Nazi military shot soldiers who refused to follow orders, so why did we prosecute German soldiers after WWII?

centurion613

Well...

There is a difference between the law and situation. look at the context of the situation.

A military law specific to internal discipline requires the military to try and punish soldiers for a military related crime, like disobeying a direct order. Disobeying a direct order in wartime in any army can be punishable by death, but usually only after a court martial, a military trial, finds you guilty of the offense against military law. you don't get shot for telling your boss where to shove it in the civilian world, you just get fired.

Civil law comes into play for trying a soldier for a non-military related crime, like what some of the holocaust related military crimes were. For example, murder. A soldier kills a non- protected combatant (a soldier in the field, armed and ready to go), the killing cant be charged as murder in the military situation. Have that soldier kill a non-combatant (unarmed civilian basically) and now its murder. most of the german soldiers tried after the war fall mostly in to this category, that of killing unarmed civilians.

hope this helps

Danbo

During that time, any soldier from any country including Britain was shot if they did not follow orders.

BHO bows to muslims

Deathcamp guards who refused duty were sent to the front, not shot.

Marysia

can you please elaborate on this question.... i'm not sure what you are asking

I , a happy Bolshevik

Just a few Nazis were condemned on Nuremberg trials, Nazis were very useful to USA.

sam

Jesus know better.

Future Marine005

That was traditional back then. Even in the U.S. military during WW2 if you absolutely refused to do something, they would either court martial you or shoot you. A soldier was never shot for small things like forgetting to empty out the latrines of course, but rather for mutiny or something related to that.

We did not prosecute EVERY SINGLE SOLDIER. At least ninety five percent of those prosecuted were high ranking officers or or death camp officers.

DietrichVonQuint

I suppose that you are referencing the old man that allegedly was a guard at some Death Camps. The US government is prosecuting him for lying on his application for citizenship, which is grounds for revoking citizenship.

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