Fascinating update - this Luftwaffe Hauptmann also had a daughter. She trained as an interpreter and ended up serving in Vienna as a 'Luftwaffenhelferin' (female Luftwaffe assistant). I'd not even thought about some Luftwaffenhelferinnen having male relations in the Luftwaffe... https://twitter.com/SpitfireFilly/status/1285525762540548096

The message was from her mother to let her know that she was safe after a particularly heavy RAF bombing raid on Berlin (where the family were based). The raid took place on the night of 28/29 January 1944, when nearly 700 Lancaster & Halifax bombers laid the capital to waste

The images of the Hauptmann stood with his son's grave really got to me. This is a touching exchange between the mother and daughter of the family. Yet the mother also got condolences on her son's 1940 death from another, more sinister source...and it reminds us to stay objective

People often ask me what draws me to studying this topic. It's because it constantly forces you to check in with your own moral compass. You recognise that your heart can break for someone on a human level, but also remember that humans are multifaceted, messy & complicated.

Might be of interest @IronCrossMag @GermanHistSoc @HistoryatHull @SocHistoryWar @SWWresearch @Bis18marck70 @MilHiVisualized