Sergeant Ernst Hergert Character Analysis

Browning uses the name “Ernst Hergert” as an alias for a sergeant of Reserve Police Battalion 101’s First Platoon of Second Company. Sergeant Hergert is notable for coming up with a process of rounding up Jews from the marketplace, bringing them right to the gravesites in the forest, shooting them, and then gradually moving closer to the path. This significantly sped up the execution process at Józefów. However, he, like Sergeant Keller, doesn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about the violence—he doesn’t develop a sadistic streak like Lieutenant Gnade or berate those who don’t want to participate like First Sergeant Kammer. Hergert is unique in that he encourages his men to shoot at least once and then freely excuses the men who are clearly struggling or admit that they can’t go on. This places him in sort of a middle position between enjoying the violence and being adamantly opposed to it. Despite this, Browning concludes that all those who chose to take part in the massacres and violence, even if they just gave orders, are guilty. This means that Hergert is morally culpable and his choices should not be excused just because he was following orders or because he showed some leniency towards those who didn’t want to shoot.