Season 1
The Nazi era lasted 12 years, 3 months, and 8 days. Who were the people who voted for Adolf Hitler in 1933? Who profited from the Nazi state? Who feared for their lives? Who were they in 1939, when the World War began? Who were they in 1945, when it ended? Diaries tell the story of the everyday lives of Germans during the Nazi era: emotional, compelling, and authentic. This documentary series explores the fates of eight Germans—of allegiance, career, doubt, and despair in a dictatorship that promoted followers and destroyed opponents.
01. Episode 1: Power and Terror (1933-1935)
The Nazis are coming to power. Carpenter's apprentice Franz Schall is thrilled – he's a member of the Hitler Youth. Innkeeper Matthias Mehs is horrified by how quickly the Nazis are seizing power everywhere. He has nothing to do with them, but soon makes compromises. Luise Solmitz is an ardent Hitler supporter – even though her husband is branded a Jew. The world of Willy Cohn, a German Jew, is also falling apart. Inge Thiele seeks affiliation with the League of German Girls (BDM).
02. Episode 2: Fear and Exclusion (1936-1938)
The Olympic Games are taking place in Germany. Inge Thiele is jubilant. She reads Hitler's book "Mein Kampf," dreams of a better future, and hopes to find the man of her dreams. Matthias Mehs is withdrawing. When synagogues burn in Germany in November 1938, he doubts the humanity of his fellow citizens. Luise Solmitz fears for her husband and daughter. Egon Oelwein is convinced of the Nazis' master race ideology. Willy Cohn wants to leave Germany.
03. Episode 3: War and Crime (1939-1941)
Ortrun Koerber experiences the parade for Hitler's 50th birthday. She is impressed – and horrified. When war later breaks out, she wishes England to win. Helmut Fischer is drafted. First Poland, then France – Fischer believes that the war will soon be over. Inge Thiele has not yet found the man of her dreams – she fears that many men will die. Since the invasion of Poland, Egon Oelwein has dreamed of an estate in the East. Luise Solmitz is happy when she learns that her husband does not yet have to wear the yellow Jewish star. Willy Cohn's family is arrested in November 1941.
04. Episode 4: Survival & Destruction (1942-1945)
The war changes everything. Matthias Mehs' brother-in-law has fallen on the Eastern Front. Helmut Fischer is transferred to the East. He keeps hearing about executions. In the summer of 1943, Luise Solmitz experiences devastating air raids in Hamburg; the city burns. Egon Oelwein enlists in the Waffen-SS. Ortrun Koerber works in an armaments factory. She falls in love with an Italian forced laborer. Inge Thiele has found the love of her life; she marries and becomes pregnant. Will they survive the war?