Why did
John Rabe refuse to appear at the Tokyo trial?
In 1946, Soong Mei-ling invited Rabe to attend the Far East Military Court and testify as a witness to the Nanjing Massacre. After careful consideration, Rabe refused.
At that moment, Rabe should be in pain: the ugly act he wanted the world to know was finally exposed, but because of his party membership and commitment to the so-called “head of state,” he could not or even did not want to be a witness. One day in December 1937, Nanjing.
A Chinese mother and daughter, with their heads lowered in fear, were on their way. When they passed Xiaofenqiao Road, what they were most worried about happened-a group of Japanese soldiers came from the opposite side. In Nanjing
at that time, the city had fallen, the people were in chaos, and animals ran amuck like purgatory.
A Japanese soldier soon spotted the Chinese mother and daughter. He sped up and took her by the hand and dragged her into a small house next to her. While crying and pleading, the
mother took the Japanese soldier’s hand and refused to let go.
Then she was kicked to the ground, the Japanese soldiers next to her took up their guns, and the people around her dared not make a sound.
Just as the daughter was about to be dragged into the hut by the Japanese soldiers, a German suddenly rushed over and shouted in English, “Stop!” All the Japanese soldiers were stunned and did not dare to move the guns in their hands.
Because the German was wearing a German military uniform, a German helmet, a pistol in his waist, and most importantly, an armband with the word “swastika” on his arm. After a moment of
stalemate, the Japanese soldiers were not sure where the “ally” on the other side was coming from, and finally decided to give up and turn around and leave.
This scene comes from the memory of Tang Ying, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre.
The German who came out halfway was called John Rabe.
Johann Rabe was born in Hamburg, Germany, on November 23, 1882.
Rabe lost his father at an early age, so he only went to junior high school and went out to be an apprentice.
On the recommendation of his boss, he went to a British company in Mozambique, Africa, where he learned to speak English fluently. In
1908, Rabe embarked on a journey to China, where he was sent to work as an employee of the German SIEMENS Company. In
1911, Rabe established the first telecommunication station in China, and later built a new telecommunication station in Shanghai (until Rabe returned home in 1938, the SIEMENS enjoyed the monopoly of the use of SIEMENS telecommunication equipment by the Chinese Navy).
In China, Rabe has been to Shenyang, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and other places. Because he has been doing business in China for a long time, he can be said to be a “China hand.”.
In 1935, Rabe took a photo with his colleagues in front of his office in Nanjing. In 1931, Rabe settled down in Nanjing, China. One of
his identities is the head of the Nanjing Representative Office of the SIEMENS, who is responsible for the distribution of communication equipment, air defense alarm system, telephone system, transportation materials, etc., and is also the president and principal of the Businessmen’s Association.
At the same time, he has a new identity-the deputy minister of the branch of the German Nazi Party in Nanjing, China.
Yes, Rabe was a Nazi party member.
Number.
It was an independent small building with a courtyard, and it was also the office of the German Nazi Party in Nanjing, China.
Rabe probably didn’t even think at the time that the small building, Little Pink Bridge No.1, together with its courtyard, would become the safest paradise for Chinese refugees six years later. On December 13,
1937, Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, fell.
In the next month or so, the rare bestiality in the whole history of human civilization happened all the time in every corner of the ancient capital of Nanjing. The army, which prides itself
on civilization and self-discipline and respects the so-called “Bushido” spirit, from officers to soldiers, is like thousands of evil spirits crawling out of hell, constantly breaking through the bottom line of human civilization with brutal acts that break through human imagination and humiliation. And,
of course, John Rabe.
In the small building of No.1 Xiaofenqiao, the angry Rabe began to write a diary about what he saw and heard in Nanjing: On December 14, 1937, when we drove through the city, we knew the extent of the destruction. Every one or two hundred meters, the
car will run over the corpses, which are the corpses of civilians.
I have checked that the bullet was fired from behind, and it is likely that the civilians were killed from behind when they fled. On December 16,
1937, I drove to Xiaguan to survey the power plant, and there were corpses on Zhongshan North Road. In front of the city gate, the corpses were piled up like hills. Killings are taking place everywhere, some in barracks right in front of the Ministry of Defence. The sound of
machine guns continued. On December 22,
1937, while clearing the security zone, we found that many civilians had been shot in ponds, one of which contained 30 bodies, most with their hands tied and some with stones tied around their necks. On December 24,
1937, I went to the basement where the body was placed.. A common people’s eyes are burning out. The whole head was burned. The Japanese poured gasoline on his head. On January 1,
1938, the mother of a beautiful woman ran to me, fell on her knees, wept, and begged me to do her a favor.
