Why Did Canadians Hate Germans?

[fastpat]

Why Did Canadians Hate Germans?
Posted by Laurence Vance at 04:03 PM

From a Canadian reader:

My Grandfather related to me some years ago that he and his fellow Canadians, when captured at the battle of Ypres in April 1915, were treated with some disgust and disdain by the Germans, who called them "geldsoldaten". The Germans ripped off some insignia and generally treated the Canadians much more roughly than British prisoners. It took a while for the Canadians to realize what the word meant: "money soldiers." Mercenaries.

In 1915, all the German armies were conscripted. The Canadians at that early date were volunteers.

And what the Germans couldn't understand, my grandfather told me, was why these Canadians hated Germans so much that they would come all this way just to kill them.

Either that, or these Canadians just liked killing people.

So the Canadians got a very rough ride.

Are the soldiers in Iraq today conscripted? Of course not; aren't they actually mercenaries?

Do they therefore either (a) hate Iraqis so much that they're willing to go all that way to kill them, or (b) like killing people?

The similarities to those Canadians of that long-ago war seem quite striking.

Incidently, my grandfather was part of a battalion of 660 men that left Vancouver in November of 1914.

Of that group, two men survived the war.

B.M.
Vancouver, B.C. http://blog.lewrockwell.com/

[oldE]

Pat,

BM's post doesn't manage to draw much of a parallel, since the Canadians, as he pointed out were part of an army which increased almost exponentially in size from the beginning of the war. As you know, this was in response to Canada's committment to the British Empire of the time and the multiple pacts and treaties which sucked the world into the morass in 1914.

The troops to which he seems to be referring, (US Army, I presume) are part of a large, standing army which seems to be having a job getting the people it needs to cover the task list.

As it is, he seems to be intimating these soldiers recently joined up en masse so they could go over there to 'Whup Kaiser Bill", or the modern equivalent. If people were joining up in the hundreds of thousands to go over and fight, I would grant him a point.

Les

[coldstart]

That has to be the most ridiculous thing I have read. When is common sense going to kick in? Volunteers are mercenaries? What happened to fighting for a purpose other than 'they bombed me therefore I'm going to bomb them back' (the Bush knee jerk).

Even though I disagree with the war in Iraq, I understand why the U.S. is there. At the time, Hussein wasn't cooperating with weapon inspectors and posing as if he had WMD. Not to mention that he led a harsh dictatorship in Iraq and the U.S. mentality is to want to share their freedom with everyone. The very fact that fastpat exists in the U.S. is a testament to the U.S. belief in freedom. Now the people of Iraq have the right to complain too....

Canada is hurting in Afghanistan, even though 34 Canadian deaths does not compare with the 2,700 lost in Iraq.

[Joeaksa]

Someday Slopat will get a life, possibly after he is thrown in prison.

[imcarthur]

Oh no! We’ve been outed . . .

For years Canada has cultivated the impression that we are benign. Content to live & let live. Always ready with peacekeeping troops for the UN. Happily living under the British Commonwealth & then the US safety net.

But now that it’s out . . .

We hate everybody! All races, creeds, colors & religions! And the wolverine is our mascot! So beware!

Ian

[Christien]

Originally posted by imcarthur
We hate everybody! All races, creeds, colors & religions!

AHA!!!!! Ian, YOU'VE been outed as an American!!!! I knew it!!!!

[Eric 951]

You bloodthristy Canadian bastards!

Although now I understand why the Northern Pike and Muskie hate me so much more than local anglers when I catch them on Lake Nippising and Lochaven.

Thanks for the insight, fastpaste!

[Mr_Wizard]

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by imcarthur
Oh no! We’ve been outed . . .

But now that it’s out . . .

We hate everybody! All races, creeds, colors & religions! And the wolverine is our mascot! So beware!

Ian

Yep, I just killed a fellah for making my sandwich the wrong way.

Mustard against the lettuce?!?!? Beat him with his own shoe.

[Christien]

Are we supposed to do that? I didn't know that. I'll make sure to unlace next time I walk into Subway!

[imcarthur]

Originally posted by notfarnow
Beat him with his own shoe.

Now, that's the Canadian spirit!

And don't forget to keep peeing in lakes & rivers. When the Americans come to steal our fresh water they'll be in for a BIG surprise. Ha!

Ian

[Christien]

Done and done! (save on my water bill at the same time!)

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Christien
Are we supposed to do that? I didn't know that. I'll make sure to unlace next time I walk into Subway!

