Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home

Opening the file containing all the info from Willi’s life and his involvement with the Nazi party, Krug read his postwar testimonial in which he claimed to have joined out of necessity, as he was otherwise not allowed to take over the business he wanted. Apparently, Robert Wagner’s car was parked in that very garage, and only Nazis were allowed to work there. Willi admits that he was a member of the Nazi Party from 1933 to 1940. Krug did not know what to feel upon discovering this and the further revelation that Willi referred to himself as a follower (the lowest “rank” of involvement in the Nazi party) in the hopes of reinstating his status as an ordinary citizen.

Krug considered Willi’s choice cowardly but found some solace in testimonials from friends who all swore that he was never active in the party. She wondered why Willi dressed in his uniform for some pictures and why he claimed that his wife’s milk business was taken from her in 1939 despite its being listed into the mid-1940s. Willi’s application initially met a harsh judgment, and he was labeled an offender, but an appeal allowed him to be deemed a follower. She concluded her investigation feeling sorry for Willi for the first time but also angry and still unsure about the full extent of his involvement with the Nazis.