> think, martyr themselves in such situations, but I doubt
> if the majority would.
This.
I thought about it yesterday, and I believe the most important difference between people living "in the situation" and commentators today is this: we know the Nazis lost the war big time.
1. I truly believe that quite a few people would try to act if they knew the war was coming to an end, their action would be seen as heroic, and therefore they either live as heroes or at least be remembered as such. Conversely, it's not tempting to act if you're going to be vilified when the Nazis win and rule the world.
2. Wasn't it clear by 1944 (or whenever) that the Nazis would lose? In a way yes, but if you want to argue that, think about Syria. A year ago it was clear that Assad was finished, he would certainly lose his power and quite possibly his life. Today he's not only in power (over a smaller Syria), but some in the West are actually wondering if we shouldn't include him in a coalition against IS. Now that he gave up his chemical weapons, we're clearly fine with whatever he's doing.