Hedwig Höss

Wife of SS Obersturmfuehrer (Lieutenant Colonel) Rudolf Hoess.

Hedwig Hoess was born Hedwig Hensel 1908 to Ostwald Richard Hensel and Linna Florendine Hensel (born Kremtz).Hedwig married Rudolf Höss on August 17 1929, at age 21. During the time he was commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp they produced five children Klaus Höss, Annegret Höss, Heidetraut Höss, Ingebrigitt Höss and Hans-Rudolf Höss.

To protect his family from any future 'finger pointing' he consciously lied to his wife about the goings on in the camp. They lived in a villa not far from the camp but she never made a visit to the place. No wonder then that Hedwig often referred to Auschwitz as 'paradise' as they lacked for nothing. Food and clothing were confiscated from the Jews luggage before they were gassed. In order to protect their children from future stigma and fingerprinting her husband consciously lied about his work in the camp and especially about the gassings. When she overheard comments made by Fritz Bracht, Gauleiter of Silesia, of what went on in the camp, she refused to share the same bed with her husband. Discovered living north of Flensburg with her eldest son, they were taken into custody by the British Army's 92 Field Security Section. They were interrogated for six days as to where her husband was, but she repeatedly said that he was dead. She finally relented and wrote down the address where he was living. He was at this time working as a farm labourer under the name of Franz Lang. After his arrest Hedwig Hoess and her son were released. Hedwig sought a new life in Germany where she re-married and moved to America and where she lived until her passing at age 90.

Source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160753086/hedwig-hoess#view-pho...