What do you think?
Rate this book
Holocaust: The Nazis' Wartime Jewish Atrocities
The Holocaust is without doubt one of the most abhorrent and despicable events not only of the Second World War, but of the twentieth century. What makes it even more staggering is that it was not perpetrated by just one individual, but by thousands of men and women who had become part of the Nazi ideology and belief that Jews were responsible for all of their woes. This book looks at the build up to the Second World War, from the time of Hitler's appointment as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933, as the Nazi Party rose to power in a country that was still struggling to recover politically, socially and financially from the aftermath of the First World War, whilst at the same time, through the enactment of a number of laws, making life extremely difficult for German Jews. Some saw the dangers ahead for Jews in Germany and did their best to get out, some managed to do so, but millions more did not. The book then moves on to look at a wartime Nazi Germany and how the dislike of the Jews had gone from painting the star of David on shop windows, to their mass murder in the thousands of concentration camps that were scattered throughout Germany. As well as the camps, it looks at some of those who were culpable for the atrocities that were carried out in the name of Nazism. Not all those who were murdered lost their lives in concentration camps. Some were killed in massacres, some in ghettos and some by the feared and hated Einsatzgruppen.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2021
21 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Wynn
79 books4 followersStephen Wynn is a retired police officer having served with Essex Police as a constable for thirty years between 1983 and 2013. He is married to Tanya and has two sons, Luke and Ross, and a daughter, Aimee. Both Stephen’s grandfathers served in and survived the First World War, one with the Royal Irish Rifles, the other in the Mercantile Marine, whilst his father was a member of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps during the Second World War.
When not writing Stephen can be found walking his dogs with his wife, Tanya, at some unearthly time of the morning when most normal people are still fast asleep.
When not writing Stephen can be found walking his dogs with his wife, Tanya, at some unearthly time of the morning when most normal people are still fast asleep.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 31, 2020
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...
I thought this was a powerful and thought provoking read.
I have read many books on World War II and the Holocaust both fiction and non-fiction and this book really was excellent. I found the book to be a totally compelling read and I read it in just over a day dipping in and out of the different sections that the author has used to split the book. The subject matter was a bit heavy going for me to sit and read in one sitting and I did genuinely feel really sad and a great sense of loss when I read some of the chapters, particularly that on the Warsaw Ghetto.
The only thing that did surprise me was the amount of photos and that is in a good way, they really helped bring everything to life, and yes, they are distressing but this is a story we still need to tell and I preferred that the author was upfront and did not try to disguise what happened and how awful and despicable these acts really were.
This book also remembers the other persecuted minorities that were selected by the Nazis and suffered at their hands. The book has facts and figures which show just how many people were affected.
It is 5 stars from me without a doubt, I thought it was a superb book and the author has dealt with these atrocious crimes against humanity in a thorough and well-developed way. It for me is a must read to anyone interested in this period of history.
I thought this was a powerful and thought provoking read.
I have read many books on World War II and the Holocaust both fiction and non-fiction and this book really was excellent. I found the book to be a totally compelling read and I read it in just over a day dipping in and out of the different sections that the author has used to split the book. The subject matter was a bit heavy going for me to sit and read in one sitting and I did genuinely feel really sad and a great sense of loss when I read some of the chapters, particularly that on the Warsaw Ghetto.
The only thing that did surprise me was the amount of photos and that is in a good way, they really helped bring everything to life, and yes, they are distressing but this is a story we still need to tell and I preferred that the author was upfront and did not try to disguise what happened and how awful and despicable these acts really were.
This book also remembers the other persecuted minorities that were selected by the Nazis and suffered at their hands. The book has facts and figures which show just how many people were affected.
It is 5 stars from me without a doubt, I thought it was a superb book and the author has dealt with these atrocious crimes against humanity in a thorough and well-developed way. It for me is a must read to anyone interested in this period of history.
December 28, 2019
Holocaust is one of world's most atrocious and tragic events during the WWII. Million of Jews were persecuted, incarcerated and ultimately sent to gas chambers in these concentrations camps in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor and Ravensbruck. However, even before the genocide of European Jews during WWII, many events, operations and laws were already in place to systematically persecute them. This is what this book is about, where it discusses all these events and operations leading up to The Final Solution.
This is an eye-opening book for me for sure as I have no idea about all these persecutions which the Jews gone through even before their deaths at the notorious death camps. This book is a well-researched one filled with a lot of historical facts and harrowing pics of the Holocaust. It is heartbreaking and emotional. There are also information on Nazi officers and doctors who were responsible for these deaths at the camps where they were eventually arrested and sentenced to death.
