This book focuses on a specific group, Police Batalion 101 of the SS, and is based on court documents following the interrogation and investigation of these men. The writer covers the demographic of these men and the evolution of their behavior in the SS with great detail. The description of their actions is very thorough and accurate, with the writer almost adopting a text book style approach. This was good because it eliminated all personal bias that could mess with the validity of the book, but sometimes it feels a little too dry and specific. He focuses on individuals of the group rather than the whole unit, and covers the spectrum of their behaviors from cautious bystander to malevolent participant. This book answers a lot of my questions as to why ‘ordinary men’ would turn into Nazis. In the end he debunks the hypothesis that antisemitism was the driving force behind their actions, and rather that peer influence and conformity to authority played the largest role in shaping their behaviors. In the end the book is quite informative and I’d recommend it if you’re willing to put up with the disturbing content about the gross actions that these ordinary men took part in.