We had vacated our home for a small time, hiding with another Jewish family. The plan was to return home when the bombs stopped falling, the radio said that the air force was on the offensive and that the Germans were winning. I may be Jewish but this conflict needs to stop — all I…
Author: cmautner@rollins.edu
Happy Birthday Hitler
In April of 1945 the Red Army began to make it’s final advances towards Berlin. The shelling from the Battle of Berlin had left the city in shambles and the spirit of the people almost wholly broken. They had shifted into survival mode, no longer could they (or their government) deny the fact that the…
The Battle of Berlin – The Beginning of the End
During the duration of the war, the Luftwaffe had superior air power which gave the German people a sense of security. During the battle of Berlin, it’s outstanding that the causalities and displacement remained as low as it did. According to Moorhouse, under ten thousand people were homeless and less than four thousand had died….
Character Prologue
Vancouver, British Columbia January, 1995 I had just arrived in Vancouver to visit my son and my young grandchildren. B.C. was frosty and wind whipped around me as I waited curbside for him to collect me from the terminal. It had been a long flight and I was exhausted, my bones ached and the…
My Character Overview
My character is a sixteen year old German-Jewish boy named Kristof Block. His parents own a bakery in Nuremberg. Tall, dark hair, socially awkward, and introverted the outbreak of the war has caused this teenager to retreat further into his family and diary. Highly intelligent, he is acutely aware of the dangers that surround he…
Chapter 10 – The People’s Friend
Chapter 10 of Berlin At War talks about the evolution of the Nazi Party into “The People’s Friend.” One of the most astounding elements of this section is the implementation and leverage of technology. In 1920, the inaugural broadcast from a makeshift station was sent across the German airwaves. Ironically enough, “the German public was…
Women’s Roles and Population Growth in Nazi Germany
Throughout history, the roles of women have always been fluid. During World War II in America and Britain, there were aggressive campaigns to have women come to work in all fields left vacant by men. In contrast, Hitler had a vision of women as homemakers. Mothers were lauded by being awarded annual awards for how…
“Where it All Began”
The atmosphere in Germany had been changing around us. Like the seasons go, our world around us began to fade from a warm and welcoming summer into a crisp autumn, we knew it was going to be a long winter. When the Nazi’s came to power we had no idea what that would mean for…
Ethnic and Nationalist Propaganda: Nazi Germany and Modern America
In the wake of September 11, 2001, an entire nations opinion about an entire ethnicity had changed overnight. Images began flooding in from overseas of men in turbans holding automatic weapons, covered women, violence, Sharia Law, riots, bombings, anti-American slogans and flag burnings. The media instilled a culture of fear for those who looked like…