This is an important book to read. I highly recommend this as there are a lot of other lesser-known yet imperative historical information about Holocaust that you may not have read before.
Pub. date: 30 Jan 2020
***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Pen & Sword through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***
This is an eye-opening book for me for sure as I have no idea about all these persecutions which the Jews gone through even before their deaths at the notorious death camps. This book is a well-researched one filled with a lot of historical facts and harrowing pics of the Holocaust. It is heartbreaking and emotional. There are also information on Nazi officers and doctors who were responsible for these deaths at the camps where they were eventually arrested and sentenced to death.
This is an important book to read. I highly recommend this as there are a lot of other lesser-known yet imperative historical information about Holocaust that you may not have read before.
Pub. date: 30 Jan 2020
***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Pen & Sword through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***
March 22, 2020
Holocaust – The Nazis’ Wartime Jewish Atrocities
When we think about the Holocaust today, many people automatically think of Auschwitz the Nazi extermination camp in Poland. When Auschwitz became part of the Nazi killing machine in 1943, most Jews of Eastern Europe were already dead. My family were originally from Skalat in what was Poland, now Ukraine, where the Germans, backed up by the UPA (Ukrainian Army) rounded up the Jews and murdered them. Men, women and children were not spared.
But this excellent short book from Stephen Wynn, looks at what started as painting the Star of David on Jewish Business’s and making German Jews where the star too. From there to the atrocities that wartime Germany undertook, in the name of Adolf Hitler. That some Germans tried to say they did not know is a lie, and again this book is a reminder of that.
So we get reminders of The Wannsee Conference, where the Final Solution was made real, Reinhard Heydrich and the Einsatzgruppen. The organ and the man who put the plan in to action, before being killed during the war, by Czech partisans.
Wynn looks at some of the Operations of the Nazis such as Operation Harvest Festival, as well as some of the female Nazi guards. As well as explaining the work of some of the death camps, not only Auschwitz, but Treblinka, an area even today you cannot hear birds singing, Sobidor a place that should send shudders down anyone’s spine. While there is no mention of the massacre of Wolyn, it is not surprising as the Ukrainian collaborators would not like that being highlighted.
With short chapters of when the Allies knew, I would say quite early, but the Polish Home Army was not believed by the Allies. Some even suggested the Poles were exaggerating the position. Even today more information comes to light and Wynn does mention the Holfe Telegram which came to light in the Public Record Office at Kew, in London in 2000, from 1943. This contained a number of cables that discussed how many Jews had been murdered in the occupied General Government area, and Ukraine.
This book will raise eyebrows if you do not know the full story of the Holocaust and this is an excellent introduction to the historiography which is consistently developing. Unfortunately, the Holocaust deniers will ignore this book, and basic facts. But for those wanting to start learning more about the Holocaust this is an excellent starting point.
When we think about the Holocaust today, many people automatically think of Auschwitz the Nazi extermination camp in Poland. When Auschwitz became part of the Nazi killing machine in 1943, most Jews of Eastern Europe were already dead. My family were originally from Skalat in what was Poland, now Ukraine, where the Germans, backed up by the UPA (Ukrainian Army) rounded up the Jews and murdered them. Men, women and children were not spared.
But this excellent short book from Stephen Wynn, looks at what started as painting the Star of David on Jewish Business’s and making German Jews where the star too. From there to the atrocities that wartime Germany undertook, in the name of Adolf Hitler. That some Germans tried to say they did not know is a lie, and again this book is a reminder of that.
So we get reminders of The Wannsee Conference, where the Final Solution was made real, Reinhard Heydrich and the Einsatzgruppen. The organ and the man who put the plan in to action, before being killed during the war, by Czech partisans.
Wynn looks at some of the Operations of the Nazis such as Operation Harvest Festival, as well as some of the female Nazi guards. As well as explaining the work of some of the death camps, not only Auschwitz, but Treblinka, an area even today you cannot hear birds singing, Sobidor a place that should send shudders down anyone’s spine. While there is no mention of the massacre of Wolyn, it is not surprising as the Ukrainian collaborators would not like that being highlighted.
With short chapters of when the Allies knew, I would say quite early, but the Polish Home Army was not believed by the Allies. Some even suggested the Poles were exaggerating the position. Even today more information comes to light and Wynn does mention the Holfe Telegram which came to light in the Public Record Office at Kew, in London in 2000, from 1943. This contained a number of cables that discussed how many Jews had been murdered in the occupied General Government area, and Ukraine.
