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Hermann Graml
Mass murder and military opposition
Keywords: Judenmord, Militäropposition, Heeresgruppe Mitte, Partisanenkrieg, Tresckow
The role played by the Wehrmacht in the Third Reich, especially the participation of the armed forces in war crimes and in the Holocaust, has been a very important subject of incisive analysis. The judgements have often been harsh, whereas other authors wanted to demonstrate that those judgements were too sweeping. It is evident that this important controversy will continue for some time. In recent studies published in this periodical, the verdict on the army has been extended to officers who had been opposed against Hitler at a very early time. It has been claimed that even those officers had belonged to “Hitler′s willing executors”, at least in some respects and for a certain time. When they turned against Hitler, they allegedly did so rather for military reasons than for their anti-Nazist convictions that were based on moral grounds.
This essay tries to show that the latest indictments go too far indeed and are in important parts unfounded. However, it is intended only as a contribution to an ongoing discussion.
Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag
Print ISSN: 0042-5702
Volume: 54, 01/2006
Pages: 1 - 24