12. Hitler Had to Play Marriage Counselor to Keep His Favorite Nazi Family Together
The quick succession of children pumped out by Magda did not signify bliss and tranquility in the Goebbels home. The couple came close to divorcing because of Joseph’s notorious womanizing, which reached a peak in the summer of 1938, when he fell hard for a Czech actress named Lida Baarova. The propaganda minister sought to abandon his family to be with Baarova, until Hitler, leery of the negative PR from a scandal involving one of his top henchmen, demanded that Goebbels end the relationship.
He kept backsliding, however, so Magda sought a divorce. Once again, the Fuhrer personally intervened. Hitler brokered a reconciliation by banishing Baarova. He demanded that the couple maintain at least the appearance of harmony in public, and agreed to let Magda get her divorce if, after a year’s separation, she still wanted out of the marriage. Goebbels laid on the charm once more and became the model of a solicitous and repentant husband. The couple eventually got back together, and their last child, Heidrun, was called their “reconciliation child”, because she was conceived after her parents had smoothed things over.
