The atrocities of the “work camps” such as Auschwitz are part of mankind’s history. Many other activities of the Nazi party continue to be uncovered. The German birth rates post-WWI and pre-WWII were declining. Hitler believed that the purity of the Aryan race needed to be protected. He created maternity hospitals, located in opulent homes seized by the Reich. Three German women cross paths at the Heim Hochland estate maternity hospital. Irma is a woman who believes that her nursing experience in WWI matured her far more than any other woman. She flees Frankfurt after her engagement sours to accept a job in nursing at Heim Hochland. Gundi is a young German woman helping the Edelweiss pirates (a Jewish resistance group). She is pregnant and her pure Aryan bloodlines are precisely what the Reich is looking for. The baby’s father is of good Aryan stock too, isn’t he? Gundi will be sent to Heim Hochland by Dr. Ebner, a doctor that identifies girls with good bloodlines. Hilde is a young girl in Munich who decides that she is destined for more. She believes that by becoming pregnant she will be helping the Reich and that her married Nazi lover will leave his wife for her. When Hildi reveals her pregnancy, she is also sent to Heim Hochland. The ornate home with priceless art impresses the young, pregnant girls.
As Irma begins her nursing work, she is reminded not to become close to the girls. She is told that they are only there for a short time. For Irma, this is difficult. Helping young women deliver their child is much different than wartime nursing. She naturally finds herself drawn to sweet and humble young mothers. She becomes concerned when she finds out that one of the young ladies was delivering her second child. Why didn’t this girl seem upset?
Gundi tries to escape and have her child away from the Reich. She and her mother are brought back home and Gundi is escorted to Heim Hochland. She has a secret and is afraid the Reich will discover it. If they do, she and her mother are in dire circumstances. Gundi decides to be inconspicuous.
Hilde is an opportunist. When her father’s high-ranking Nazi boss comes to their house for dinner, Hilde sees this as her opportunity to be noticed. Her determination presents her with an opportunity to seduce her father’s boss. She believes that if she becomes pregnant with his child, he will declare his love for her. She wants him to leave his wife but would be happy to live as his mistress too. Hilde is desperate to escape her home and live more glamorously. When her lover sends her to Heim Hochland, she believes that she is finally in an appropriate environment.
As Gundi, Irma, and Hilde acclimate to their surroundings, will they be happy to help Hitler? What happens to their babies once they are born? Can they fit back into their pre-pregnancy lives again?
It is astonishing to see how this eugenics program was allowed to flourish. Each of the three main characters must come to terms with their true feelings regarding this program and their participation. Jennifer Coburn paints a vivid picture of the conditions at each person’s residence and Heim Hochland. Her attention to detail elevates this story giving special insight into each character. I never knew these maternity hospitals existed. It is hard to imagine how becoming pregnant could help the Reich but girls believed this was viewed as loyalty. Documentation was either not kept or lost. How many of the children adopted by the Nazi families knew of their origin? How much of the activities in WWII have yet to be uncovered? Some of the circumstances in this story may be uncomfortable for some people, but this is a book well worth reading.
My Rating: 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻/5