I am coming in late to this discussion and dont have much to add to what has been said. I do however have a very unique perspective, my mother in law is german. She fled in 45 when the Russians invaded and she made her way toward the americans and by family connection in holland she got out and to the states.

She was 15 at the time of her departure and we have talked at length about Germany in the prewar and war era. The one piece that has been absent from the discussion that i see is the overwhelming guilt of the german people.

To give you the gist of her feelings, and most of us do understand this premise, hitler brought a fiercely nationalistic people back to nationalism. They all believed in him, truly, they bought in hook line and sinker. Now her story is that for her, she was told that the Jews were undesirables attempting to corrupt the new German nation (yadda yadda).

You see they had no reason not to believe Hitler, and then once at war and realizing the state they were in they were forced to believe him as there was little individuals could do, save risking thier own necks. Her brother was apart of the hitler youth, they regularly monitored thier town for jews and thier goings on.

She carries great shame over it, and she believes that the genocide in germany is most prevelant due to the true nature of the peoples shame and remorse. You see, she as a german dosent hide from it, dosent rebuttal the arguments and dosent attempt to gloss it over with time and conditions on the ground.

This attitude which she claims is now part of the German national identity contributes to the ability to keep the discussion alive. Again this is my two cents from a secondary source, but i feel its a valid point to make, that the peoples involved in this genocide arent expending thier energy attempting to justify it.