Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge

by Ann Bausum

Overview

"I've come on orders from Berlin to fetch the three children." —Gestapo agent, August 24, 1944


With those chilling words Christa von Hofacker and her younger siblings found themselves ensnared in a web of family punishment designed to please one man—Adolf Hitler. The furious dictator sought merciless revenge against not only Christa’s father and the other Germans who had just tried to overthrow his government. He wanted to torment their relatives, too, regardless of age or stature. All of them. Including every last child.

Praise for Ann Bausum’s The March Against Fear

"An exceptionally well-written and -researched chronicle of a crucial civil rights turning point."
—Kirkus, starred review

"This exemplary look into civil rights history concludes with perspective and encouragement regarding ongoing struggles for social change."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A must-have volume."
—School Library Journal, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426338540
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/12/2021
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	423,187
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Ann Bausum writes about US history for young people. Her books consistently earn prominent national recognition. Denied, Detained, Deported was named the 2010 Carter G. Woodson Book Award winner at the secondary school level from the National Council for the Social Studies. Muckrakers earned the Golden Kite Award as best nonfiction book of the year from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Freedom Riders gained the Robert F. Sibert Honor designation from the American Library Association, and With Courage and Cloth received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award as the year's best book on social justice issues for older readers.

Table of Contents

Introduction 10

Chapter 1 Hitler's Rise 13

Chapter 2 Resisting the Regime 29

Chapter 3 Valkyrie 45

Chapter 4 Hitler's Revenge 61

Chapter 5 The Ghost Children 79

Chapter 6 Hitler's Demise 93

Chapter 7 A Traumatic Shadow 107

Timeline 118

The Borntal's Sippenhaft Families 122

Resource Guide 125

A Note from the Author 127

Research Notes and Acknowledgments 128

Citations 132

Bibliography 136

Index 140

Illustration Credits 143

Editorial Reviews

12/07/2020

Bausum (The March Against Fear) reveals a nearly forgotten chapter of WWII, one centered on the retribution faced by the children and families of Germans who failed in an effort to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Revenge known as Sippenhaft (“family punishment”) came swiftly following the 1944 attempt to bomb Hitler inside one of his bunkers: “Hitler wanted the Sippenhaft policy applied as broadly as possible within the families of the conspirators.” Children were separated from parents, rounded up by Gestapo, and secreted away to a forested youth retreat, some for almost a year, where they were given new surnames, forbidden from speaking in public, and called “ghost children” by the outside community. Based on extensive research and interviews with some of these children—now octo- and nonagenarians—this detailed account offers overlapping family stories and numerous names, which at times can be hard to keep straight. Maps, archival photographs, and documents from Nazi Germany, as well as photographs of the Sippenhaft families, round out this comprehensive account that provides a glimpse into the horror and trauma of the Nazi regime. Back matter includes a timeline, a meticulous listing of the Sippenhaft families whose children were detained, a resource guide, further reading, a bibliography, source notes, and index. Ages 12–up. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 01/01/2021

Gr 7 Up—A compelling account of the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler in 1944 and the brutal aftermath of the plot's failure. The text begins with an overview of how Hitler utilized a blend of personality, propaganda, and fear to assume total control of the German government after the death of Chancellor Hindenburg in 1932. The majority of people living under Hitler's regime who objected to his rule were terrified to express dissent because of his policy of retaliation. When prominent military men attempted to assassinate Hitler at his retreat known as the Wolf's Lair in the Valkyrie plot and failed, Hitler's retribution was particularly brutal. The German word Sippenhaft, which means "clan arrest" but is usually translated as "family punishment," epitomizes the scale of Hitler's revenge on the Valkyrie participants and their families. Forty-six children from 19 high-ranking Nazi families who survived the beginnings of the Sippenhaft were sent to a tourist town in central Germany called Bad Sachsa. The children were forbidden to use their family names, to enroll in school, to go to church, or even to speak when outdoors. A time line, a list of the Sippenhaft families, a resource guide, a note from the author, and research notes are included. VERDICT A well-researched, detailed account of a part of World War II that remains unknown to many today. For those who enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.—Susan Catlett, Green Run H.S.., Virginia Beach

School Library Journal

Ann Bausum's engrossing Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair details Adolf Hitler's sweeping revenge against participants (and their families) in a failed coup and assassination attempt.
Bausum charts Hitler's rise to power and the subsequent resistance by German dissidents that culminated in a failed attack on Hitler at his isolated military outpost, the Wolf's Lair. Trusted associates and community leaders banded together against the regime to mount an assault code-named Operation Valkyrie. When the plot deployed on July 20, 1944, it was only a series of coincidences that saved Hitler's life. The vast reach of Valkyrie fueled Hitler's mounting paranoia. His policy of Sippenhaft—or "family punishment"—implicated relatives in anti-Nazi conspiracies and demonstrated Hitler's merciless commitment to retaining political control. Within weeks, the investigators held some 700 extended family members, and Gestapo agents seized detractors' youngest children, holding them in a secluded rural facility. Through primary resources, emphasizing four detainees who offered her their first-person accounts, Bausum recounts the heartbreaking months of isolation and anxiety suffered by the young prisoners, who became known as "the ghost children."—Shelf Awareness, starred review


