Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R. Browning shows how under the right circumstances, most men can become mass killers. They do not even have to be heavily indoctrinated by ideology. Peer pressure works just fine.
These police units were given the task of killing Jewish men, women, and children, most of the time at point-blank range. The task was considered difficult – not because of an inherent compassion for Jews, but because killing large numbers of people takes a psychological toll on shooters.
The men of Reserve Policy Battalion 101 did not have to participate
in the mass killings. They were given the
options of other assignments. Some did take them,
and this made them outsiders to their comrades, forcing others to do the unpleasant
work. The mechanics of this are very
simple and scary. People can grow accustomed
to bloodshed just like any other difficult job - just because they want to belong.
And of course, when these men were prosecuted by West
Germany, most were not convicted. And
due to German laws, their names can’t be released to the public. Disgraceful.
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