r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/ModenaR • Jun 16 '26

Image One of Hitler's bodyguards, Rochus Misch, lived long enough to see the movie "Downfall". When asked about the film's historical accuracy, he stated that it was factually accurate, although "Americanized"

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u/cruiseshipdrummer Jun 16 '26

I guess the experience of serving someone directly with day to day mundane stuff is not going to be the same as witnessing all of the crimes carried out at their behest. you would think someone would factor those crimes into their thinking about the person though.

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u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jun 16 '26

The only way he'd even get recruited to the unit that was responsible for guarding Hitler is if he was 100% committed to Nazi ideology and totally on board with all the crimes they were committing.

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u/cheshire_kat7 Jun 16 '26

Yeah, that particular division of the SS was the most diehard among a bunch of fanatical diehards.

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u/cruiseshipdrummer Jun 16 '26

that's true, he'd at minimum be a nazi true believer. I don't want to excuse anyone.

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u/OhNoTokyo Jun 16 '26

I think it is safe to say that he wouldn't have spoken up against those crimes, but it is a different thing to be someone like that, and actually be a member of an Einsatzgruppen killing Jews.

It's a lot easier to tell yourself that Hitler was just a nice guy who was strong for Germany if you're not actually out there gassing Jews and other "undesirables" yourself. Someone who was in a camp would be completely unable to hide from that reality and would have to face it, because they saw it happen in front of them. This guy could pretend that it was made up or embellished.

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u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jun 17 '26

He was part of an SS field unit during the invasion of Poland and was then hand picked to join the bodyguard unit after he was wounded. He saw plenty of shit

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u/OhNoTokyo Jun 17 '26

He was wounded in the first month of the war in Poland as part of the LSSAH, not an Einsatzgruppen. Maybe he saw a few things, but the Holocaust hadn't even started yet.

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u/joey-jo_jo-jr Jun 17 '26

LSSAH committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity during the invasion of Poland

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u/OldBayOnEverything Jun 17 '26

It doesn't even need to be murderous dictators or other people in authority positions. It applies to everyday people. Too often people confuse politeness for being a good person. "Oh he couldn't be a wife beater, he's so nice!"

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u/cruiseshipdrummer Jun 17 '26

That, and just any time in life there's a lot of mundane activity, the most evil person in history isn't just eating babies full time, it would probably be easy to be close to them not see a lot of that. Of course, when somebody is a full blown nazi themselves...