Rüdiger von Fritsch: 'Russian people are wonderful,' but confronting his Nazi father's past

Rüdiger von Fritsch, a former German diplomat, reflects on the profound challenge of his upbringing with a father who was a staunch Nazi.

Von Fritsch's father joined the NSDAP (Nazi Party) at an early age and served in the Waffen-SS. He was part of the occupying forces in Lithuania and remained committed to his Nazi ideology until his death. This deeply problematic legacy forms a central theme in von Fritsch's book, "Die Geschichte in mir" (The Story Within Me), where he confronts his father's past.

In an interview with DIE ZEIT, von Fritsch described the experience of growing up with such a father. He explained that as a child, he initially accepted the narratives presented by adults as fact. "As a child, you take everything the adults tell you for granted," he stated. He began to construct his own understanding of the past from the various accounts he heard.

This included the immense losses his parents' families suffered during the war, such as the loss of their homeland, possessions, and, most significantly, family members. Several of his parents' brothers had fallen in combat. His father provided a justification for these events, claiming that Germany had been attacked and was forced to defend itself, and that others were to blame for the ensuing suffering.

Von Fritsch's work delves into the complexities of reconciling his personal history with his father's actions and beliefs, offering a unique perspective on intergenerational trauma and the process of confronting difficult family legacies.