Elizabeth Gordon-Werner

Women, War and the Third Reich Elizabeth Gordon-Werner

How did German women really view Hitler and his Nazi State?

Twenty one German women answered that question in the 1970s when they volunteered to share their wartime experiences with a young New Zealander (the author) who was trying to adapt to living in Germany. The interviews were collected on tape in 1972 and 1973 and translated by the author. By the time the project was complete the author had started studying again and this material landed in the bottom drawer.

These oral histories are a fascinating look into German life during the Nazi era. While collecting these stories the author researched women's place in Germany in the 1930s and 40s to put the stories into context. This research is presented in Part 1 of the book followed by the interviews in Part 2.