Review and Analysis of Browning’s Ordinary Men Reserve Police Battalion and the Final Solution in Poland
...nation of Jews in Germany and all German occupied lands, including Poland. The Reserve Police Battalions played a large role in the deportation and execution of Jews throughout Europe. Reserve Police Battalion 101 was responsible for the collection and execution of all Jews in the Lublin District of Poland. From July 1942 to November 1943, Battalion 101 shot over 38,000 Jews. From August 1942 to May 1943, Battalion 101 deported over 45,000 Jews to the gas chambers at Treblinka, Poland. By 1944, the Lublin District was judenfrei, or free of Jews. How did these “ordinary men” who made up Reserve Police Battalion 101 become murderers? It is not fair to say that all of the men in Battalion 101 were murderers. The commanding officer of the 101, Major Wilhelm Trapp, gave his men the choice of opting out of the execution of Jews. If this was true, why did only a mere ten-percent choose not to kill? In Ordinary Men, Browning states multiple reasons for this. The first and foremost reason Browning states is wartime brutalization. War is bound to be full of brutal atrocities. The men of the 101 were not used to the atrocities that they would experience, but did, on some level, expect it. After the initial shock wore off that they had taken another life, the men of Battalion 101 eventually grew accustomed to the execution of Jews. They had become desensitized to this violence. The second reason Browning states is obedience towards authority. The men of the 101 were taught, as were the rest of German soldiers, to follow orders and to obey one’s superiors. So when the men of the 101 executed thousands of Jews, orders were simply being followed. Dire consequences were due to any soldier who was subordinate and did not follow his orders. In the Nazi German military, this meant death. The rationalization was to kill or be killed. On top of this, many also believed obedience also led to career advancement. The third reason Browning states is ideological indoctrination. Since the formation of the National Socialist party by Adolf Hitler, Germans had been told that Jews were the enemy. When the war started Germans were told that the killing of a Jew was a service to the Third Reich of Germany. These doctrines allowed for the German people to develop a hatred for the Jewish community. So when faced with the chore of killing innocent Jews, the men of the 101 executed them with mixed emotions of hatred and duty towards Germany. It was the reasons stated above that explain how the soldiers of Battalion 101 rationalized the killing they took part in. There are also valid reasons why those who did not participate in this form of genocide did so. The prime reason for not involving themselves with the murder was the sheer revulsion for what they were doing. This was, for the most part, physical, and not ethical. Some stated political reasons for disassociating themselves with the executions. One said that he was a Communist, thus rejecting National Socialism and its political actions. Another was a Social Democrat. Of all the policemen interviewed, none of them stated any moral dilemmas for resigning from this task. This can be can be said for many throughout history who have taken part in acts of genocide, such as the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot, to the Russian Red Army under Stalin. Important Aspects and My Impressions Relating to Them German-Polish-Jewish Relationship An aspect I found very interesting was the inclusion of his portrayals of the relationships between the German, Polish, and Jewish communities. The relationship between Germans and Jews is quite well known. The German-Polish relationship is not unknown, either. It is the relationship between the Poles and the Jews that I found remarkably interesting. Much is known about how Germans treated Jews in general. During the regime of Hitler, Jews were looked upon as inferior, as second class citizens. To Germans, they were vulgar and dirty. The whole outlo...