Little something I wrote about in Lit. About the Holocaust

[Guppy35]

Tough subject.  The picture stands on its own.

My concern is you put too much of yourself into the soldier.  He's too human.   As mentioned already the SS soldiers doing this job saw their victims as less then human and were doing their Fuhrer's bidding.  In his eyes he's stomping on a bug.  His stance and care in aiming seems to show an interest in his work.  He's not rushing to get it over with.  He's prolonging the agony for the woman and child.

[Rich52]

Wrote this up before the end of class but ran out of time, Teacher said she was blown away along with a few of my friends who read what I had so far on face book. I'm going to lengthen the ending to put in more detail, bell rung and I quickly added in a few sentences.


Basically we were shown a few pictures, and had to pick one to write a story about. Here's the picture I chose


(Image removed from quote.)
Thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated

Finding of "guilty". Sentence is Death by Hanging. Punishment to be carried out tomorrow morning.

[F22RaptorDude]

Tough subject.  The picture stands on its own.

My concern is you put too much of yourself into the soldier.  He's too human.   As mentioned already the SS soldiers doing this job saw their victims as less then human and were doing their Fuhrer's bidding.  In his eyes he's stomping on a bug.  His stance and care in aiming seems to show an interest in his work.  He's not rushing to get it over with.  He's prolonging the agony for the woman and child.

I want to believe that out of all that brutality at least a few SS troops showed some sympathy if any?

[4Prop]

Is he still alive?  It would be good to know how he felt about the whole thing.  As far as I can tell, the SS weren't volunteers- they were just stronger and faster than average.

-Penguin

terrible. hes still alive, he was in the Hitler youth..witch I have his Hitler Youth knife as well. A few years back my dad bought him a Kar98k for his birthday. when he opened it he put it down and went in his room and cried.
He didnt volunteer either, he was most definantly hardcore for Hitler's Reich. But Hitler was a god to them for making them feel proud to be Germans. people would do anything for him. He's told me of times where they went into villages and went into peoples occupied houses and sprayed everyone inside. He also fought at Normandy on D-Day. To this day he has no idea how he got out alive. He went to Russia in 42 at the age of 16. he fought in Stalingrad,D-day, the Ardennes (he was shot in the side by a sniper while going through the Falaise Gap) and back to Berlin. he ended up in a Russian prison for 2 years until he escaped and came to America. Thats about all he's ever told me about to this day. hes only talked to be about it twice

[F22RaptorDude]

terrible. hes still alive, he was in the Hitler youth..witch I have his Hitler Youth knife as well. A few years back my dad bought him a Kar98k for his birthday. when he opened it he put it down and went in his room and cried.
He didnt volunteer either, he was most definantly hardcore for Hitler's Reich. But Hitler was a god to them for making them feel proud to be Germans. people would do anything for him. He's told me of times where they went into villages and went into peoples occupied houses and sprayed everyone inside. He also fought at Normandy on D-Day. To this day he has no idea how he got out alive. He went to Russia in 42 at the age of 16. he fought in Stalingrad,D-day, the Ardennes (he was shot in the side by a sniper while going through the Falaise Gap) and back to Berlin. he ended up in a Russian prison for 2 years until he escaped and came to America. Thats about all he's ever told me about to this day. hes only talked to be about it twice

Thats tragic...

[katanaso]

I want to believe that out of all that brutality at least a few SS troops showed some sympathy if any?

I wouldn't bet one dollar on that.

You want to believe it, but you're talking about the SS in reference to killing a Jew.

[4Prop]

A few SS members were accualy jews. but it was hard for them to do it and I dont know why any of them would.

[SmokinLoon]

Tough subject.  The picture stands on its own.

My concern is you put too much of yourself into the soldier.  He's too human.   As mentioned already the SS soldiers doing this job saw their victims as less then human and were doing their Fuhrer's bidding.  In his eyes he's stomping on a bug.  His stance and care in aiming seems to show an interest in his work.  He's not rushing to get it over with.  He's prolonging the agony for the woman and child.

