He remained loyal to Hitler’s memory to the end, how is it possible to respect him? It would be different if he disowned Hitler and Nazism as other German veterans did, but apparently he did not, so why would you defend him?
There are a great many older Germans who, although not outright defending Hitler, still do not believe he was a monster. I recall visiting Berchtesgaden and noticed the Nazi memorabilia on sale there. I saw framed photos of Hitler and various other mementoes. There was an active sale of these ongoing, but not by foreign visitors. They were German citizens.
In walking down an alleyway lined with specialty shops in Munchen, I noticed a small shop that specialized in the sale of photos and Nazi memorabilia.
There were several million innocents murdered by Nazi thugs specially selected to ‘serve’ in concentration camps. They were indeed responsible for herding innocent men, women and children into various chambers for the purpose of poisoning them with gas. I do believe the larger majority of Germans, even those serving in the military, were totally unaware of the carnage.
If we are anxious to condemn someone we should look towards Mao Zedong, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot and Idi Amin Dada. They each made Hitler’s regime look like pikers.
Americans should also remember that it was WWI and it’s aftermath whereby German was saddled with reparations that were totally unfair and were a direct cause of the rise of the Nazis.