I recently read a book titled The Monuments Men in which a character is referred to as "the good Nazi".
Are there any stories of Nazi soldiers going against orders and doing good for the good of humanity? Such as hiding Jews, smuggling Jews away from danger, etc. I'm interested in learning these stories.
Because I recently got into an argument with the mods over at r/history, please allow me to clarify:
I am not downplaying the atrocities committed by the Nazis. I fully understand that what happened during that time was atrocious. However, even a holocaust survivor stated that not all Nazis were bad some young men were forced into service. Once again, I do not support what happened and condemn the activities committed by the Nazis.
I just want to learn, dang it!
/u/commiespaceinvader has previously answered:
See also the answers collected in this thread about Wehrmacht and Nazi affiliation
Was the book about Albert Speer? And I’m sure there were many Germans doing good things while being forced into the nationalsozialismus. But that’s off topic and it’s not really interesting since it might sound like you’d cover the terrible side of the story. I know that my grandpa saved himself and a officer from the front-line by hiding in a underground bunker, but that’s probably not the kind of story you’re looking for
I think "Nazi" might be a misleading word here. Do you mean "German"? (then the answer should be obvious)? A member of NSDAP? A Wehrmacht soldier? SS trooper?
Nazi soldiers going against orders and doing good for the good of humanity? Such as hiding Jews, smuggling Jews away from danger, etc. I'm interested in learning these stories.
Worth pointing out: a soldier would rarely have a chance to "hide/smuggle" anyone for obvious reasons. You probably want to include "not shooting/not arresting/looking the other way" into your search...
I might recommend "Ordinary Men". The polish government did an intensive psychological study on a group of police (I know you said "soldiers") and how some were able to say no int he beginning but over time it became normalized to shoot jews in woods. It's an interesting study into group dynamics and social pressure. It also has examples of how civilians being aware of and supportive of the final solution.
https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution/dp/0060995068