Wallenberg lived longer than claimed: report

It is Wallenberg's bad luck to be born in a country unable to celebrate its heros. This "moral giant" (Ronald Reagan) was one of the bravest men of his era, and he had some tough competetion at that time. He was personally threatened by Eichmann, and handed out passports to Jews as SS guards ordered to kill him deliberately shot over his head, (they respected his bravery). There are few in history (if any) who have personally saved more lives than Wallenberg. He deserves far more credit in Sweden than he has been given. At least an international prize in his honour, similar to the Nobel. Come on Sweden, this man is one of the best representatives you have. Give him the credit he is due and celebrate him properly. Maybe Sweden has a new Raoul Wallenberg, we need one.

This man saved many jews from the gas chamber at enormous risk.

He eventually paid with his life, in a cell.

The truth deserves to be outed and told to all.

I find the continuing runaround about Wallenberg's fate simply baffling.

Instead of making out that his most aged parents killed themselves because of what happened to their son 30 years before, the Soviets were covering up his death when they claimed that he died on July 17, 1947, etc., why not face up to the apparent truth that he really died then, possibly a suicide himself, because the American, Swedish and other governments were unwilling to trade with Stalin for this most deserving asset for what it would cost them - admitting that he worked for them and Jewish leaders to save thousands of Jews in Hungary?

It would make him sound too much like what rabid Nazi Louis Darquier did in France, and got away with. The big difference, of course, was because Darquier did it to save his high-life style by dealing with rich Jews who were willing to cough up anything to save themselves and their families while Wallenberg did it for the poor Jews who had no way of their own to get out, and at the risk of his own life.

Wallenberg was just too dangerous for these hypocrites to save.

January 17 is Raoul Wallenberg day in Canada since 2001. Raoul Wallenberg is honored in many countries. There is a statue of Raoul Wallenberg in downtown Montreal.

A great Swede.

The whole story of Raoul Wallenberg is tragic for such a righteous man and he certainly did not deserve such an end. I have seen the Russian archive footage of his arrest, in Budapest by non-other the army Captain, Leonid Brezhnev, who later became President of the USSR. This was the final scene from, "The Raoul Wallenberg Story," which was a 1970's TV docudrama, starring Richard Chamberlain.

I have always supported Sweden's noble acts during and after the WWII, in spite of criticism of neutrality conflicts, i.e. favoring Germany. I am so grateful for the Wallenberg family who owned the SAAB aircraft company during the War. In October 1943 they financed The upkeep of the Danish, Jewish refugees who escaped across the Kattegat, overnight in fishing boats to Skane. This is one of the reasons I have owned Saab automobiles for over 42 years.

After WWII surplus P-51D Mustangs were acquired by the Swedish Air Force from the US Army Air Corps, in England. These aircraft later went to the fledgling Israeli Air Force and were in action in during the 1956 Suez Crisis.

It is so sad to see the anti-Israel sentiment at present, when it is mainly of ignorance of the whole situation, when it is OK to save the Jewish people when the are defenseless, but Israel has no right to defend itself from terrorism.

I was surprised that Sweden did not question the Soviets more about Raul's incarceration, at the time the Russian submarine ran aground with her crew. Not to mention the despicable act of the Soviets shooting down the Flygvapnet DC-3 over the Baltic during the 1950's. This plane is now being restored by the Flgvapenmuseum, in Linkoping. May Raoul's memory be forever blessed.

This man was Sweden's "finest hour".

@millionmileman

In 1945 Brezhnev's rank was Major General. Besides Wallenberg was arrested by SMERSH. Brezhnev has nothing to do with SMERSH.

Thank you Saar for your comment. The reason that I quoted the footage from the Richard Chamberlain TV film was to show my source. Brezhnev had to be a Captain on his way to Maj. Gen. I am just quoting what the commentator said on the archive footage. What I saw was Leonid Brezhnev making the arrest. The fact that he was an apparatchik actually makes sense.

