The Black Book: Hitler's 'Most Wanted' - A Chilling Glimpse into the Nazi Plans for Great Britain

by Mei Trow

In July 1940, Walter Schellenberg of the German Secret Service drew up a list of 2,694 people believed to be living in Britain, who were known enemies of the Reich. In that month, the Wehrmacht was poised across the Channel ready to hit Britain with blitzkrieg, the terrible and hugely successful tactic that had already overwhelmed Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. The names on Schellenberg’s list represent the heart and soul of a nation that made the British what they were but the List also includes a diaspora from Europe—the intellectuals, politicians, and writers who had been driven out of their own homelands by the speed of the German conquests. All human life is there—lives that were, to the Nazis, unworthy of life. Historians have found the List a curiosity. Surely, it cannot be real? It was. The Black Book is the first book to evaluate the list, and look at the chilling reality of what Hitler had in store for the nation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2018

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book analyses a list that was compiled by the Nazis in the early stages of WWII a list of people considered enemies of the Third Reich.

I found this an odd book. The first chapters about WWII were really fascinating but the actual discussion of the list was only interesting in places and had a very academic / dry structure.

[Rosie Pendrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The outset of the book providing background of the list was the most interesting part of the book. The actual discussion of persons on the list was rather dry - some of the biographies felt like they were being included to fill pages. Quite a painful read at times.

[Phil Mc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent history of a list but it shines more at the start when providing background to the list and its creator. Once into the the meat of the list, there are pages of little more than potted who’s who biographies. Some of these are very interesting; some rather dull.

All in all, this is interesting but inconsistently so.