When Erich Remarque was fighting on the Western Front in WWI, he made the acquaintance of Adolf Hitler. They participated in the Third Battle of Ypres. After the war, their paths diverged. Remarque became a writer. In 1927, he wrote a novel based on his experiences. Two years later, it was published and became the greatest war novel ever written. All Quiet on the Western Front was a bestseller and caught the attention of the Nazi Party and Hitler. To make matters worse, the movie based on the book was a smash hit internationally. Hitler and the other Nazis felt the movie’s anti-war theme would damage the morale of future Nazi soldiers. The movie was considered unpatriotic. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister, understood how powerful the movie was. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, the book was banned and citizens were ordered to turn in their copies. When the movie was shown in German theaters, Nazi thugs would release mice and set off smoke bombs. The movie was also banned. Remarque could read the writing on the wall and left Germany. He came to America via Switzerland. He lived the rest of his life in America. Unfortunately, he left relatives in Germany. At first, nothing happened. But as the war started to go bad, the Nazis looked for scapegoats. If they couldn’t get Remarque, they could get his sister Elfriede Scholz. Elfriede’s landlord ratted her out for supposedly saying the war was a lost cause. She was brought before the People’s Court and found guilty of dissent and being Erich’s sister. Upon sentencing, the judge said: “Your brother is unfortunately beyond our reach—you, however, will not escape us”. Elfriede was beheaded. She left a husband and two kids. The bill for the prosecution was sent to Elfriede’s younger sister.
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