The members of the ghetto underground and their activities are also based on real people and true events. The character of Boris Makarsky is a fictionalized version of Hersh Smolar, who was considered a leader of the ghetto underground. The underground printing press was indeed in use in the ghetto and many of the printers were captured and publically hanged in May of 1942, just as described in the novel. However, this didn’t stop the production of the underground leaflets after new people took over the positions of the executed members of the resistance. Many other instances of the underground sabotage activities are also based on historical fact, such as Jewish workers smuggling gun parts and bullets out of German factories in their boots and mess tins, the attack directed on the SS barracks (mentioned by Ilse in her conversation with the pilots quartered with Willy), smuggling children out of the ghetto and setting them up with Gentile families or orphanages for the Gentile population (as was supposed to have happened with Ilse’s sister, Lore); the case with the Jewish sculptor and his spying on the Wehrmacht officers while drawing their portraits; Reuven’s dealings with Hening’s daughter and his “buying” permit blanks from her (Reuven, Lore’s boyfriend, is based on a real young Polish boy Reuven Liond, who indeed worked as a doorman in the Kommissariat headquarters and helped many people by getting permits for them. You can read more about him in B. Epstein’s book, The Minsk Ghetto 1941-1943. Jewish Resistance and Soviet Internationalism.).
Liza Gutkovich (the name was unchanged) was indeed Ilse Stein’s best friend. It was her who approached Ilse on the day when Ilse first met Willy Schultz and asked how Ilse knew him and why he was so friendly with her. Liza was indeed appointed by Schultz as Ilse’s substitute and later treated as Willy’s own confidante. The instances, where he asked Liza what could be done to help Ilse are described by Liza herself both in B. Epstein’s book and the documentary, “The Jewess and the Capitan,” which tells a detailed story of Willy’s and Ilse’s relationship. Liza’s risky enterprise with listening to the Soviet radio in Schultz’s office is also based on Liza’s recollections. The events surrounding the surrender of the 6th Army in Stalingrad and the German command’s reaction to it are all based on historical facts. There weren’t any announcements acknowledging the surrender until Goebbels’s infamous “Total War” speech in Berlin’s Sportpalast (its parts were used in the novel, unchanged).
Willy indeed had a friend who was willing to take the risk and fly the couple – Willy and Ilse – across enemy lines and who was later transferred to the front. Since his name was lost to history, I took the liberty of naming him, Otto Weizmann. His further destiny is, unfortunately, also unknown.
All of the pogroms (or Aktionen – SS-conducted massacres) mentioned in the novel were also described based on recollections of the ghetto survivors. Adolf Eichmann indeed supervised the Purim massacre during which over five thousand people were killed and eventually buried in what was later known as the Pit (or Yama). It was said that General-Kommissar Kube, who was present during the pogrom and had a fondness for children, was indeed throwing candy into the pit where children from the Jewish orphanage were being thrown alive to be later shot or buried alive.
The July pogrom, which lasted four days and during which Willy Schultz hid his brigade in the cellar of the Government building, is also based on the survivors’ recollections. According to their memoirs and the historians’ accounts, not only Schultz but several other officers in charge of the brigades hid “their Jews” during the pogrom to save their lives, even though such actions were usually severely punished by the SS. However, it was said that Schultz was well-connected and most likely that was the reason why he could get away with such risky arrangements.
The daring escape itself is based on true historical fact. After getting notice of his imminent transfer, after the SS got wind of his relationship with Ilse Stein, he secured the permit for the wood-cutting brigade and also a truck with carefully concealed weapons. After gathering the brigade, they managed to get through all of the checkpoints without any trouble and eventually got to their destination in the partisan zone, Willy holding the driver at gunpoint. The bridge was indeed blown up and one of the brigade members did take the risk of jumping into the freezing cold water to get to the other side. The partisans arrived soon after and, after interrogating Schultz for the entire day and realizing that he wished to defect to stay with his beloved, accepted him into the brigade. The driver was offered to stay as well. Ilse and Willy later had a son together.
If you’d like to know what happened to Ilse and Willy after the war, feel free to contact the author. I’d like to finish their story on this happy note, which proves once again that even in the darkest of times love will always be stronger than hate. Let their story be an inspiration for us all.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank the wonderful Bookouture family for helping me bring Ilse and Willy’s story to light. It wouldn’t be possible without the help and guidance of my incredible editor, Christina Demosthenous, whose insights truly bring my characters to life and whose support and encouragement make me strive to work even harder on my novels and become a better writer. Thank you Kim Nash, Noelle Holten, Ruth Tross, and Peta Nightingale for all your help and for making me feel welcome and at home with your amazing publishing team. It’s been a true pleasure working with all of you and I already can’t wait to create more projects under your guidance.
Mom, granny – thank you for always asking how my novel is doing and for cheering me up at every step. Your support and faith in me make this writing journey so much easier, knowing that you always have my back and will always be my biggest fans. Thank you for all your love. Love you both to death.
Ronnie, my love – all of this wouldn’t be possible without you. Every time you meet a new person, the first thing you say about me is “my fiancée is a great novelist, you simply must check out her books!” I always grumble that you’re embarrassing me with all that attention, but inwardly I’m so very grateful for you being so very proud of me. Thank you for all your support and for putting up with my deadlines and all that research information I keep dumping on you. You are my rock star.
A special thanks to my two besties, Vladlena and Anastasia, for their love and support; to all of my fellow authors whom I got to know through Facebook and who became my very close friends—you all are such an inspiration! I consider you all a family.
And, of course, huge thanks to my readers for patiently waiting for new releases, for celebrating cover reveals together with me, for reading ARCs, and sending me those absolutely amazing I-stayed-up-till-3 a.m.-last-night-because-I-just-had-to-finish-your-wonderful-book messages, for your reviews that always make my day, and for falling in love with my characters just as much as I do. You are the reason why I write. Thank you so much for reading my stories.
And, finally, I owe my biggest thanks to all the brave people who continue to inspire my novels. Some of you survived the Holocaust, some of you perished, but it’s your incredible courage, resilience, and self-sacrifice that will live on in our hearts. Your example will always inspire us to be better people, to stand up for what is right, to give a voice to the ones who have been silenced, to protect the ones who cannot protect themselves. You all are true heroes. Thank you.
Published by Bookouture in 2021
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
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Copyright © Ellie Midwood, 2021
Ellie Midwood has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-80019-878-4
This book is a work of fiction. Whilst some ch
aracters and circumstances portrayed by the author are based on real people and historical fact, references to real people, events, establishments, organizations or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. All other characters and all incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
The Girl Who Survived: Based on a true story, an utterly unputdownable and heart-wrenching World War 2 page-turner Page 26