Wehrmacht Propaganda Troops and the Jews
In recent years, many researchers have been reexamining the Wehrmacht’s involvement in the persecution and liquidation of Jews. One of the less familiar subjects in Holocaust research is the Wehrmacht Propaganda Department’s involvement in the persecution of Jews. Even before the war broke out, the Wehrmacht established a large propaganda apparatus with its headquarters in the Wehrmacht’s Supreme Command (OKW), a variety of field units, and propaganda staffs in regional command frameworks within the Reich. The propaganda units’ tasks were mainly to assemble propaganda material from the fronts, spread propaganda material amongst the enemy armies and civilian populations, and organize entertainment and educational activities for German soldiers. Although the Propaganda units did not have a department for Jewish affairs, the “Jewish question” came up in all their activities. The article details the Propaganda units’ involvement in the persecution of the Jews and suggests several structural explanations. It also deals briefly with the Propaganda units’ veterans denials after the war. The article is based upon various sources such as movies, photos, interviews and of course documents from German archives.