When I walked into a room, I saw a Japanese soldier lying naked on a girl who was crying herself hoarse.
I immediately stopped the dirty and shameless Japanese and shouted at him in any language that could be understood.
He dropped a “Happy New Year” and ran away. When he
fled, he was still naked, holding only a pair of trousers in his hand. During the
Nanjing Massacre, many of Rabe’s diaries were letters of protest to Japanese commanders and the Japanese Embassy, which recorded in detail the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Nanjing. Terms such as “shooting”, “beheading” and “rape” filled almost every page.
But how can Japanese listen to Rabe’s opinion?
Saying “I’m very sorry” is the most polite response.
Rabe understands that you can’t just keep a diary.
First of all, Rabe turned his small building into a refugee shelter.
At first, it was only the neighbors near Rabe’s house who hid in. Later, the news that “it’s all right to hide in Rabe’s house” began to spread rapidly, and refugees from all around began to gather at Rabe’s house. As long as there was a little space to spare, Rabe would not refuse.
Eventually, more than 600 Chinese refugees were accommodated in Rabe’s small courtyard.
It was a cold winter, and Rabe built a reed shed for them in the yard and laid straw for them.
According to Ding Yongqing, an old man who lived in Rabe’s yard at that time, when the ground was wet after the cold weather, Rabe gave each of the refugees radish roots to cook and eat to dispel dampness.
Under the difficult conditions at that time, Rabe tried to distribute a small cup of rice to all the refugees in the yard every day, and radish roots and broad beans once a week.
I know very little, but I have tried my best.
Rabe said to them.
Every Chinese newborn born in Rabe’s courtyard will receive Rabe’s gift- $10 for boys and $9.50 for girls.
Many Chinese parents named the boy “Rabe” and the girl “Dora” (Rabe’s wife’s name). On the New Year’s Day of
1938, Rabe wrote in his diary: “I got an unexpected Christmas gift, which was the life of more than 600 people.”.
For the refugees, being able to live in Rabe’s yard not only means that they can feed and clothe their families, but more importantly, they can save their lives and avoid humiliation. Tang Ying, a
survivor, still can’t forget that thrilling night.
That night, Rabe happened to be out, and three Japanese soldiers came in from outside the wall of Rabe’s yard, looking for the “flower girl.”.
When the Japanese soldier pushed a Chinese woman out of the fence with a bayonet, Rabe just went home.
“Mr. Trumpet is back!” All the refugees shouted in unison-they kept calling “Rabe” as “trumpet.”.
Rabe rushed in like a raging lion and shouted at the Japanese soldiers in English to get out.
The Japanese soldier looked at the swastika on Rabe’s arm and wanted to walk out of the gate in embarrassment.
But Rabe firmly refused to allow it-he asked the Japanese soldiers to climb out wherever they came in.
The Japanese soldier did not want to lose face in front of the Chinese and insisted on going out through the gate, so Rabe shouted loudly and drew his pistol. The
three Japanese soldiers had to climb out of the fence obediently. In fact, it happened almost every day that the
Japanese soldiers climbed over the fence. Rabe asked the refugees to form a patrol. As soon as he found a Japanese coming over the fence, he blew his whistle, and then he rushed over to drive them away.
Each time, Rabe did not allow the Japanese soldiers to go out of the gate and had to climb over the wall to go back.
As more and more refugees defected to Rabe, he became more aware of the importance of his small building to the protection of refugees.
In the courtyard of Rabe’s house, there is a big flag that he made with his family from bed sheets. The flag was
originally put up to let the Japanese planes see that they would not drop bombs. Later, it was hoped that all the Japanese would “make a detour” when they saw it and let the refugees inside go.
It was a Nazi flag.
But Rabe knows his mission isn’t just to protect the more than 600 Chinese refugees in his compound.
As early as before the Nanjing Defense War, Rabe and more than 20 foreigners in Nanjing planned to set up a “neutral zone” to protect a large number of refugees after the outbreak of the war.
Before the Japanese attack, Rabe’s company and colleagues, including officials of the Japanese Embassy, advised Rabe to leave Nanjing quickly, but Rabe refused.
