Susanna Schrafstetter Book order

Focusing on the harrowing experiences of Jews who went into hiding during the Nazi regime, this book uncovers the stories of "U-boats" in Munich and Upper Bavaria. Historian Susanna Schrafstetter combines personal narratives with broader historical context, utilizing archival sources and survivor interviews. The narrative explores themes of survival, human connection, and moral ambiguity, revealing how some Germans supported those in hiding while others exploited their plight. It offers a nuanced perspective on hope, betrayal, and the complexities of life underground.

For decades, historians have debated how and to what extent the Holocaust penetrated the German national consciousness between 1933 and 1945. How much did “ordinary” Germans know about the subjugation and mass murder of the Jews, when did they know it, and how did they respond collectively and as individuals? This compact volume brings together six historical investigations into the subject from leading scholars employing newly accessible and previously underexploited evidence. Ranging from the roots of popular anti-Semitism to the complex motivations of Germans who hid Jews, these studies illuminate some of the most difficult questions in Holocaust historiography, supplemented with an array of fascinating primary source materials.