An accusation was made against Ilse for having an affair with the prisoners. The prisoners suspected that Hanna chose female prisoners for sexual motives. If Ilse reportedly struck the prisoners with a riding crop, Hanna used a belt to hit Michael in the book. According to Niven, Ilse had an illegitimate son Uwe, who wrote poems to her mother in prison. In the film, Michael and Hanna shared a bond through reading. In post-war German society, Ilse Koch was labeled as “the concentration camp murderess.” Image Credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum/National Archives and Records Administration, College ParkĪccording to witnesses, Ilse’s methods were so torturous that the Nazi chiefs had to discipline her for her actions. Prisoner William Gellinick, who worked at Buchenwald’s pathology laboratory, testified he heard Ilsa saying that it was time for an “old man to grovel a bit.” That man was made to repeatedly roll up and down the hill, causing injuries that led to his death.

Based on survivors’ accounts, her actions were described as “sadistic.”Īccording to reports, Ilse used to ride through prisoners on her horse, and at one time, repeatedly stamped on a man’s face. Ilse was also among the first prominent Nazis tried by the U.S. Ilse was married to the commandant of the Nazi concentration camps, Karl-Otto Koch. Owing to her misdeeds, Ilse was also referred to as “The Witch of Buchenwald,” The Beast of Buchenwald,” “Queen of Buchenwald,” “Red Witch of Buchenwald,” and “Butcher Widow.” Similar to Hanna, Ilse, too, was sentenced to life imprisonment before she died by suicide. “No other known female camp guard comes close to matching up with Schmitz,” Niven said. Although Schlink never revealed the basis on which he developed the character of Hanna, Professor Bill Niven, an expert on modern German history, stated that the character of Hanna strongly resembles Ilse Koch, who is also known as the “B*tch of Buchenwald.” The book is considered a parable that deals with the complexities faced by the post-war German generations in understanding the Holocaust. The screenplay is adapted from the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. ‘The Reader’ is partially based on a true story. If you are wondering whether the story of the 2008 film is based on true events or not, we are here to help you out! Is The Reader Based on a True Story? With amazing performances from Kate Winslet (who also won an Academy Award for Best Actress), Ralph Fiennes, and David Kross, ‘The Reader’ is rendered with aching emotions and heartbreaking tragedy. Soon, Michael realizes that Hanna is harboring a secret that could save her at the trial. To Michael’s horror, it is revealed that Hanna was a Schutzstaffel or SS guard at a Nazi concentration camp.

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