This book will raise eyebrows if you do not know the full story of the Holocaust and this is an excellent introduction to the historiography which is consistently developing. Unfortunately, the Holocaust deniers will ignore this book, and basic facts. But for those wanting to start learning more about the Holocaust this is an excellent starting point.
February 7, 2020
Difficult subject presented with fact, figures & statistics about a horrendous time in history.
FULL REVIEW
It’s going to be difficult to review this book as how can a book that covers such an awful era in history be “good” and how do I explain why I wanted to read it without it offending anyone? Well I am going to try my best, first of all, World War 2 is an era I have always felt drawn to learn about that I find interesting. I totally agree that the Holocaust was a horrific time in history, but I am of the opinion it should never be forgotten. This is the sort of history that should be taught in school. I don’t want to go down a political route with my review but I believe this era and what happened should never be forgotten. After the coverage of the Holocaust Memorial Day I have learnt there are some people that seem to believe the Holocaust either didn’t happen or was over exaggerated! I don’t understand how they can suggest it didn’t happen when there are survivors that were there that went through and saw atrocities happening around them.
I guess I should get back to this specific book before I go on rambling. The cover is striking and depicts the content of the book. The symbol of the Nazis army and swastika feature on the book along with many prisoners in uniforms and what looks like new arrivals to a camp in their travelling clothes or Sunday best as they thought they were heading to a new life and wanted to impress those they would be working with. I think the cover is all the more powerful when you have read the book and the scene on the cover retold many times within the book. The information in this book is historical and factual. It has been collected from official data.
I’ll be totally truthful I have watched many films based on true stories but I have also read real survivors stories such as Eva Korr’s Surviving The Angel Of Death, where she tells what happened to herself, her sister and others around her that were selected for experiments being carried out by Dr Mengele. I also recently watched the documentaries about the different concentration camps and the Windermere children. I have also read even more fictional stories and fictionalised stories that are based on the true events. So, I guess the point I am trying to make is that I would have said that I knew quite a lot about this era. That I knew about certain people of the time such as Hitler, Dr Mengele, Eva Braun, as well as those with notorious nicknames the “the beast of” “the bitch of” etc.
I won’t lie, at times particularly at the beginning of the book I found it quite hard going, and did occasionally wonder what and why I had committed myself to reading this book of horrors. Then I thought about those survivors that had been there and seen all this happening in person, who carried it all around with them in their heads and hearts every day of their lives. I continued reading as these people deserve to be heard, their stories must be told and read. I almost feel I owe it to those who died to read and learn about what happened to them.
The book cover how Hitler rolled out his beliefs that the Jewish race were a problem. Though I must add that Roma people, the ill and disabled were also sent to concentration camps and into gas chambers. Hitler managed to encourage, coerce, (whatever you want to call it), thousands of men, women and young people that the a certain section of the community, the Jewish race were responsible for everything that was wrong in Germany and the world. The book explains how the Nazi party rose in strength and power in a country that was still in the process of recovering from a previous war. Some Jewish people saw the unrest and worse coming and managed to flee the country. But though some fled many more could not flee or did not flee.
The book explains how the Nazis began by painting the star of David on their shop windows, it covers the night of glass, when shops and synagogues were smashed up and/or set on fire. There’s the ghetto’s that came first before eventually been sent onto one of the many concentration camps.
This book has taught me a lot, though I may not remember or perhaps subconsciously prefer not to remember the exact statistics of those that died in gas chambers, were shot in front of mass graves or worked to the point they dropped dead. I would say I have learnt a lot more than I already knew. I honestly didn’t realise there were so many concentrations camps.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were that the book dealt with a very
difficult subject presented with fact, figures & statistics about a horrendous time in history.
To sum up, to say I “enjoyed” reading the book seems odd and wrong but it is a very captivating, shocking, informative, educational and yes in places heart breaking book. It is a book that enables to easily create imagery in your mind of the vile acts committed and I will say I think this is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I went through a whole range of emotions whilst reading, from sympathy with those being persecuted, to anger at those in charge of the atrocities, to tears at all the lives lost. I think this book would be a good tool for schools to use. I also think it would be a great aid to any one writing a fictional book about the era.
