N1104 The Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser W150 was a favorite showpiece vehicle for several Nazi leaders, including Adolf Hitler. The heavily armored car weighed 4,100 kilograms, or about 4 tons, and was powered by a 230-horsepower engine that gave it a top speed of roughly 150 kilometers per hour, or about 93 miles per hour. Its protective … Read more
The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands began on May 10, 1940, when German forces invaded the country. The Luftwaffe used paratroopers to capture tactical points and support the advance of ground troops. The invasion was accompanied by heavy aerial bombardment of Rotterdam, culminating on May 14 with the destruction of its entire historic center. Because … Read more
The wedding of Hermann Fegelein and Gretl Braun on June 3, 1944, was the largest social event on the calendar of Hitler's inner circle. It was stage-managed with great care by Eva Braun, and it unfolded against the backdrop of the Nazi elite's alpine retreat at Obersalzberg in southern Bavaria. Obersalzberg was a heavily secured … Read more
The Iron Cross is a decoration that has become synonymous with the German military of two world wars. It was awarded for gallantry or meritorious service in operations against the enemy. Almost all recipients were men, since Germany prohibited women from joining combat units. Yet in World War II, somewhere in the region of 40 … Read more
Irma Grese was born on October 7, 1923, in Wrechen, then part of the Weimar Republic. She was the third of five children, and both her parents, Berta and Alfred, worked as dairy workers. When Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in January 1933, Irma was nine years old. Her father was not … Read more
Det var midt i en fredag aften, hvor jeg havde sat mig til rette med en kop kamille te og en skærm fuld af regneark, at jeg fik beskeden. Den skulle have været en stille aften, bare mig, mine tal og den rolige horisont ud over Sierras. Men så summede telefonen, og mit hjerte stoppede … Read more
On February 27, 1943, the Nazi regime launched a large-scale operation in Berlin to round up the last remaining Jews in the city and send them to concentration camps. Thousands of Jews in the German capital had until then been spared from earlier deportations because they worked as forced laborers in the arms industry. In … Read more
Marmorgolvet i min systers herrgård i Westchester ekade av dyra klackar när tjugosex familjemedlemmar samlades för hennes förlovningsfest. Kristallkronorna kastade perfekt ljus över de framgångsrika släktingarna, vars designerkreationer och lyxaccessoarer speglade deras gemensamma övertygelse om att rikedom var något man förtjänat genom talang och hårt arbete. Jag stod nära den stora trappan i mina enkla … Read more
Familjens skratt fastnade i halsen på dem när jag sa de där ordet. Min pappa hade just höjt vinglaset, redo att fånga ännu en av Lauras bedrifter i glansen av hans godkännande, men han stannade mitt i rörelsen. Han såg ut som om jag just hade sagt att jag tyckte bättre om rött än vitt. … Read more
L’acqua gli scorreva sul viso e lui piangeva senza fare rumore, con la bocca chiusa in un modo che spezzava qualcosa dentro di me. Eravamo ancora sotto quella tettoia con l’odore di pioggia e amianto, e sua nonna era appena salita in macchina con i suoi cugini, sudata di pioggia e umiliazione per la prima … Read more