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Captain Julius Wohlauf
Captain Wolfgang Hoffman is the commander of Reserve Police Battalion 101’s Third Company. Like Captain Wohlauf, Hoffman is a member of the SS and is younger than most of the other men in the battalion. Most of Hoffman’s men don’t actually take part in the shooting squads, but instead set up cordons and work outside of the forest where the Jews are being executed. However, in October 1942 Hoffman is ordered to help clear the ghetto at Konskowola to help make Northern Lublin judenfrei. Over the course of that day, between 1,100 and 1,600 Jews are killed by men under Hoffman’s command. The incident was apparently very traumatic for Hoffman—after the ghetto clearing, Hoffman begins experiencing mysterious stomach pains whenever he’s given orders to have his men engage in any violence or executions. These pains confine him to his bed, where he gives orders and generally harasses his men. Later, Hoffman says they must have been psychosomatic pains rooted in his psychological distress and unwillingness to take part in any more violence. At the time, however, his men badmouth him and word about his mysterious condition reaches his commanders. While seeking medical help in Germany, Hoffman finds out that Trapp has relieved him of command of Third Company. After the war, Hoffman continues his career as a policeman until the 1960s when he’s indicted and tried for war crimes. Hoffman’s sentence is initially set for eight years, but later this is reduced to four years.
Captain Wolfgang Hoffman Quotes in Ordinary Men
The Ordinary Men quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Wolfgang Hoffman or refer to Captain Wolfgang Hoffman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 7
Quotes
After explaining the battalion’s murderous assignment, he made his extraordinary offer: any of the older men who did not feel up to the task that lay before them could step out. Trapp paused, and after some moments one man from Third Company, Otto-Julius Schimke, stepped forward. Captain Hoffmann, who had arrived in Józefów directly from Zakrzów with the Third Platoon of Third Company and had not been part of the officers’ meetings in Biłgoraj the day before, was furious that one of his men had been the first to break ranks. Hoffmann began to berate Schimke, but Trapp cut him off. After he had taken Schimke under his protection, some ten or twelve other men stepped forward as well. They turned in their rifles and were told to await a further assignment from the major.
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Captain Wolfgang Hoffman Quotes in Ordinary Men
The Ordinary Men quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Wolfgang Hoffman or refer to Captain Wolfgang Hoffman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 7
Quotes
After explaining the battalion’s murderous assignment, he made his extraordinary offer: any of the older men who did not feel up to the task that lay before them could step out. Trapp paused, and after some moments one man from Third Company, Otto-Julius Schimke, stepped forward. Captain Hoffmann, who had arrived in Józefów directly from Zakrzów with the Third Platoon of Third Company and had not been part of the officers’ meetings in Biłgoraj the day before, was furious that one of his men had been the first to break ranks. Hoffmann began to berate Schimke, but Trapp cut him off. After he had taken Schimke under his protection, some ten or twelve other men stepped forward as well. They turned in their rifles and were told to await a further assignment from the major.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
