Dan Snow's History Hit The Einstein Murders
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Apr 24, 2025 
Thomas Harding, a journalist and author of 'The Einstein Vendetta,' dives into the harrowing true story of Robert Einstein, cousin of Albert Einstein, whose family faced a brutal war crime in 1944 Italy. He shares chilling details of the family's ordeal as they were hunted by German soldiers and discusses the complexities of identity and survival during the Holocaust. Harding also reflects on the long quest for justice against war crimes, revealing how historical narratives intersect with personal tragedies in a remarkable tale of resilience.
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Einstein's Infamous Nazi Targeting
- Albert Einstein was the most famous Jewish critic of the Nazis in the 1930s, making him a prime target with a bounty on his head.
- His escape and public opposition inflamed Nazi hatred, linking his family to a vicious vendetta.
Jewish Life and Turning Point in Italy
- Jewish life in Mussolini's Italy initially experienced tolerance and even high-ranking Jewish fascists.
- The political alliance with Nazi Germany shifted this, culminating in racial laws, persecution, and deportations by 1943.
German Raid on Einstein's Villa
- In August 1944, German soldiers raided Robert Einstein's villa searching for him but only found his wife and daughters.
- They locked the women, interrogated them, then murdered his two daughters and set fire to the villa in a brutal 12-hour ordeal.
