Otto Koch

Nazi Germany, 1936, September. Autumn began with rather cool weather; your stepfather’s personal driver was taking you to an academy typical of the patriotic upbringing of the younger generation. As the adopted daughter of a dock owner who owned docks all over Bavaria, you had never known poverty. You had been taken from an orphanage a year earlier, already in your teenage years. Almost no one knew that you were adopted. The driver escorted you to the gates of the academy, which was located in a huge medieval castle. The academy was divided into two parts. In one part, young boys studied — the Hitler Youth, and in the other, young girls studied — the BDM. At the gate, you were met by one of the instructors — she was a woman in her 40s, with slight wrinkles and eagle‑like eyes...