JudyM
I'm afraid some degree of shame is wasted on this "gentlemen", mostly because they still see their war time past, as something they should be proud of - Many who have been in studies, and also been interuved in books about the war - have for the most part never expressed any regret doing what they did in war time - for the most part they have been full of them self - and have all type of excuses for the crimes they did - and have been more angry for the fact that after the war some of them was punished rather harshly by the soviet authorities - like a "gentleman" who was interuved for a series called "The road to Auschwitz" he was more angry of the punishment he got - after the war 10 year in hard labor by the soviet authorities - rather than about what he did - killing jews outside of the capital in Estland... where a couple of thousands was killed in a few days raid - helped of course by the germans - but where the civilian population did the job - killing the jews and plundering them for whatever wealth they had before they got killed... He was specially proud about a couple of boots he stole from some jews, who before the war had been his co-worker and friend - but now was on the verge of being killed - the logical was the jew had no use for his boots - he was in need of the boots -why should not he take them ? The fact that he was one of the murders was not even in his mind - even more than 60 year after the crime..
He was proud about his crimes - and gave noe excuse for his deed - but the fact that he got 10 year prison time becouse of it - after the war - they was something he really got angry about - because he believed he was doing his country a favor by killing of the jews, who he claimed - even after more than 60 year - was the culprit both for the fact that Ribbentrop and Molotov cut a deal with Stalin and Hitler, where Hitler basically gave the baltic states to USSR. And for the war after 1941, where Germany invaded Soviet and occupied most of its european territory until Stalingrad in 1943..
So no, I doubt any of them will show any regret - or shame about what they was doing in the war - for them it is a matter of "Honor" and they would seldom give any excuse for their duty as german soldiers...
Even our "own front fighters" who in the last couple of years have tried to "tell their side of the story" have never said that they was ashamed about what they did in the war - they have even publicly said they are proud over the fact they was on the german side - mostly because they was fighting against "the evil of communism"... The fact that some attachment of Waffen SS, (the Norwegians who reported to duty for the germans was enrolled in the Waffen SS in two brigades - one of them was Viking) possible also was in the rear area where Einzats-gruppen was operating killing off jews and civilians accused of being part of the former soviet leadership - have never really been proven - even though it is some evidence about some attachments of the brigades might have been in the area - and maybe even part of the killing.... After the war - most of them was arrested when they arrived in Norway - and given prison time for their crimes as soldiers for the germans in the war - most of them was given lengthy prison time - and rather stiff fines at the time - most of them was also shunned by the locals - as traitors... But now, after more than 60 years some of them is trying to "soften the idea of Waffen SS soldiers" and have tried to distance them self - from the fact Waffen SS did some of the worst crimes at the soviet front under the war - against sivilians...
Non of them - have ever show any regret for the crimes, who at least was made in their name - or what they them self did in the war - I doubt any of the guards who was in the KZ camps will show any regret for what they did - for some they might be heroes from the past - who was "real german" in their worldviews. Even after so many years - they have an idea of the world, who is dangerous - and poison for everyone who do not know about the past...
Dicloticn
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