Never Our Fault - Lina Heydrich, an Unrepentant Nazi (part III)

1942. Europe is at war, and things are looking great for Lina Heydrich. Her husband, the terrifying Reinhard Heydrich, has just been declared Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and their growing family relocates to picturesque Prague, where death waits patiently to teach them all a lesson: that who lives by the sword, will die by the sword.

Widowed, abandoned by her beloved party and thrown in a hostile world, Lina will fight to survive in the ruins of post-war Germany, but her greatest struggle will be her fierce resistance to facing the unimaginable consequences of her and her husband's hateful ideology. Year by year, she will circle the truth warily, as if it were an open flame she did not quite dare touch.

00:00 Introduction
01:28 Men of courage: Operation Anthropoid
17:24 A Gathering Storm
22:45 Pariah
29:43 Never Our Fault
35:57 Sins of the Father: The Heydrich Children
41:42 Acta est Fabula

Sources:

1. "Hitler's Hangman: The Life and Death of Reinhard Heydrich" by Robert Gerwarth, Yale University Press, 2013.
2. "The Hangman and his Wife: The Life and Death of Reinhard Heydrich" by Nancy Dougherty, edited by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2022.
3. "Heydrich: The Face of Evil" by Mario Dederichs, Greenhill Books, 2006.
4. "Life with a War Criminal" by Lina Heydrich, W. Ludwig, 1976.

[keithmountain]

For one who describes herself as an "amateur historian" this is modesty on an Olympian scale. The story is narrated at a measured pace which provides time for the viewer to absorb the wealth of detailed research which she has undertaken. The occasional questions which she poses to her audience, uttered almost sotto voce in response to the evidence, are as effective in their impact as any courtroom interrogation of the dramatis personae herein might have been, had they taken place in history. This is a work of triumph which deserves the widest possible distribution. On a personal note I loved her beautiful pronunciation of the German language. Herzliche Glückwünsche !

[blackhawkr]

Plenty of former Nazis in Uraguay when we would visit family back in the 70’s. Trust me, they fully relived their glory days with zero regrets.

[nhlanhlanene]

I accidentally discovered this channel last night. Now, after listening to this last clip, I must confess, you have done an exceptional job in compiling the information and presented it so well to us all.

With love from South Africa 🇿🇦

[fxlvimf]

I loved your narration throughout this series. It was very educational. Shocking yet intriguing insight in the life of Lina Heydrich. Thankyou for your most excellent work and sharing it with me!

[a.p.]

I feel disgusted at hearing that the west (uk and us) didn't even answer to the Chzechoslovak governments request to send her back for trial in Prague. Makes you wonder why nazism never died. The former enemies had quietly become friends.

[DrJeeps]

This is an extremely competent narrative of the life of Lina Heydrich. Thank you for this brilliant analysis.

[liambrannelly]

This trilogy of videos is better than some so-called "professional" documentaries! Watched all three in one evening, please keep on doing what you're doing, it is amazing!!

[karenburrows]

The gift of perception and the talent to translate it into a compelling and factual story. This is a masterwork. Thank you.

[Lizlaliz]

I m German and stunned by your way of telling stories and historical knowledge. I learnt so much about the Heydrichs! You do such a good job!

[lemingwrangler]

Having watched three motion pictures about the Heydrich assassination and having just last week taken the WWII guided tour in Prague which was very hands-on and informative, I can say that your documentary fills in many of the gaps in a masterful way. Two items for me are still unanswered questions. 1) Our guide said that the Nazi military record of the final cathedral battle stated that there were no German casualties, quite different from the movie versions. 2) Our guide said that Lina spent quite some time in Prague after the assassination being treated well and acting like the Queen, a fact that is a source of embarrassment now. Thank you for the great job.

[timothywilliams]

This is an outstanding documentary, much better than many produced by much larger media enterprises. Bravo! Ausgezeichnet!

[MrJal]

"Intolerance and hatred always give birth to monsters..."

Well said.

[gregoryfarnham]

Ivodora has provided us with an impressive historical narrative of the personalities of two of the cast of characters in the Nazi drama. The script, the narration, the photos, the biographical quotations, the fascinating historical nuggets, and the musical interludes are beautifully interwoven. I suspect this documentary is unsurpassed. A pleasure to view, listen to, and contemplate.

[suzyzyklo]

growing up in Western Germany in the 60s I often heard these phrases: we didn`t know, not our fault, if Hitler had known, he would have intervened ...
Very good work, beatiful narration. Bravo

[SongSwan]

I suspect she is receiving her reward as we speak.

[ChannoBonanno]

I cant believe i just binged all three of the videos in this series back to back to back. bravo, you've earned this sub!

[wolfbenson]

Incredible. I'm a 70 year old Jew, formerly of America and now in Israel. I watch many documentaries on WW2. This one is unique in that it looks not at the global events, but the psychological underpinnings of the perpetrators. The title is interesting: Never our Fault, because Lina Heydrich makes no apologies, hence there is no "fault" to deny.

[rimshot]

All dedicated Nazi veterans and probably some "good German" veterans who were not Nazis regret one thing most of all: that they lost.

[alysgrant]

I appreciate that the narrator also added how cold she was to her children, beating them if they spoke during meals. That shows just a brief glimpse into her parenting skills, meanwhile she thought she loved her children.
Thank you, excellent documentary.

[josepjosafrex]

I am fond about history of the WWII, and knowledgeable of the life and death of Reinhard Heydrich. I have seen many documentaries on the subject and honestly, I have to admit, that I was really impressed by the quality, not only of the narration but also on the presentation and production of the documentary and, excellently embroidered with the lovely and peaceful voice of the narrator. My most sincere congratulations for the work.
Having discovered this platform today, I hope to be able to enjoy it in the future with new works. Thank you and Best Regards. Josep fm Barcelona