Talk:Demmin

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[edit] other notable events in Demmin?

Could we have a bit more on the history please? I feel that an entry that describes a mass suicide but nothing else before or since in the history of the town gives a wildly inaccurate impression of life in Demmin... --Stonemad GB 13:33, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] is the pharmacist story contested?

I think, it is contested by the TV report (MDR), because: 1. In the beginning that TV report says, that the Russian soldiers were trained psychologically to rape German females in order to extinguish certain thinking patterns allegedly common to German females. 2. It might be possible that the Russian soldiers, that were in Demmin, were more eager to do so for some other reasons. 3. It sounds unbelievable, that Russians drink wine, that is offered by a potentially severe enemy (pharmacists have a special role in every society and r trustees of the governmental authorities). 4. That poisoned wine story sounds more like a confabulation, that is a quite common reaction of the human brain to certain extreme circumstances (even if they r of purely psychological nature; I mean: even if no psychotropic substances r involved). 5. It is generally a bad idea to punish some group (X) for something, that was committed by somebody else (Y) (especially if this "somebody else" (Y) is known to have supported activities, that were already severely harmful for the others (X)). -- So I would say, that the TV report itself can be used as a source, that contests the wine-story "between the lines" (remember that MDR is TV broadcast station in an area, that was formerly a part of GDR (Russian zone), and that surely has some russian inheritances to cope with). --Homer Landskirty 17:23, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

The poisoning would not justify the crimes perpetrated at Demmin, it's certainly not what I intended to say. On the other hand a reference should be given that either states that Historians today can prove that this version is not based on any facts, or at least clearly supports that idea. Heck even one notable historian would be enough to source that statement. And I can assure you that German Public TV (First, Second or Third networks (MDR being part of the later) does not have any russian inheritances to cope with. If anything there is very little continuity from the GDR to unified Germany. In short, we have one source backing the Pharmacy story, no source so far contradicting it.--Caranorn 20:37, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] edit about allegedly missing source regarding russians/pharmacists/...

In re the edit:

The source is [1] (a state-owned broadcast station):

This was fueled by atrocities and rapes committed by Red Army soldiers
«Vernichtungskrieg [...] kommt mit aller Brutalität zurück.»
«O-Ton: Antony Beevor: "We found this in fact in some of the reports in the soviet archives where woman who had tried to commit suicide and when were intelligated by SMERSCH or NKWD "Why do you tried to commit suicide?" and they account because we were raped time after time by all these drunken soldiers and we couldn´t face it any longer. And they also said we found, that the german propaganda had actually been right."»
until the city commander had the access to the rivers blocked on May 3.
This seems to be not supported by that source, but it fits the pattern...
The largest part of Demmin's historic city centre fell victim to a planned
arson committed by the Red Army. Particularly the area around the central
market square was completely leveled.
«Die Rote Armee kam am 30. April nach Demmin in Vorpommern. Die Stadt wurde geplündert und angezündet. Haus für Haus, Straßenzug für Straßenzug fielen den Flammen zum Opfer. Die gesamte Altstadt wurde niedergebrannt.»
A never accepted amongst native Demminers version promoted by
GDR-historiography wants to tell us that [...]
Not really POV... Not backed by a source... But it sounds true... It is unbelievable (not only for native Demminers), that russians r manipulated so much by a single nazi-family...
[...] the actions of the Red Army
had to be seen as a retribution for the poisoning of Red Army officers by
a Demmin pharmacist family, who had allegedly invited some Red Army officers
to celebrate the liberation of Demmin, and who were said to have poisoned
those army officers using wine.
«Ein Ereignis in dieser alten Apotheke war der Grund für den Vandalismus der Russen: Der Apotheker, ein strammer Nazi, lud einige russische Offiziere nach dem Einmarsch zur Siegesfeier mit seiner Familie. Doch der Apotheker hatte den Wein vergiftet. Die Russen starben gemeinsam mit der Apothekerfamilie. Als der Giftmord von der Roten Armee entdeckt wurde, zündeten die Soldaten das Haus an. Die Einwohner Demmins hatten Fürchterliches zu ertragen.»
Historians today can prove that this version is not based on any facts.
There is no source given for this... But it sounds like we do not need a historian to see, that nobody trusts a convinced enemy (pharmacists r approbated by the state) so much, that he takes food and beverages from him (especially when he is a pharmacist)...
Official GDR historiography has hushed
up these incriminating to the Red Army events, and has explained the
destruction of Demmin as being the result of combat operations towards the
end of World War II.
«Während des DDR-Regimes wurden die Demminer Toten verschwiegen.»
«An das Grauen erinnert keine Gedenktafel, kein Schulbuch erwähnt den wohl größten Massenselbstmord der deutschen Geschichte.»

--Homer Landskirty 08:45, 18 July 2007 (UTC)