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Hunting Evil. The Nazi WAR Criminals WHO Escaped and The Hunt to Bring Them to Justice.
At the end of the Second World War some of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party escaped from justice. Some of them are names that have resonated deeply in twentieth-century history - Eichmann, Mengele, Martin Bormann and Klaus Barbie - not just for the monstrosity of their crimes, but also because of the shadowy nature of their post-war existence, holed up in the depths of Latin America, always one step ahead of their pursuers.
The nature of their escape was as gripping as any good thriller. They were aided and abetted by corrupt Catholic priests in the Vatican, they travelled down secret 'rat lines', hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, with vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives.
Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how the Nazis escaped at the end of the war, the attempts, sometimes successful, to bring them to justice, and what really happened to those that got away. He has interviewed Nazi hunters, former members of Mossad, travelled the 'rat lines', and poured through archives across the globe to bring this remarkable period of our recent history to dramatic and vivid life.
The nature of their escape was as gripping as any good thriller. They were aided and abetted by corrupt Catholic priests in the Vatican, they travelled down secret 'rat lines', hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, with vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives.
Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how the Nazis escaped at the end of the war, the attempts, sometimes successful, to bring them to justice, and what really happened to those that got away. He has interviewed Nazi hunters, former members of Mossad, travelled the 'rat lines', and poured through archives across the globe to bring this remarkable period of our recent history to dramatic and vivid life.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published July 30, 2009
348 people are currently reading
1309 people want to read
About the author
Guy Walters
22 books71 followersGuy Walters (born 8 August 1971) is a British author, novelist, historian, academic and journalist.
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July 13, 2016I saw this awesome series on National Geographic Channel "Nazi Hunters", that was partly based on this book. In this docu-drama series the events that leaded up to the hunt, capture or death of some of the most heinous nazi's, told by nazi hunters, historians and witnesses, are reenacted. It was really fascinating to learn what exactly happened to Herbert Cukurs, Klaus Barbie, Gustav Wagner, Franz Stangl, Adolf Eichman, Erich Priebke, Joseph Mengele, Kurt Lischka, Paul Touvier.
After seeing this gripping series I felt I have to read this book.
After seeing this gripping series I felt I have to read this book.
March 10, 2018
Of the Nazi war criminals who evaded justice, some escaped to South America while others stayed in Germany. Some became Cold War informants for the allied powers while most lived as working-class family men. Most kept their noses clean, even as they held onto their delusion, paranoia and prejudice.
The varied, yet often bland, lives these men led after the war lends credence to the idea that there is evil lurking in every society, waiting for the right conditions. Men like Adolf Eichmann (who organized the concentration camp system) and Franz Stangl (commandant at Treblinka) transformed into bitter but outwardly harmless old men, appearing no different from the curmudgeons and casual racists you might find anywhere.
Hunting Evil is full of these unforced revelations. It's a history book of comprehensive research (there are 100+ pages of bibliography and notes) where the facts speak for themselves. It's the story of how easily red tape and shifting priorities (from WWII to The Cold War) can bog down righteous causes and it shows how easily the pursuit of justice can be turned to the pursuit of selfish ends. In this regard, Hunting Evil often proves frustrating, though the lesson is important; the biggest obstacles to justice are more often built from pettiness than villainy.
But there are bright spots as well; heroes hiding in the weeds. There's an old, blind man and his daughter who find the world's most wanted Nazi and don't take no for an answer when the world drags its feet in response. There's a daring team of Mossad agents who travel halfway round the world to get their man. And there's a US government official who cuts through the red tape to establish a system to find and extradite war criminals hiding on US soil.
My biggest complaint is the book's format, as the chapters are long and designed more for thematic flow than ease of locating information. Even with the extensive index, finding relevant anecdotes has proven difficult. And that's a shame, as this is a book I would otherwise reference frequently.
Edited 3-10-2018
The varied, yet often bland, lives these men led after the war lends credence to the idea that there is evil lurking in every society, waiting for the right conditions. Men like Adolf Eichmann (who organized the concentration camp system) and Franz Stangl (commandant at Treblinka) transformed into bitter but outwardly harmless old men, appearing no different from the curmudgeons and casual racists you might find anywhere.
Hunting Evil is full of these unforced revelations. It's a history book of comprehensive research (there are 100+ pages of bibliography and notes) where the facts speak for themselves. It's the story of how easily red tape and shifting priorities (from WWII to The Cold War) can bog down righteous causes and it shows how easily the pursuit of justice can be turned to the pursuit of selfish ends. In this regard, Hunting Evil often proves frustrating, though the lesson is important; the biggest obstacles to justice are more often built from pettiness than villainy.
