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Ordinary Men: The "Forgotten Holocaust"

41 votes

Six million Jews died during World War II, both in the extermination camps and murdered by the mobile commandos of the Einsatzgruppen and police battalions, whose members shot men, women and children, day after day, obediently, as if it were a normal job, a fact that is hardly known today. Who were these men and how could they commit such crimes?

Status: Released

Released Date: 2022-01-25

Runtime: 58 mins

Director: Manfred Oldenburg

Writer: Manfred Oldenburg

Spoken language: English, Deutsch

Genres: Documentary, History

Original title: Ordinary Men: The "Forgotten Holocaust"

Production Companies: Broadview TV, ZDF

Production Countries: Germany

Cast

Self - Narrator (voice)

Philipp Moog

Self - Historian

Christopher R. Browning

Self - Historian

Hilary Earl

Self - Historian

Stefan Klemp

Self - Sociologist

Stefan Kühl

Self - Social Psychologist

Harald Welzer

Self - Jurist

Benjamin Ferencz

Reenactment Performer

Markus Friedmann

Reenactment Performer

Philine Conrad

Reenactment Performer

Roman Boeer de Garcez

Reenactment Performer

Johnny Engelmann

Reenactment Performer

Andreas Heine

Reenactment Performer

Sönke Hünding

Reenactment Performer

Max Jundt

Reviews

BornKnight

Interesting and sad documentary about the Einsatzgruppen (firing squads) of Germany's WWII, that was considered as a privileged group as they didn't had to go to the fronts, instead of the Wehrmacht (war forces). Seeing by a group of german psychologists and american lawyers, they didn't know at first what they would had to do in the future, and it wasn't an obligation - but those who recused were ostracized by the companions. An american lawyer, Benjamin Ferencz, was one of the wisest lawyers that I've seen he insisted on the Nuremberg Trials, and proved they albeight of the crime being committed they were common man, many of middle class education and professions that thought this was the best for the country as they were following orders and even the relate of one of the commanders that cried at the orders he had to give. Many soldiers had psychological problems after the first "task". given. Maybe one the phrases that marked me the most was "was them sadistic psychopath, for the crimes?" - "no, many weren't. I must ask the same about the man who dropped the hiroshima and nagasaki atomic bombs he was a sadistic psychopath", he concludes, "no" he was a man who thought he was doing the best for his country at the time. My thought about the matter is when it comes to innocent civilians lives that had no part in any armed conflict, as I for sure couldn't do that even if it costed my life. The documentary closes showing several and equally horrible genocides examples that occurs to modern days. The main problem isn't the man that shot in most of the cases, but the doctrine or politics behind it to teach that is part of the job.

2024-01-04

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