Ordinary Men: The "Forgotten Holocaust" (2022)
Overview
Six million Jews died during World War II, both in the extermination camps and murdered by the mobile commandos of the Einsatzgruppen and police battalions, whose members shot men, women and children, day after day, obediently, as if it were a normal job, a fact that is hardly known today. Who were these men and how could they commit such crimes?
Cast
Philipp Moog
Self - Narrator (voice)
Benjamin Ferencz
Self - Jurist
Markus Friedmann
Reenactment Performer
Roman Boeer de Garcez
Reenactment Performer
Frank Stüdgens
Reenactment Performer
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Interesting and sad documentary about the Einsatzgruppen (firing squads) of Germany's WWII, that was considered as a privileged group as they didn't had to go to the fronts, instead of the Wehrmacht (war forces).
Seeing by a group of german psychologists and american lawyers, they didn't know at first what they would had to do in the future, and it wasn't an obligation - but those who recused were ostracized by the companions.
An american lawyer, Benjamin Ferencz, was one of the wisest lawyers that I've seen he insisted on the Nuremberg Trials, and proved they albeight of the crime being committed they were common man, many of middle class education and professions that thought this was the best for the country as they were following orders and even the relate of one of the commanders that cried at the orders he had to give. Many soldiers had psychological problems after the first "task". given.
Maybe one the phrases that marked me the most was "was them sadistic psychopath, for the crimes?" - "no, many weren't. I must ask the same about the man who dropped the hiroshima and nagasaki atomic bombs he was a sadistic psychopath", he concludes, "no" he was a man who thought he was doing the best for his country at the time.
My thought about the matter is when it comes to innocent civilians lives that had no part in any armed conflict, as I for sure couldn't do that even if it costed my life.
The documentary closes showing several and equally horrible genocides examples that occurs to modern days. The main problem isn't the man that shot in most of the cases, but the doctrine or politics behind it to teach that is part of the job.