But there are bright spots as well; heroes hiding in the weeds. There's an old, blind man and his daughter who find the world's most wanted Nazi and don't take no for an answer when the world drags its feet in response. There's a daring team of Mossad agents who travel halfway round the world to get their man. And there's a US government official who cuts through the red tape to establish a system to find and extradite war criminals hiding on US soil.
My biggest complaint is the book's format, as the chapters are long and designed more for thematic flow than ease of locating information. Even with the extensive index, finding relevant anecdotes has proven difficult. And that's a shame, as this is a book I would otherwise reference frequently.
Edited 3-10-2018
July 12, 2010
This book should have been called "Hunting Evil: Or why Simon Wiesenthal is full of shit". Walters does a great job of thoroughly depressing the reader by explaining how no one, not even the Israeli Government, had all that much interest in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. Instead, the cold war and the harsh and violent birth of the state of Israel consumed much of the time, energy, and resources of America's, Britain's, and Israel's governments. This left the Nazi's free to escape to a whole host of sympathetic countries, with ample help from the Catholic Church and Latin American political leaders.
It's really unnerving to see how little the world cared about bringing these monsters to justice, as if the six year orgy of sadism that was the Holocaust meant nothing, and those responsible should just be allowed to return to their pre-war lives. The fact that Mengele died a free man is offensive. As a Jew, it pains me to be faced with the sad truth that we have always and will always be globally hated as a race, and that we will forever have to fight for our continued survival on this planet. When Pat Buchanan comments that we should stop searching for Nazis because they are all really old now and the war was a long time ago, my faith in the modern social consciousness of living in a civilized society is shaken.
I've never been more scared, nor more proud, to be a Jew.
The only flaw to this book, and it is a HUGE one, is that Walters spends a considerable amount of time explaining why Simon Wiesenthal is a liar. While I understand the reason to set the record straight on Simon Wiesenthal's actual role in the Eichman kidnaping and subsequent Nazi hunting, that should have been a separate book. Instead, Walters, time and time again, veers away from the actual stories of the escaping Nazis to point out all of the lies and inconsistencies that Wiesenthal told in interviews and in his various autobiographies. If Walters had just told the stories and left Wiesenthal out of it, the reader would have figured out that he was not involved. Instead, the book reads a bit like a bitter, "gotcha" type expose. Still, I guess it's impossible to talk about Nazi Hunting without involving Wiesenthal.
I’m no defender of Simon Wiesenthal, but I would have rated this book higher had there been less Wiesenthal-bashing in it.
It's really unnerving to see how little the world cared about bringing these monsters to justice, as if the six year orgy of sadism that was the Holocaust meant nothing, and those responsible should just be allowed to return to their pre-war lives. The fact that Mengele died a free man is offensive. As a Jew, it pains me to be faced with the sad truth that we have always and will always be globally hated as a race, and that we will forever have to fight for our continued survival on this planet. When Pat Buchanan comments that we should stop searching for Nazis because they are all really old now and the war was a long time ago, my faith in the modern social consciousness of living in a civilized society is shaken.
I've never been more scared, nor more proud, to be a Jew.
The only flaw to this book, and it is a HUGE one, is that Walters spends a considerable amount of time explaining why Simon Wiesenthal is a liar. While I understand the reason to set the record straight on Simon Wiesenthal's actual role in the Eichman kidnaping and subsequent Nazi hunting, that should have been a separate book. Instead, Walters, time and time again, veers away from the actual stories of the escaping Nazis to point out all of the lies and inconsistencies that Wiesenthal told in interviews and in his various autobiographies. If Walters had just told the stories and left Wiesenthal out of it, the reader would have figured out that he was not involved. Instead, the book reads a bit like a bitter, "gotcha" type expose. Still, I guess it's impossible to talk about Nazi Hunting without involving Wiesenthal.
I’m no defender of Simon Wiesenthal, but I would have rated this book higher had there been less Wiesenthal-bashing in it.
April 17, 2021
This is an extremely well researched book. In fact, one of the best researched books I have read. I believe this was the book that put Walters “on the map” as a credible and “heavyweight” investigative author.
Walters lays bare the ineffectiveness of the Allied efforts post WW2 to track down and bring to justice those Nazis responsible for the horrors of the Holocaust. He also deals comprehensively with the political reasons why the Allies didn’t pursue many Nazis, when the focus towards a new enemy - Soviet Union and Communism - was part of the new world order immediately after WW2.
The book is incisive and extremely interesting since it covers the pursuit of some of the lesser known Nazi War criminals - Strangll, Priebke and Pieper - whilst also covering some of the better known - Eichmann, Mengele and Barbie.