Ann Bausum's engrossing Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair details Adolf Hitler's sweeping revenge against participants (and their families) in a failed coup and assassination attempt.
Bausum charts Hitler's rise to power and the subsequent resistance by German dissidents that culminated in a failed attack on Hitler at his isolated military outpost, the Wolf's Lair. Trusted associates and community leaders banded together against the regime to mount an assault code-named Operation Valkyrie. When the plot deployed on July 20, 1944, it was only a series of coincidences that saved Hitler's life. The vast reach of Valkyrie fueled Hitler's mounting paranoia. His policy of Sippenhaft—or "family punishment"—implicated relatives in anti-Nazi conspiracies and demonstrated Hitler's merciless commitment to retaining political control. Within weeks, the investigators held some 700 extended family members, and Gestapo agents seized detractors' youngest children, holding them in a secluded rural facility. Through primary resources, emphasizing four detainees who offered her their first-person accounts, Bausum recounts the heartbreaking months of isolation and anxiety suffered by the young prisoners, who became known as "the ghost children."—Shelf Awareness, starred review


German 12-year-old Christa von Hofacker’s diary, like Anne Frank’s, provides a child’s window into WWII, helping to tell the fascinating and shocking story of how German families were made to pay the price when a plot to kill Hitler by German military leaders and officers failed. Operation Valkyrie’s failure prompted a vindictive Hitler to retaliate against all the conspirators’ family members in what is known as Sippenhaft (kin liability). The book describes Hitler’s rise to power and explains the reasons for this attempt (and others) on his life. It tensely recounts the events on the fateful day when Operation Valkyrie was attempted and failed and the fate that awaited the conspirators and their families: their children were taken away without explanation and hidden at a secluded retreat called the Borntal. Their names were changed, and they were forbidden to speak when outside, and called “ghost children” by observers. Bausum collects firsthand accounts from Christa and other survivors, their experiences lending authenticity and immediacy to the history. Few records about Sippenhaft survived so this extensively researched book offers an eye-opening look at an unforgettable historical event. Back matter includes a time line, family lists, resources and resource notes, maps, and archival photos and illustrations. Highly recommended.—Booklist, starred review


Gr 7 Up–A compelling account of the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler in 1944 and the brutal aftermath of the plot’s failure. The text begins with an overview of how Hitler utilized a blend of personality, propaganda, and fear to assume total control of the German government after the death of Chancellor Hindenburg in 1932. The majority of people living under Hitler’s regime who objected to his rule were terrified to express dissent because of his policy of retaliation. When prominent military men attempted to assassinate Hitler at his retreat known as the Wolf’s Lair in the Valkyrie plot and failed, Hitler’s retribution was particularly brutal. The German word Sippenhaft, which means “clan arrest” but is usually translated as “family punishment,” epitomizes the scale of Hitler’s revenge on the Valkyrie participants and their families. Forty-six children from 19 high-ranking Nazi families who survived the beginnings of the Sippenhaft were sent to a tourist town in central Germany called Bad Sachsa. The children were forbidden to use their family names, to enroll in school, to go to church, or even to speak when outdoors. A time line, a list of the Sippenhaft families, a resource guide, a note from the author, and research notes are included.
VERDICT A well-researched, detailed account of a part of World War II that remains unknown to many today. For those who enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.—School Library Journal, starred review


Gr 7 Up–A compelling account of the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler in 1944 and the brutal aftermath of the plot’s failure. The text begins with an overview of how Hitler utilized a blend of personality, propaganda, and fear to assume total control of the German government after the death of Chancellor Hindenburg in 1932. The majority of people living under Hitler’s regime who objected to his rule were terrified to express dissent because of his policy of retaliation. When prominent military men attempted to assassinate Hitler at his retreat known as the Wolf’s Lair in the Valkyrie plot and failed, Hitler’s retribution was particularly brutal. The German word Sippenhaft, which means “clan arrest” but is usually translated as “family punishment,” epitomizes the scale of Hitler’s revenge on the Valkyrie participants and their families. Forty-six children from 19 high-ranking Nazi families who survived the beginnings of the Sippenhaft were sent to a tourist town in central Germany called Bad Sachsa. The children were forbidden to use their family names, to enroll in school, to go to church, or even to speak when outdoors. A time line, a list of the Sippenhaft families, a resource guide, a note from the author, and research notes are included.
VERDICT A well-researched, detailed account of a part of World War II that remains unknown to many today. For those who enjoyed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.—School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher