. . "Erna Rettberg Bauer papers"@eng . "Erna Rettberg Bauer (1914-2007) was born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania to German-born parents, Julius (1864-1945) and Anna Rettberg (1876-1935). In 1927 the family returned to Germany for what was meant to be a three-month visit to check in on an investment property belonging to Julius and Anna. The property, a 21-unit apartment building in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany had been under the management of a family friend but through an investigation, the Rettbergs learned their friend was embezzling money from the property for his own gains. Because of the legal situation that ensued, the Rettberg family stayed in Germany, eventually becoming trapped by the Nazi regime. Three years after their arrival in Germany in 1930, Anna suffered stroke and was bedridden for the remainder of her life. In 1934, Julius was hit by a car. Left in compromised health, the family was coerced by members of the Nazi party to turn over ownership of the property. Both Anna and Julius died in Germany. Erna eventually returned to the United States. Despite multiple legal pursuits, she was never able to regain ownership of her family’s property."@eng . "Erna Rettberg Bauer papers"@eng . .