STR Germany

On the morning of June 2nd, 1948, seven men were hanged at Landsberg Prison in Bavaria. Four of them were doctors. Karl Brandt, Hitler’s personal physician, tried to speak from the scaffold. The hood was pulled over his head mid-sentence, and the newspapers called it justice. They were wrong. Of the doctors who built the … Read more

Deszcz padał od szóstej rano. Żółta glina na cmentarzu w Legionowie była ciężka od wody. Kiedy trumna dziadka opadała powoli na dwóch pasach, stałam pierwsza z prawej strony. W dłoni trzymałam brązową teczkę. Dla ludzi za mną to był zwykły przedmiot. Dla mnie to były trzy lata milczenia i data, której nikt z nich nie … Read more

In October 1985, a 73-year-old man opened his apartment door in central Damascus and invited a West German reporter in for coffee. For thirty years, six European countries had been demanding his extradition. The Syrian government told every one of them the same thing: no such person lived in the country. His name was Alois … Read more

The steel doors of the Vatican open to admit the week’s supplies for the thousand citizens living within its hundred acres. For over a century, the kingdom and republic of Italy have surrounded this tiny independent state. We think of the Pope today as above all a spiritual leader. But behind St. Peter’s, hidden among … Read more

We were sitting in a command post outside Caen, maps spread across a folding table, when the first American trucks started rolling past. The noise hit us before the dust did. Engines grinding, radios squawking, soldiers shouting over the roar of tank engines. Our operations had always been conducted with quiet precision, every step timed … Read more

Nigdy nie sądziłam, że usłyszę te słowa w restauracji pełnej ludzi. 204 osoby patrzyły, jak mój mąż Marek ogłasza, że jestem jego największym błędem. To był elegancki lokal w samym centrum Śródmieścia. Białe kolumny, kryształowe żyrandole, kelnerzy w kamizelkach. Marek organizował kolację na cześć swojego awansu na stanowisko dyrektora. Zaprosił kolegów z pracy, ich żony, … Read more

Engines roared over the Basque town on a quiet Monday afternoon. April 26th, 1937. Farmers were bringing cattle to market, and children were playing in the streets when the first wave of bombers appeared. By nightfall, Gernika was a furnace, its center incinerated, hundreds of civilians dead in the open. The man who ordered the … Read more

The brigadier had just come from Bergen-Belsen, and he was still trembling with fury when they brought in the German field marshal. The man still carried his ceremonial baton, as if that would protect him, as if he were still untouchable. He demanded privileges. He spoke about forced labor camps as if they were merely … Read more

Ich hätte an jenem Sonntagabend ein ruhiges Essen erwartet. Der Tisch war mit Mamas altem Porzellan gedeckt, der Duft von Schweinebraten lag in der Luft. Ich ließ mich auf meinen üblichen Stuhl gleiten, als die Haustür aufflog. Jonas stürmte herein, zwei Koffer hinter sich herziehend. Seine Frau folgte ihm mit einer Designertasche. „Wir ziehen ein“, … Read more

Esa noche, mi hijo me miró y me dijo: «No te metas, no es asunto tuyo». Estaba parado en el centro de mi sala, rodeado de muebles rotos y de las páginas arrancadas del álbum de fotos de mi madre. Una lámpara tirada, una silla del comedor con una pata rota, marcos esparcidos por el … Read more