: Many soldiers had grown up in the Hitler Youth , making them pre-conditioned to accept the regime's genocidal worldview.
: Despite its high-tech image, the army in Russia faced massive equipment losses and primitive conditions. This "demodernization" sapped the soldiers' humanity and made them more receptive to brutal Nazi rhetoric. Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis, and War in the ...
: The book uses personal letters and diaries to show that average soldiers, not just elite SS units, were deeply involved in war crimes . : Many soldiers had grown up in the
: Through propaganda and indoctrination, soldiers came to view the war as a crusade of "Western civilization" against "subhuman" Bolsheviks and Jews. Critical Takeaways for Readers not just elite SS units