Ordinary Men: The "Forgotten Holocaust"

"Ordinary Men: The "Forgotten Holocaust" is a German documentary film by director Manfred Oldenburg and producer Leopold Hoesch from 2021. The film was broadcast on ZDF on 25 January 2022.

Synopsis
75 years after the end of the Nuremberg trial of the Major War Criminals, this documentary takes a look at another trial that made history. The Einsatzgruppen trial against members of four death squads from the security police and SD, the security service of the SS, is considered the largest murder trial in history. Tens of thousands of Germans belonged to the mobile commandos of the Einsatzgruppen and police battalions. The film takes a look at who these men were and how they were able to commit such crimes, what the few survivors reported and how they were able to escape the mass murder.

Director Manfred Oldenburg traces the path of one of the murder battalions using written records, original documents, film footage and photos as well as scenic reconstructions. Historians and social psychologists give their opinions.

Benjamin Ferencz plays a central role in the film. The American lawyer made world history and was chief prosecutor in Nuremberg against leading members of the so-called "Einsatzgruppen". A recent in-depth interview with Ferencz, who then was one hundred and one years old, forms a key element of the film.

Production and distribution
The film is a co-production of Broadview Pictures and ZDF. It was released on the streaming platform Netflix 6 June 2023.