When did the German soldiers of WWII realize they were the 'bad guys'?

During the Russian winter in 1941-1942.

Losing tends to make one rethink things.

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You have to remember the ideology that Hitler spread. He galvanized that nation like no one ever really has in such a short time. That alone distorts one's view.

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I know the average soldier was probably a normal guy just fighting for his country and not necessarily bad but at what point did the rank and file realize that their leaders were evil?

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Well, many of the nazi soldiers had no choice but to do what they did. It was either do what they were told or they would be killed so I am sure there were many who didn't agree with what Hitler was trying to do and realized they were fighting against forces trying to stop them,

Slightly off topic but I also loved the story of Erich Hartmann, a Luftwaffe ace. He didn't take shite from his Soviet captors. He even beat the shite out of one that was interrogating him.

The eventually tried to place him in the East German air force while in captivity and he answered with this..

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If, after I am home in the West, you make me a normal contract offer, a business deal such as people sign every day all over the world, and I like your offer, then I will come back and work with you in accordance with the contract. But if you try to put me to work under coercion of any kind, then I will resist to my dying gasp.

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I recently read Shadow Divers about the missing U Boat found in New Jersey Waters. Towards the end of the book they did an overview of the lives of the crew. The officers all hated Hitler with a passion for what he had done to the country. They were just all to scared to say anything to one another or each other because they didn't know who to trust. They were all just doing their duty for their country. It really got me interested in this very subject.

Realistically, the average soldier was so screened from real news and the concentration camps. It wasn't until near the end or after the war they realized it.

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When did the German soldiers of WWII realize they were the 'bad guys'? by Undertow

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When the second guy posted the same thing?

This isn't a very good joke.

As people have mentioned a generation grew up with the Nazis rebuilding after WWI. These were the diehard fodder outside the core members. The old warhorses went along with the German profession because they were professionals but they had no love of the Nazis party or Hitler. Paulus infamously refused to die for the little colonel at Stalingrad and sent out an underling to negotiate surrender of the army and his capture.

One sub captain at least was relieved of command by his crew for taking down Hitler's portrait while saying there will be no idolatry here.

As for Britain, had Hitler not ordered bombing away from the RAF bases it would have knocked out the will. Instead attacking the cities gave the RAF breathing room and Churchill enough propaganda to stay in the saddle.

Berlin you had the Nazi youth, old men seeing annihilation, what remained of the military that hadn't moved west to surrender to UK and US, and the Charlemagne division. None of the fodder would admit they were bad, hell our own sub command stood up for Donitz at the trials.

Bless Zhukov for sending his boys to die instead of ours.

I'd also point out that Hitler wasn't exactly quiet about his beliefs. He tamed it down, sure, but Mein Kampf is ripe with anti-semitic content. If you knew anything about him, you knew he was an evil dude.