These are historical facts.
The above facts do not excuse the comments of Grass. If you wish to form a more compelling argument, you should focus on his statements, not your misplaced assumptions about his background.
Waffen SS are nobody to defend or admire. It amazes me to see the subculture of people who make excuses for them. The differences between Waffen SS, SS Police battalions, and ensatzgruppen were at best,,, academic. (at least to an innocent Ukranian or French civilian.
The Das Reich division, is a good example. Waffen SS that everyone says were just elite soldiers, and not the “bad” SS we should hate. In April 1941 they assisted an SS extermination squad in shooting 920 Jews near Minsk. The same division was involved in the murders at Orador-sur-Glane in France in 1944.
And it was SS that murdered unarmer US prisoners at Malmedy.
These are historical facts:
The Waffen SS has a proven track record, that when ordered, or even when they saw it suited their immediate military goal of they day, was more than willing to aim right at a mothers face as she held her child, and shoot her.
And all SS doors lead straight to Himmler.
It’s shameful to act like there is any serious difference.
So while there might indeed be be an individual in the SS, here and there,, who had a conscience, it is very fair to hold ANY SS in contempt unless as an individual, they have a demonstrated track record that would set them FAR apart from the evil organization in which they “served”.
An example of an elite organization might be the US Marines, or the American airborne. I can imagine what their reaction would be if ever ORDERED to round up everyone in the town, even mothers and children,, put them in a barn and burn them alive. Or to assist with security in the in mass murder of every Jew in town.
Probably the best reason to hate the SS and nazis in general is for what happened in Ukraine. Coming so soon after Stalins forced starvation genocide, large numbers of Ukrainians actually welcomed the Germans, thinking they were going to be their salvation.
I can think of no worse evil than that kind of betrayal. It would be like coming upon a woman being raped, and after shooting her attacker,,,deciding to torture and kill her.
And if you were ever in the SS,, polite society would prefer you STFU on the topic of Jews and Israel. There are a million other political topics in which to immerse oneself.