FULL REVIEW
It’s going to be difficult to review this book as how can a book that covers such an awful era in history be “good” and how do I explain why I wanted to read it without it offending anyone? Well I am going to try my best, first of all, World War 2 is an era I have always felt drawn to learn about that I find interesting. I totally agree that the Holocaust was a horrific time in history, but I am of the opinion it should never be forgotten. This is the sort of history that should be taught in school. I don’t want to go down a political route with my review but I believe this era and what happened should never be forgotten. After the coverage of the Holocaust Memorial Day I have learnt there are some people that seem to believe the Holocaust either didn’t happen or was over exaggerated! I don’t understand how they can suggest it didn’t happen when there are survivors that were there that went through and saw atrocities happening around them.
I guess I should get back to this specific book before I go on rambling. The cover is striking and depicts the content of the book. The symbol of the Nazis army and swastika feature on the book along with many prisoners in uniforms and what looks like new arrivals to a camp in their travelling clothes or Sunday best as they thought they were heading to a new life and wanted to impress those they would be working with. I think the cover is all the more powerful when you have read the book and the scene on the cover retold many times within the book. The information in this book is historical and factual. It has been collected from official data.
I’ll be totally truthful I have watched many films based on true stories but I have also read real survivors stories such as Eva Korr’s Surviving The Angel Of Death, where she tells what happened to herself, her sister and others around her that were selected for experiments being carried out by Dr Mengele. I also recently watched the documentaries about the different concentration camps and the Windermere children. I have also read even more fictional stories and fictionalised stories that are based on the true events. So, I guess the point I am trying to make is that I would have said that I knew quite a lot about this era. That I knew about certain people of the time such as Hitler, Dr Mengele, Eva Braun, as well as those with notorious nicknames the “the beast of” “the bitch of” etc.
I won’t lie, at times particularly at the beginning of the book I found it quite hard going, and did occasionally wonder what and why I had committed myself to reading this book of horrors. Then I thought about those survivors that had been there and seen all this happening in person, who carried it all around with them in their heads and hearts every day of their lives. I continued reading as these people deserve to be heard, their stories must be told and read. I almost feel I owe it to those who died to read and learn about what happened to them.
The book cover how Hitler rolled out his beliefs that the Jewish race were a problem. Though I must add that Roma people, the ill and disabled were also sent to concentration camps and into gas chambers. Hitler managed to encourage, coerce, (whatever you want to call it), thousands of men, women and young people that the a certain section of the community, the Jewish race were responsible for everything that was wrong in Germany and the world. The book explains how the Nazi party rose in strength and power in a country that was still in the process of recovering from a previous war. Some Jewish people saw the unrest and worse coming and managed to flee the country. But though some fled many more could not flee or did not flee.
The book explains how the Nazis began by painting the star of David on their shop windows, it covers the night of glass, when shops and synagogues were smashed up and/or set on fire. There’s the ghetto’s that came first before eventually been sent onto one of the many concentration camps.
This book has taught me a lot, though I may not remember or perhaps subconsciously prefer not to remember the exact statistics of those that died in gas chambers, were shot in front of mass graves or worked to the point they dropped dead. I would say I have learnt a lot more than I already knew. I honestly didn’t realise there were so many concentrations camps.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were that the book dealt with a very
difficult subject presented with fact, figures & statistics about a horrendous time in history.
To sum up, to say I “enjoyed” reading the book seems odd and wrong but it is a very captivating, shocking, informative, educational and yes in places heart breaking book. It is a book that enables to easily create imagery in your mind of the vile acts committed and I will say I think this is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I went through a whole range of emotions whilst reading, from sympathy with those being persecuted, to anger at those in charge of the atrocities, to tears at all the lives lost. I think this book would be a good tool for schools to use. I also think it would be a great aid to any one writing a fictional book about the era.
January 13, 2020
Holocaust: The Nazi’s Wartime Jewish Atrocities by Stephen Wynn is a comprehensive pocket book of the leading events, camps and figures in the worst crime against humanity. It is horrific reading but we need to know what happened in memory of the innocents who perished.
Stephen Wynn has clearly done significant research as there were figures I had heard of and those I hadn’t. Many of the perpetrators were captured, tried and executed but some were not. A leading figure, Dr Mengele escaped justice.
There were also leading Jewish figures mentioned including the most famous of all, Anne Frank.
Man’s inhumanity to man had no boundaries. The innocents suffered and died. Many we never forget them.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
Stephen Wynn has clearly done significant research as there were figures I had heard of and those I hadn’t. Many of the perpetrators were captured, tried and executed but some were not. A leading figure, Dr Mengele escaped justice.
There were also leading Jewish figures mentioned including the most famous of all, Anne Frank.
