Definitely not a hero all-things-considered, but Albert Speer refused to obey Hitler’s Nero Decree of March 19, 1945, which ordered the destruction of “All military transport and communication facilities, industrial establishments and supply depots, as well as anything else of value within Reich territory that could in any way be used by the enemy immediately or within the foreseeable future for the prosecution of the war.”
Another example of good moral behavior by Nazis: Dietrich von Choltitz was the commanding officer in charge of occupied of Paris in 1944 as Allied armies were closing in. Hitler demanded that Paris be razed as the German army retreated, but Choltitz refused. From Wikipedia:
On the 23 August, Hitler gave the order to destroy the city by cable: “Paris must not pass into the enemy’s hands, except as a field of ruins.”, after which explosives were laid at various bridges and monuments (which later had to be de-mined[14]).
With the arrival of Allied troops on the edge of the city at dawn the next day on the 24th, Choltitz made the decision not to destroy the city, and on 25 August, surrendered the German garrison, not to the Supreme Allied Command, but rather to representatives of the provisional government, the Free French.[11] Because Hitler’s directive was not carried out, Choltitz is often seen as the “Saviour of Paris”.[15][16]
Hitler did not completely give up on the destruction, with the Luftwaffe conducting an incendiary bombing raid on August 26, and V2 rockets fired from Belgium, causing extensive damage.[14]
The events leading up to the surrender were the subject of a 1951 memoir written by General von Choltitz, where he took credit for disobeying Hitler’s orders and saving Paris because of its obvious military futility, his affection for the French capital’s history and culture, and his belief that Hitler had by then become insane. His motivation not to destroy the city may have been made in part because it was a futile and destructive gesture, but also in order to ensure his better treatment after capitulation.[20] The memoirs also state that he was persuaded to spare the city in part by an all-night meeting with Nordling on the night of 24 August. He did hold several meetings with Nordling, along with the president of the municipal council, Pierre Taittinger, hoping to limit the bloodshed and damage to the city, and which led to the release of some political prisoners.
As Wikipedia notes, the decision to spare the city was almost overdetermined… at some point as you get increasingly late in the war, ignoring the crazy orders from Berlin is less moral heroism than basic practicality.
Also, similarly to Deng Xiaoping and Nikita Khrushchev who I mentioned in my answer, it is a bit too easy for these people to look morally exemplary and make big improvements to their society, since it isn’t hard to be morally superior to Hitler, Mao, or Stalin!!
Also, similarly to Deng Xiaoping and Nikita Khrushchev who I mentioned in my answer, it is a bit too easy for these people to look morally exemplary and make big improvements to their society, since it isn’t hard to be morally superior to Hitler, Mao, or Stalin!!
Also, another problem is that it reinforces the myth of the Clean Wehrmacht, where regular soldiers did not play a role in massacring Jews, Soviets and civilians.
Definitely not a hero all-things-considered, but Albert Speer refused to obey Hitler’s Nero Decree of March 19, 1945, which ordered the destruction of “All military transport and communication facilities, industrial establishments and supply depots, as well as anything else of value within Reich territory that could in any way be used by the enemy immediately or within the foreseeable future for the prosecution of the war.”
Another example of good moral behavior by Nazis: Dietrich von Choltitz was the commanding officer in charge of occupied of Paris in 1944 as Allied armies were closing in. Hitler demanded that Paris be razed as the German army retreated, but Choltitz refused. From Wikipedia:
As Wikipedia notes, the decision to spare the city was almost overdetermined… at some point as you get increasingly late in the war, ignoring the crazy orders from Berlin is less moral heroism than basic practicality.
Also, similarly to Deng Xiaoping and Nikita Khrushchev who I mentioned in my answer, it is a bit too easy for these people to look morally exemplary and make big improvements to their society, since it isn’t hard to be morally superior to Hitler, Mao, or Stalin!!
Also, another problem is that it reinforces the myth of the Clean Wehrmacht, where regular soldiers did not play a role in massacring Jews, Soviets and civilians.
Here’s a link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_clean_Wehrmacht?oldformat=true