Book Review-Ordinary Men

[Jody]

Hi folks,
To begin with great new section. Well since I am one of the few Americans who is not watching the Superbowl, I have decided to write a book review.

I read a lot (I try to read a book a week). To date I have read over 2,500 books on WWI, WWII and other military subjects. So I will start posting several book reviews a month (if time permits).

The first book I want to review is called Ordinary Men by Christopher R. Browning. This book does a great job discussing how an ordinary German police unit, Reserve Police Battalion 101, turned into one of the more muderous German units in Eastern Europe, who task was to carry out the Final Solution. The book is gripping and gives several 1st person accounts. It is very chilling. Anyone interested in this subject of the Holocaust should read this book. I make it a mandatory read for my high school students.
Regards,
Jody

[Chris Liontas]

I have to agree, this is a must read if you are interested in WWII; very objective look

[McCulloh]

The book is also interesting in that it forms the basis (indeed most of the solid scholarship) of Goldhagen's trendy best seller Hitler's Willing Executioners-about German mass guilt for the Holocaust. This book was reissued and reprinted (to Brownings' glee) after Goldhagens' televised temper tantrum.
Indeed, I would go so far as to say that Goldhagen plagerized this book as he used it so much for his own.
The details are what make this book valuable-how ordinary Wehrmacht policemen and working-class "regular Johans" got sucked into "anti-partisan operations" in Poland that turned into mass executions. The shooting of German exiled Jews-including an ex-NCO who won the EK2 in WW1 and many toddlers! The psychological deterioration and alcoholism of some of the Wehrmacht officers-while many others volunteered to kill for the extra alcohol rations. The lack of punishment for those who opted out of the mass killings. The award of the KVKx for mass execution "actions". The banality of evil.
Finally, what is obliquely demonstated is the German unwillingness to prosecute war crimes. While this book draws almost exclusively from the interviews by the idealist Hamburg Prosecutors Office in the 1960s, the vast majority of these "ordinary men" were never brought to justice-because Germany in those days (and arguably still) doesn't want to deal directly with the Holocaust or its past-at least not at a personal level.
Of all Nazis brought to trial 90% of all case were brought by the Allied Occupation Authorities. Of all cases since 1955, over 80% have been instigated by the USA. Of 7,000 SS Guards at Auschwitz over 60% (estimated) survived the war (with many-some estimate 10%, apparently now living in Canada according to pension payment records) and only 800 were ever charged with war crimes.
Interestingly, Gordons Medals had a Wehrpass to one of these guys on its web site for only 50 pounds in 1999. Nobody touched it.

[Chap15]

Ordinary Men is a classic to understand the Holocaust and how soldiers can both murder and kill on the battlefield. I have met C. Browning several times and his research is the best. Goldhagen's work offers some insight (why the death marches at the end of the war).

I have a police book that belonged to a soldier who was with the unit in Poland. The LT Gnade in the book signed the Police book also. It is interesting that this police man ends up in the sanitarium at the end of the war.

[Chap15]

Gnade