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Hamburg, 29 January 2002

Exhibition "Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of the War of Annihilation" opens in the Historisches Museum in Bielefeld

The exhibition Verbrechen der Wehrmacht. Dimensionen des Vernichtungskrieges 1941-1944 [Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of the War of Annihilation] opened to the public in Bielefeld with a public event on Sunday, January 27, 2002 in the Historisches Museum, venue for this presentation of the show. Speakers at the opening event were: Heinz Deppermann (Verein zur Aufarbeitung der Geschichte der deutschen Wehrmacht), Prof. Dr. Helmut Skowronek (Bielefeld committee sponsoring the exhibition), Dr. Michael Vesper (Minister for Urban Planning, Housing, Cultural Affairs, and Sports of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westpfalia), Dr. Rainer Wend (Mayor of the City of Bielefeld), Prof. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wehler (University of Bielefeld), Dr. Ulrike Jureit (spokeswoman of the exhibition team).

The exhibition was first opened to the public in November 2001 in Berlin; nearly 50,000 people viewed the show there before it closed on January 13, 2002. In Bielefeld, the second stop, the exhibition will be presented in the Historisches Museum, Ravensberger Park 2, through March 17, 2002. The third exhibition venue will be in Vienna (April 9 to May 26, 2002).

Opening hours in Bielefeld:                    Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat./Sun. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

                                                           Mondays and special opening hours for groups by appointment

Admission: € 5 /reduced rate € 3.50/ school students € 1.50

Registration für tours: phone +49 521-681 31; fee € 25

Please contact the organizers in Bielefeld if you have questions about the presentation there:
Verein zur Aufarbeitung der Geschichte der deutschen Wehrmacht e.V., c/o Arbeit und Leben Bielefeld e.V. DGB/VHS, Ravensberger Park 4, 33607 Bielefeld, phone +49 521-681 31; www.wehrmachtsaustellung-bi.de

The exhibition Crimes of the German Wehrmacht: Dimensions of a War of Annihilation, 1941-1944 documents the participation of the Wehrmacht in crimes committed during World War II, taking as its starting point international law and the laws and customs of war in effect at the time. Employing historical material from the theaters of war in the East and in southeastern Europe, the exhibition documents six dimensions of the German war of annihilation.
- genocide perpetrated against the Soviet Jews
- mass death of Soviet prisoners of war
- starvation as a strategy of war
- deportation of slave laborers
- the war against partisans
- reprisals and executions of hostages

The exhibition demonstrates the at times passive, at times active role of the Wehrmacht in German war crimes. Based on research carried out to date, it impossible to estimate the number of Wehrmacht soldiers involved in these war crimes. Nonetheless, the exhibition also shows the actual behavior of individuals. The section entitled “Options for action” illustrates that the war of annihilation was not governed by some abstract dynamic; it involved various levels of decision-making and responsibility.

Should you have any further questions about the exhibition, please contact:
Hamburg Institute for Social Research, Press and public affairs office, phone +49 40-41 40 97-0