German Wwii

What is the difference beween a Nazi and a German Soldier During WWII?

My great-grandpa was a German Marine Gunner Captain during WWII. I asked him if he was a Nazi (He did wair the swastika near his shirt pocket but then again — that was even on the birth certificates back then.) and he said (through a terribly hard to understand voice because of the oldness and German accent) that only blond haired blue-eyed people were Nazis and they were selected by Hitler at young ages like 15 years old.

Depends on how you see it. The German Army (the Wehrmacht) was a conscript army, almost the entire male German population of appropriate age was drafted into it. You could get killed for refusing to fight. So there was a difference between the regular army and particular Nazi organizations such as the Nazi Party or the SS. The SS men were the main executioners of the Holocaust and SS men really had to be blond, blue-eyed and tall.

But the regular army wasn’t an innocent organization either. I mean they fought for Hitler if they wanted or not. By conquering all these European countries, they brought them under Nazi control. They had to pledge allegiance to Hitler. Many of them were also personally involved in war crimes against civilians in occupied countries, but in case of a marine gunner captain you can assume that he didn’t kill civilians. Anyway not only the SS committed crimes. Saying that only blond and blue-eyed people were Nazis seems to be a very cheap excuse to me. People with others colors of hair and eyes could not join the SS but they could still be convinced Nazis and commit crimes.

We don’t really know how many of the regular soliders or generally the German population were really convinced Nazis, because we can’t simply ask them and expect honest answers. I mean who would willingly admit after the war that he was a Nazi?

I don’t know your great-grandfather and can’t tell you what his true convictions were then. However it is fact that he fought for Hitler, with or without conviction. He should not be proud on his fight, it was in every case for an evil cause.

I don’t mean to make you feel bad or to insult you, I have myself four grandparents who were grown-up people in Nazi Germany and did not oppose the regime.

In any case keep in mind you should not feel personally ashamed because of what your great-grandfather did or thought, that was him and not you.

WW2 German Chained SS Dagger