You can not speak for all of the members of the SS.  Many joined the SS not because of they felt they were superior but rather as a status symbol.  Be very careful when you try and tell the story of the executioner, you don't know a think about him other than her is wearing the uniform of a German soldier.  I'd be willing to bet he was forced to do what he is doing in that photo.  He probably didn't enjoy doing any more than you or I.  Don't worry though, I don't blame you or anyone else for the knee jerk responses regarding Nazis, they are everyone's favorite bad guy to berate.  After all, each and every one of the Nazis were a cold-blooded Jew-hating German, right?

[SmokinLoon]

terrible. hes still alive, he was in the Hitler youth..witch I have his Hitler Youth knife as well. A few years back my dad bought him a Kar98k for his birthday. when he opened it he put it down and went in his room and cried.
He didnt volunteer either, he was most definantly hardcore for Hitler's Reich. But Hitler was a god to them for making them feel proud to be Germans. people would do anything for him. He's told me of times where they went into villages and went into peoples occupied houses and sprayed everyone inside. He also fought at Normandy on D-Day. To this day he has no idea how he got out alive. He went to Russia in 42 at the age of 16. he fought in Stalingrad,D-day, the Ardennes (he was shot in the side by a sniper while going through the Falaise Gap) and back to Berlin. he ended up in a Russian prison for 2 years until he escaped and came to America. Thats about all he's ever told me about to this day. hes only talked to be about it twice

That is a remarkable story.   *searches for the proper smiley*

[PR3D4TOR]

The SS... The Schutzstaffel was Hitler's personal bodyguards and fanatical Nazis. The Waffen-SS were the military arm of the SS and were all fanatical Nazis who pledged their personal loyalty to Adolf Hitler. The were not just "soldiers" doing their "job". They were a political and almost religious militia.

"Ich schwöre Adolf Hitler unerschütterliche Treue. Ich schwöre ihm und den Führern, die er mir bestimmt, unbedingten Gehorsam. Adolf Hitler: Sieg Heil!"

"I vow to Adolf Hitler imperturbable loyalty. I vow to him and to the leaders, that he sets for me, absolute allegiance. Adolf Hitler: Hail victory!"


I must say I found the text somewhat distasteful. Not because of the brutality, but because of the lack of it. It painted a sympathetic picture of a heartless murderer of a woman and child (and probably many more before and after).

[Delirium]

I want to believe that out of all that brutality at least a few SS troops showed some sympathy if any?

I wouldn't bet one dollar on that.

You want to believe it, but you're talking about the SS in reference to killing a Jew.

None of us really know what went through their minds, and I'm happy for that. I am of the opinion that most people feel like F22Raptor does, if for no other reason than to comprehend the brutality of it. To kill without remorse, particularly unarmed women and children changes humanity in a way that most of us have never seen first hand (I'm thankful for that too).

[F22RaptorDude]

None of us really know what went through their minds, and I'm happy for that. I am of the opinion that most people feel like F22Raptor does, if for no other reason than to comprehend the brutality of it. To kill without remorse, particularly unarmed women and children changes humanity in a way that most of us have never seen first hand (I'm thankful for that too).

I hope no civilized person has to see anything as horrible as that, I already can't handle death in a peaceful way. When my great grandfather who served in Normandy died I couldn't get a grip on myself for weeks it hit me so hard. To see this would mentally scar me for life... as i'm sure this goes for the majority of others as well

[Melvin]

To kill without remorse, particularly unarmed women and children changes humanity in a way that most of us have never seen first hand (I'm thankful for that too).

But it happens all too often.

In my opinion, there is something in the human psyche that, once triggered, causes complete disregard for morality.


EDIT: What I mean by that, is that it could happen to anyone.

[PR3D4TOR]

It's very easy to comprehend when you dehumanize a people to the level of rats and pests. That's what they did. How many here would have moral difficulties shooting a rat, even if it had a young offspring? It happens in all wars, even today, even our wars. The Nazis just took it to an industrial level.

[mthrockmor]

When the individual is a subject of the state, all murders are possible.

Boo