a question about the nazi's?

Question

was every member of teh german army a nazi or where they just regular solgers. cause if they were regular guys im sure they objected to killing 6 million jews

Answer 1

No. Not all were nazis. At the higher levels, often officers were required to join the party if they wanted to advance their careers. But no, average soldiers were not necessary nazis.

Answer 2

During WWII the German Army was not an all volunteer force. Although the elite regiments like the German SS were volunteers and staunch supporters of Hitler, the regular soldiers, for the most part, were not fanatical Nazi's.

The majority of the men fighting on the front were oblivious to what was happening in concentration camps.

Answer 3

i don't think every member was really a nazi. there is this book called The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal thats about a man who goes to all these different people, like philosophers, even the Dali lama and asks them if he should forgive a nazi soldier. while in a concentration camp, a nazi soldier asked simon w. to forgive him for killing so many people. but i personally think that a lot of the soldiers were just caught up in the movement, and felt sorry after wards, because the govt recruited lots of church goers and asked for help to 'cleanse' the country. but there were also some very mean, despicable and true nazis who knew what they were doing and do not regret it.

Answer 4

I don't think many of the lower rank grunts knew it at all. Unless they saw the final destination of the cattle cars, most thought they were being deported. Most civilians in major cities were totally in the dark about the death camps.
There were people in small towns near the camps who knew and there was nothing they could do.
Most of the labor was done by Jews in the camps. They even were forced to remove gold teeth from the dead.

Things like the camps , mass murders and genocide occur when there is too much power vested in one leader and his henchmen. When laws and minds are subtly changed and opposition is stiffled by accusations of traitor, terrorist and subversive. When the leader has no restraints and can call martial law without hindrance. Sickening scenario isn't It?

Answer 5

The Werhmact was the regular army, many who were drafted into the army. The Waffen SS and SS in general were tried and convicted as the criminal organization that were convicted of crimes against humanity, including carrying out the 'Final Solution.'

Most of the regular army men heard rumors, but the question of their guilt, how much they knew and culpability will always remain an issue.

Answer 6

I knew a guy, he was older, from Germany, and his father had been a soldier in Germany during the early days of the rise of Natzism. This guy said his dad had no idea that Jewish people were being killed. When his dad learned, he packed up his family and fled Germany, so my friend grew up in Canada. I suspect that there were men who didn't know, who were rank and file who really didn't understand the magnitude of what happened, although as time went on it would have been harder to be completely ignorant. You don't just gather up 6 million people with a handful of soldiers.

Answer 7

The Nazi army WAS the National army for Germany.

They, and most of the rest of Europe were caught up in the furor (no pun intended) that swept through Europe during that time. Everyone knew, "if you aren't with us, you are against us" and THAT would get them killed.

And, don't forget, Jews were not the ONLY ones killed. They were the majority, but not the only ones.

Answer 8

The Nazi party was a political organization, not all soldiers were
members of the party. Just like today not all members of the Armed Forces are Democrats

Answer 9

Technically they were all nazis, because they wore the swastika and supported hitler, but who knows if they all really approved with what was going on. They certainly didn't speak up, so I don't think it really matters if they disapproved or not--they are guilty.

However, I have a Jewish friend whose non-Jewish grandfather was forced into mandatory service under the nazis at age 14. A lot of the soldiers were children and as such were also victims.

Answer 10

most were just soldiers, members of the SS were most likely party members. I would say 99 percent of the populace didnt know what was really going on in those concentration camps.