Nazi Women: The Attraction of Evil

The Nazis believed their mission was to ‘masculinize’ life in Germany. Hermann Goering told women, ‘Take a pot, a dustpan and a broom, and marry a man, ’ but many still became active participants in the regime. By 1944, 40% of the Gestapo was staffed by women.

Paul Roland gives a shocking account of these characters, including:
- Prison guard Irma Grese who would starve her dogs and release them on prisoners.
- Nurse Pauline Kneissler who worked in the euthanasia programme that murdered over 5,000 mentally disabled children.
- Hitler’s niece and ‘the only woman he ever loved’, Geli Raubal, who was found shot dead after revealing to Hitler that she was pregnant.

Whether the victims or perpetrators of violence, women’s part in the Nazi regime is often overlooked. Including chilling photographs of those involved, this book explores forgotten stories of these women - in particular those who sought personal power and influence amid the state-sanctioned cruelty of the Third Reich.