Tochter des Reichs (Daughter of the Empire)

Chapter Thirteen Siegfried Hotel Metropole 14 June 1943   In this chapter, the girls meet a dashing Napola boy, a new courier, Hans-Rudolf von Duffendorf, with mixed feelings about him. Bekka realises that he looks like Si si's cousin and best friend, Ludwig II of Bavaria; Hilda and he strike up a friendship. Meanwhile, we learn that he has been set to work by an agent in the SD, the SS Detective Branch, as a spy. Bekka and the Napola boy discuss ciphers, and he reveals that he speaks Hungarian. Hilda and Rudi go swing dancing, which is a subversive activity, with his best friend, and we learn about the brutal life in the Napolas. Bekka's Grandmamma dies and she is allowed to attend the funeral, where she meets up with Aunt Sophie's brothers, Max and Ernst. Claus is sent to North Africa for speaking his mind about the Nazis and there is grievously wounded in an air attack, which results in his being sent back to Berlin as a member of the staff of the Reserve Army. At ...

 This story began as a piece of information from a World War II history enthusiast about a relationship between Joseph (Sepp) Dietrich and an Austrian girl who was co-opted into the BDM - Bund Deutsche Mädel - the Girls' Hitler Youth. I was fascinated how someone from the Austrian upperclass could be indoctrinated into being 'a good Nazi'. This case is not the only one in the annals of Nazi Germany; 'Aryan-looking' children in all parts of occupied Europe were so co-opted, often taken to Germany directly. This interest broadened into the questions 'how does indoctrination happen?' and 'how effective is it?' This story is the result of that exploration. Major incidents are the core of the story I first discovered. In this day and age, it is necessary for me to make the following disclaimer: I am in no way a Nazi, neo- Nazi, admirer of fascism, or any other extremist right wing ideology. If you are that sort of person, please do not cite my work as pr...