NAZI Soldiers should also be blamed?

Demon Zach

No.
They aren't to be blamed. The soldiers were forced into the army to fight a war in revenge of a world that blamed them so heavily for the first world war.
The soldiers should be blamed only that they did not know when NOT to follow orders but if they had not I suspect they would have been killed.

Joseph

To a certain extent, you & your friend are both correct. You have to understand the organization of the Nazi war machine to accurately answer this question with definition. In their army, there were ordinary soldiers. Some were 'conscripted' (draftees), some were volunteers. Just like in many other armies. These mane up about 70% of the Nazi Army. The other 30% were specialized soldiers whose job was drastically different than the regular soldier. Their job was to kill, mame, destroy woman and children and anything else that moved. They were usually the ones who would enter a captured (town/villiage/city) first. It was not unusual for them to gather all the people, lock them in one building and burn the building to the ground. These soldiers were specially trained for this work and had to be members of the Nazi party or some how connected to high-ranking Nazi officials. They didn't answer to the regular chain of command and usually operated under their own 'special orders'. I have just given you a small example of the Nazi soldiers that should be held responsible for their crimes. Of course, they weren't. They all claimed the same feeble excuse as did the defendants at the Nurenberg trials, "we were just following orders".

remowlms

The trials after the war answer your question perfectly - they found that "I was just following orders" was not a defense.

Jerry

Tell that to the soldiers at the Nuremberg Trials. They has choices to decide to obey unlawful orders or not.

GGG

The foot Soldiers were not associated with the Nazis even though they carried out their Commanders' orders. The officers that tried the "just following orders" defense at Nuremberg wound up being executed and rightfully so. It is an obligation to refuse an unlawful order especially when ordered to commit warcrimes. But the foot soldiers are going to get more leeway for following orders.

Sham Wow Obama

The only thing Hitler did wrong was the holocaust and starting WW2 a few years too early. Also, if the USA had not had a communist for a President, we should have fought with Hitler to destroy the Soviets.
INRE soldiers. The regulare Wehrmacht okay, but the Waffen SS and the special groups. All should have been hung.

Jared

Ordinarily, I would agree, but...

C'mon man, they're NAZIS. NAZIS!

Jared.

Charlie79

Only following orders? they almost inialated an entire race...personal responibility has to account somewhere. even US Soldiers can deny orders if it goes against their oath to uphold the constitution.

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