Army Unit Posts Photo Of Nazi War Criminal That Was Colorized By Hitler Fanboy
Nazi commander Joachim Peiper on trial for war crimes. Image by U.S. Army Signal Corps
By Aiden Pink December 17, 2019
A unit of the United States Army is facing criticism for posting on its Facebook page a photo of a Nazi officer who committed war crimes against American soldiers, The Washington Post reported.
The XVIII Airborne Corps Facebook page stated that it was beginning a series commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, but its status included a photo of German commander Joachim Peiper, who ordered his unit to kill American prisoners of war during the battle. That post was also shared by other military accounts, including the Department of Defense’s Facebook page.
In response to Facebook commenters’ criticism that the original post could be seen as promoting Nazism, the XVIII Airborne Corps account argued that “introducing a bad guy” at the beginning of a series was an effective dramatic technique. “He had a good first day,” the account stated. “Not really his fault that the initial push failed in the North and center (as we’ll see tomorrow).” The posts were later deleted.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Brian Fickel tweeted Monday that he was “dumbfounded” by the decision. On Tuesday, the Corps apologized on Twitter for using the photograph.
The image was Photoshopped to change the original black-and-white photo to color. A watermark on the photo stated that it was “Colorized by Tobias Kurtz.” As noted by journalist Corey Pein, Kurtz appears to be a Slovakian artist who has “favorited” fascist images on social media, including a drawing of Adolf Hitler punching an American soldier.
According to the Washington Post, Army and Pentagon officials haven’t yet explained how the image came to be discovered or approved for publication.
Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
