John C. Crews-WWII Veteran-THE ENEMY-1

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	The Enemy

Historical images of

Hitler and the Nazi Party's

Rise to Power

The story of what led to the Nazi Party and
Photos from Nazi propaganda books brought home by John.

– Important Notice –

We realize that some people are bothered by photographs of the swastika, Hitler, and other Nazi imagery.
In order to tell the story of The Enemy, the following pages contain explicit images of this nature, taken from historical documents John brought back from the war. We have purposely excluded such imagery from all other areas of this site.

If you do not wish to view such images, please take another pathway in our site with the navigation links above.

The images contained in this part of the site are presented for historical purposes only.

We feel that it is essential for all people, everywhere, to remember the things that happened to cause the horrors of World War II. We must understand and remember the past if we are to prevent future mistakes.

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The Enemy did not appear in an instant.

Shamed and made to pay a heavy penance for crimes in World War I, the German people were ready for a way out of their darkness. With an economy in ruins and great hardships endured during the years of the Great Depression, they were desperate for a leader who would give them hope and restore their pride. A motley group of revolutionaries promised to deliver that dream while planning to rule all by force.

In their distress, the people of Germany let them do it.

These select photos are taken from a propaganda history book titled "So kam es!," or "Thus It Came!" John brought this and other books back from Germany at the end of fighting.

This book's purpose was to show the history that brought the Nazis to power – from the point of view of the Nazis.

Germany had been defeated in WWI, the "War to end all wars," and had been forced to submit to many difficult terms of repayment.

The percieved source of their troubles were presented here – On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by the victorious Allies and ratified by the German democratic government. Germany was forced to accept responsibility for causing the war and pay vast war reparations for the damage.
Germany also had to give up land and severely limit their military. The Treaty of Versailles humiliated Germany, and Hitler railed against the "November Criminals" and "Jewish Marxists."

Monetary reparations were paid –
for a while.

Various foreign troops, emphasizing people of color, shown occupying German lands.


				January, 1921 A meeting in a Munich beer hall railing against the financial restraints of war reparations.



					The German Mark lost most of its value, even before the Great Depression.

	The National Socialist Party (Nazi) began here in Munich.



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