Magda Goebbels

Magda Goebbels
Goebbels in 1933
Personal details
Born
Johanna Maria Magdalena Ritschel

(1901-11-11)11 November 1901
Berlin, German Empire
Died1 May 1945(1945-05-01) (aged 43)
Führerbunker, Berlin, Nazi Germany
Cause of deathSuicide
Political partyNazi Party (NSDAP)
Spouses
(m. 1921; div. 1929)
(m. 1931)
ChildrenHarald, Helga, Hildegard, Helmut, Holdine, Hedwig, Heidrun
Alma materUrsuline Convent
AwardsGolden Party Badge
Cross of Honor of the German Mother

Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (née Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and political supporter of Adolf Hitler.[1] Some historians refer to her as the unofficial "first lady" of Nazi Germany, while others give that title to Emmy Göring.[2][3]

With defeat imminent during the Battle of Berlin at the end of World War II in Europe, she and her husband murdered their six children before committing suicide in the Reich Chancellery gardens. Her eldest son, Harald Quandt, from a previous marriage, survived her.

  1. ^ Wyllie, James (February 2020). "Nazi wives: the women beside Hess, Goebbels, Göring and Himmler". HistoryExtra. BBC History Revealed. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  2. ^ Thacker 2010, p. 179.
  3. ^ Longerich 2015, pp. 159, 160.