There were anti-Semitic (Ukrainian) units in the Soviet Army and the fact that Raoul had been helping Jews escape could have been a motive as it was an intelligence involvement rather than a military arrest.

Brezhnev was no lover of Israel either, because at the end of the 1973 Yom Kippur War he had 150,000 paratroopers en-route to drop on the Israeli's on the west side of the Suez Canal region. President Nixon called the Kremlin and gave him a 20 minute warning, to return to base or "They would be brought down by the planes of 2 aircraft carries of the Mediterranean 6th fleet." Being drunk Brezhnev aborted the mission. Because I was on the ground, there was a lot more Soviet and Communist involvement than people would ever know. In one air-attack I thought it was a Saab 105 (SK-60), but as the plane got closer it was a Czech L-29 Delphin, supplied to the Egyptian Air-Force. This is part of the discussion regarding Raoul. WHY?

You sure got me, and I imagine almost anyone else reading this thread.

Are you just confused or do you get paid for such irrelevant nonsense?

Mr. Ford

The purpose of these threads is to come up with reasons for his senseless arrest, because only education about the Holocaust can prevent the evils that occurred from happening again. As Winston Churchill said, "Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it."

As a military historian and Holocaust scholar, I know what I am talking about. I was a medic and saved both Egyptians and Israeli lives for less than $5 dollars pr month. I defended myself from North Korean and other Communist piloted, Egyptian planes at no extra charge. In addition I was witness to the Egyptian/Israeli peace talks at Kilometer 101,and coordinated relief for the Egyptian 3rd Army together with Finnish UN soldiers of the UN.

All this boils down to men with a conscience doing the right thing and I hope that Raoul's Legacy is taught in Swedish and other schools throughout the World.

millionmileman: thank you for your wonderful contribution.

Wallenberg was a true hero. God Bless his soul. Why has Sweden become a bastion of anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli thought? You should be more like Wallenburg. Wake up Sweden - Islam is the threat to all of us in the West. Stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

@Typical Whitey

Wallenberg was a true hero! But not because he saved jews. It was because he saved innocent people targeted by a rogue government. Now you say we should target Islamics. Who are you to say that? What are you to say that?

Jewism and Islam is the same type of cult. Village mentality and vigilantism both dominate these two religions.

Ask yourself what are you? The people that read your comment know what you are.

Wallenberg was a true hero. His end, whatever it was in the Soviet Union, reflects badly on that country, no matter what the current regime is. That is why there is so little information available about what happened to him.

The experience of Jews in Europe in the thirties and forties taught them a lesson. You can not depend on nice politics, or sympathetic Gentiles. Raoul Wallenberg and the other righteous gentiles were the exceptions.

You can only depend on yourselves.

That said, well founded criticism of current Israeli policies is not antisemitic. In fact it should serve to strengthen the Israeli state. That is why the current pressure on Israel by the USA is long overdue. For too long certain elements in the Israeli establishment have depended on the cart blanche support of the USA and others in the West to allow them to treat Palestinians in a racist and oppressive manner.

Yes we in the west need to support Israel. We need to support the kind of Israel that can develop multilateral relations with its neighbours. Israel has a lot to contribute to its neighbours.

We also need to support the Palestinians in their efforts to establish a viable state. Palestinians also have a lot to contribute to their neighbours as one of the best educated nation in the Arab world.

The sooner Israelis and Palestinians can come to a rapproachment, a common approach to security the better off the whole middle east and the world will be.

Jimfromcanada:

Very good points - however, the Palestinians and for that matter all of Islam, will not accept the right for an Israeli State to exist! Read their charters - which call for the destruction of Israel. How can the Jews be expected to negotiate? What, how they will be executed? Islam is by nature a violent and hateful cult. If all muslims follow Mohammed's teachings - as expected - there are three options for non-muslims: conversion, enslavement, or death.

Crunchy2k - there is a world of difference between Islam and Judaism. For one Jews do not preach the killing of innocents from their pulpits, nor do they teach their children to strap on explosives to kill children, women, and men. Please, take your head out of the sand.