The German soldier of the Second World War is viewed by many as a great fighter-- the essence of a masculine warrior. Yet in his oath he swore "unconditional obedience," declaring that as a brave soldier he would be "prepared to give his life at all times" to Adolf Hitler--to fulfill his oath. 

The SS-man, similarly, vowed to Adolf Hitler “absolute allegiance unto death."

Beneath the fantasy of "masculine aggression" (an idea that we love and embrace) lies the reality of abject, pathetic, submission--the will to die.

From the perspective of society, to paraphrase Carolyn Marvin, we turn soldiers into murderers so that we may "kill them more easily."

German soldiers swear the Hitler oath in 1934.

The Wehrmacht Oath of Loyalty: "I swear by God this sacred oath that to the Leader of the German empire and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces, I shall render unconditional obedience and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath."

Annual midnight swearing-in of Nazi SS troops, Feldherrnhalle, Munich, 1938.

The SS Oath of Loyalty: “I vow to you, Adolf Hitler, as Führer and chancellor of the German Reich, loyalty and bravery. I vow to you and to the leaders that you set for me, absolute allegiance until death. So help me God.”