Most did not know. I knew/know a LOT of Germans that were alive during the war (including my mom).
I will clarify this by saying none were near active camps.
I will add to this by mentioning that despite anything the Germans did it does not justify the raping and pillaging of Eastern Germany by the invading Soviets, which was encouraged by Soviet leaders. I thank God every day my mom was in western Germany.
-SB
Most did not know. I knew/know a LOT of Germans that were alive during the war (including my mom).
I will clarify this by saying none were near active camps.
I will add to this by mentioning that despite anything the Germans did it does not justify the raping and pillaging of Eastern Germany by the invading Soviets, which was encouraged by Soviet leaders. I thank God every day my mom was in western Germany.
-SB
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What you are saying is possible. If you look at the map where the concentration camps were placed it is possible that some German people didn’t know. But any town near(I forget how many kilometers before the smell wouldn’t be there) a crematorium people would have known. Concentration camps in the beginning didn’t have the ovens. They used the local crematoriums until too many were dying then they had to build ovens so that many bodies could be burned at once.
The Soviets took advantage of the situation. The Allies gave way too much leeway to Stalin and his henchman’s part in crushing Hitlers Army.
The soviets basically proved everything the Nazi leaders had said about them.