heroes or traitors?

[durb]

Maybe related to this thread is the following famous defection:

"One of the first aircraft from the Junkers 88 R-1 series that went into service (Werknummer 360043) was involved in one of the most significant defections which the Luftwaffe suffered. On 9 May 1943, this night fighter (D5+EV), which was stationed with 10./NJG 3 in Aalborg Denmark, flew to the RAF Station at Dyce (now Aberdeen Airport) with its entire crew and complete electronic equipment on board. The fact that Spitfire Vb fighters No.165 (Ceylon) Squadron escorted it towards the end of its flight could indicate that its arrival had been expected. It was immediately transferred to Farnborough Airfield, received RAF markings and serial (PJ876), and was tested in great detail.[20] The preserved aircraft is on exhibit at the RAF Museum, as one of the first two intact Ju 88s in aviation museums. The Luftwaffe only learned of this defection the following month when members of the crew, pilot Oberleutnant Heinrich Schmitt (son of the then secretary to the ministry for foreign affairs Gustav Stresemann) and Oberfeldwebel Paul Rosenberger made broadcasts on British radio." (Wiki)

I have read memoirs of some Luftwaffe veterans which referred to this defection and they condemned strongly the defectors as traitors - arguing also that the defectors facilitated the British nightbombing campaing against German cities by revealing German nightfighter technology secrets and being thus responsible of the death of thousands of German civilians! I guess that the defected aircrew was not welcome to Germany in afterwar years... Also on Marlene Dietrich I have read that even after the war many Germans considered her as a traitor for "collaborating" with the enemies of Germany.

Patriotism has two faces: normally it is considered as a great virtue but the more controversial is the idea of "right or wrong, but my country above all". Patriotism may make people to follow totalitarian leaders who exploit the patriotism. I bet that there were many Germans who were not Nazis but nevertheless fought for Hitler because of patriotism. Fighting for Hitler in 1939-1945 was fighting for Germany. Lets also remember that all Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine officers and men were bound to Hitler by obligatory loalty oath. Rebelling against Hitler was breaking the sacred oath and thus breaking against Germany.

Were all those Germans who left the country and joined the Allied cause simply traitors? From the point of view of traditional patriotism they probably were... However I guess that German Jews were a exception of the rule - who could demand them to be patriotic for a Germany led by Nazis? Even this is a more complicated question as it first appears - the "full Jews" were deprived of the full German citizenship by the Nazi regime and thus they were also "free" from the military service but quite many "half-Jews" (Mischlings) served in the German armed forces and thus were bound by oath to serve Hitler during the WW2...