Florian Huber - Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself - The Mass Suicide of Ordinary Germans in 1945

p. 141 ‘ The men wore…large eyes .’ Ibid.

p. 142 ‘ Sex, murder…Particularly bloodshed .’ Sefton Delmer, Trail Sinister: An Autobiography , Volume One, London: Secker & Warburg, 1961, p. 75.

p. 142 ‘ Looking back… Vesuvius eruption .’ Ibid.

p. 142–43 ‘ Complete liberty…compartmentalising .’ Stéphane Roussel, Les Collines de Berlin: un regard sur l’Allemagne , Paris: Éditions Mazarine, 1985, p. 30.

p. 143 ‘ It did not surprise…hungry too .’ Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler: A Memoir , tr. Oliver Pretzel, London: Phoenix, 2011, p. 48. (Translation slightly modified.)

p. 143 ‘ Indeed, my father…the times .’ Ibid.

p. 144 ‘ the uncurbed, cynical…end in itself ’. Ibid., p. 44.

p. 144 ‘ A generation…chaos and peril .’ Ibid., p. 57.

p. 145 ‘ Indeed, the mood…save the world .’ Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler , p. 53.

p. 146 ‘ What impressed me…than ever before .’ Sefton Delmer, Trail Sinister , p. 97.

p. 148 ‘ Would-be intruders…up to anyone .’ Reiner Hamm, Erinnerungen , German Diaries Archive Emmendingen, 1815, p. 81.

p. 148 ‘ It was depressing…nothing moved .’ Ibid., p. 82.

p. 149 ‘ My father was moved to tears .’ Ibid., p. 85.

p. 149 ‘ We Germans prefer…and waiting .’ Gerhard Starcke, Mit Stenoblock und Kübelwagen , p. 88.

p. 150 ‘ It was mass…a revelation .’ Ibid., p. 92.

p. 150 ‘ was that he…about Versailles ’. Ibid.

p. 150–51 ‘ When they talked…including us .’ Renate Finkh, Sie versprachen uns die Zukunft , p. 58.

p. 151 ‘ He said the…save Germany .’ Ibid., pp. 60–61.

p. 151 ‘ Songs are sung…going on .’ Ibid., p. 61.

p. 151 ‘ There is something…fire is dancing .’ Ibid., p. 62.

p. 152 ‘ I have become…found a saviour .’ M. Hoffmann, Der Retter (n.d.), in: Henrik Eberle (ed.), Briefe an Hitler. Ein Volk schreibt seinem Führer. Unbekannte Dokumente aus Moskauer Archiven—zum ersten Mal veröffentlicht , Bergisch Gladbach, 2007, p. 117.

p. 152 ‘ But no one…no convictions whatsoever .’ René Juvet, Ich war dabei. 20 Jahre Nationalsozialismus 1923–1943 . Ein Tatsachenbericht, Zurich, 1944, p. 18.

p. 152 ‘ Brüning may not…that landslide .’ Ibid., p. 24.

p. 153 ‘ I have nothing…southern Germany .’ René Juvet, Ich war dabei , p. 26.

p. 153–54 ‘ On the whole…very dejected indeed .’ Ibid., p. 31.

p. 155 ‘ No rallying cry…community .’ Melita Maschmann, Fazit , p. 8.

p. 155–56 ‘ Her dark eyes…appealed to me .’ Ibid., p. 7.

p. 156 ‘ What was I…drift with it .’ Ibid., pp. 8–9.

p. 157 ‘ It was a matter…life and death .’ Ibid., p. 9.

p. 157 ‘ I wanted…of my contemporaries .’ Ibid.

p. 157 ‘ People shout…as possible .’ Stéphane Roussel, Les Collines de Berlin , p. 62.

p. 158 ‘ There are few…the theatre .’ Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler , p. 86.

p. 158 ‘ but I did…interpret it ’. Ibid., p. 85. (Translation slightly modified.)

p. 159 ‘ All this was…business as usual .’ Ibid., p. 91.

p. 160 ‘ His eyes widened…the sun .’ Sefton Delmer, Trail Sinister , p. 149.

p. 161 ‘ Hitler himself…German fatherland .’ Ibid., p. 151.

