That choice could be serving in the Army on active service or (it is said) a concentration camp guard. At first the propaganda of the authorities was that these camps were a work camp. This was to allay suspicions. This by the unfortunate people who were then sent to these camps. Of course, once the system was in place, we in England became aware of the atrocities. I saw the films in 1944.
I offer that a 19 year old could not have known of the horror within. By then it was too late. My problem is of knowing just how many of any population would dare to go in the face of psychopaths. If those thugs could destroy them. Not too many, I fear.
Of course most present day Germans would have stood up to the Gestapo. (s)
This is true... there would have been plenty of lies being spread around by Hitler’s gang... and Hitler had seemed to be semi-reasonable only a few years before. The country at large did not know he was regularly blowing his top by this time.