Nazi War Diggers - Why I won't be watching

I've decided not to watch Nazi War Diggers. These are just three of my reasons.

1. The title Nazi War Diggers. This seems to be just a sensationalist title to that seems to merely promote interest in digging up War memorabilia.

2. The amended profile of Craig Gottlieb, one of the 'diggers'. I haven't been able to get my head around the change in profiles of Craig Gottlieb from

“I feel that by selling things that are Nazi related and for lots of money, I’m preserving a part of history that museums don’t want to bother with”

to now he says

"I'm an historian and a military officer. Where other people see fields and trees, I see a battlefield I see fighting positions. I see fields of fire."

 

I can't escape the conclusion that again this programme promotes the very looting that it gives as an excuse for its creating.

3. The Video. I appreciate its been removed and whilst the Nazi War digger site might say

Unfortunately, a video excerpt from our show posted on our website did not provide important context about our team’s methodology.

there is no excusing the fact Mr Goettlieb was allowed to wrench a femur out of the ground and then play with it thinking it was a humerus.  Where the bloody hell were the archaeologists or supervision that NatGeo speak of? It makes one think more respect would have been given if it had been a possibly valuably 'artifact' rather that 'just' a dead person...

There was nothing in the clip about 'this is not how to do it'. It was ironically a brilliant example of why detectorists without the proper qualifications and / or experience should not be allowed anywhere near a grave. It might also be why when there is what appears to be proper supervision then detectorists aren't allowed to excavate a grave.

From Donna Yates' twitter account


 

Sam Hardy at Conflict Antiquities has also written extensively and far more eloquently about the programme and I can't find fault with what he has written. In fact the only defence of it is from a chap called 'Hypocrites' who bemoans the fact Sam wasn't criticising the fact people had reposted the pulled video.

I had said to Kris Rodgers that I would wait for the full programme to come out before commenting any further. However for the reasons given above I think the damage has already been done and I don't want to add to any viewing figures.