DECLARATION OF DISASSOCIATION 

The listed groups on this website declare the following: 

We are pursuing accurate research of the wartime life of civilians and soldiers during World War II for educational and historical public enlightenment. This includes living history representations, exhibitions  of artifact collections and assembly of historical background information that truly supports wider public understanding of this era. 

Global contact with similar organizations both within and outside Germany is being maintained and encouraged. The concept of international cooperation promotes positive dialogue, furthers meaningful cultural exchange, and facilitates mutual desire for cooperative relations between nations and peoples in the pursuit of liberty, freedom, peace and justice. 

Special responsibility is mandated to ensure proper sensibility is given toward the conduct of Third Reich military forces and political organizations of the prewar and war period, because clearly documented historical facts and continuing emotional, religious and geopolitical themes are unavoidably interconnected with any presentation of German historical performance during 1933-45. 

Therefore, we strive for total disassociation from the stated or implied ideology of the former Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) and its branch components inclusive of, but not limited to, the Hitlerjugend (HJ), Sturmabteilung (SA), Gestapo, Schutzstaffel (SS), SS-Polizei, Waffen-SS, and so forth. Our disassociation also extends to any historical and contemporary organization, club or entity that perpetuates or sympathizes, in any manner whatsoever, with the goals, tenets, beliefs or SS-related symbols of the NSDAP and its constituent and its allied components as well as any former or current neo-Nazi group. 

Therefore, we individually and collectively limit our historical representation to the civilian and military forces of nations engaged in World War II, with the exception that representation of Germany is limited to those branches conceptually independent of the NSDAP party apparatus, such as the Wehrmacht, Heer, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. The undersigned groups do not maintain, support or encourage any representation of Nazi party or party-related organizations in any shape or form. This also means that our groups reserve the right not to participate in events where such groups are permitted, because to do so would either directly or indirectly benefit and encourage activity prohibited by our understanding. 

With our disclaimer, we want to participate in an active role that prevents and discourages groups and persons who, either deliberately or unwittingly, depict National Socialist personnel or spread National Socialist or like ideology by representing Nazi political organizations, Nazi-related branch components or any symbols and regalia employed by them.

We do not want to contribute to any historical falsification of the Third Reich era by refusing representation of its political organizations. The extraordinarily problematic nature of the inhuman ideological-political National  Socialist objective, and the resulting immeasurable atrocities conducted by their military and paramilitary organizations, is morally unacceptable and cannot be adequately reenacted in a living history setting without the danger of simplifying or glossing over real history. Therefore, we expressly endorse complete enlightenment of this historical subject through active exhibitions, documentaries, biographies, and other adequate educational methods not including reenactment. 

We want to present event organizers, other historical groups, educational institutions and public visitors with the opportunity to enjoy and learn from living history groups that portray World War II in a serious historical environment and who are all striving for the same purpose; namely, the consolidation of a global democratic foundation within our society through accurate historical enlightenment of World War II.
 

February, 2007