Meet Pia Hertz from Love’s Belief By Linda Shenton Matchett
Resistance to Axis occupying forces took many forms in the various countries overrun by Germany. In France, an unassociated collection of cells performed acts of sabotage, distributed underground newspapers, passed intelligence to Allied troops, and helped escaped POWs and downed servicemen get out of the country. Considered one of the strongest movements of the war, the Greek Resistance consisted of armed and unarmed groups. Vandalism, sabotage, and revolts marked their activities, first against the Italians, then the Germans. The Polish underground movement was the largest in all of occupied Europe.
Intriguingly, as the war progressed resistance began to spring up within Germany itself. Individuals and groups rather than a united resistance movement, engaged in various acts of opposition, from speaking out against the Nazis, distributing handbills and underground newspapers, hiding Jews, and conducting protests. The more serious resistors were involved in plans and attempts to assassinate Hitler and highly placed officials.
Love’s Belief explores the German resistance through the actions of midwife Pia Hertz. Grab a chair, put up your feet, and get to know this brave young lady who embodies, and hopefully, in some small way, honors those who risked everything to fight what they knew was wrong.
LM: Welcome, Pia! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Pia: Danke. Thanks for having me. My mother and I live in Berlin, not far from the Tiergarten, a beautiful park that has a zoo, and a lake, and the Victory Column, a monument that commemorates victory during the Danish-Prussian war. I have the best job in the world. I am a midwife with my mother. We help women during their pregnancies and bring babies into the world.
LM: What a satisfying and joyous task. You are a lovely young lady. Do you have a boyfriend?
Pia: Nein. (blushing) Most of the men my age are away in combat. There are others but we don’t know who we can trust. Neighbors have turned in neighbors. Family has gone against family. It is best not to start a relationship. Although, there is one young man I’ve met…
LM: Not everyone in Germany agrees with Hitler, and pockets of resistance have appeared. Where do you stand?
Pia: I am a Christian, and as such I cannot sanction the activities of the Nazis. They have taken on the role of God deciding who lives and who dies. The Nuremburg laws require me to report the birth of Jewish babies and infants who are born with disabilities. The authorities take these children away, so Mutti and I have chosen to keep certain information to ourselves.
LM: That could be very dangerous to you, couldn’t it?
Pia: Yes, I could lose my license…or worse. The Nazi arrest and deport those who go against their policies, but I cannot stand by and do nothing. We shall see if I can make a difference one baby at a time.
About the book:
Midwife Pia Hertz and her mother Sabine have been delivering babies long before the Nazis came to power. Now, the Third Reich has implemented mandates that require Jewish babies and other “undesirables” to be killed as part of The Final Solution. Is Pia’s new faith in Christ strong enough to defy the laws of man?
Despite the agony of the injury at the Battle of Drøbak Sound that took his arm, Dieter Fertig is relieved he’s no longer part of Hitler’s army. He returns to Berlin and discovers Jews are being deported by the thousands. When he realizes the Nuremburg Laws require his best friend’s baby girl to be killed, he must find a way to spirit the child out of Germany before the Nazis discover her existence.
Inspired by the biblical story of Shiprah and Puah, the midwives who saved Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s reign, Love’s Belief shows how one person’s actions can change the world.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/30seRI6
Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, speaker, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. Linda is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. She is a volunteer docent and archivist at the Wright Museum of WWII. To learn more about Linda and her books, visit: http://www.LindaShentonMatchett.com. Receive a free short story when you sign up for her newsletter https://mailchi.mp/74bb7b34c9c2/lindashentonmatchettnewsletter. Connect with her on http://www.facebook.com/LindaShentonMatchettAuthor, http://www.twitter.com/lindasmatchett, or http://www.pinterest.com/lindasmatchett
