Quote:
Originally Posted by PanzerBob
...the final realization was the trip to DACHAU later that summer. Even then it was something that didn't have the impression is does now.
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I visited Dachau as well in 1972. I felt the initial shock and numbness I think everyone feels when they pass through those gates. It took years however for my mind to connect all dots between what I saw there and what I now know for a picture to finally emerge.
It was possible for a small group to convince a large nation in the rightfulness of waging total war, yet manage to hide from the greater view the hideous evil behind it all.
This is why I think selective memory is so prevalent for that generation. So many of these people honestly thought they were fighting the good fight, to end up losing the war, and then have the reality of Holocaust suddenly placed in front of them. It had to be the ultimate kick in the teeth.
As someone who is very proud of his German heritage, and equally proud of my entire family who fought honorably for the Reich, I myself have had a hard time dealing with this fact.
How could a people, my people, who produced a Beethoven and Brahms, also produce a Hitler and Himmler?
I have to be honest here. If I had to deal with the fact that I played an indirect role in what happened, my memory might be selective as well. Otherwise I might not be able to live with myself.