Volevo dimostrare di non essere da meno di un uomo» ha risposto Erna Petri a chi le chiedeva come avesse potuto freddare a bruciapelo sei bambini ebrei ai quali, poco prima, aveva offerto ospitalità e cibo. E il suo non fu un gesto isolato. Durante la Seconda guerra mondiale, quando il Reich si estese verso est, migliaia di giovani tra insegnanti, infermiere, segretarie e interpreti si trasferirono nelle regioni occupate e finirono per essere coinvolte nella macchina dell’Olocausto: nei lager ben cinquemila guardie, un decimo del totale, erano donne. La storiografia si è occupata poco di loro, e così anche i processi giudiziari, da Norimberga in poi. Per la prima volta, dopo numerose ricerche d’archivio e interviste ai testimoni, l’autrice porta alla luce un mondo di inconcepibile ferocia, aggiungendo un tassello fondamentale alla comprensione della più grande tragedia del Novecento, ma soprattutto della storia e della natura umana. (fonte: retro di copertina)

I have read many books about the Holocaust, mostly novels and survivor's memoirs- this was the first Non Fiction book I have read strictly about German or Nazi woman during that period. The author did extensive research (her notes are 50 pages long! and very detailed.) and you can tell she cares deeply about this topic. It was a quick read, that keeps you interested to end. I learned some things I did not know (things appalling, but given the history of the era- not unbelievable.)I completely recommend it to anyone interested in the era or even Women's history. ( )

Se suele suponer que las mujeres tuvieron un papel secundario en la historia del nazismo, y sobre todo en sus crímenes. No es verdad. Cuando los ejércitos alemanes avanzaron hacia el este, más de medio millón de mujeres jóvenes les siguieron: maestras de escuela, enfermeras, secretarias, que iban a desempeñar las más diversas funciones, desde organizar la represión en los despachos hasta colaborar directamente con las SS, tomando parte en los crímenes del holocausto. De hecho, nos dice Wendy Lower, las primeras matanzas en masa las protagonizaron las enfermeras en los hospitales, exterminando a millares de niños por hambre, con drogas o con inyecciones letales. Sorprendentemente, la mayoría de ellas escapó a los juicios y al castigo después de la derrota de Alemania, de modo que la autora ha tenido que trabajar a partir de una documentación hasta ahora desconocida, que le ha permitido recuperar las historias personales de estas mujeres y plantearse la pregunta que da pleno sentido a su trabajo: ¿por qué mataron?

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THOSE WITH A WEAK STOMACH, THE OVERLY PASSIONATE OR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18.

This book has taken me a tremendously long amount of time to finish; not because it is badly written or long-winded, but because it overwhelms the reader’s emotions to such a point that you need to put it down and walk away. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart, and can only be digested in small, not so easily swallowed mouthfuls.

In writing this book the Author pulls on her twenty years experience as an archival researcher and also things she learnt whilst out doing field work; it shows in the way the book is put together that she felt this was a part of history that needed to be told, warts and all, and covers a part of Nazi Germany that has remained untold.

Through a series of detailed biographies, the Author introduces the reader to each of the “Furies” in the title; we see their simple and ordinary backgrounds, which are all relatively diverse, but all had one reason to go to the Eastern front and this was also simple; money, duty to the Reich, keeping the family together and social or political connections. Once there, however, their stories take on lives of their own and, in some cases these are very chilling and hard to comprehend in today’s society. These women came from areas of their society as diverse as nurses, secretaries and teachers, but each of the women mentioned in this book all had one thing in common, they became a part of the “Final Solution”.

The Author carefully and skilfully separates the women in the book according to their level of participation in these events, whether it is as witnesses to events, indifference at what was happening or, as the reader finds in some cases, just acceptance. By direct or indirect participation, these women could, by no means, be all ‘lumped together’, as each had their own motivations for doing what they did, as chilling as they may have been. Also brought to light is the fact that while many of their male counterparts were the subject of aggressive manhunts that spanned the globe, these women were left untouched and allowed to escape any accountability for their actions by claiming ignorance. I’m not sure if they could be said to have gone on to lead ‘normal’ lives, but the latter part of this provocative and highly emotional read looks into theories that try to explain their participation in such atrocities. The banality of evil was a phrase that came to mind every time I picked up this book and read a little more of their actions. After reading this book, I felt that I am going to need some time away from my much-loved books, both fiction and non-fiction, that cover this period of our history it affected me so much.

I would cautiously recommend this book to all that are interested in this period of history, but if you are going to read it you need to be aware it will move you in ways you never imagined.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2013/10/02/review-hitlers-furies-german-women-in-the-...


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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Lower könyve elsősorban néhány női portréból áll – ápolónők, feleségek, titkárnők pályafutásáról olvashatunk, akik a második világháború éveit a nácik által gyarmatosított keleti végeken töltötték. A tárgyalt események sajnálatosan ismerősek lehetnek azoknak, akik már érintették a témát, és hangja, ez a tényszerű, de kevéssé tárgyilagos hang sem újdonság. (Hiszen lehet-e egy népirtásról tárgyilagosan beszélni? Szabad-e?) Nézőpontja viszont újszerű. Amellett érvel ugyanis, hogy Hitler rezsimjének sikeressége sokkal többet köszönhetett a nőknek, mint ezt általában hajlandóak vagyunk elismerni. A háború utáni visszaemlékezésekben a német asszony többnyire mint áldozat jelent meg: a nemi erőszak elszenvedője, a széthulló családok összetartója, az „újjáépítő”. Természetesen joggal, ám Lower felhívja a figyelmet, hogy bár megnyugtató ennél a szemléletnél maradni (legalább ők mentek maradtak a bűntől!), de történelmileg tarthatatlan.

A kötet koronája, az utolsó pár fejezet, melyet konklúzióként is értelmezhetünk. Ebben Lower a történelmi adatok megvizsgálása után etikai és filozófiai értelemben is kibontja a témát, szembesít a nácitlanító bíróságok erkölcsi kompromisszumaival, azzal, hogy használták ki a női háborús bűnösök az apolitikus nőről kialakult előítéletet, hogy megmeneküljenek a büntetéstől… Csupa kellemetlen, megválaszolhatatlan morális kérdést tesz fel az olvasónak – finoman szólva is nyugtalanító. Fájdalmas olvasmány. Pont olyan, amilyennek lennie kell. ( )