How supportive were German soldiers of the Nazi Regime?

by theawesome12323

Its always assumed that every soldier was a fanatical follower of Hitler. However since those who wish to avoid fighting appear in every nation across the world at that time, surley we can assume the same of Germany and ghose forced to fight. Are there any specific examples therefore of German soldiers who were regular people and not die hard Hitler fanatics?

wenchette

You might find this article by historian Ian Kershaw of interest. Kershaw has written quite a few well received books about Hitler and his era. Although the article does not specifically address ordinary Wehrmacht soldiers, he does discuss how and why Hitler's popularity rose with time and then fell.

This sentence is of note: "Beneath the veneer of Führer adulation constantly trumpeted by the uniform propaganda of the mass media, there are numerous indicators that Hitler's appeal remained far less than total, even in what later memory often recalled as the 'good years' of the mid-1930s."

And also this one: "Much suggests, in fact, that between the death of Hindenburg in August 1934 and the expansion into Austria and the Sudetenland four years later Hitler was indeed successful in gaining the backing of the vast majority of the German people, something of immeasurable importance for the disastrous course of German policy ahead."

Georgy_K_Zhukov

More of course can be said, but the FAQ has a few places to start with while we wait!