No. 153 / Sep 6, 2021
In July of 2021, floods hit Western European countries. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany suffered severe flood damage. Germany’s Meteorological Agency reported unprecedented rainfall since the past 100 years. Meanwhile, the record flood led to sudden discoveries. The walls of a house in Hagen, Germany that had been hit by heavy rain were damaged, and space was found afterward. Sebastian Yurtseven, a history teacher, was cleaning up his aunt’s house when he discovered a number of Nazi artifacts hidden there.
Within this space, several objects, including pistols (revolvers), gas masks, letters, portraits of Hitler, and Nazi insignia were found. In addition, the National Socialist People’s Welfare Nazi document (NSV) was discovered. Historians believe that the artifact was quickly abandoned when the United States (U.S.) troops marched in April 1945. Historical materials are crucial for identifying past events; from this point of view, the discovery was significant. “It is an important find on the actions and activities at the local level,” said Ralf Blank, Hagen’s archival manager.
Of these artifacts, it is particularly important to note the “NSV” documents. The Hagen house appears to have been used as the regional headquarters of the NSV. The group started as a community welfare organization, providing money mainly to poor families in Berlin. They were funded by the confiscation of Jewish assets and the revenues generated from forced labor. As this group was a Nazi organization, the subjects of support were limited to Aryan descent, and so were alcoholics, vagrants, and others. The Aryan race was considered superior to other races in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; in Germany, it refers to a “German” different from Jews, blacks, and Romans. The Nazi government has granted welfare and charity support only to “racially superior” individuals. The NSV was used as a powerful propaganda tool of the Nazi Party. It was the second-largest Nazi group formed by 1935 following the German labor front (labour organisation). As few artifacts about the NSV have been identified so far, these data are likely to have a significant impact on Nazi history studies. The NSV document revealed in Hagen is said to have records of pregnant women in Hagen and food distribution.
The newly discovered artifacts have been moved to Hagen’s archives. In Germany, research on the Nazis is still underway and is considered sensitive. Decades later, if Nazi war criminals appear, they will be punished heavily. In fact, in 2019, Nazi war criminals were brought to justice 70 years after committing crimes, even though they were in their nineties. Based on these events, the discovery of Nazi artifacts will be important.
By Lee Noo-ri, AG Senior Editor
cabello1706@ajou.ac.kr
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