p. 162 ‘ In 1933…took second place .’ Reiner Hamm, Erinnerungen , p. 93.

p. 162 ‘ We were surrounded…in Munich .’ Ibid., 97.

p. 163 ‘ The faster you act…conviction .’ René Juvet, Ich war dabei , pp. 31–32.

p. 165 ‘ As my parents…sacrifice .’ Melita Maschmann, Fazit , p. 17.

p. 165 ‘ Because I was…hoi polloi .’ Ibid., p. 19.

p. 165 ‘ That’s why…one big family .’ Ibid., p. 21.

p. 166–67 ‘ Many who had…everyone else .’ Stéphane Roussel, Les Collines de Berlin , p. 90.

p. 167 ‘ The next time…tailor-made suit .’ Ibid., p. 92.

p. 169 ‘ The solemnity…sense of importance .’ Renate Finkh, Sie versprachen uns die Zukunft , p. 114.

p. 169 ‘ It is the first…to the heart .’ Ibid., p. 115.

p. 169 ‘ I am no longer…name is Germany .’ Ibid., p. 116.

p. 170 ‘ We lived like…Brandenburg! ’ Ilse Cordes, Erinnerungen an den Sohn , p. 13.

p. 170 ‘ Just look…frighteningly pale .’ Ibid., p. 20.

p. 171 ‘ These are difficult…deep filial love .’ Ibid., p. 15.

p. 171 ‘ Like all those…always would ,’ Johann Radein, Wir sind wieder einmal , p. 14.

p. 171 ‘ The oath of allegiance…overwhelming .’ Ibid., p. 67.

p. 171–72 ‘ It’s quite an experience…as we go .’ Ibid., p. 91.

p. 173 ‘ My youth…silent majority .’ Lore Walb, Ich, die Alte—Ich, die Junge. Konfrontation mit meinen Tagebüchern 1933–1945 , Berlin, 1997, p. 24.

p. 173 ‘ I have a clear…speaking .’ Ibid., p. 72.

p. 173 ‘ One for all…no community .’ Ibid.

p. 174 ‘ Just as, in my dream…Hitler’s picture .’ Ibid., p. 88.

p. 174 ‘ We were very popular…somehow special .’ Ibid., p. 108.

p. 174 ‘ rose daily…Führer’s will! ’ Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler , p. 159.

p. 175 ‘ Now we were…fear of me .’ Ibid., p. 210.

p. 175 ‘ We trusted…civilian life? ’ Ibid., p. 231.

p. 175 ‘ You are under…inhuman .’ Ibid., p. 236. (Translation slightly modified.)

p. 178 ‘ One has no right…these lines .’ Melita Maschmann, Fazit , p. 21.

p. 178 ‘ Our parents may have…natural .’ Ibid., p. 41.

p. 178 ‘ At the time…of life, then .’ Ibid., p. 43.

p. 179 ‘ But it went against…no harm .’ Renate Finkh, Sie versprachen uns die Zukunft , p. 78.

p. 180 ‘ I pushed it…stench pervaded .’ Ibid., p. 80.

p. 180 ‘ We sang the same…depression .’ Johann Radein, Wir sind wieder einmal , p. 104.

p. 180 ‘ fell into a…very lonely ’. Ibid.

p. 181 ‘ Strangely enough…against the horror .’ Sebastian Haffner, Defying Hitler , p. 114.

p. 181 ‘ The only way…of reality .’ Ibid., p. 169. (Translation slightly modified.)

p. 184 ‘ There was something…in Germany .’ Marie Dabs, Lebenserinnerungen , p. 54.

p. 184 ‘ I filled…long in coming ,’ Ibid., p. 55.

p. 184 ‘ Everyone wanted…that evening .’ Ibid., pp. 61–62.

p. 185 ‘ Dad was full…right .’ Renate Finkh, Sie versprachen uns die Zukunft , p. 76.

p. 185 ‘ I often sat…proud of me .’ Ibid., p. 97.

p. 186 ‘ The sight of him…of life .’ Lore Walb, Ich, die Alte—Ich, die Junge , pp. 35–36.