I spent the best years of my youth in this country. My children and grandchildren were all born here. My career has been successful here. I have always been treated well by the Chinese people. The reason why
he refused to leave was that he had another title: Chairman of the International Committee of the Nanjing Safety Zone.
At first, Rabe and his foreign colleagues were worried that China’s defeated army would cause a lot of trouble. In their view, “once the Japanese army takes over Nanjing, everything will be safe and orderly.”. On December 15, Rabe, a member of the
Nanjing International Safety Zone and the Nanjing Committee of the International Red Cross, wrote in his diary: Our rice shop on Ninghai Road was searched by Japanese soldiers on December 15. They bought three bags of rice (3.75 piculs) and paid only 5 yuan. The current price in the
rice market was 9 yuan per picul, so the Japanese army owed the International Committee a total of 28.75 yuan. Six weeks after
this day, if Rabe looked back at the diary he had written, he would probably feel childish and ridiculous about his expectations of the Japanese.
Despite the establishment of a safe zone, Rabe deeply felt his powerlessness in front of the dehumanized Japanese army. Jinling Women’s University,
located in the security zone, was invaded by Japanese soldiers driving trucks every other day. They arrested female teachers, female students, and all women. Sometimes they even raped them on the spot.
Even in the houses and shops in the security zone, the Japanese soldiers also said to enter, said to rob, some people resist, said to kill. A
number of Chinese soldiers who had laid down their arms entered the security zone.Thinking that the “international law” would be effective, he informed the Japanese side that some Chinese soldiers had laid down their arms and should be treated as “prisoners of war.”.
As a result, the Japanese army agreed on the surface, then rushed into the security zone, kidnapped more than 1000 Chinese soldiers in front of Rabe, and then dragged them out and shot them all. In
desperation, Rabe once had to wear German military uniforms and Nazi armbands, and then rely on his personal strength to walk the streets of the security zone to help all the Chinese people who could help. Li Shizhen, a
survivor, recalled: 37 people in one family were captured by Japanese soldiers and were all tied up and kneeling on the ground. When
(the Japanese soldier) was about to be beheaded, Rabe happened to pass by. He negotiated with the Japanese soldier and finally took all 37 people away.
Later, the family said that without Rabe, their whole family would have perished.
In any case, the establishment of the safety zone, after all, left Nanjing, which was a hell on earth at that time, with more possibilities for survival.
Rabe ran around, using the identity of the Nazi Party and multiple political forces to put pressure on the Japanese side, eventually forcing the Japanese army to open the blockade and allow the safe area to bring in food and other necessities of life.
In Rabe’s later report to Hitler, he said, “The Japanese have pistols and bayonets, and I..” Just the swastika and my armband. In February
1938, at the request of the SIEMENS Company, Rabe returned home.
When Rabe returned home, he disguised a Chinese pilot as a servant and sent him to Hong Kong via Shanghai.
Rabe’s return has a more important purpose: he wants to save more Chinese people. Shortly after
returning to Berlin, Rabe began writing letters to Hitler, submitting reports on the Nanjing Massacre, and showing some of his films and photographs reflecting the truth of the Nanjing Massacre in Germany.
Rabe quickly waited for the result-the Gestapo came to him and confiscated his documentary film.
Under the “education” of the Gestapo, Rabe could only write to Hitler to assure him: “I will strictly abide by this rule (referring to not making reports, publishing books, and showing films about the atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Nanjing), because I have no intention of opposing German policy and the German authorities.. Firmly follow and be faithful to you! Rabe, who had expected Hitler to intervene in Japan, was forced into silence.
But the doom that awaits him is not over.
In 1945, when Germany was defeated, Rabe was arrested by the Soviet Union and Britain and even thrown into prison because of his membership in the Nazi Party.
In 1946, Rabe was acquitted by an Allied tribunal after it was established that he was completely innocent of Nazi wrongdoing.
However, by that time, the SIEMENS company had terminated its contract with Rabe (which should be related to Rabe’s membership in the Nazi Party), and Rabe, 64, began to live in poverty.
Rabe began working as a demolition porter, working 12 hours a day and living a hard life.
Because of lack of money, he even began to pawn the porcelain he brought back from China.
