We believe that large numbers of Wehrmacht soldiers were aware that Jews were being killed, but we also believe that knowledge varieswidely as the scale and ewxtent bif the killing. After the War began, not only the SS but Wehrmacht units were involved in mass roundups. In the West the Wehrmachy was mostly involved in the eiundups, but in the East they could be involved in the murder actions as well. Many must have talked about their experiences in the East. Soldiers wrote home describing the killings. (Unlike Allied mail, the mail of German soldiers was not censored.) Recordings made by the British of German POWs show that the killings of Jews was common knowledge among the Wehermact officer corps, but the killing that came up in conversation was primarily the public killings in the Soviet Union and not the industrialized death camp killings. [Netzel] As best we can tell, this was less commonly known even among the officer corps. If so, it would have then been known by a relatively small number of Germans. And we are less sure about the average enlisted Whermacht soldiers. And here we also need to descriminate between the men which participated in Barbarossa (summer 1941) and the young conscripts called up subsequently (1942-45). While most of the killing was done by the SS, Wehrmacht units unitswere primrilu used in the round-ups. Except in the East, the actual killing was dine in the Ghettoes and camps. But this caried widely and Wehrmacht units were involved in some killing actions, especially in the East. We find it diffiucult to believe that Wehrmacht soldiers did not know Jews were beung killed, but knmowledge of the scale of killings, probably varied widely depending on where they were posted. It should be noted thatv the great bulk of the Germny military, especially the Heer (Army) was deployed in the East--beginning inn1941 somethiung like 80 percent. Soldiers deployed there (1941-42) wiukd have been aware of large-scale killing. After 1942, thus was somewhat less common--basically because most of the Jews in the occupied areas had already been killed.

Police

The NAZIs upon seizing power moved to NAZIfy the police, firing abny one who bwas not preored to follow the regimes orders. Actual killing was, however fairly limited. Thiusas mostly domr in the camps ny the SA and SS bfore the War. This changed when the War began (1939) and especially wuith Barbarossa (1941). The Eibsatzgruppen which followeed behinf the front lines carried actions in which more than a million Jews were murdered--mostly by shooting. Manu of the Eisatzgruppoen were recruited from the by that time throriughly NAZIfied police services.

NAZI Party

Most NAZI Pary members must have been aware of what was hao=ppenng, especully the higher ranking officials. It is unclear how much of his knowledge filtered down. We kjnow that Reich Fühere SS Hummlwer calle a meeting of the top NAZI officials and spellled out the Holocaust in detail (1943). It is unclear how many, if any, actually did not know. Himmler did not call this meeting because they did not know, it was to mke sure that they were all in, participants in the crime. We do not know how far doen the ranks knowledge went. W think it was fairly wide spread, although the level of understanding us unckear.

Government Ministries

The Holocaust was a huge undertaking. It involved coordinating quite a nunber oif minitries, This was done at Wannsee (Febuary 1942). To accomplish this SD Chief Heydrich and his aide Eichmann called tother representtives of the Reich Interior Ministry), Four-Year Plan, Reich Justice Ministry, Office Government General (Occupie Poland), Foreign Office, Reich Chancellery, Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories, Race and Settlement Main Office, the Reich Security Main Office, and the Security Police and SD. Not at Wannsee, but heavily involved were the Economny Ministry, and the Reich Bank. This mean that knowlefge of ythe Holcaust went far beyound the SS in the German Government. Just how far within the structure of these offices and ministries knowldge went is unclkear. much

German Businssmen and Workers

Jews were used as slave labor by large numbers of German companies and employees there would have been exposed to what was happening. As more and more workerswere called up, to keep production going, they were replaced with slave labor. Thus mny Germans had personal knowkledge as to hiw these peoplewere being treated. Many were not Jews, but somewere.

Reichbahn

The German railway system organized the transport of large numbers of Jews east. Some would have know about where they were being transported and the fate that awaited them, but it is difficult to know how many. Many would have bought the idea that they were being resettled in the East. After Barbarossa, most of the killing was done in death camps under high security conditions. They were, however, transported to these camps by the Reichbahn. The Reeichban was paid for the transport.

Misconception

What may seem obvious to us know, would not have been as obvious to the German people during the War. For example, large number of Americans today because of the manupulation of the facts by the mainline American media believe that the IRS scandal is a 'phony' scandal. Also not well known is the degree of collusion between Democrat officials, he FNI, and the media to outst President, thus invalidating the 2016 ekectioin and this is in a country with a totally cointrolled media has to be conidered. The level of knowledge about genocide is, however, a question that needs to be pursued in more detail nd will probably never be nbserred in any certainty.

Sources

Neitzel, Sönke. Ed. Tapping Hitler's Generals (Frontline Books, Lobdon, 2007), 418p.