Government: former Waffen SS reside in the UK

http://www.ejpress.org/article/13924


According to Tony McNulty,
a minister in the Home Office,
a total of 1,450 veterans of
the SS Galizien division were
registered in Britain by police
in 2003.

LONDON (EJP)--- More than 1,400 former Waffen SS members were living in the UK four years ago and police are in the process of searching for more, the British Government has revealed.

Tony McNulty, a minister in the Home Office, said a total of 1,450 veterans of the SS Galizien division were registered in Britain by police in 2003.

No allegations of war crimes has been received against any of them, he added, and personal visits by Metropolitan Police officers in London to 13 in 2005 failed to find any evidence of atrocities.

In a series of answers to parliamentary questions submitted by Andrew Dismore MP, who represents Hendon in north London, McNulty added that Scotland Yard’s war-crimes division is using a database run by the US Justice Department to search for former members of the Waffen SS who may be living in the UK, to help with enquiries.

Extensive investigations

The questions follow extensive investigations by Dismore to find potential suspects who could be tried for war crimes, which he admits have met with little success.

Asked by Andrew Dismore what “progress is being made in identifying former members of the SS Galizien division in the UK who are suspected of war crimes in the Second World War, how many former SS Galiziens are resident in the UK,” and how many have been interviewed for involvement in war crimes, Mr McNulty replied: “No specific allegation of war crimes has been received against any former member of the 14th Waffen SS (Galizien) Division resident in the UK.

“Police inquiries in 2003 indicated that 1,450 ex-Galizien were still resident in the UK.

“The Metropolitan Police visited a sample 13 former members in 2005 to ascertain any information about crimes against humanity but no such crimes were disclosed.”

 

That's very interesting.
I guess I don't really agree with what exactly they are doing, but it's not my place to say what is right or wrong.

 

I'm willing too bet that there are a lot more here in the US.

 

I was just about to say that also, but more so in South America!

 

There's a substantial Galicia division burial plot at Cannock Chase Soldatenfriedhof in Staffordshire (fascinating place), with a well-maintained memorial.
http://www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=1106&documentID=171
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannock_Chase_German_war_cemetery

The history of the remnants of the Division's transfer 'en masse' to the UK & Canada is a complex one, and perhaps best described as an expedient by-product of the building cold war and political uncertainty over what to do with them after their initial 'screening'. It always strikes me that the choice was made to take the less complex/bloody route of simply drawing a line under things regarding these men rather than creating one more point of real tension between East & West at that difficult period. Obviously this has led to further problems and controversies but the decision makers at the time obviously felt the potential for such future grief was worth the risk. If I recall individuals have been singled out and dealt with legally as proof of crimes has come to light over the years, the authorities have never exactly turned a blind eye and have continued to monitor things.

Cropped up here before but another interesting SS/UK snippet is recounted in the article below:
The German who served Adolf Hitler, Queen and Country - Telegraph

Cheers,
Adam.

 

Interesting fellow with an interesting life experience. Excellent story Adam. It would have been a site if he did get a chance to wear his WWII awards in his British uniform.

 

it is interesting to find out that many ss veterans live in the uk

 

Interesting ad curious too. Why Britain? Were they in pow camps in Britain and stayed after their release?

 

probably but you should research it before making another post on the subject

 

Seems they were moved from camps in Italy to ones in the UK & Canada Skip, and took up the opportunity (as many other prisoners did) to settle in the commonwealth after the war. I'm sure in their case it wasn't a hard decision; not sure if they'd even have been allowed back by the Stalinist authorities but if they had their life expectancy would surely be measured in weeks.

Site I'd not seen before:
Brotherhood of Veterans of the 1st-Division of the Ukrainian National Army
Obviously, they have their own 'angle' on the war, and are grinding something of an axe, but as long as one bears that in mind it does make for an 'Interesting' read.

Cheers,
Adam.

 

The docs on this were released in 2005 and can be accessed here;
News | Ukrainian SS 'Galicia' Division allowed to settle in Britain

There was an interesting documentary on this, on the BBC I seem to recall.

cheers,

 

why would the british government allow these waffen ss veterans to live in the uk after what they did during ww2

 

From The NA description of the docs linked above;

Home office papers reveal how 7,100 Ukrainian men from the 14th Waffen SS 'Galicia' Division were allowed to settle in Britain in order to protect them from persecution in Stalinist controlled Ukraine. The documents follow the case of the Ukrainian soldiers, from their capture in Italy by British forces to Britain's reaction to an Italian treaty with the Soviet Union to repatriate the men. Catalogue reference: HO 213/1851, Ukrainian prisoners of war in Italy: possible transportation to UK for 'screening'

 

It is not wise to tell me what to do and my question was certainly more interesting than your smart comment.

 

I am also led to believe on good authority that a number of murderers, rapists and child molesters live in the UK.....

 

Are you kidding me man

They were soldiers like any other who went through hell like any other soldier.

Typical ...


Herr

 

I suppose there were inquiries and there probably was a disctinction made between war criminals and those who did not commit crimes. Considering those who were allowed to stay in Britain are apparently recorded by police, I don't see the problem, unless of course it is proven they have committed war crimes. Sending them back to Stalin would have been a crime too, so I believe the UK did the right thing. Other countries have welcomed them too. France has enlisted some of them in the Foreign Legion and they have greatfully fought during the colonial wars. The vlassov army was partly welomed in Liechtenstein. The Russians demanded their return claiming they could go home. Those who chose to do so went as far as Hungary where they were murdered...

 

If they have no charges of war crimes against them, they can well live where they choose to.

Vented enough spleen already?

 

About 300 Ukranian prisoners of war who had fought for Germany were recruited for mine-clearing duties in the UK after being released from British camps in 1947. It was a big job, clearing beaches, around airfields and disposing of pre-D-Day ammunition dumped in roadside ditches by GIs who didn't want to be too heavily weighed down when they hit the beaches. A number of these former POWs had served in the SS according to one of them who I interviewed some time ago.

 

Aren't most of these guys in their 70s and 80s now? I mean it's time to move past this as most of the big dogs who gave the orders to commit the war crimes have been punished or are now deceased.