Newsgroups: soc.culture.german
Subject: Goldhagen
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References: <4vjbm9$1kv6@sol.caps.maine.edu> <9608231636.AA59242@fitz.eng.intercon.com> <4vlfb9$c@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> <4vltd6$77i@sol.caps.maine.edu>
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In article <4vltd6$77i@sol.caps.maine.edu>, 
scotterb@maine.maine.edu (Scott Erb) wrote:

[snip]

>>        - goldhagen is "not entirely" another hitler (but the audience 
>>is expected to understand the hint)

>I gotta see the original post for this.  What is the hint anyway?  In her 

http://www.nizkor.org/ftp.cgi?people/h/henderson.sharon/1996/henderson.0896

[snip]

[regarding members of police bn. 101 declining to participate]

>You lost me here.  First, is it a lie?  Did anyone accept the offer?  Where 
>can I find evidence?  Second, it seems that by making that statement, she in 
>fact makes it clear that Germans can refuse to kill Jews.  She seems to be 
>admitting that point which you make.

Regarding Bn. 101, see Goldhagen, p. 214 (offer of avoidance
of participation made, some accepted) 252 (Grafmann), 253 (transfer 
offers), 255 Buchmann and one other) 

Examples: "Trapp's request [that his policemen request they be
left out of the killing action pending] was not intended as a trap. 
It did not require much courage to step forward. I did not hear that
only older men could step forward. Younger ones also stepped
forward. Everyone must have head..." (214) 

"One squad leader, Sergeant Ernst Hergert, reports that within
his platoon two to five men asked to be exempted from the
killing after these men had already begun, because they found
it too burdensome to shoot women and children. The men were
excused by him or by their lieutenant and given either guard
or transport duties for the duration of the killing." (220)

"A particularly noteworthy refusal to kill was that of one of
the battalion's offiers, Lieutenant Heinz Buchmann. Beginning
with the killing in Jozefow and in subsequent killings, he
avoided participating directly in the executions, having
managed to get himself assigned to other duties. ...Everyone
in the battalion knew that this lieutenant avoided killing
duty. His wish not to participate in the killings was so
accepted in the hierarchy of command that his company
commander circumvented him when killing operations were at
hand, and gave orders directly to the lieutenant's
subordinates." (220)

Other examples abound, but you can get the drift. The men
could opt out with absolutely no fear of reprisal, and they
clearly knew it.

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