THE THIRD REICH – the history of National Socialism

Janez Erat
  • 5.0 (3)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Background, psychological motifs, personal histories, an attempt to present this difficult and serious subject in an understandable and entertaining way. I would like to emphasize that my interest is purely historical. I want to try to be objective, i.e. j. accurately reflect reality, and not to try to present a personal opinion in order to follow some political goals. This is especially important to emphasize on such a topic.

  1. 5D AGO

    #27 Hitler’s Favorite Pilot: Hanna Reitsch

    During the Second World War, Hanna participated in testing numerous revolutionary German weapons. She helped solve the stability problems of the V-1 rocket (“Vergeltungswaffe,” meaning “retaliation weapon”). Since early rockets had serious guidance issues, a manually controllable version was built, and Hanna was chosen as test pilot. She successfully carried out the flight, and thanks to the data she collected, the Germans corrected the flaws. She climbed to an altitude of 2,300 meters with Germany’s first helicopter, tested dive brakes, and after the outbreak of war, carried out life-threatening experiments aimed at breaking through British air defense systems.

    52 min

  2. JAN 12

    #26 Henriette Hoffmann – She Confronted Hitler with the Holocaust

    Henriette Hoffmann was born on February 2, 1913, in Munich. Her father, Heinrich Hoffmann, was the official photographer of the Nazi Party; her mother, Therese “Nelly” Baumann, was a singer and actress. Her childhood unfolded in Schwabing, an artistic district that during the Weimar years was one of the centers of avant-garde life and political radicalism. The family soon became part of Hitler’s immediate circle: already in the early 1920s, the party’s first meetings were held in Heinrich Hoffmann’s home. Little Henny thus grew up quite literally in the cradle of the Nazi movement. Hitler was a frequent guest in the Hoffmann household; he treated the photographer’s family almost as his own. Henny was only nine years old when she first met him, and this early acquaintance would shape her life for decades.

    38 min

  3. 12/18/2025

    #25 Fatal Admiration: Unity Mitford’s Obsession with Hitler

    The Mitford family had existed since the Middle Ages, long without any particular significance. It was only in the 1930s that the Mitford brothers and sisters entered the headlines, becoming notorious for their scandalous political views. Each sister drifted in a different direction: one became a National Socialist and an ardent admirer of Adolf Hitler. That was Unity, who formed a close relationship with her idol and, between 1935 and 1940, belonged to the inner circles of the Nazi Party. xxxxx Alongside Eva Braun — who, with some exaggeration, might be described as the “principal mistress” — Hitler had several other acquaintances and relationships.

    30 min

  4. 11/27/2025

    #24 – Hitler’s Fatal Relationship: Eva Braun

    Hitler and Eva Braun met in 1929, when she was only 17 years old and Hitler already 40. He immediately noticed her. Hitler especially sought the company of very young women; he invited them to dinners, took them to the theater and opera, creating the impression of a chivalrous gentleman. After the death of Geli Raubal in 1931, Eva Braun took over the role of Hitler’s secret companion and lover in 1932. The relationship demanded complete secrecy: Hitler, the “Messiah of the German people,” could not marry — Germany was his bride. For years, she was treated like a kind of private secretary, though everyone knew she was Hitler’s lover.

    42 min

  5. 11/14/2025

    #23 Ilse Hess: “The Eternal Nazi Widow”

    Ilse Pröhl came from a national-conservative family. She was one of the three daughters of Friedrich Pröhl, a wealthy Hanoverian physician, and his wife Elsa, née Meineke. Her father was killed during the Kapp Putsch. In March 1920, the Freikorps unit known as the Ehrhardt Brigade with swastikas on their helmets, the uprising or coup d etat led by nationalist politician Wolfgang Kapp and General Walther von Lüttwitz, seized power in Berlin for five days. The coup failed, and during the brigade’s retreat, it carried out a massacre, firing into crowds of protesters. Ilse Hess’s father was killed in this fighting as one of the Freikorps’ “national warriors.” The brigade’s commander, Hermann Ehrhardt, lived undisturbed in Austria’s Waldviertel region only 60 km north from Vienna  until his death in 1971. Whether by coincidence or not, Adolf Hitler’s family also originated from the Waldviertel.

    38 min

  6. 11/06/2025

    #22 Magda Goebbels, the “First Lady” of the Third Reich

    Magda Goebbels, wife of Joseph Goebbels, mother of six children, one of Hitler’s closest confidantes — and the woman who ultimately chose death together with her children in the Führerbunker. “She was the First Lady of the Third Reich — unofficially, but without a doubt within the Nazi propaganda machine — while others might have given that title to Emmy Göring, the second wife of Hermann Göring.” But how did a well-bred Berlin girl from a strict bourgeois family become the “queen” of National Socialist Germany? Why was she drawn to power, to cult-like political movements, and how did her life intertwine religion, politics, and destructive fanaticism?

    52 min

  7. 10/29/2025

    #21 Helene Bechstein: “I Raised the Führer!”

    Helene Bechstein was not merely the wife of a rich industrialist in the first half of the 20th century, but one of the early and highly influential supporters of the Nazi movement, who, through her personal relationship, had a significant impact on Adolf Hitler’s life and political career. Several historians have pointed out that Helene’s role went far beyond mere financial support: she was the one who introduced the young politician to the world of the social elite, shaped his manners and appearance, and provided him with “maternal” support on numerous occasions.

    32 min

  8. 10/22/2025

    #20 Hermine Hoffmann - Hitler’s first “foster mother” and sponsor

    During the First World War, many women volunteered to provide clothing, hand-knitted socks, food, and cigarettes for soldiers at the front. Hoffmann volunteered and was assigned to a soldier named Adolf Hitler. This relationship is documented in postcards and letters, proving that she corresponded regularly with Hitler as early as 1914. Hitler wrote in pencil: “Dear Madam Director! After the fiercest battles at Geluveld, right on the front line, I was promoted to corporal, and as if by miracle, I remained unharmed. Now we have three days’ leave; it’s time to paint the church at Beselare (Hitler writes ‘Bezeluere’). Once again, heartfelt thanks.” Respectfully, Adolf Hitler, Gefr.”

    15 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Background, psychological motifs, personal histories, an attempt to present this difficult and serious subject in an understandable and entertaining way. I would like to emphasize that my interest is purely historical. I want to try to be objective, i.e. j. accurately reflect reality, and not to try to present a personal opinion in order to follow some political goals. This is especially important to emphasize on such a topic.

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