Soldiers and Terror: Re-evaluating the Complicity of the Wehrmacht in Nazi Germany*

摘要

A key debate within the study of Nazi Germany has been assessing the level of compliance by the Wehrmacht to the Nazi regime. Recent historical discourse now emphasizes the acquiescence of the Wehrmacht to the aims and crimes of Nazi Germany throughout the war years. However, from the beginning of the campaign in Russia the adoption of terroristic penalties against German troops as a means of maintaining discipline are apparent. Evidence of the implementation and knowledge of these policies within the Wehrmacht suggests that the notion of the troops’ overall conformity to the Nazi programme requires some re-evaluation.