Reposted because the first attempt removed for being too broad.
I've been listening to Dan Carlin's: Hardcore History podcast recently and he really likes to talk about the human experiences that are often buried behind the numbers and facts when talking about history. There's a lot of atrocities and war crimes involved in the topics he chose, specifically involving the torture and rape of civilians.
His series: Ghosts of the Ostfront about the WWII Eastern Front was a particularly visceral and disturbing listen for me considering how recent the conflict was. He talked about things like how German soldiers would destroy Soviet villages and do shit like murder and torture the civilians, or how when the Soviets invaded Berlin, German women were raped and crucified on doors. All of his sources however, seem to come from people who witnessed the events or observed the aftermath, not people who were actually commiting the acts.
I was just wondering if there's anything floating around from the people who actually directly did these things. Did some soldier from the WWII eastern front write in his journal about how he felt after hanging a kid or raping a civilian? I think it would be particularly interested in hearing from someone who was complacent in the whole ordeal, as opposed to being opposed but feeling like they had to follow orders.
Just to add, if anyone has anything similar but not from the WWII Eastern Front, I'd be interested in knowing as well. Stuff like a Mongol who wrote about his involvement in the sacking of Baghdad or a Carthaginian who hammered the nails into a crucified Roman.
Thanks!
There are a number of accounts in the book Soldiers: German POWs on Fighting, Killing, and Dying by Sonke Neitzel and Harald Welzer. This book (which I still owe this subreddit a review of) features a number of disturbing recorded conversations between German POW's--both from soldiers quartered in England and in the US. There are casual discussions of rape, reprisals, and executions. As the men involved did not know they were being recorded, they were astonishingly honest about war crimes. Many times, they would assert that others in their unit committed the acts, but sometimes they would claim credit themselves. Of course, many could have been exaggerating their claims to impress their fellow prisoners, but a number of the acts described were confirmed to have happened after the war.
Overall, the book is excellent and has very good insights into the lives of these POW's. I would recommend it with the caveat that there are a great number of highly disturbing sections. I could only read the book in short bursts, longer sessions would result in me being physically ill.
I would highly recommend you check out the book Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher Browning. It's an excellent look at how otherwise normal people are able to participate in atrocities. It contains a huge amount of data from people who directly participated in atrocities as well as excellent interpretation.
Further, it might be worthwhile to read On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt Col Dave Grossman. His historical methodology is heavily disputed and might best be ignored but he has many first-hand accounts of killing, and a chapter on atrocity, and his psychological position and theories are much more sound than his historical ones.