Russian soldiers raped former German chancellor's wife: Biography

A biography has revealed that Russian soldiers raped the wife of a former German chancellor at the age of 12.

Hannelore Kohl, wife of former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, was attacked by Red army troops after the defeat of Germany in May,1945.

The biography written by Herbert Schwan says Kohl was 'dumped like a sack of potatoes out of first floor window' after her ordeal.

Kohl was traumatised for the rest of her life after that sexual assault. She was haunted by the 'smell of male sweat, garlic, alcohol and the sound of spoken Russian' The Daily Mail reports.

The biography titled 'In the Woman at his side - the life and suffering of Hannelore Kohl,' Schwan writes, "I understood  her openness  to be her granting me permission to one day publish what she told me."

The biography describes a despairing picture of Kohl's marriage to Helmut, who was a conservative politician in the provinces when they met.

Kohl committed suicide with a drug overdose after contracting an allergy to light which caused her to lose her hair. She could not even watch television without pain and in the three years leading up to her death did not venture outside of her home.