Lieutenant Heinz Buchmann Character Analysis in Ordinary Men

Lieutenant Heinz Buchmann is an alias for the commander of the First Platoon of the First Company of Reserve Police Battalion 101. Before the war, Buchmann owned and ran a family lumber business and intended to return to it after the war. Buchmann distinguishes himself as one of the very few men in the battalion who is openly opposed to using violence against the Jews. In fact, he downright refuses to play any part in the battalion’s first mass murder orders in Józefów, and so Hagen (Major Trapp’s adjutant) arranges for Buchmann to simply help transport male Jews to the work camp. After the massacre, Buchmann takes his opposition a step further by asking Trapp to secure him a transfer back to Hamburg and he even writes letters to higher-ups saying he can’t be a part of activities that are so remote from the regular duties of a policeman. Unlike so many other men, Buchmann doesn’t allow others’ criticism of his choice not to take part in the violence to deter him from continual opposition to it. The only exception is when super SS officers order him to form execution squads, but even in this situation Buchmann openly dismisses any man who doesn’t want to be a part of it. Despite Buchmann’s willingness to give violent orders when directly ordered by superior SS officers, he is among the most innocent of the individual characters Browning identifies in Ordinary Men. Ironically, he’s also one of the few who is tried for war crimes, found guilty, and sentenced to eight years in prison. Buchmann’s guilty verdict highlights the general belief that anyone who had anything to do with the crimes the Nazis perpetrated during World War II is complicit and deserving of punishment.

Lieutenant Heinz Buchmann Character Timeline in Ordinary Men

The timeline below shows where the character Lieutenant Heinz Buchmann appears in Ordinary Men. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Nationalism, War, and Ethnic Cleansing Theme Icon

...in recognition of their education and career success as civilians: Hartwig Gnade, Paul Brand, Heinz Buchmann, Oscar Peters, Walter Hoppner, Hans Scheer, and Kurt Drucker. Five of them are Nazis, but... (full context)

Peer Pressure, Conformity, and Acceptance Theme Icon

...tells the company commanders what their orders are. Lieutenant Hagen passes this information on to Buchmann, who tells Hagen that he refuses to take part in the shooting and asks for... (full context)

...ethical opposition to violence against the Jews, but it’s rare. A couple of men, including Buchmann, claim their lack of interest in a lifelong career or promotion makes it easier to... (full context)

...actively try to get themselves out of being put in such a position again, including Buchmann, who asks Trapp to get him a transfer back to Hamburg. Trapp and his superiors... (full context)

Trapp may have reconciled himself to the violence, but Buchmann evidently has not. After the Józefów massacre, Buchmann tells Trapp that he won’t take part... (full context)

...help in at least one of these shootings. Trapp isn’t there, so Security Police make Buchmann and his men help and he is present for the execution of one group. When... (full context)

...from Reserve Police Battalion 101 that have the most postwar consequences to face, but Trapp, Buchmann, and Kammer. The three men are extradited to Poland in 1947, and in 1948 they... (full context)

...them. Some of the men discussed the anti-Semitism of others. For example, many accused Grund (Buchmann’s deputy) of being a real Nazi that few people liked. (full context)

...might identify as ruthless killing machines. Trapp has a reputation for being too sentimental and Buchmann is known to be against violence. Even the younger officers, Wohlauf and Hoffmann, have less... (full context)

It is true that even the men who vocally opposed the violence (like Buchmann) still participated in other Jewish actions, such as roundups. But even then, the men were... (full context)

...zone perpetrators: men who are initially horrified become willing perpetrators with time, including those like Buchmann who tried to avoid any involvement in violent actions but participated when authorities demanded it.... (full context)