In Rome during German occupation , he was drafted into the German Army where he worked as the interpreter for the Nazi commanders , General Rainer Stahel and General Kurt Mälzer . After contacting members of the anti-Fascist Resistance in Rome he passed them information gleaned from his work , including information about the deportation of Jews and the Ardeatine massacre . Eventually deserting , Hoffman hid with his family in a convent , and later a safe apartment . In November 1944 he was convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for treason by a German military court in occupied northern Italy
Ardeatine massacre
Ardeatine massacre
Paul Hofmann