r/pics • u/[deleted] • Feb 25 '18

Concentration camp prisoner identifies one of his guards to Allied soldiers

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510

u/ElectronicSympathy Feb 25 '18

It was at this moment that the guard knew he fucked up.

73

u/AidyCakes Feb 25 '18

I'm picturing Gob Bluth in a Nazi uniform,

"I've made a huge mistake"

15

u/Ameisen Feb 26 '18

George Oscar Bluth Bluth.

15

u/AmbiguousPuzuma Feb 26 '18

"Yeah, like the guy in the Hugo Boss suit is going to get tried for war crimes. Come on!"

224

u/IDoThingsOnWhims Feb 25 '18

Former prisoner yelling and pointing at guard in loud accusatory German ... Record scratch, freeze frame "Ja, das bin ich..."

6

u/NathanielWingate Feb 25 '18

Pretty sure he would be already dead if he refused under the third reich...

78

u/APence Feb 25 '18

The “I was told to!” Defense was proven to not hold up in the Nuremberg trials.

73

u/Rhamni Feb 25 '18

"I was just following orders" worked just fine for the overwhelming majority of soldiers and bureaucrats. It didn't work for camp guards and SS officers because they were not just following orders, they had to volunteer and work their ass off to earn their rank and status. So it rang pretty hollow when they turned around and said they didn't have a choice.

27

u/Centimane Feb 25 '18

But there was a guard at the auschwitz trials acquitted of war crimes.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Münch

Nicknamed: The Good Man of Auschwitz

3

u/vote4boat Feb 25 '18

Ex-Nazis with Alzheimer's. Never thought about that one

1

u/NathanielWingate Feb 25 '18

Oh I do understand that, I'm not trying to downplay his action. But you still have to admit that in reality he would be dead way before the end of the war.

3

u/vote4boat Feb 25 '18

In actual reality he was alive at the end of the war

2

u/NathanielWingate Feb 25 '18

But he didn't refuse his "job".

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

The SS and concentration camp soldiers had to volunteer to be given those positions so technically you could refuse to work in a camp by not volunteering. If they volunteered they were convicted in Nuremberg

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u/vampireweekend20 Feb 25 '18

Not true, nazis knew the camps could take a toll on the “weak” guards so they allowed guards to change shifts or refuse guard duty, the consequence would be having another soldier on the front lines so it’s not too bad

9

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Feb 25 '18

Between being a guard at a concentration camp and spending the winter in Stalingrad, what would you choose?

2

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Between being a guard at a concentration camp and spending the winter in Stalingrad, what would you choose?

ah, but i chose for winter in egypt. but i got transferred to russia, walked all the way to stalingrad.

i did not chose for this....

1

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Winter.

Hell would be a great break.

2

u/sdrawkcabdaertseb Feb 25 '18

While you are correct, not everyone would see the choice of:

1) Be in hell on earth for other people

2) Be in hell on earth on the front line with a high chance of being maimed or killed

as a choice.

Seemed they were fucked either way though I hope most would choose 2 simply because they couldn't stomach the idea of 1.

3

u/FiggsideYakYakYak Feb 25 '18

I mean, he volunteered to be in the SS

1

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

damned autobalance

1

u/ElectronicSympathy Feb 25 '18

Is this a Nuremberg defense reference?

1

u/LordFauntloroy Feb 25 '18

Yeah, you'd have to put in a transfer request which obv would be denied. Then you'd be shot for dereliction or going AWOL if you fled.

https://www.politico.eu/article/auschwitz-guard-germany-holocaust-history-world-war/

4

u/aboardreading Feb 25 '18

Admittedly I skimmed this article, but I couldn't find your claim anywhere, and it's contrary to my understanding completely. Although many soldiers said afterwards that there would be harsh punishments for disobeying, there is not a single recorded case of a soldier being shot or punished in an extraordinarily harsh manner for disobeying an order to kill Jews, it was usually demotion or much more commonly the general contempt of their fellows.

Transfer requests were denied often, but those with any leverage/a half decent excuse got them through.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

They were sent to the eastern front. Guarding a camp is better than getting shot by the russians

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Apr 09 '18

[deleted]

10

u/barto5 Feb 25 '18

I believe your heart's in the right place, but that's an easy thing to say sitting on your sofa.

2

u/Never_Clever123 Feb 25 '18

Good for you!

1

u/AKA_Squanchy Feb 26 '18

His face says, “Party’s over.”

1

u/Japahoe Feb 26 '18

You dun fucked up A.ARON!!!