Hitler's Spy Princess: The Extraordinary Life Of Stephanie Von Hohenlohe - Hardcover

Martha Schad PHD was born in Munich in 1939. A freelance historian and author, she became widely known for her book Women against Hitler, published in Germany by Heyne.

In all the books I have read about WWII and the Nazis, I don't recall ever reading anything about Stephanie Von Hohenlohe. But here she is, all mystery and enigma, meticulously well-documented by author Martha Schad. The story of Princess Von Hohenlohe's life is almost stranger than fiction. She was a Jewish woman (non-practicing) who wormed her way into Hitler's inner social circle and became his close friend and confidant despite warnings to Hitler by top National Socialists of her non-Aryan heritage. In fact, she was adept at worming her way into anything that could work to her advantage, starting with the aristocracy and ending by working with some of the most powerful newspapermen in America and in post-war Germany. She could also worm her way out of almost any predicament and went through lovers like someone with diarrhea goes through toilet paper. A friend loaned me this book with hearty recommendations, but after reading the summary inside the dustcover, I almost took a pass. But as I told him I would read it, I finally did. What I discovered in the Princess was a scheming semen-sponge who had chutzpah by the ton. It took nerve enough for her as a Jewish woman to hang out with Hitler and assorted National Socialists, it took nerves of steel to be all things to all people while oblivious to any real danger to herself. I wouldn't say she was a spy, I'd say she was a brazen social climber whose loyalties were situational. And she continued that right up to her death. Witness how she began her time in America! History is studied in our schools focusing on the big picture and on events which prove to be turning points. But it is driven by millions of almost faceless individuals, some of whom make unheralded contributions that just might have changed how events eventually work out. Though the revelations in this book will likely not cause a revision of our understanding of the Third Reich, it is filled with fascinating but often petty details. Read Hitler's Spy Princess and decide for yourself if you think anything she did changed the course of history even a tiny bit. --By Kurt Harding -

This true story could not have been imagined! How could a Jewish woman born in the late 1800s have been befriended by the greatest anti-Semite of all times. How could she have been invited to the homes of the anti-semetic English pro-Hitler rich and famous in the 1920s? How did she get to interview John F Kennedy? How did she travel with her German Army boyfriend's family. It is unbelievable, but true. --By realist

This is a review of HITLER'S SPY PRINCESS: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF STEPHANIE VON HOHENLOHE by Martha Schad. Mine is the first English language edition published in 2004 by Sutton in the UK. Martha Schad is well-known, successful freelance historian and author whose previous works include WOMEN AGAINST HITLER and KING LUDWIG II OF BAVARIA. The English edition is translated from the original German by Angus McGeoch. I found his translation to be smooth and readable. This book includes illustrations, endnotes, an index and some fascinating appendices including letters from Adolf Hitler, Crown Prince Wilhelm and Princess Stephanie herself. Considering the number of prominent men who fell to her charms, I was a bit disappointed to see from the photographs that Princess Stephanie didn't look at all like Angelina Jolie or some other superstar. Perhaps she was one of those ladies who just didn't photograph well? At any rate, she cut a swath through Europe and America that would embarass Ian Fleming's fictional Commander James Bond. And she was, herself, the daughter of Jewish commoners! I don't know how Hollywood missed her and her story. She consorted with the crowned heads of Europe becoming a Princess along the way and then moved into the 20s and 30s where she met and mastered virtually every leader in Europe. When she ended up in the US in 1940, she seduced the head of the US immigration service to avoid being kicked out of the country by J. Edgar Hoover, thus confirming suspicions of Hoover's homosexuality since he seemed to be the only top ranking official who remained immune to her charms. I don't think "Her Serene Highness", as the British called her, had any deep-seated political agenda. She wasn't doing her bit for "King and Country" as Commander Bond always claimed to be. Instead, she seemed to be out to feather her own nest - something I can understand, even if I don't especially admire it. I've studied the Third Reich and WW II and had seen scattered references to Princess Stephanie. I didn't know what to make of her then and I still don't. Hers, however, is a rollicking good story and I enjoyed it a lot. If you like spectacular romps through history, you'll like Martha Schad's account of Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe. --By John M. Lane