The Chinese have not forgotten Rabe. Chinese refugees who
had been sheltered by Rabe stood up to speak for Rabe. The words of
a man named Wu Cheng-hsi represent everyone’s point of view: Whether Rabe is a Nazi or not, it doesn’t change our view of him, because he is our savior. In
1948, the then Nanjing National Government and some Nanjing citizens began to send money and food to Rabe every month. The Nanjing National Government even promised that as long as Rabe came to Nanjing, the government would provide him with housing and pension for life.
Rabe wrote back two letters, saying that the friendly support of the people of Nanjing had enabled him to rebuild his confidence in life.
But then, one night in January 1950, Rabe died of a stroke. What happened
after Rabe’s death also made people feel a little sad.
Rabe’s grave is located in the cemetery of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial in Berlin.
In 1985, because the lease of the cemetery expired and no one renewed it, the management removed Rabe’s tombstone.
The Chinese side has communicated with the Berlin municipal government many times, hoping that Berlin will list the Rabe cemetery as a historical celebrity cemetery for free and long-term preservation, but was politely refused. Rabe’s Former Residence in
Nanjing In 2005, a group of Chinese students spontaneously donated a statue for Rabe.
Later, Rabe’s eldest grandson, Thomas Rabe, contacted the Chinese Embassy in Germany, hoping to rebuild the tombstone at the original site of Rabe’s cemetery.
To this end, the Nanjing Municipal Government has granted 1.05 million yuan as a special fund for the lease of cemeteries and the production and transportation of tombstones for 40 years. On December 11,
2013, in the western suburbs of Berlin, the inauguration ceremony of Rabe’s cemetery was held. At the ceremony, Shi Mingde,
Chinese ambassador to Germany, said: We are standing here today to cherish the memory of the Chinese people’s friends and benefactors, and to recall the unprecedented disaster that the war brought to the people of all countries in the world. It is to commemorate the historic feat of peace-loving people all over the world fighting together to safeguard human dignity and win world peace.
In Nanjing in 1937, the Chinese refugees in Bella’s courtyard called their benefactor a “living Bodhisattva.”.
Bella may prefer another title given to him by later generations: China’s Schindler.
steamed bun, there is no doubt that Rabe is great.
But at the same time, he is also contradictory. The root of the
contradiction lies in his Nazi identity.
According to Erwin Victor’s book John Rabe, a Good German Man in Nanjing, Rabe joined the German Workers’Party (the predecessor of the Nazis) in 1934 in order to build a German school for the children of SIEMENS employees in Nanjing, but various letters afterwards showed that Rabe had joined the German Workers’ Party in order to win funds. He was still loyal to Hitler-of course, there were thousands of people like Rabe in Germany at that time.
But at the same time, what he did in Nanjing in 1937 was nothing like the Nazis we imagined. Wilson, an American doctor who worked
with Rabe in the security zone, even sighed: “Because of Rabe, I actually began to have a little affection for the Nazis!” But it was also because of his Nazi identity that Rabe suffered: on the one hand, he had to be loyal to his party membership and suppress his anger at the Nanjing Massacre in his heart; on the other hand, he was implicated in the post-war liquidation because of his Nazi identity.
Fortunately, Rabe’s Diary was preserved intact by him. Published
by later generations, those detailed and objective records have become one of the most powerful evidences against Japanese atrocities in Nanjing.
The story of Rabe is touching and thought-provoking. The Nazi flag, which originally symbolized evil, once became the refuge of countless Chinese people, while Rabe made a Nazi salute and shouted, “Hi!”! On the one hand, Hitler saved one Chinese person after another who was about to be massacred.
But in fact, there is no need to be so entangled.
Whether Rabe was a member of the Nazi Party or not, whether he really agreed with the Nazi ideas in his heart or not, in 1937, in Nanjing, in those real moments, Rabe put down his title and identity and followed his own heart-the heart of a kind man. In those memorable days in
Nanjing, Rabe, like many foreigners who stayed in Nanjing, showed ordinary but great feelings, and showed the kindness and resistance aroused by human beings in the face of cruelty and blood-behind Rabe, there were Weitling, Sindberg, Bowen.. There was also Shiro Higashi, a first-class soldier of the 20th Regiment of the 16th Division of Japan, who later repented.
These people recorded the evil deeds of the beast legion at that time in the form of words, oral accounts and memoirs, with irrefutable evidence that could not be tampered with! Gratitude has nothing to do with identity.
Remembering has nothing to do with forgiveness.
. Focus on not getting lost ~
