Investigating the Nazi Massacre at Rumbula
5/11/202631 min
An underground Nazi weapons factory and stash of 77-year-old Denazification files. What is it really like to discover that your grandfather was a member of the SS?
In 2023, journalist Lorenz Hemicker joined us to tell the tale of his grandfather, who took part in the massacre of 25,000 Jews at Rumbula in Latvia. We heard about how a radicalised First World War veteran took up the cause of National Socialism, became directly involved in the darkest of Nazi atrocities, and tried to justify himself in the years that followed.
But the story goes even deeper than that. Today, Lorenz joins us again to share his incredible discoveries in the years since, and discuss how his family have confronted this legacy of atrocity.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.
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First 90 secondsDan Snow· Host0:00
Have you been enjoying my podcast and now want even more history? Sign up to History Hit and watch the world's best history documentaries on subjects like how William conquered England, what it was like to live in the Georgian era, and you can even hear the voice of Richard III. We've got hundreds of hours of original documentaries, plus new releases every week, and there's always something more to discover. Sign up to join us in historic locations around the world and explore the past. Just visit historyhit.com/subscribe. [gentle music] Hi, everyone, and welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit. In nineteen seventy-one, a letter arrived at the home of Ernst Hemeke in Germany. It marked a turning point. After years of questioning by the authorities, he was formally summoned to court. He was being charged, and it couldn't have been more grave. Complicity in the murder of twenty-five thousand Jews in the Rumbula Forest, just outside Riga in Latvia, where he had served as part of an SS death squad. Hemeke was terminally ill with cancer, and he died before the case could come to trial. Proceedings were abandoned. But for his family, the shadow of those allegations endured, bringing with it decades of shame and grief and unanswered questions that would echo across generations. Today, I'm very happy to be joined by Lorenz Hemeke, Ernst's grandson. Lorenz is an author, a senior journalist