Summary of Milton Mayer's They Thought They Were Free

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 On November 9, 1938, the synagogue was burned down. The SA burned it. The men who were there said they could hear the talk but not the words from the other room. The men who were upstairs with Schwenke and Kramer said they didn’t care if they burned the synagogue oil or not, it was duty.

#2 The SA men went to the synagogue and took the floor oil, which they used to light the fires in the furnace-room of the synagogue. The innkeeper of the Huntsmen’s Rest called the Fire Department when he heard about the fire.

#3 The groom’s father, Sturmführer Schwenke, was against the marriage because the bride’s father was not a Party member. The bride, who was always crying, was not a strong Party woman. The boy, who was a bed-wetter, hated his mother.

#4 When Gustav was away from Kronenberg, he didn't feel so bad about spending something. He didn't feel so bad about anything. Away from Kronenberg, your bride didn't cry, your mother didn't talk, and your father didn't buy himself uniforms.

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Release date

Ebook: 3 June 2022