hilfe’ meant. Maybe the German representative could explain that ‘hilfe’ means ‘help!’ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![johncole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/27 "2004-06-11T15:41:18Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Why? Do you think all veterans will be dead, next May? Not at all. But in celebrating the end of the war in Europe (a good thing) we will not be stepping on the toes of veterans of a specific action. All the UK vets at the D-Day events were members of the Normandy Veterans Association and at least some of them had reservations about the presence of the Chancellor. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/28 "2004-06-11T15:59:57Z")
> [@gum](#): > > I remember a movie about WWII where a German soldier fled from a bunker on fire, while shouting “Hilfe, hilfe”. The American soldiers shot him. One of them said: "I wonder what ‘hilfe’ meant. _nitpick_ That sounds exactly like a scene from _The Longest Day_ except it was bitte (please). ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/29 "2004-06-11T23:07:29Z")
Originally posted by\*\* yojimbo\*\* > [@](#): > > _nitpick That sounds exactly like a scene from The Longest Day except it was bitte (please)._ And you’re absolutely correct. It \*was \* bitte (please). I wonder what put ‘hilfe’ (help) in my mind. Something Freudian, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981/30 "2004-06-11T23:55:11Z")
IIRC, the more or less same scene was in the opening attack of _Saving Private Ryan_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-germany-be-allowed-to-participate-in-european-d-day-ceremonies/248981.md?page=1)