Let me begin by saying everyone has a choice. On one hand I do not believe it is fair to view people like Stangl as inhuman and evil because he is under the direction of a higher power (Adolf Hitler). On the other hand he chose to follow Hitler and accepted the position as a commandant. He chose to treat innocent people inhumanely and watch them being murdered every day. It was his job to oversee the concentration camp and execute Hitler’s orders. He called the prisoners “cargo” and says he feels grief. I think he only feels grief because he was caught. If he had not followed Hitler he could have been tortured and killed in a concentration camp. So choosing between keeping his own life and killing others’, and getting killed must have been a tough decision. No one can fully understand the emotional impact this had on Stangl and other commandants unless we were to walk in their shoes. Yes, Stangl’s responses changed my view of the Nazi officers because even though what he did was appalling and inhumane, he still had a hard time adjusting to it at first. He also had a difficult time getting the concentration camps off his mind. It showed how some commandants truly regret what they did, some did not regret it at all, and others somewhat regretted it.

Stangl coped with his job at the death camp by drinking. Every night he would drink brandy to get the camps off his mind. I think this is a horrible tactic because he most likely got drunk which would cause different behaviors the next day. He could have made worse decisions than necessary but it worked for him so to him it was a good tactic.

Based on Stangl’s responses I do not think he fully regrets what he did. He calls the prisoners “cargo” and says that was all they were to him. Though he kept referring to the bodies and what they looked like, I think that is just what he remembered. Anyone, whether good or bad, would remember the vivid descriptions of the bodies. I think during this interview he might have made himself sound more regretful and innocent than he actually was.