Nazi Women: The Attraction of Evil

After the failure of the Weimar Republic, the Nazis believed their mission was to masculinize life in Germany. Goering told women, "Take a pot, a dustpan and a broom, and marry a man", but many became active Nazis, helping to spread wide the net of evil. By 1944, 40 per cent of the Gestapo was staffed by women, concentration camps employed legions of Aufseherinnen (female guards) and callous nurses ran the euthanasia programme. Prominent female Nazis included "First Lady of the Third Reich" Magda Goebbels, Eva Braun, Lina Heydrich, Carin Goering and Unity Mitford. A cult of adoration developed round the unmarried Hitler. "Love is meat for husbands, but my love for Hitler is stronger. I would give my life for it," said Magda Goebbels.