"The cliche of the blonde, sadistic woman in an SS uniform later became a sexualised cult figure in films and comics.
But out of thousands of women who worked as SS guards, only 77 were brought to trial. And very few were actually convicted.
They portrayed themselves as ignorant helpers - easily done in patriarchal post-war West Germany. Most never talked about the past. They got married, changed their names and faded into society.
One woman, Herta Bothe, who was jailed for horrendous acts of violence, did later speak publicly. She was pardoned by the British, after just a few years in prison. In a rare interview, recorded in 1999 just before she died, she remained unrepentant.
'Did I make a mistake? No. The mistake was that it was a concentration camp, but I had to go to it, otherwise I would have been put into it myself. That was my mistake.'
That was an excuse former guards often gave. But it was not true. Records show that some new recruits did leave Ravensbrück as soon as they realised what the job involved. They were allowed to go and did not suffer negative consequences.
I ask Selma if she thinks the guards were diabolical monsters. 'I think they were ordinary women doing diabolical things. I think it's possible with loads of people, even in England. I think that can happen anywhere. It can happen here if it's allowed.'"
It's a chilling lesson for today, she believes."
~ Damien McGuinness
"Nazi Ravensbrück camp: How ordinary women became SS torturers"
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