The World of Yesterday but hated politics and shunned political engagement. His autobiography shows some reluctance to analyse Nazism as a political ideology; he tended simply to regard it as the rule of one particularly evil man, Hitler. Zweig was struck that the "Berghof", Hitler's mountain residence in Berchtesgaden, was just across the valley from his own house outside Salzburg. Berchtesgaden was an area of early Nazi activity. Zweig believed strongly in Europeanism against nationalism. Zweig also describes his passion for collecting manuscripts, mostly literary and musical. Zweig collaborated in the early 1930s with composer Richard Strauss on the opera "Die schweigsame Frau", which
Fortified Sector of the Escaut Billotte. The SF Escaut was commanded by General Echard, then General Béjard from May 1940. The sector included, in order from west to east, the following major fortified positions, together with the most significant casemates and infantry shelters in each sub-sector: 54th Fortress Infantry Regiment ("54e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)"), Lt. Colonel Delcure Raismes Forest Line (CORF) (108th CEO) Resistance line (FCR/STG): 107th CEO 106th CEO Second line in front of Valenciennes (FCR/STG) Second Position (CEZF) (1940) Following the surrender or evacuation of the Fortified Sector of Maubeuge to the east, the German 253rd Infantry Division began to bombard