In theory the inhabitants were Germanic. Did the Nazis get any kind of support from the people here. I would think there would have been many collaborators. And also, in general...maybe this would belong the an interwar topic. Was there any separatist moment from France before the war in these 2 provinces. Nowadays there is none. In fact, I hear French in gradually replacing the German languages here. Anyone from Strasbourg should be more informed than me.
You need to go back and do some more research on Alsace-Lorraine if you think it is "Germanic" and bold statements like "I would think there would have been many collaborators." have no place here.
You need to go back and do some more research on Alsace-Lorraine if you think it is "Germanic" and bold statements like "I would think there would have been many collaborators." have no place here. "About 130,000 young men from Alsace-Lorraine were also drafted or volunteered to serve in the German Wehrmacht or the Waffen-SS during the Second World War, mostly on the eastern front (40,000 of them were killed or missing in action). This led to numerous problems and recriminations after the war." (wikipedia) I actually think this is a legitimate topic for a discussion. Relax, and try not to be rude.
Don't tell me to relax buddy - because none of us here suffer fools gladly. If you don't know the difference between conscription and collaboration then you need a dictionary, too.
Remember that this region before WWI was german. I think that is typical prolem for regions which are near any borders and there were german, french, polish, rusianns in theirs history. For example Silesia in Poland, Vilnius in Lithuania, Lviv in Ukraine. People from these regions can't say in simple way "I'm German, Polish etc."
I know that was french before 1871. Remember that in medieval age this region was in Holy Roman Empire and Rheich. But I try to show, that it is not simple to say: colaboration. This is border region and fench and germans have right to say : "it was french/german city". Remember that for example in Poland many people from Silesia was in Wehrmacht but they were polish people.I think that is similar situation, because Silesia was polish and german region in own history. Nothing more. Peace.
It was part of Prima Germania from 100 BC for the next 600 years according to the wikipedia link and I guess thats pretty much the begining
I was in the Alsace last year in July ended up in Strasbourg before sailing up the Rhine. the German influence is quite heavy but everyone spoke French as the natural language of choice, as Francais is not my native tongue my German worked in a so-so manner many do not speak anything but French the people seem to know both sides of the story from hundreds of years, a beautiful people and a beautiful spot on the planet, the wines are not half bad either E ~
I too was in Alsace last summer, spent a few nights in Colmar where Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi came from. He who designed the The Statue of Liberty. Lovely part of the world, Riquewihr is a lovely picturesque town. René Fonck a WW1 French air ace also came from that area, I know that because the town we drove through where he was born was rather proud of that fact. Lots of WW1 cemeteries scattered around that area too both French & German.
Colmar was beautiful wasn't it am planning another trip next year maybe haul my TT bike over from the states. the "H" castles nearly or seemed to be gliding along many of the important hill/mtn's in the area quietly guarding the vineyards. Riquewihr was also wonderful and easy to get around attraction, lunch was fantastic ! Obernai was quite busy I must say with locals/tourist. Again German influence with a French Cathedral all I heard was French being spoken
Good excuse to post these pics from my thread. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/ww2-battlefields-today/15131-my-summer-holiday-war-related-bits.html French Sherman at Kientzheim, Alsace.
I actually think this is a legitimate topic for a discussion. Relax, and try not to be rude. That's a great way to make friends here. I guess everyone else in the world needs to be open minded and respectful except you. Do some research and then post an intelligent question. You have 9 posts on two forums and in each post you have been chastised by the Mods or Admins. This is a very small community so it is your resposibilty to be polite.
Seems an entirely reasonable query to me too. I'd think the degree of collaboration and seperatist movements, if any, was a legitimate topic. Do we have anyone from Strasbourg? ~A
Well after much reading and thinking I could get a degree on the region now I tend to agree with Juszatec comments. If you go anywhere in the world where borders have been disputed over centuries you will always find this divide in loyalty. Whilst I have never been to that region of France you can look closer to home and see it in Berwick-upon-Tweed on the English/Scottish border for example -They still can't decide if they are Scottish or English and only the other month there was a town in England a few miles away from the Welsh border that was throwing Daffadils and Leeks around wanting to be part of Wales-So much so they are taking their case to Parliment. Further a field in modern times from personal experience you could do no wrong by looking at the Balkans and the Iraq Iran border in the Al-Faw province. Most of the Muslims in the south of Iraq follow the Iranian 'version' of Islam and in the main hate the Iraqi's in the middle region of Iraq. So far from a problem unique to that region of France and probably even more widespread across Europe with other borders. So was there collaborators, retaliations and the like? I can't see why that region of France would have been any different from the rest.
Looking forward to posting a comprehensive input to what is a complex affair. I think the importants points should be understood if you have had the opportunity to understand the history of Alsace Lorraine. I do think that the poster could have put it better than categorising alliances as "collaborating".But,if you look at the period of 1871 to 1918 you will find the seeds of what the poster is trying to outline is here.In 1940, populations of these regions had known German rule within the past generation. For instance in June 1940,the last German mayor of the city of Strasbourg who held office in 1914 was waiting to greet the Fuhrer on the steps of the cathedral.
I found an interesting article about the "malgré-nous" - soldiers against their will. This article tends to suggest that there was no sympathy for the Germans in Alsace. Alsace and Hitler's Reich
I must be thick because I still don't know what was wrong with the first post Me too...i'm scared to post anything now Although, having lived in the Scottish Borders i alway got the impression that the people there think of themselves as "Borderers" first, then Scots! I would think people living in other disputed areas might have a similar view?
