Supposedly, he was to manifest the so called superiority of the Aryan race. He was a German boxer, and in a much heralded fight, he traveled to America and he did knock out the mighty Joe Louis. So, this evil racist ideology from the Nazi regime seemed to be alive and well. (Joe was a black man.) Anyway, they had a rematch, and the German lost. So, a humilating defeat for this nazi boxer, taught him a lesson right? Wrong! He never was a nazi. He refused to join the nazi party, although he was drafted into the luffwaffe, that didn't make him a nazi. Hitler had him drafted and sent on suicide missions. Hitler was not happy. Anyway, he stood firm; he and Louis even became friends! That is their picture together in 1971. In 1989 a hotel owner who just happened to be a Jew invited him to the United States again, and there he thanked him for saving his life. Then the story came out, this German boxer, Nazi-propaganda puppet and all had quietly hidden 2 jewish boys during Hitler's regime, and then after things cooled a litle, he helped them flee to the United States! So, this has been a nutshell of the complex story of Max Schmeling. Things aren't always as they appear. Sometimes a person can be made to look bad, and be pressured, yet they stand and hang on to some core moral value in spite of it all. For that, I say, thanks Max!
No comments:
Post a Comment