I would have given this book 5 stars, but for the hyperbolic and over emphasised critique of Simon Wiesenthal as an effective Nazi Hunter throughout the book. It wasn’t that I disagreed with Walters on his assessment of Wiesenthal. However, it became a constant theme of the book, with Walters using every opportunity to label Wiesenthal as a fabricator and over player of his role in bringing Nazi fugitives to justice. I got the point in the first chapter, yet it grated me that Walters kept coming back to it, citing fact after fact to prove his point. But for that aspect, I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
Walters lays bare the ineffectiveness of the Allied efforts post WW2 to track down and bring to justice those Nazis responsible for the horrors of the Holocaust. He also deals comprehensively with the political reasons why the Allies didn’t pursue many Nazis, when the focus towards a new enemy - Soviet Union and Communism - was part of the new world order immediately after WW2.
The book is incisive and extremely interesting since it covers the pursuit of some of the lesser known Nazi War criminals - Strangll, Priebke and Pieper - whilst also covering some of the better known - Eichmann, Mengele and Barbie.
I would have given this book 5 stars, but for the hyperbolic and over emphasised critique of Simon Wiesenthal as an effective Nazi Hunter throughout the book. It wasn’t that I disagreed with Walters on his assessment of Wiesenthal. However, it became a constant theme of the book, with Walters using every opportunity to label Wiesenthal as a fabricator and over player of his role in bringing Nazi fugitives to justice. I got the point in the first chapter, yet it grated me that Walters kept coming back to it, citing fact after fact to prove his point. But for that aspect, I enjoyed this book thoroughly.
December 26, 2013
This is a very detailed book about the activities of Nazi war criminals after the war and how some of them were located and brought back for justice. The interactions among the many organizations, Nazi sympathizers, the Catholic Church, and the Allies can get just a bit complicated but it certainly is fascinating. The overall impression is that there was not any great interest in hunting down these criminals since Europe was in shambles and the priority was to get the countries back on their feet and fight the new menace of communism. The author destroys the credibility of one man who was known as the greatest of the Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal........he shows through his research that much of the credit that Wiesenthal took for running these men to ground was untrue. That is a bit disturbing but appears to be supported by fact.
The author gives the most attention to the major figures on the most wanted list.....Dr. Joseph Mengele, Klaus Barbie, and, of course, Adolph Eichmann. Many were hiding in plain sight due to the assistance of Juan Peron, the dictator of Argentina and of the three mentioned above, only Mengele was never captured. An interesting and rather chilling look at the search for those responsible for the Holocaust and other atrocities......a search that goes on until this day. But time has pretty much run out due to the years that have passed since WWII. Recommended reading but be warned....it moves very slowly.
The author gives the most attention to the major figures on the most wanted list.....Dr. Joseph Mengele, Klaus Barbie, and, of course, Adolph Eichmann. Many were hiding in plain sight due to the assistance of Juan Peron, the dictator of Argentina and of the three mentioned above, only Mengele was never captured. An interesting and rather chilling look at the search for those responsible for the Holocaust and other atrocities......a search that goes on until this day. But time has pretty much run out due to the years that have passed since WWII. Recommended reading but be warned....it moves very slowly.
May 19, 2022
След края на Втората световна война Европа е в хаос. Значителен брой военнопрестъпници се изплъзват от ръцете на правосъдието и успяват да избягат най-вече в Южна Америка. Учудващо е, че важна роля при техните успешни бягства имат представители на католическата църква. Те снабдяват нацистите с фалшиви документи и билети за кораби до Аржентина, Уругвай и Бразилия. Базираният в Рим австрийски епископ Алоис Худал и хърватският свещеник Крунослав Драганович управляват "най-успешните" нелегални канали за бягство.
Книгата на историка Гай Уолтърс разбива множество митове за периода след края на Втората световна война. Ето само два, за които си струва да знаете. "Ловецът на нацисти" Симон Визентал всъщност става известен, поне първоначално, поради многобройните си лъжи и фабрикации. Целта е превръщането му във водещ авторитет при улавянето на избягали военнопрестъпници. Авторът на книгата цитира многобройни примери за фрапиращи разминавания между свидетелствата, предоставяни от Визентал и установени исторически факти. Визентал често е присвоявал заслугите за улавянето на престъпници и не се е колебаел да драматизира всяко свое "постижение" в името на медийната слава. Явно ловецът на нацисти е бил успешен в манипулирането на общественото мнение, защото доскоро бях чувал единствено неговото име като представител на тази необичайна "професия".
