World War II was the deadliest war fought in history as it ranked up the highest number of casualties. A majority of the deaths were a result of the most horrific event in history, the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a genocide led by Nazi German ruler, Adolf Hitler, and his alliances. During the Holocaust, about six million Jewish people in Europe were imprisoned in concentration camps and murdered. The people who were ordered to carry out the genocide are viewed as evil beings. In his book, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, Christopher Browning discloses the real story of the people who were ordered to execute the horrific acts and points out real criminals of the Holocaust. Browning opens Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by providing
…show more content…
He states, ““In mid-March of 1942 some 75 to 80 percent of all victims of the Holocaust were still alive, while 20 to 25 percent had perished. In mid-February 1943, the percentages were exactly the reverse. At the core of the Holocaust was a short, intense wave of mass murder. The center of gravity of this mass murder was Poland”. Browning provides these statistics to create the question as to how did Germany find the manpower to assault the Jewish people of Poland if most of its troops were fighting in the battle of Stalingrad at the time. He explains that through his research of German court records he had discovered the Reserve Police Battalion 101. The first chapter, Browning describes the Major Wilhelm Trapp, commander of the 101 battalion, ordering his troops on what to do when they arrive in the village. In this chapter, however Browning does not state if anyone decided not to carry out Trapp’s orders. Browning states, “if any of the older men among them did not feel up to the task that lay before him, he could step out”. In the second chapter, Browning recounts the
He states, ““In mid-March of 1942 some 75 to 80 percent of all victims of the Holocaust were still alive, while 20 to 25 percent had perished. In mid-February 1943, the percentages were exactly the reverse. At the core of the Holocaust was a short, intense wave of mass murder. The center of gravity of this mass murder was Poland”. Browning provides these statistics to create the question as to how did Germany find the manpower to assault the Jewish people of Poland if most of its troops were fighting in the battle of Stalingrad at the time. He explains that through his research of German court records he had discovered the Reserve Police Battalion 101. The first chapter, Browning describes the Major Wilhelm Trapp, commander of the 101 battalion, ordering his troops on what to do when they arrive in the village. In this chapter, however Browning does not state if anyone decided not to carry out Trapp’s orders. Browning states, “if any of the older men among them did not feel up to the task that lay before him, he could step out”. In the second chapter, Browning recounts the