Announcement

**Edgar Estrada** · 11-10-2005, 02:41 AM

Originally posted by Brett Dixon

Wasn't Topp our enemy and didn't he recieve the KC for being so good at destroying and killing innocent people who were fighting to save their countries and their freedom from being taken from them by the Germans? Didn't many innocent people lose their lives to his U-Boat?
Remember, the Germans started the war from the best of my memory, and it cost many, many innocent lives to stop them.
Maybe the person who stole his awards remembers this better than many of you do.
Believe it or not, many people lost relatives and family and friends to an enemy who was intent on destroying whatever it took to rule Europe and maybe the rest of the world.
Maybe it is the people who hero-worship this enemy from our past who have the problem, and not the people who remember the reason for the war.

Anyway, I agree that it was wrong to take Topps personal awards as they had no right to be welcomed into his house and then do such a low-life act.

No need to reply to this as I am in agreeance with with the general feelings of this thread.

Brett

I got confused when I read this post the first time. But I think most of the people (if not all), in this forum recall the atrocities of that war and other wars (even just through history books). I always think about the people who lost their lifes in the oceans and land during WWII and WWI (just to mention two). That is why sometimes I wonder about this “hobby.” Is it right? Well, perhaps that depends of the point of view of each person. However, I think no one should do it to honor criminals and I think we do not do that. Erick Topp is not a criminal (no one say so), was he an enemy? Well, that depends from which side a soldier fought. For the u-boot commanders the enemy was someone else, even people that nowadays collect their decorations and so on. Please do not get me wrong, I am not a Nazi, I just want to say that we remember the horror of war very well.
If Erick Topp was an enemy that was during the war, now no at all. Not to me.
I have a little collection with me, nothing compared to the collections from this forum. I put a note in the display that says:

“These are original and historical items worn by soldiers in the past. A few of these soldiers became heroes of war and survived it. Most of these soldiers (heroes, civilians, women, children, seniors citizens), became casualties of war (more than 50 million). But all of them were simple human beings who pass through the horrors of war. Human beings who inflected the worst suffering on others humans and received the worst suffering from other human beings like them (the “enemy”). Who is the enemy? That depends in which side you are, but the universal enemy is war itself. Honor to the fallen and the survivor.
One day (according to what I believe), there is going to be universal peace, justice and love on earth, but until now war was and is the worst thing that happen on this planet.
In a few words: war is a ****.
How easily we can allow a uniform to keep us from hearing about the greatest commandment: to love all men, and forgive.”

Best regards,

Edgar Estrada

**Sonderkommando** · 11-10-2005, 08:35 AM

Great responses guys,
What a pleasure to be part of this forum and to hear other peoples views and have my views heard without any arguments and ill feelings.

Best regards,
Brett

**VtwinVince** · 11-10-2005, 09:43 PM

Brett, I think your "black and white" view of history is quite quaint, and perhaps would be more appropriate in, say, a grade one history class. Erich Topp was an honorable officer, who conducted himself with dignity, even during an appalling war such as the last. Regardless of his political convictions, he was a very brave soldier, and whatever your point of view, you can't deny this.

**Sonderkommando** · 11-12-2005, 04:25 AM

Thanks VtwinVince for your opinion,
But my post was prompted after reading about other forum members who were willing to get a gun and go and commit cold blooded murder and do jail time just because someone committed theft from a person who was once our enemy.
If you re-read this thread from the start you will know what I am talking about.
You think cold-blooded murder is justification for theft?

And just for the record, I do agree with your assesment of Topp.

Brett

**Peter Wiking** · 11-12-2005, 04:56 AM

The statement that i would shoot these thieves was written by me in pure anger. I will not do it in real life or in a real situation. It was a way of me to express and show my complete distaste in these crooks greed and hunger for something that does not belong to them.

Brett, they used to hang people in your country for stealing a horse.

Cheers.
Peter

**VtwinVince** · 11-12-2005, 05:32 PM

Thanks for the clarification, Brett. It gets a little tedious, in this day and age, to hear people trotting out hackneyed old stereotypes about evil Germans and good Allies. In that conflict, all the participants committed terrible atrocities. Sure, Topp torpedoed ships which resulted in people dying. He was a professional officer, what was he supposed to do? Because he came from the "agressor" nation, he can be criticized with impunity? I think not.

**eindecker2** · 11-13-2005, 08:16 AM

Let me jump in - if anyone is willing to enter the armed forces of any country and wear the national shield on their uniform and then under oath commit their lives to the defense or 'agression' of their nation with the full understanding that such a 'call' may and probably will result in their death or maming for life - IMHO deserves some form of respect. I collect and as a result commend the actions of soldeisr of many nations - both allied and axis. Both are 'heros' in my mind and deserve respect - remember they were just caught up in 'the continuation of politics by other means....'

**Kyle Harrington** · 11-13-2005, 08:40 AM

Submariners endured more than most, the terror of being depth cahaged cannot be described.Peterson's "Das Boot" comes as close as an audience could get.Highly courageous men full stop!

**Edgar Estrada** · 11-14-2005, 08:10 AM

Originally posted by Brett Dixon

Thanks VtwinVince for your opinion,
But my post was prompted after reading about other forum members who were willing to get a gun and go and commit cold blooded murder and do jail time just because someone committed theft from a person who was once our enemy.
If you re-read this thread from the start you will know what I am talking about.
You think cold-blooded murder is justification for theft?

And just for the record, I do agree with your assesment of Topp.

Brett

A said that I joy Peter and all in the same felling (that means anger and sadness for what happen to Erick Topp's antiques), but of course that do not mean I will go and kill someone just like that. I fell the same for the guy who killed John Lennon 25 years ago, it is possible that this murderer will go free soon and for sure I will never go after him to kill him. However I will be

to know that he is out.

But of course I AM NOT GOD,

Regards

Edgar

**bratwurstdimsum** · 11-14-2005, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by Brett Dixon

You think cold-blooded murder is justification for theft?

You're right, we find him strap him down and setup a "kick his arse" booth put him inside cut a hole for his bum and presto...$5 a kick, all money goes back to Topp. Much more fun than death

Announcement

Erich Topp's RK

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Users Viewing this Thread