...General Von Thoma, who commanded a panzer division in Russia before being captured at El Alamein, told the pro-Nazi General Ludwig Cruwell in January 1943: "I am actually ashamed to be an officer."

He related how he had spoken to the Army Chief of Staff, General Franz Halder, about the atrocities, only to be told: "That's a political matter, that's nothing to do with me."

So he put his protests in writing to Army commanderin-chief General Walther von Brauchitz, who said: "Do you want me to take it further? If you want me to take it further, anything might happen."

Thoma said of those who believed the Fuhrer was ignorant of what was happening: "Of course, he knows all about it. Secretly, he's delighted. Of course, people can't make a row - they would simply be arrested and beaten if they did."

The kind of things that were happening to Poles, Russians and especially Jews were common currency in the 'private' conversations at Trent Park...[More.]

Serving in Germany, armed with my M16, living in the field in arctic conditions, part of the Cold War, from 1977 to 1982, there was broadcast on the German Television of the US movie series "The Holocaust".

TV studio had set up a single hotline for people who might have now found their conscience. Within 48 hours there were over 100 operators answering the lines, people were committing suicide over their theft of neighbor's properties, and having turned in parents or lovers, in anger or jealous rage.

When I departed my assignment, the phone bank was still running full tilt, almost two years later. Hundreds of psychiatrists were on call, and suicide prevention was a 24 hour manned response team in most major cities!

The Holocaust evidently was a personal failure of conscience for almost all Germans who contributed, achieving the death of neighbors, co-workers, ex-lovers, with hardly any motive at all.