10 Commandments of sandwich making:

1) Meat on the bottom, veggies on top, except for BLTs
2) Tomatoes should never touch bread, except for BLTs
3) Mustard on red meats, mayo on poultry & veggies
4) Mayo on roast beef ONLY if mixed with horseradish
5) Egg salad needs onions. If there's no onions, it's just a boiled egg sandwich with mayo.
6) Cheese is to be used as a barrier between veggies & meat
7) Salt & pepper directly on the meat, and on the mayo
8) Lettuce should always be against the bread
9) Lettuce should not be shredded... EVER
10) Miracle Whip is NOT mayonnaise, and should never be used on a sandwich. EVER.


If someone breaks these rules, you're perfectly within Canadian law to beat them with their own shoe. Look it up, it's true.

[Eric 951]

Originally posted by notfarnow
10 Commandments of sandwich making:

1) Meat on the bottom, veggies on top, except for BLTs
2) Tomatoes should never touch bread, except for BLTs
3) Mustard on red meats, mayo on poultry & veggies
4) Mayo on roast beef ONLY if mixed with horseradish
5) Egg salad needs onions. If there's no onions, it's just a boiled egg sandwich with mayo.
6) Cheese is to be used as a barrier between veggies & meat
7) Salt & pepper directly on the meat, and on the mayo
8) Lettuce should always be against the bread
9) Lettuce should not be shredded... EVER
10) Miracle Whip is NOT mayonnaise, and should never be used on a sandwich. EVER.


If someone breaks these rules, you're perfectly within Canadian law to beat them with their own shoe. Look it up, it's true.

The real question is, would you make a German-style sandwich such as Bratwurst....?

I read somewhere you guys hate the Germans.

[notfarnow]

NEVER. Although I'd like to have a daschund.

Canadians hate Germans and Ninjas.

Hate 'em.

[ronin]

Originally posted by coldstart
When is common sense going to kick in?

you kiddin'?? this is Pelican OT. common sense steers a clear path of this mud hole

[svandamme]

i am from Ypres, all i can say is that some of the nastiest things happend in my home town, for 4 years straight it was hell on earth, so this hating thing does not surprise me

beeing ruffed up by the enemy as a POW is minor compared to beeing gassed by the enemy , or shot for refusing charge , even if the refusee was severely shellshocked...


and there was plenty of cause for suffering from Shellshock, no doubt about that



i was born and raised on fertile grounds, fertile because of all the corpses buried in it. if anybody refers to the Ypres Salient , it better be used in a pascifist way, cause that's the only lesson that can be learned from the horrors that occured in my town.

now have a look at Ypres, i can see my old house in this picture
or at least the hole in the ground where it was later rebuilt



every day , at 20h00 , the local firebrigade plays the Last Post on the bugle, under the Menin Gate
lest we never forget

[Rikao4]

Bratwurst should only be served with a Broetschen,MUSTARD only.
No bread, and if I see ketchup or mayo..you will be shot on the spot, and I keep the shoes.
Rika

[Kirk911SC]

My great grandfather was poisoned by mustard gas at Ypres........made it back here but died later from the lung damage.

I have the embroidered postcards he sent home from Europe with notes to his wife.

I can't even begin to imagine what it was like there.........

Kirk

[svandamme]

Originally posted by Kirk911SC

I can't even begin to imagine what it was like there.........

Kirk

i wholeheartedly recommend visiting Ypres,not for spending your bucks in our businesses, couldn't care less about that

but to visit the Museum, the memorials, Hill 60 with it's cratered landscape, the Menin Gate and the Last Post, and the graves , both those from Allies, and from Axis( in fact the German cemetery is incredibly moving),

every world leader, should visit Ypres (amongst some other places like Hiroshima)
witness what happens if Leadership is careless and plays with lives, what happens if men die , because of the ego others...
people , who are 100% sure they are right

nearly 90 years later, all that's left is the memorials, and the ammo and corpses that still get discovered and dug up...
those who thought they were right are gone as well, and their righteousness is shattered by the cold hard reality

there are no winners, just loosers, doesn't matter what side anybody was on , in the end, they died in veign, thinking they fought the war, to end all wars,
the terrible truth was that it wasn't so, and in fact the Armistice itself, the treaty of Versailles fed Hitlers ideology, and in turn caused WW2

i used to live right next to Lindenhoek cemetery in Kemmel
about 15 Canucks buried just 10 meter from my bedroom...
also about 300 other known soldiers from various nationalities and another 67 John Doe's...