Man’s inhumanity to man had no boundaries. The innocents suffered and died. Many we never forget them.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
December 2, 2019
The book is so moving. Very overwhelming. Very harrowing to read. But interesting all the same. You cannot begin to imagine what they went through. If only it wasn’t a true story being told.
January 6, 2022
Ok, but if you have read a lot on the Holocaust this is nothing new.
Didn’t have any info I didn’t already know.
Didn’t have any info I didn’t already know.
April 16, 2023
Great incite on players I had never heard of.
December 6, 2019
This is a relatively short and easy to read book with a general history of the Holocaust, what the idealism behind it was, and what occurred during the more well-documented periods of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime.
As a general introduction to the Holocaust, this book serves its purpose nicely. There is not a terrible lot of depth to be found here about the causation of antisemitism, nor about the experiences of Hitler that lead him to his conclusions about the Jewish people, but as a basic history, it is a good one.
I would recommend this book to those who are just beginning to research this subject, as it is an excellent introduction to the time period. For more advanced readers, that already have a collection of books about the Shoah under their belt, this may be a bit too familiar.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and was happy for the chance to read it.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
As a general introduction to the Holocaust, this book serves its purpose nicely. There is not a terrible lot of depth to be found here about the causation of antisemitism, nor about the experiences of Hitler that lead him to his conclusions about the Jewish people, but as a basic history, it is a good one.
I would recommend this book to those who are just beginning to research this subject, as it is an excellent introduction to the time period. For more advanced readers, that already have a collection of books about the Shoah under their belt, this may be a bit too familiar.
Overall, I thought it was a good book and was happy for the chance to read it.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
December 17, 2019
Holocaust by Stephen Wynn is an encyclopedic listing of every known Nazi and what part they played in the Holocaust. I was surprised to learn some of the backgrounds of various guards. It was clear that some were just pure evil and elevated to a position where they could basically do any demented thought that had ever crossed their minds.
Sadly, if we do not learn and REMEMBER our history... we are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, there are so many that just don't understand that concept. I fear that this vicious cycle can and will raise its ugly head somewhere in the forthcoming future of mankind.
Sadly, if we do not learn and REMEMBER our history... we are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, there are so many that just don't understand that concept. I fear that this vicious cycle can and will raise its ugly head somewhere in the forthcoming future of mankind.
November 15, 2019
I have read many books on the Holocaust (fiction) and 1 or 2 (non-fiction). This is probably my favourite to date.
Despite this book discussing a horrendous subject, I found it really interesting. I learned so much from this read. Kept me intrigued though out.
It still amazes me that this happened in our life time. Absolute madness!
This is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys reading about History.
Be warned, this book does contain pictures, some which are quite upsetting to view.
Despite this book discussing a horrendous subject, I found it really interesting. I learned so much from this read. Kept me intrigued though out.
It still amazes me that this happened in our life time. Absolute madness!
This is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys reading about History.
Be warned, this book does contain pictures, some which are quite upsetting to view.
November 26, 2019
Holocaust by Stephen Wynn is a very basic, brief overview of some of the main points of the Holocaust. The most interesting aspect was the expanded explanation of the Wannsee Conference. Otherwise, the majority of information could be found anywhere. The main criticism I have with this work is the extreme lack of citation of sources. He provides a minimal list of five sources in the back which is woefully insufficient.
This book is perfect for a preliminary introduction to,the Holocaust. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read.
This book is perfect for a preliminary introduction to,the Holocaust. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read.
January 15, 2020
Sadly this book was not what I was expecting. It would be great for middle/high school aged pupils if they had no knowledge of the Holocaust but as an adult with an interest in the subject this wasn’t the well researched and referenced book I assumed it would be. Maybe my fault for assuming!
I would market this as for the teen/young adult market. It would be great to use in schools.
Star rating given as reflecting my thoughts of it as an adult historical work.
I would market this as for the teen/young adult market. It would be great to use in schools.
Star rating given as reflecting my thoughts of it as an adult historical work.
November 26, 2019
I have read several fictional books about the Holocaust but this is the first non-fiction i have read on the subject.
I found the book informative and interesting and i learnt a lot. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the Holocaust in an easy timeline format.
I found the book informative and interesting and i learnt a lot. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of the Holocaust in an easy timeline format.
December 1, 2019
Is it wrong of me to say I enjoyed this book? As I was reading it I kept thinking this was be a good book for secondary school's to add to their reading list. I liked the frankness (is that a word?) and how each element was bite size. I think this could be qouted in many essays.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews