Interview with Ann Bausum
During the summer of 1944, a secretive network of German officers and civilians banded together for Operation Valkyrie in order to make a last attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Their plot was meant to take place at the Wolf's Lair, the dictator's headquarters in East Prussia where he spent nearly half of World War II. It failed.An enraged Hitler demanded revenge."I've come on orders from Berlin to fetch three children." - Gestapo agent, August 24, 1944With those chilling words Christa von Hofacker, her younger siblings and countless other children of the Valkyrie conspirators found themselves ensnared in a web of family punishment. The furious dictator sought merciless vengeance against not only Christa's father and the other Germans who had tried to topple their regime, but also their far-flung family members too. Revenge was meticulously planned for all of them -- including every last child. Within weeks, Gestapo agents had taken as many as 200 relatives from their homes, separating the adults from the children, and punishing them all.Author Ann Bausum is an award-winning children's book author who brings history alive by connecting readers to personal stories from the past that echo in the present day.
