N1104 Joachim Peiper was a German SS officer whose name became tied to some of the most notorious atrocities committed by Nazi forces during World War II. He was born on January 30, 1915, in Wilmersdorf, then part of the German Empire, as the third son of an imperial army officer. His father, Waldemar, had served … Read more
On December 22, 1947, in Krakow, Poland, the former staff of Auschwitz heard their sentences read aloud. After a month of gruesome testimonies, the court revealed that many SS officers had committed inhumane torture and mass murder, often for pleasure, and that their cruelty went far beyond what their superiors ordered. One of the perpetrators … Read more
On April 15, 1945, the British 11th Armored Division liberated Bergen-Belsen, one of the worst Nazi concentration camps. The British forces found 13,000 unburied bodies and almost 60,000 prisoners who were sick and starved. Thousands more inmates would die of diseases such as typhus and tuberculosis in the months following liberation. The British captured male … Read more
On June 4, 1944, the people of Rome poured into the streets to celebrate their liberation. After nine months of brutal German occupation, marked by hunger, massacres, and the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps, hundreds of thousands rejoiced. Among them were freed prisoners and thousands of Jews who had survived by hiding. But … Read more
Mi chiamo Elisa Conti, ho ventinove anni e per tutta la vita sono stata la figlia di mezzo. Non di mezzo nel senso di pace, quella che ricuce gli strappi in famiglia. Di mezzo come un mobile presente, utile e talmente scontato da diventare invisibile finché a qualcuno non serve un posto dove appoggiare le … Read more
Eleanor Grey si affrettò lungo il vialetto dei genitori con il fiato corto. Il vento autunnale le scompigliava i capelli e faceva frusciare la carta del regalo che stringeva in mano. Era il quarantacinquesimo anniversario di matrimonio di Walter e Marta Grey, e a causa di un cantiere stradale che l’aveva costretta a fare una … Read more
Il giorno del matrimonio di mio figlio ho visto la mia foto all’ingresso della chiesa, con un cartello sopra che diceva a chiare lettere: “Non lasciatela entrare”. Sotto c’era una freccia che puntava dritta al mio viso, una mia foto di dieci anni fa, presa chissà dove. Mi sono fermata di colpo, come se avessi … Read more
Ma mère a froidement dit de laisser ma chambre à ma sœur. Mon père a jeté mes clés sur la table en claquant le bois. Je devais toujours payer le loyer, les charges, tout. Sans discuter, j’ai monté les escaliers, j’ai sorti une valise du placard et j’ai commencé à y plier ma vie. Je … Read more
On December 22, 1947, in Krakow, Poland, the former staff of the Auschwitz concentration camp heard their sentences read aloud. After a month of gruesome testimonies, 23 of the 41 defendants were sentenced to death by hanging. Among them was Hans Aumeier, the former deputy commandant of Auschwitz, the deadliest German Nazi concentration camp. Hans … Read more
For nearly eight decades, one question has haunted historians, survivors, and ordinary readers alike: who told the Nazis where Anne Frank was hiding? After more than 75 years of speculation, dead ends, and carefully kept secrets, a team of cold case investigators believes it finally has an answer. Anne Frank was 15 years old when … Read more