Page 10 - aruba-today-20190211

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 11 February 2019

Report: Finnish SS volunteers likely killed Jews in WWII

By JARI TANNER The Finnish soldiers were not
Associated Press under Nazi command, and
HELSINKI (AP) — An Israeli the country's leadership
Holocaust historian praised was mainly motivated by
authorities in Finland on the desire to take back the
Sunday for publishing a re- territories lost to Moscow.
port that concluded Finnish "At the beginning of the at-
volunteers serving with Nazi tack (on the Soviet Union),
Germany's Waffen-SS "very Finns were unaware of the
likely" took part in World Germans' goal of eradicat-
War II atrocities, including ing the Jews," Nuorteva
the mass murder of Jews. said. "Finns were, above
Efraim Zuroff of the Simon all, interested in fighting
Wiesenthal Center lauded against the Soviet Union"
the determination of the due to their brutal experi-
National Archives of Fin- ences in the Winter War
land to release the findings and the perceived threat
even if doing so was "pain- from Moscow.
ful and uncomfortable" for In this way, "the starting
Finland. point for Finns' involvement
Zuroff called the decision was different compared to
an "example of unique and most other countries joining
exemplary civic courage." The research document entitled The Finnish SS-volunteers and atrocities 1941 - 1943 against Jews, SS foreign volunteers," he
detailing atrocities against civilians and Prisoners of War in Ukraine and the Caucasus Region,
Finland's government com- pictured in Helsinki, Finland, on Friday Feb. 8, 2019. said.
missioned the independent Associated Press Finnish SS volunteers with
248-page investigative the SS Wiking division oper-
report, which was made Soviet attack, Finland en- ated on the eastern front
public Friday. It said 1,408 tered into an alliance with until 1943, entering deep
Finnish volunteers served Germany, receiving weap- into Ukraine.
with the SS Panzer Division ons and other material help The leading Finnish military
Wiking during 1941-43, most from Berlin. historians who undertook
of them 17 to 20-years-old. As part of the pact, Nazi SS the study of the country's
"It is very likely that they chief Heinrich Himmler in- wartime role wrote that the
(Finnish volunteers) partici- sisted that Finland dispatch Finnish SS volunteers likely
pated in the killing of Jews, soldiers to the SS Wiking took part in killing Jews and
other civilians and prisoners division, similar to the vol- other civilians, as well as
of war as part of the Ger- unteers it demanded from witnessed atrocities com-
man SS troops," said Jussi Nazi-occupied Belgium, mitted by the Germans.
Nuorteva, director general Denmark, the Netherlands, The volunteers returned
of the National Archives. Norway and elsewhere. to Finland after the Finnish
A significant part of the Reluctantly, Finland com- government sensed the
study was based on diaries plied and covertly recruit- tide of the war had turned
kept by 76 of the Finnish ed the first group of 400 against the Germans. Many
SS volunteers. Eight of the SS volunteers to be sent of them then served in the
Finnish SS volunteers are still for training in the spring of Finnish military until the end
alive, Nuorteva said. 1941. The vast majority of of World War II.
Finland was invaded by them had no ideological A copy of Friday's report
Moscow in November 1939. sympathies with the Nazi was given to Paula Lehto-
The fighting in what be- regime, the report said. maki, a state secretary with
came known as the Finnish- When Nazi Germany in- the Finnish government,
Soviet Winter War lasted vaded the Soviet Union who said it was a valuable
until March 1940, when an in June 1941 under Op- contribution to existing re-
overwhelmed and outnum- eration Barbarossa, Finnish search "on difficult and sig-
bered Finland agreed to a regular army troops fought nificant historical events"
bitter peace treaty. The independently alongside during Finland's complex
small Nordic country lost Wehrmacht soldiers on the World War II history.
several territories but main- northeastern front. In 1941, "We share the responsibil-
tained its independence. the Finns advanced in the ity for ensuring that such
Isolated from the rest of Eu- Karelia region outside Len- atrocities will never be re-
rope and afraid of another ingrad. peated," said Lehtomaki.q