Dancing With The Devil

Rachel Johnson talks to women, now in their 90s, who as part of their cultural education, visited Germany in the 1930s.

A few went to Hitler rallies, remembering the sound of metalled boots on specially metalled roads.

One was a member of the Hitler youth, and recalls how all the boys she was at school with perished in the war. One was questioned by the Gestapo for boasting about British military supremacy in the street.

Another visited a dark and dingy beer cellar, to have drinks with Unity Mitford, Rudolph Hess and Hitler.

Their experiences in Germany in the years building up to the war give a unique insight into the rise of Nazism from the point of view of aristocratic teenage girls.

Producer: Sara Conkey

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2010.