Karl Gönner was a Nazi, and his family didn't ask a lot of questions about that time in his life. In this episode of Constant Wonder, Gönner's grandson Burkhard Bilger speaks with co-host Tennery Taylor about his search for the full story of his grandfather's past.
After growing up with only a vague understanding of his grandfather's dark history, Bilger decided to search for the full truth behind his heritage. He discovered that during his grandfather's time occupying a French village, Gönner saved dozens of lives from Nazi oppression, while simultaneously leading the Hitler Youth Program. This family's history is more inspiring than they'd ever suspected.
Guest: Burkhard Bilger, author of "Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets" and staff writer at "The New Yorker"
Originally aired on August 8, 2023
Chapters:
(0:00) Meet Nazi Karl Gönner through his grandson Burkhard Bilger
(9:40) Karl Gönner as a teacher
(14:20) A Nazi in occupied France
(23:08) Discovering the "reasonable" Nazi
(31:14) Gönner's daughter and her struggle with his history
(38:10) The End of WWII
(48:12) Serendipitous inspiration in classified archives
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