German military "tradition" bit them in the ass when they were on the losing end of the stick in that war.
Back to the Prussian days, the Germans pushed a belief among their soldiers that it was to best to make war as awful as possible to terrorize the enemy into quickly capitulating. That worked in some cases, but in many cases, it only made the enemy's resistance that much more bitter.
In World War II, the SS went whole hog with things like shooting prisoners, burning down entire towns, etc. All that bought them a reputation that had lethal consequences when the SS themselves became prisoners. And the SS understood that; that is why their "elite" panzer troops made tracks to the west as quickly as possible in 1945-- because they didn't want to face the wrath of Soviets bent upon revenge.
The entirety of the German military in that war was a case of "live by the gun, die by the gun". Personally, I have no sympathy for people like the concentration camp guards.
Cheers--
Back to the Prussian days, the Germans pushed a belief among their soldiers that it was to best to make war as awful as possible to terrorize the enemy into quickly capitulating. That worked in some cases, but in many cases, it only made the enemy's resistance that much more bitter.
In World War II, the SS went whole hog with things like shooting prisoners, burning down entire towns, etc. All that bought them a reputation that had lethal consequences when the SS themselves became prisoners. And the SS understood that; that is why their "elite" panzer troops made tracks to the west as quickly as possible in 1945-- because they didn't want to face the wrath of Soviets bent upon revenge.
The entirety of the German military in that war was a case of "live by the gun, die by the gun". Personally, I have no sympathy for people like the concentration camp guards.
Cheers--
Fire In The Hole