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Unknown Enemy: The Hidden Nazi Force That Built the Third Reich
The harrowing true story of Organisation Todt, the builders-turned-killers at the center of the Nazi war machine.
Adolf Hitler described the Organisation Todt as 'the greatest construction organisation of all time'. In 1945, British intelligence credited it with having carried out in little over five years 'the most impressive building programme since Roman times'. It was from this organisation, headed by Albert Speer, that Hitler enlisted the nation's leading engineers and architects to build his empire of dreams. In time, it became a key partner to the SS and the Wehrmacht and led to the deaths of millions.
Unknown Enemy reveals the full extent of the Organisation Todt and its long arm across Europe and the Reich. In wartime, its operations relied mainly on Germany's slave labour system, the largest exploitation of foreign labour since the end of the Transatlantic Slave Trade – and one in which millions of civilians, Jews and prisoners of war lost their lives. Charles Dick takes us inside the OT's vast building projects throughout German-occupied Europe, from the Arctic circle to the Balkans and deep into what the Third Reich termed its 'eastern Lebensraum', to tell the story of how engineers and builders – so-called 'ordinary men' – perpetrated some of the gravest war crimes under its banner.
Despite its extensive network, the Organisation Todt largely managed to slip under the radar of war prosecutors after Germany's defeat. Drawing on extensive new research, first-person accounts and survivor testimony, Unknown Enemy finally unearths its dark story.
Adolf Hitler described the Organisation Todt as 'the greatest construction organisation of all time'. In 1945, British intelligence credited it with having carried out in little over five years 'the most impressive building programme since Roman times'. It was from this organisation, headed by Albert Speer, that Hitler enlisted the nation's leading engineers and architects to build his empire of dreams. In time, it became a key partner to the SS and the Wehrmacht and led to the deaths of millions.
Unknown Enemy reveals the full extent of the Organisation Todt and its long arm across Europe and the Reich. In wartime, its operations relied mainly on Germany's slave labour system, the largest exploitation of foreign labour since the end of the Transatlantic Slave Trade – and one in which millions of civilians, Jews and prisoners of war lost their lives. Charles Dick takes us inside the OT's vast building projects throughout German-occupied Europe, from the Arctic circle to the Balkans and deep into what the Third Reich termed its 'eastern Lebensraum', to tell the story of how engineers and builders – so-called 'ordinary men' – perpetrated some of the gravest war crimes under its banner.
Despite its extensive network, the Organisation Todt largely managed to slip under the radar of war prosecutors after Germany's defeat. Drawing on extensive new research, first-person accounts and survivor testimony, Unknown Enemy finally unearths its dark story.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published November 11, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2025
Unknown Enemy by Charles Dick tells the horrendous story of Organisation Todt and their role in the massive death tolls from Nazi occupation during World War II.
Organisation Todt was not simply an engineering and construction organization, though that is certainly what they officially were. What I knew of them was from Dick's book several years ago, and I was afraid this was nothing but a rehashing of that work. While there is absolutely overlap, the approach here is different and the wealth of new information makes this account much deeper, and darker.
Not only did they build (or supervise the building of) places and machines of death (concentration camps, plane factories, etc) but the also utilized forced labor. That sounds bad enough on the surface, but they abused the laborers, literally working them to death, exposing them to extreme cold, underfeeding or starving them, and outright killing them or sending them to be gassed. The name familiar to most readers interested in this period of time is Albert Speer and when he applied his "organizational skill" to supporting the Reich he was fully aware of what he was doing.
While this is a well written book it is still hard to hear what a human being is willing to do to another human being. The survivors' stories are horrifying and no amount of time lapsed or distance removed can make reading about it any easier.
This is valuable as a history book, but also as a warning about how easily "ordinary people" can willingly do harm to others for no justifiable reason. This is another cautionary tale for our times and what could happen if the small-minded and hateful wannabe dictators succeed in gaining complete unfettered control of the entire government, in any country.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Organisation Todt was not simply an engineering and construction organization, though that is certainly what they officially were. What I knew of them was from Dick's book several years ago, and I was afraid this was nothing but a rehashing of that work. While there is absolutely overlap, the approach here is different and the wealth of new information makes this account much deeper, and darker.
Not only did they build (or supervise the building of) places and machines of death (concentration camps, plane factories, etc) but the also utilized forced labor. That sounds bad enough on the surface, but they abused the laborers, literally working them to death, exposing them to extreme cold, underfeeding or starving them, and outright killing them or sending them to be gassed. The name familiar to most readers interested in this period of time is Albert Speer and when he applied his "organizational skill" to supporting the Reich he was fully aware of what he was doing.
While this is a well written book it is still hard to hear what a human being is willing to do to another human being. The survivors' stories are horrifying and no amount of time lapsed or distance removed can make reading about it any easier.
This is valuable as a history book, but also as a warning about how easily "ordinary people" can willingly do harm to others for no justifiable reason. This is another cautionary tale for our times and what could happen if the small-minded and hateful wannabe dictators succeed in gaining complete unfettered control of the entire government, in any country.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
August 19, 2025
As the granddaughter of a WWII veteran, I deeply appreciate any book that tackles those horrendous years with honesty and respect. It's crucial that we have books that explain not just what happened during WWII, but why it happened - the circumstances and choices that led to such devastation.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews