When the Third Reich collapsed in 1945, its male leadership faced death, capture, or lifelong disgrace. But in the shadows of these infamous men stood their wives—some equally devoted to Hitler’s cause, others deluded, broken, or trying to survive. The fates of these women varied widely. Some died by suicide, others were imprisoned, and a few slipped into obscurity. But one question still echoes through history: were they victims of a monstrous regime—or collaborators who escaped justice?
Magda Goebbels – The Fanatical First Lady of Nazi Germany
Magda Goebbels, wife of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, was known as the unofficial "First Lady" of the Third Reich. Devoted to Hitler and the Nazi cause, she was deeply fanatical—so much so that she refused to live in a post-Hitler world.
In Hitler’s bunker during the final days of the war, Magda and Joseph murdered their six children using poison, believing their lives were not worth living without National Socialism. Afterward, the couple committed suicide. Her chilling final act solidified her legacy as a true believer—not a victim.
Gerda Bormann – The Loyal but Forgotten Wife
Gerda Bormann, wife of Hitler’s powerful private secretary Martin Bormann, was fiercely loyal to both her husband and the Nazi ideology. She bore ten children and supported Bormann’s racial views.
After the war, Gerda was captured by American forces and died of cancer in 1946 while in a prisoner-of-war hospital. Martin Bormann disappeared in the final days of the war, and it wasn’t until 1972 that his remains were discovered in Berlin. Gerda died believing her husband had escaped—her fate quietly tragic, but her loyalty to the regime unshaken.
Emmy Göring – Glamour, Denial, and Disgrace
Emmy Göring, wife of Luftwaffe chief Hermann Göring, enjoyed immense wealth and status during the Nazi era, living in luxury and rubbing shoulders with elite circles. After the war, she was arrested by Allied forces.
Unlike others, Emmy survived and faced trial. She was sentenced to one year in prison and had her property confiscated. Afterward, she lived in relative obscurity in Munich and remained defiant, never renouncing her husband or the Nazi cause. She died in 1973, still proud of her past—a sign of how deeply some clung to their delusions.
Lina Heydrich – The Widow of the Butcher
Lina Heydrich, wife of Reinhard Heydrich (architect of the Holocaust), was fiercely supportive of her husband’s SS career. After he was assassinated by Czech resistance fighters in 1942, she became a widow—but continued to defend his legacy long after the war.
After 1945, Lina was interned by the Allies but eventually won a legal case that granted her a Nazi widow’s pension. She later ran a restaurant in West Germany and lived until 1985, unapologetic and still praising her husband’s service. To many, she was a symbol of unrepentant loyalty to evil.