Comments by "Sar Jim" (@sarjim4381) on "The Nazi Gold Train" video.

  1. The Nazis had collected so much loot, and conditions in immediate postwar Germany and surrounding Axis countries were so chaotic, that it was inevitable that Allied troops would be involved in looting. For accounts I've read from US and British soldiers involved in looting, their view was so much loot was available that a few things stolen here and there would hardly be missed. That would have been true if looting was confined to troops in direct contact with the loot and they just pilfered a few gold coins or some silverware. That wasn't the case, however, as the US and British commanders in the region did little to stop the looting. The supposed reason was this was all Nazi owned loot, and troops deserved a little of it after risking their lives fighting against the Nazia across Europe. No one took into account that a large portion of the loor was stolen from civilians.That evolved into a full scale theft and racketeering operation, with Army assets being used to transport stolen goods from Germany and Austria to more friendly neutrals like Spain, extending across the Channel to England and Ireland, and then transshipments on to the US. Bribes were being paid all the way from top commanders down to black stevedore troops to keep the operation going. The whole operation lasted almost a year before finally being shut down by special investigators from the Inspector General's Office, although even some of them were later arrested for at least aiding the operation. There are persistent rumors the bribery extended all the way to Eisenhower's staff if not to Eisenhower himself. It was and is a shameful organized crime operation within the Army, and one that still needs further investigation.
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