World War II was conducted by total methods. The warring parties used all available means to inflict the most damage on the enemy. The struggle against the partisans in the rear of the German troops was not limited to any moral standards; the most inhuman methods of inquiry were used in it.
In the occupied settlements on the territory of European countries, including the USSR, in the very first days of the occupation, the work of the Gestapo branch began. The torture suffered by all suspects of underground work became a special article in the investigation of the crimes of the Nazi regime in Nuremberg.
Given the mass atrocities of the invaders in the territory of the Soviet Union, one can understand the reasons why their cruelty towards citizens of other countries, including the torture of women in the Gestapo, remained a little-known page in history. But even in countries such as Holland, Denmark, France, the fascist executioners showed zeal, ruthlessly cracking down on patriots.
In 1940, the Nazis captured the northern country of Norway. The city of Kristiansad from the beginning of 1942 became the place where they placed the “House of Terror”, the headquarters of the secret state police of the Reich, whose main function was to suppress the underground activity of local anti-fascists and prevent sabotage operations by British intelligence. The torture of women in the Gestapo was carried out with particular sadistic sophistication, for which numerous inventively designed devices were used. After the war, a museum was opened in the house of the former city archive, where there were torture chambers.
Beating with chains, passing electric current, unbearable heating of the head with electric reflectors - these methods of inquiry were used mainly in relation to men. The torture of women in the Gestapo usually consisted in the fact that their hands were disfigured; for this, special machines were made that tear out nails or crush joints. These mechanisms are on display, they are genuine and captured after the liberation of Norway by Soviet troops and patriots in 1945.
In the museum of the city of Kristiansad, some scenes of the "work" of the Gestapo were reconstructed, photos of torture are also presented. Here is a married couple, suspected of collaborating with the anti-fascist underground, being interrogated with bias. The husband was chained to the wall so that he could see his wife being beaten. The torture of women in the Gestapo often combined methods of physical and psychological influence on prisoners, based on the fact that someone could not stand it earlier and start talking. Beating children in the presence of mothers also became a fierce test. In fact, even the executioners themselves could not stand the nerves to maintain their “working capacity”; they used drugs and hard liquors.
In Norway, the death penalty was extremely rare, but the Nazi punishers paid for their crimes with their lives. In the course of the trial, three hundred witnesses testified against the Norwegian Gestapo department. The criminal code was temporarily amended, and in June 1947 the Nazis, guilty of bullying and executions of prisoners of war and civilians, were hanged.