Introduction
Contrary to most beliefs of American, and many people all over the world, not all German soldiers were evil and bad. Many soldiers that enlisted in the German Army were nothing but ordinary men looking to defend their country. Soldiers, if they returned from war, were not the same. One soldier, Kurt Hilbert, tells of the hardships of facing death every day and not knowing if they will make it to tomorrow. Hilbert was a religious man and explains that it was hard to maintain your religious beliefs and remain worthy while you’re asked to defend your country by killing others. These many men and women fought to defend their country and are now looked at as monsters and often affiliated with the Nazi party, which they were not a part of.
Each and every day on the fronts of war people were killed: your best friend, your brother, strangers with families anxiously awaiting their return. “We defend our country against it, and more importantly all of Europe.” (WW2 Justified By Former German Soldiers). These people tell stories of defending their country and how they gave their life so that Germany would not experience what it did after WWI; in the end they were unsuccessful. Hundreds of thousands of Germans, fighting for a worthy cause, lost their lives to no avail.
Although these people are often associated with Nazi’s and the horrors committed by the Nazi party, they did not have the same beliefs and goals, but once Hitler rose to power they were ordered to obey his directions. Many of the people of Germany were also unaware of the fascism present in their country due to Hitler and his control of the government. In an interview later, Siegfried Knappe, a former soldier, tells his interviewer that while he and many others were fighting Hitler’s war, Hitler was continuing his dreadful plans, disregarding the people dying for a worthy cause. Knappe explains that Hitler made a comment that made him realize that he had never cared about any of the people who were killed due to his desire for power. Knappe was one of the few soldiers, not a part of the Nazi group, which had any association with Hitler.
One article by Andrew Roberts attempts to expose the soldiers for the “monsters that they are”. “No one can ever again put forward the excuse that the ordinary German citizen was too busy fighting honorably to know what was going on.” (Roberts). Yet, when the United States formed Japanese internment camps after the tragic events at Pearl Harbor, many Americans and people fighting in the war had no idea what was going on, especially behind the scenes. No, the Japanese internment camps were nowhere near as cruel as Concentration Camps, but it was the same principle. Some were given strict orders to capture the Jews, unaware of what would happen next, but they would face severe punishments if their orders were not followed. Most people would have done what these people did, followed orders and shut their mouths.
The following genres portray perspectives or German citizens who care about what happened and that these men and women did not die in vain. Some discuss the difference between the Nazi’s and the Army, the blinded instructions they were forced to follow, and perspective of the rough experiences that these everyday people went through. When I began I had the same beliefs as most, the German armies did awful things and were a monstrous group of people destroying lives, but as I researched I learned that they were people like you and I. They had entire lives ahead of them, families, jobs and they gave it all up so that they may serve their country.
Each and every day on the fronts of war people were killed: your best friend, your brother, strangers with families anxiously awaiting their return. “We defend our country against it, and more importantly all of Europe.” (WW2 Justified By Former German Soldiers). These people tell stories of defending their country and how they gave their life so that Germany would not experience what it did after WWI; in the end they were unsuccessful. Hundreds of thousands of Germans, fighting for a worthy cause, lost their lives to no avail.
Although these people are often associated with Nazi’s and the horrors committed by the Nazi party, they did not have the same beliefs and goals, but once Hitler rose to power they were ordered to obey his directions. Many of the people of Germany were also unaware of the fascism present in their country due to Hitler and his control of the government. In an interview later, Siegfried Knappe, a former soldier, tells his interviewer that while he and many others were fighting Hitler’s war, Hitler was continuing his dreadful plans, disregarding the people dying for a worthy cause. Knappe explains that Hitler made a comment that made him realize that he had never cared about any of the people who were killed due to his desire for power. Knappe was one of the few soldiers, not a part of the Nazi group, which had any association with Hitler.
One article by Andrew Roberts attempts to expose the soldiers for the “monsters that they are”. “No one can ever again put forward the excuse that the ordinary German citizen was too busy fighting honorably to know what was going on.” (Roberts). Yet, when the United States formed Japanese internment camps after the tragic events at Pearl Harbor, many Americans and people fighting in the war had no idea what was going on, especially behind the scenes. No, the Japanese internment camps were nowhere near as cruel as Concentration Camps, but it was the same principle. Some were given strict orders to capture the Jews, unaware of what would happen next, but they would face severe punishments if their orders were not followed. Most people would have done what these people did, followed orders and shut their mouths.
The following genres portray perspectives or German citizens who care about what happened and that these men and women did not die in vain. Some discuss the difference between the Nazi’s and the Army, the blinded instructions they were forced to follow, and perspective of the rough experiences that these everyday people went through. When I began I had the same beliefs as most, the German armies did awful things and were a monstrous group of people destroying lives, but as I researched I learned that they were people like you and I. They had entire lives ahead of them, families, jobs and they gave it all up so that they may serve their country.