Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland

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eglazier, September 3, 2011 (view all comments by eglazier)
I have a somewhat personal view of this description of what ordinary German men could be persuaded to do under circumstances that were not at all threatening nor critical to their safety and security. When I read of some of the murders of Jews that took place and looked at photographs taken by the German police in this battalion, I realized that some of my family members were possibly among those bodies lying in the streets of the small Polish towns that were being made Juden frei.
The whole story is laid out from the meticulous records kept by the Germans of all their actions; even to the record of the state railroads who charged the one-way excursion fare to the German government to pack the Jews into box cars and take them to the camps to their death.
This is not a pretty story, but one showing how easily ordinary people can be caught up in a political movement and willingly do that which their ethics and religion tells them is wrong.
We should not believe that it cannot happen here because it already has in some small way.

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S Cohn, January 12, 2008 (view all comments by S Cohn)
Browning asserts an interesting thesis regarding the Einsatzgruppen; these were the death squads who adminstered conquered lands and carried out the final solution in places where they could or did not ship the jews to camps. He establishes the backround of a particular Police Battalion.

These individuals were not hardened Nazi's nor fanatical SS; nor were they even that keen on gunning down Jews. The argument that Browning makes is that anti-semitism was created in these individuals by killing jews. In order to cope with murdering, they became anti-semetic. When their commander announced their first action, he was in tears and offered an exception to whomever did not want to do this. Soldiers cried, looked the other way when some jews tried to escape, establishing a character that challenges our assumptions.

As time went on, the soldiers became used to this, and would have to joke around with each other while shooting jews. There were some instances of drunken debauchery that will break your heart as well: instances of cruelty that boggles the mind!! I would also highly recommend reading Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates--if you haven't yet!!

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780060995065

Author:

Browning, Christopher R.

Publisher:

Harper Perennial

Author:

by Christopher R. Browning

Location:

New York :

Subject:

Military - World War II

Subject:

World war, 1939-1945

Subject:

History

Subject:

Continental european

Subject:

Poland

Subject:

Europe - Germany

Subject:

Holocaust

Subject:

War criminals

Subject:

Holocaust, jewish

Subject:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Atrocities.

Subject:

World War, 19

Subject:

General History

Subject:

Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-

Subject:

World History-Holocaust

Edition Number:

1

Edition Description:

Trade PB

Series Volume:

no. 3

Publication Date:

19980431

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Grade Level:

General/trade

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Y

Pages:

304

Dimensions:

8.10x5.32x.77 in. .51 lbs.