english born june german junior squad leader stationed concentration camp responsibilities included counting money taken prisoners charge personal property prisoners arrived occasions witnessed procedures mass killing camp transferred combat unit october captured british june unit surrendered eventually transferred britain prisoner war worked forced return germany led normal life reluctant talk time years later decided activities public learning holocaust denial openly criticised deny events witnessed ideology recorded accounts provided bbc contributed decision ability prosecute record activist holocaust taken consideration notable german willing public statements experience soldier self exposed life public scrutiny september charged german prosecutors murder cases role concentration camp trial began april court ruled age fit stand trial trial held germany july found guilty mass murder sentenced years imprisonment early life born son strict conservative skilled textile worker mother died father proud nationalist joined germany defeat world war anger germany treated following treaty versailles increased textile business went bankrupt insufficient capital states childhood discipline obedience authority fascinated military uniforms earliest memories looking photos grandfather served elite regiment horse playing trumpet joined youth organisation small boy 1930s later nazis came power influenced family values felt germany believed nazis people wanted best germany participated burning books written jews authors nazis considered belief helping germany free alien culture considered having positive effect economy pointing lower unemployment left school high marks began bank clerk war declared shortly started employment present immediately army allowed remaining banking careers relatively short time despite opportunities colleagues inspired germany quick victories france poland wanted contribute career wanted join elite army unit set sights joining father knowledge hotel recruiting says father disappointed learn came home having joined describes desk person content role salary administration granted administrative military aspects wanted career arrival worked year ordered desk jobs reserved injured veterans fit members administrative roles subjected challenging duties colleagues travelled berlin reported economic offices given lecture high ranking officers reminded oath loyalty took prove difficult task task secret comrades sign declaration disclose family friends people unit concluded split smaller groups taken berlin stations boarded train direction orders report commandant place heard arrival main camp given provisional barracks warmly greeted fellow men provided food surprised food items available addition basic rations new arrivals curious function served told find special kind concentration camp immediately opened door shouted transport causing people leave room day arrivals reported central administrative building asked background war officers said bank clerk skills useful took barracks prisoners money kept told prisoners registered camp money stored later returned left clear normal camp average rations served additional function informed money taken interned jews actually returned colleagues confirmed jews systematically included transport prisoners arrived previous night tasks responsibilities included counting multitude taken arriving sending berlin guarding belongings arrivals said learn process later accepted stating work routine months bureaucratic job shield completely physical acts process early day saw children hidden train people unable walk remained rubbish debris selection process completed shot heard baby crying child lying ramp wrapped mother left knew women sent gas chambers immediately saw soldier grab baby legs crying bothered smashed baby head iron truck silent witnessing claims went boss told work stating jews necessary certain framework claims superior officer denied request citing document signed posted forcing continue work night end comrades barracks outskirts awakened alarm told number jews taken gas chambers escaped hidden woods ordered pistols search woods group arrived area camp saw farmhouse men bodies seven prisoners caught shot men told comrades home decided hang shadows woods watched man gas mask emptied tin hatch cottage wall said noise inside turned screaming minute silence later showed bodies burnt pit told details burning gases developed body burning corpses claims disrupted relative job gave claims complained superior boss listened reminded pledge comrades returned work declared manipulated life avoid witnessing camp aspects great_britain application transfer unit line successful joined unit fighting wounded sent field hospital rejoining unit eventually surrendered british june birthday realised declaring involvement concentration camp negative response tried draw attention putting form given british worked instead victor right things happened comply human rights rest colleagues imprisoned old nazi concentration camp later sent britain forced comfortable life ate good food earned money travelled scotland giving concerts months singing german hymns traditional english folk songs british audiences return germany released returned germany reunited wife said girl favour don ask unable regain job bank having member got job glass factory working way management position head personnel honorary judge industrial tribunal cases return germany lived father law dinner table silly remark implying potential real murderer said enraged fist table demanding word connection mentioned presence said request respected views holocaust denial led normal middle class life war keen stamp collector local club annual meeting years war fell conversation politics man man told terrible holocaust denial illegal germany went tell bodies burnt volume gas supposed killed living things vicinity said little response statements know little discuss time man recommended pamphlet holocaust obtained copy having written commentary included words saw writes gas chambers selection process half million jews murdered began receiving phone calls letters strangers tried tell actually place human beings gas chambers apparent comments condemning holocaust denial printed neo nazi magazine anonymous calls letters people tried prove seen eyes experienced big big mistake big hadn happened result comments decided speak openly experiences publicly people maintain events witnessed happened says message holocaust seen seen burning pits want believe atrocities happened wrote memoirs family consisting pages contemporary comments consider guilty crime fact way directly involved killing describes machine small gears gave guilt turn citing summons testify member accused murdering prisoners says innocent eyes law pointing fact spoke witness defendant book dvd set titled nazis final solution author indicates requested leave witnessed killing objection basis practical implementation general principle mass enemies said thought time justified nazi propaganda subjected germany enemies destroyed tools destruction gas chambers particular significance says feelings seeing people knowing hours live ambiguous explains children murdered children enemy danger blood grow dangerous jews points ultra nationalist upbringing indication able justify helpless children says gas chambers eventually dawn heard screams writes describes time talking result post war speaks time contributed running death camp modern nazi ideology says screams gas chambers left returned shame says feels guilt jewish people organisation committed crimes despite having perpetrators asks forgiveness god jewish people criminal charges trial september reported charged state prosecutors having murder role receiving processing prisoners personal belongings indictment stated economically advanced nazi_germany aided systematic killing hungarian jews deported railway transports summer prosecution reported germany final effort bring nazi war crimes suspects justice state prosecutors managed charge defendant legal precedent set conviction camp guard court munich trial commenced april opening statement asked forgiveness mainly clerical role summer saying question share moral guilt year old told judges acknowledging knew jews prisoners ask forgiveness share morally guilt guilty criminal law decide trial gave evidence years old arrived testified twin sister cruel medical experiments conducted lost parents older sisters embraced defendant giving evidence holocaust survivors courtroom protested gesture witness years old time entry described brutality camp including gold teeth dead victims year old gave evidence taken hungary describing living conditions encountered said girls losing weight weren able use minds anymore day year old born hungary religious jewish family gave evidence testified years old arrived brother lost parents seven siblings holocaust july year old survivor united_states testified family torn apart arrival mass hungarian jews lost parents siblings cousins verdict sentence july found guilty murder jews reacting sentence survivor said disappointed adding trying teach lesson commit crime punished think court acted properly sentencing years jail late kind sentence preference sentence community service speaking neo nazis like court prove survivor years jail benefit anybody defence lawyer quoted saying review verdict deciding appeal appeal required lodged week
Oskar Gröning