Nazi Quit Over Bride’s Porno, Hooker Past: Lewis Lapham
Calling his top brass together on Nov. 5, 1937, Adolf Hitler explained the grand plan to invade Austria and Czechoslovakia, followed by swift wars against France and Britain.
(To listen to the podcast, click here.)
Among those present was Werner von Blomberg, a keen Nazi, former minister of defense, and the first field marshal of the Third Reich. Because of the timing, he was vehemently opposed to the fuhrer’s Hossbach plans.
Blomberg might have been able to prevail, but on Jan. 27, 1938, he was forced to resign. The 59-year-old widower had married the seductive Margarethe Gruhn, with Hitler and Goring as witnesses.
The new bride, 35 years her husband’s junior, had posed for pornographic photographs taken by a Czech Jew she’d been living with, and had also been on the Berlin police register as a known prostitute.
Hitler never appointed a successor to Blomberg and effectively became minister of war himself.
I spoke with Andrew Roberts, author of “The Storm of War,” on the following topics:
1. Nazi Ideology
2. Hitler’s Blunders
3. Eastern Front
4. Japanese Mistakes
5. Fuhrer’s Suicide
To buy this book in North America, click here.
(Lewis Lapham is the founder of Lapham’s Quarterly and the former editor of Harper’s magazine. He hosts “The World in Time” interview series for Bloomberg News.)
Muse highlights include NYC Weekend Best Picks and film reviews.
To contact the writer on the story: Lewis Lapham in New York at lhl@laphamsquarterly.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
'The Storm of War'
HarperCollins via Bloomberg
"The Storm of War" is written by Andrew Roberts.
"The Storm of War" is written by Andrew Roberts. Source: HarperCollins via Bloomberg
Andrew Roberts
HarperCollins via Bloomberg
Andrew Roberts, author of "The Storm of War."
Andrew Roberts, author of "The Storm of War." Source: HarperCollins via Bloomberg
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