My Nazi Family | Silent History | Full Documentary

After the WW2, German solders returned home and kept quiet about their actions. What was the price of this silence?

The atrocities committed by the Nazis have been widely discussed at a general level since the Second World War. Less attention has been paid to the fact that the perpetrators of the atrocities have kept quiet about their actions to their own descendants.

This wall of silence has descended around the actions that have been done but that have not been handled and talked about within families. The silence has grown these things into problems that will last for generations.

The documentary My Nazi Family opens perspectives on the consequences of silence and why the antisemitism is growing again. This is reflected in the true stories of the three German families, where the past and the present meet in surprising ways.

The documentary deals with themes of hatred, war and violence and is not recommended for children under 12 years of age

Director: Ruut Ahonen
Interviewees: Jobst Bittner, Frank Pfeiffer, Caroline Hohnecker, Friedhelm Chmell, Rita Kasimow Brown
Length: 45 minutes
Languages: English ja German (subtitled English, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Japanese and Finnish)
Published: April 2022
Producer: Mika Ahonen
Production: Hurttimurtti

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[madonnaroberts]

Powerful, moving and hopeful. I had never considered the trauma passed on in perpetrators families. These family members are very courageous for facing the past.

[kjk]

I am German myself. My grandfather was forced to fight on the French front in the Second World War. He was only 15 years old. One day, soldiers came and simply took him away as the eldest son in the family. There was no "I don't want to." You either went with them or you were shot. They are also said to have threatened his whole family, including his younger siblings. His uncle had already "disappeared" at this point after making negative comments about the regime. He only spoke to me once about the war and he was shaking and crying. He was a good person and wasn't a bad father either. I just wanted to say that here. Not all German soldiers were also Nazis.

[johnhenderson]

This is a perfect example of why history is so important and why we must understand and learn from the past. To ensure such horror, misery, suffering and death is never repeated.

[eldaveo]

Im a New Zealander. My grandfather fought in the Somme in WW1 as an 18 year old. He came back, but never had any emtional relationships. He had 4 kids but never spoke to anyone and rejected society as a whole. He eventually shot his head off at a family dinner. War is the most disgusting thing to exist.

I am still proud of him. He was a kid when he fought that war. A very small percentage of his battalion came home. He saw things no one should ever see. My father said he would shriek in his sleep right untill the end.

I hope the world won't enter another war like WW1 or WW2. It destroyed my family, and we are from a tiny island at the bottom of the world. No one will escape it.

[carinfoce]

A profound insight. Thank you for sharing. As an Afrikaans South African I relate to this very deeply.

[leobell]

This is one of the greatest documentaries ever regarding WW2. This is the first documentary that I know of from the perspective of a Nazi family and the painful guilt they're feeling to this very day because of the crimes of the generations before them. The forgiveness that they're asking for for crimes they did not commit, but for the crimes of their forefathers is profound and heart breaking.

This documentary, among many others about WW2, should be shown in all history classes throughout the world. It's more than just about the Jews and the Nazis, it's about humanity and how all peoples should treat each other with respect, compassion, tolerance, understanding, foregiveness and even love.

Indifference is destructive, muderous and at times castastrophic.

Leo

[debbiemerls]

I am British. My grandparents served during World War Two. This was a very moving and frank documentary. Thank you to the people for sharing what must be very difficult stories.

[patriciastupak]

Incredibly brave people to face their families past and to face their own broken hearts.God bless all of you...

[chrismack]

I learned through tough times that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Thank you truly for this video. It touched me deeply.

[shaft_raiser]

This is such a refreshing view of WWII from a side you almost never hear about. These men are my father's age and to find out your grandfather was part of the killing machine must be hard to swallow to say the least.

[t.l.]

9:56 These clips always hit hard for me. I took care of one of these girls, as an older woman in hospice. She’d have night terrors & rip at her arm, ripping skin off. During the day, she’d talk but often stare off in silence, thousand yard stare. I’ll never forget it.

Nothing but respect for these family’s doing this level soul searching and digging for answers to questions they don’t really want the answers to. Gives me hope. ❤

[dokskwyr]

Powerful, moving, and inspirational. Should be required viewing world-wide. Think of how much suffering it could help resolve.

[mattiaskaeg]

Bei uns ist in der Familie auch nichts bekannt von der damaligen Zeit. Ein Großvater hat Selbstmord begangen und der andere ist in Pforzheim aufgewachsen nach dem Krieg und hat nie etwas über seine Kindheit und Jugend erzählen wollen bis er gestorben ist. Ganz großartige Arbeit und danke für die persönlichen Einblicke an alle Teilnehmer. MfG Matthias

[johnful]

I am a 72 year old Englishman, who has watched lots of WW2 docs, and still to this day I can't see what the Jewish people did wrong and to be hated by so many people

[carpathiangirl]

I came across a book written by a descendant of a Hungarian noble family who describes and acknowledges the actions of family members who collaborated with the Nazis in WWII. I thought it was a courageous book. As descendents of ancestors who committed war crimes, we have an obligation to seriously acknowledge the atrocities thst took place and our families role in those atrocities. I also think that we have an obligation to atone for those deeds by ensuring that in our own behaviour we treat all with respect and particularly treat minorities with dignity and respect. The book referred to is by Sacha Bathayany 2017 A Crime in the Family: A World War Secret Buried in Silence and My Search for the Truth.

[dementedopossum]

My father was 15 when the war ended, he never spoke about it but it was clear to see he suffered from survivors guilt. He would watch a war movie and then have nightmares. He was emotionally fairly closed off. No hugs or kisses, no emotions, boys don't cry...

[TheMaryk]

Wow. I'm a 40 year old german woman, my grandmother was born in 1931. Her family was evacuated when war had reached the little village they were living. Our hometown was hit 3 times by allied bombers because the frontline went straight through the village they were living for about 4 month. My grandma was a young girl when they were told to be safe back at home, but they were not. The 3. Attack hit their home an she was burried under the remains of their house for 2 days, until the allied arrived and saved them. My grandmothers family were constantly trying to escape and survive war. Honestly I feel no guild but I feel like I had been in a rush my whole life, I feel like I want to hide because I don't want to bee seen..trying to escape from something I can't see or something I don't know.
It took me years to figure out, that granmas emotions are still running through my blood.

[maggietinsley]

It brings me such joy to see that Christ is the motivation for many to bring restoration.

[evangelineniangti]

Where there is great pain...there is also great love... So grateful for this documentary and the speakers... it's something I have always wondered...🙏

[ecuadorexpat]

I am German born right after the holocaust and end of war..my father was sent to Stalingrad ..he got injured in Poland ..I know how these people feel as I am convinced that my father saw and maybe even participated in Atrocities ..my life has been greatly affected by this and I had years of depression 😢😢 until I met Mr Alexander Lebenstein Curator of the Holocaust museum in Richmond VA and Holocaust survivor..We talked often and he gave me peace in some form ...