Role of The Army, Police and The Bureaucrats

German Army

It is now widely accepted by most historians that the army provided support for the Einsatzgruppen. The army worked collaboratively with the SS, this was particularly the case in the USSR. Army officials saw the need to act harshly on the dangerous Jewish enemy. The 707th infantry division massacred 10431 Russian captives in just one month.


Police


The police force was made up of people from all sections of German society. These 15000 men also played a crucial role in the shootings. One in three were members of the Nazi party and only one in thirty members of the SS so why did they still commit mass murder? The average was 36 and most had families yet they were able to massacre thousands of children as close quarters. They were ruthless, tortured their victims and even buried some alive. There was no obvious pressure from the state to impose such harsh measures but this can partially be attributed to the peer group pressure from the other officers. Goldhagen sites the actions of the Police Battalion 101 that the German population were 'willing executioners'.


Ordinary Germans

The bureaucrats were the implements used to implement the Final Solution yet at the end of the war most denied that they were aware of the goings on. Adolf Eichmann who was one of the chief officials for deportation denied knowing the ongoings at Auschwitz at his trial in Jerusalem. Most officials were probably aware and committed themselves but the disguised language of the Government makes it difficult to prove.