Hans Becker and the Holocaust

Cem Savas

The word Holocaust means "widespread destruction." It took place during World War II as Adolf Hitler's plan for conquering the world. Hitler, the Nazi dictator, planned to carry out his aim by destroying the Jewish population. Hans Becker was in the World War. He told me his story about the Holocaust.

During August 1998 and 1999, I had to do my civilian service for the German Republic. Even man who is older than 18 years has to join the Army for nine months. I didn't join the Army directly; that means I did civilian service, which extended my service time to 13 months. I joined the Red Cross, where I was stationed at an old people's day home. At this place I met a man who was 98 years old, and he had joined the German Army in the Second World War, which was unforgettable for him. He never talked about the war. I think now about Hans Becker and his life because I knew that he saw all those terrible things. I wasn't sure if I could talk to him about the history, because I didn't want to force him to explain things he might not want to talk about.

However, one time he asked me why I didn't join the Army. I wasn't sure about my answer because I didn't want to hurt his feelings about the Army and its functions in society, so I just told him that I like to help older people. Suddenly, he started to talk about his past and the Second World War. We were both sitting in comfortable chairs, and we were drinking decaffeinated coffee. I probably won't forget this time ever in my life. I don't think I even asked him one question during that whole period he was talking.

Hans Becker was 33 years old when Adolf Hitler took power in 1933, old enough to understand what was going on in his country. He said that Hitler was a very powerful man. Hitler wasn't really that smart in school, but he had will and hate in his blood. Becker said that he never thought about discriminating against other people with different beliefs, but Hitler just made them believe what he said. I could see shame in Becker's eyes. They were close to crying, but he didn't stop talking. I was very interested, so I let him talk. Whenever the name Hitler came out of his mouth, he got an expression of rage and anger. Sometimes, he was shaking.

"In 1938, it started by the Nazis forcing the Jewish culture to go to concentration camps. After the Nazis cleared out the Jewish neighborhoods, they would burn them down leaving no trace." Becker, who had been a Nazi, stopped talking for a second and then continued. "Jews who did not go to concentration camps went to ghettos to work as slaves. No matter how many Jews we had, we always went after more and more." Becker was breathing deeply, and his voice was getting more quiet, but he whispered and continued with his story. "After taking over Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Frace, Norway and the Netherlands, Hitler began the mass murder of the Jews. I had to mistreat Jews. I really didn't want to do that, but after a while I didn't think about it any more. I couldn't understand what's going on around me."

I was disgusted by Becker, but I didn't show him my feelings. He couldn't look in my eyes. He was always looking at the floor. I had known a lot about the Second World War, but this man let me feel it. The next things he told me were so nauseating that I had to get up and get some fresh air. Becker stopped talking for a while and asked me if I wanted to hear more. I sat down and nodded to him.

"We had to bring the dead Jews to private zoos where they were fed to the bears. Husbands were forced to have sex with other's wives in front of their children. Women were forced to have sexual relations with animals. Soldiers practiced their gunsmanship by shooting a Jew's fingertips and noses. Jewish babies were launched into the air and skewered by bayonets in front of their mothers. Prisoners were used as guinea pigs to test how long a human could go without oxygen, how long one could tolerate cold water, and to obsereve the effect of injected deadlly germs."

I was shocked. I couldn't say anything. I was just thinking, what the hell am I doing here? I was helping a 98-year-old man who was part of the Hitler regime, but after a while I recognized that he was guilty and guiltless at the same time. How would it be if I had been born at his time? Would I act the same? Wasn't there anybody who could stop Hitler? Questions I asked myself were answered by Hans Becker.

"I know what you think, but there was no way to disappear. Believe me, son, not many people could do anything about it. The pressure was so big. There was no going back anymore."

He continued to tell me his story. He knew that I wanted to hear it all. I could see his face and his skin getting whiter and whiter, but he didn't stop talking. I was worried about his situation, but there was nothing to do about it.

"In 1945, the Nazis started what was known as the 'death marches' across Germany. They were when all the Jews were forced to run to new concentration camps away from the oncoming Allied powers. They would have to run in freezing conditions non-stop. If they were to slow down, the Nazis would start shooting them. If they were to trip, they would be trampled to death by the many thousands of other Jews also running. It was horrible. The Jews ended up staying at these new camps for a short while."

I looked at my watch, and he had been talking for two hours now. He was breathing deeply. His voice was wavering. I brought him another cup of coffee and a piece of cake. It was amazing how he could remember all the dates.

"On May 7, 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered, ending World War II in Europe. Shortly after this occurred, the Jews that remained were set free and rescued by the Allied powers. On October 1, 1946, another major event that involved the Holocaust took place, the conclusion of the first major Nuremberg trials." He wasn't smiling, but his face changed from shame into doubt. "Twelve Nazi leaders were executed. Three were sentenced to life in prison, and four others received various prison terms. The number of people killed in the Holocaust has been known to be anbout 11,000,000. Not all of them were Jewish, though. The total number of Jews killed has been estimated to be around 5,8000,000." Then Hans Becker started to cry. "We killed two-thirds of the entire Jewish population."