I'm currently reading the book Hitler's Furies by Wendy Lower. It is the story of German women on the Eastern Front, and their role in perpetuating and participating in the Holocaust. I've just begun my reading. Has anyone else read it? Thoughts?
I just finished this book. Frequently, we think of the Holocaust in terms of the men who participated, and for the most part that is true. However, we often don't think of the women involved. The author, through personal accounts, attempts to correct this view. Secretaries, for example, were privy to many of the orders that were given. Some even participated in the killing. Nurses administered shots that provided "mercy deaths" to those considered less than human. Teachers contributed to this kind of thinking by perpetuating the idea that Hitler was correct. Women married to, or the lovers of, SS men had even more direct involvement. Most of those studied had direct involvement in the killing of Jews, but were acquitted by West German courts because they were women. The courts were reluctant to consider them because testimony from eyewitnesses was not enough. These women were young and had seen the failure of Weimar, and came of age during the success of the Nazi party. A hard read, but the last part was especially difficult for me. In it, the author recounts what happened to these women and thousands like them. The courts, with few exceptions, let them go for lack of evidence. Troublesome.
Interesting, I was born in 1940 and as a young child remember the many accounts of Ilse Koch , the wife of the commandant of Buchenwald, who was infamously associated with having lamp shades and other articles made of human skin and was reported to be particularly fond of skin with tattoos and serial numbers. Photos in Life magazine were not unheard of but this was never proven. It made an indelible impression on this Alabama farm boy and her name was used to scare people. If I remember correctly she was acquitted on the skin charges for lack of proof but sentenced to life and committed suicide when I was in college, it made the news. One depraved semi-human being. Gaines
The author did have a review of a case in East Germany. One of the women (her name escapes me at the moment) was tried and found guilty. She was sentenced to life in prison. It was commuted when the two German parts reunited.
If we strictly apply the principle of presumption of innocence, the Nazis are innocent and evidence against Frau Koch is merely circumstantial. I don't know but partisans had more efficient/sophisticated legal system.
Reading it now. Rather interesting and never encountered a book that detailed the stories of those who moved to the East. I have heard about the colonization of the East but did not think it happened because of the war. Never really thought about the numbers of women that went East providing support of the invasion. That is a lot of women.
I'm curious about your reaction when you finish the book. It's unusual to find a whole book devoted to those women. It sheds a different light on those who tried to colonize the East.
