Blog Tour: Ensnared in the Wolf’s Lair by Ann Bausum | Guest Post

I can’t help myself.

Even though I’ve been interviewing historical figures for nearly twenty years—starting with Congressman John Lewis (see Freedom Riders)—I still get nervous when I meet someone new.

Rarely have I been more anxious than on November 6, 2018, when I prepared to interview Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. Why was I so nervous? Let me name the ways! For starters, this man bears the hereditary title of Graf, or Count, which I found more than a little bit intimidating. Then there are the circumstances that he’s German, and we were meeting in Germany, and I don’t speak German. Even though I knew Graf Stauffenberg spoke excellent English, I was grateful to have my oldest son with me, Sam, whose command of the language comes close to fluency.

My list of worries continued, so Sam took on the added role of reassurer-in-chief as he capably piloted our rental car toward our appointment. Graf Stauffenberg, in addition to being a highly respected retired German general, is the oldest son of arguably the most famous German soldier of all, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. This man planted the explosives that were intended to kill Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944, at the Wolf’s Lair. Hitler’s would-be assassin paid for the attempt with his life, as did others who were part of a wider conspiracy to overthrow the Nazi regime.

From top left: Berthold, Alfred, Heimeran, Franz-Ludwig, Valerie, and Elisabeth Stauffenberg sit with Ester Graf, their nanny, Lautlingen, August 11, 1944. Six days later Gestapo agents apprehended the children for Sippenhaft detention.

Graf Stauffenberg turned out to be a disarming host. Sam and I were welcomed to his home with kindness, hot tea, and an overflowing tray of baked treats. We talked for hours. I heard stories that were fresh for me but that had undoubtedly been patiently repeated countless times for other curious interviewers. We discussed historical photos, discovered points of common experience, and talked about other eyewitnesses to the history. (I’d interviewed a fellow detainee, Friedrich-Wilhelm “Friewi” von Hase, just the day before.)

© Ann Bausum, all rights reserved

These meetings and other interviews helped to ground my research so that I could travel back in time and bring readers with me through the pages of my book. Ensnared in the Wolf’s Lair is the result, and I share it gladly. Behind the pages, unseen, are moments of nervousness and tokens of joy, such as the colored leaves that drifted into our rental car as we prepared to say goodbye. I keep them on my dresser alongside acorns, nuts, and a tiny shell—tangible reminders of the places I visited on this trail of history.

With those chilling words Christa von Hofacker and her younger siblings found themselves ensnared in a web of family punishment designed to please one man—Adolf Hitler. The furious dictator sought merciless revenge against not only Christa’s father and the other Germans who had just tried to overthrow his government. He wanted to torment their relatives, too, regardless of age or stature. All of them. Including every last child.

During the summer of 1944, a secretive network of German officers and civilians conspired to assassinate Adolf Hitler. But their plot to attack the dictator at his Wolf’s Lair compound failed, and an enraged Hitler demanded revenge. The result was a systematic rampage of punishment that ensnared not only those who had tried to topple the regime but their far-flung family members too. Within weeks, Gestapo agents had taken as many as 200 relatives from their homes, separating adults and children.

Using rare photographs and personal interviews with survivors, award-winning author Ann Bausum presents the spine-chilling little-known story of the failed Operation Valkyrie plot, the revenge it triggered, and the families caught in the fray.

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