Романът "Досието O.D.E.S.S.A" на Фредерик Форсайт и други подобни художествени произведения създават мита за O.D.E.S.S.A - предполагаема тайна и могъща организация на бивши офицери от SS, която помага на нацисти и цели създаването на Четвърти райх. Всъщност такава формация никога не е съществувала, а Симон Визентал прави всичко възможно да убеди обществото в противното. Бягствата са ставали чрез фрагментирана мрежа от симпатизанти на тоталирарните режими, често през различни канали и без координация между отделните помощници.
Книгата проследява живота след войната на Йозеф Менгеле, Адолф Айхман, "Поглавник" Анте Павелич и далеч по-неизвестните Клаус Барби (Касапинът от Лион), Херберт Цукурс (Касапинът от Рига), Франц Щангъл (командир на Собибор и Треблинка). Детайлите в описанието на историческите личности и събития е впечатляващо. Многобройните препратки към документи и снимки придават завършеност на книгата. Истинско удоволствие за любителите на историята.
Книгата на историка Гай Уолтърс разбива множество митове за периода след края на Втората световна война. Ето само два, за които си струва да знаете. "Ловецът на нацисти" Симон Визентал всъщност става известен, поне първоначално, поради многобройните си лъжи и фабрикации. Целта е превръщането му във водещ авторитет при улавянето на избягали военнопрестъпници. Авторът на книгата цитира многобройни примери за фрапиращи разминавания между свидетелствата, предоставяни от Визентал и установени исторически факти. Визентал често е присвоявал заслугите за улавянето на престъпници и не се е колебаел да драматизира всяко свое "постижение" в името на медийната слава. Явно ловецът на нацисти е бил успешен в манипулирането на общественото мнение, защото доскоро бях чувал единствено неговото име като представител на тази необичайна "професия".
Романът "Досието O.D.E.S.S.A" на Фредерик Форсайт и други подобни художествени произведения създават мита за O.D.E.S.S.A - предполагаема тайна и могъща организация на бивши офицери от SS, която помага на нацисти и цели създаването на Четвърти райх. Всъщност такава формация никога не е съществувала, а Симон Визентал прави всичко възможно да убеди обществото в противното. Бягствата са ставали чрез фрагментирана мрежа от симпатизанти на тоталирарните режими, често през различни канали и без координация между отделните помощници.
Книгата проследява живота след войната на Йозеф Менгеле, Адолф Айхман, "Поглавник" Анте Павелич и далеч по-неизвестните Клаус Барби (Касапинът от Лион), Херберт Цукурс (Касапинът от Рига), Франц Щангъл (командир на Собибор и Треблинка). Детайлите в описанието на историческите личности и събития е впечатляващо. Многобройните препратки към документи и снимки придават завършеност на книгата. Истинско удоволствие за любителите на историята.
January 6, 2015
I know, I know, it's the second Nazi book I have read in as many weeks. No, I am not becoming some crazed, despicable Neo-Nazi. It's just that after I read the book about Eichmann, I needed to know what became of the rest of those evil em-effs. I guess you find that out in the course of these discursive 400+ pages, but it's not easy.
There is, first of all, a lot more here than just "Mengele lived out his life unmolested in Brazil." Walters talks about the agencies that were tasked with prosecuting Nazis after the war, and their inadequacies. He talks about the networks that helped Nazis escape, and their inadequacies. But the inadequacy he really goes after, over and over to the point of its being truly tedious, is other Nazi hunters, specifically Simon Weisenthal. Although SW is dead, Walters goes after him with such venom and frequency, you'd think he must have personally insulted Walters' Grandma, yesterday.
But back to the Nazis' fate: you don't really get much about that until well into the second half of the book. And then the narrative is maddeningly non-linear: you read a piece of information about Barbie, for instance, and then it's "As we shall see later..." Breaking up the narrative of each person's fate, and then stuffing the intervening pages with minutiae, just doesn't work. It's tough to keep straight what happens to whom, and where you are in the midst of their chronicle.
The book is crammed with information, but the structure makes it feel not very informative. When over half is spent on what is essentially personal discreditation and background, and then the real stories are diced up and crammed in at the end... Well, it's unimaginably frustrating. I can't fathom why the author structured the book this way, and I think it detracts enormously from what is a serious and seriously compelling topic.
There is, first of all, a lot more here than just "Mengele lived out his life unmolested in Brazil." Walters talks about the agencies that were tasked with prosecuting Nazis after the war, and their inadequacies. He talks about the networks that helped Nazis escape, and their inadequacies. But the inadequacy he really goes after, over and over to the point of its being truly tedious, is other Nazi hunters, specifically Simon Weisenthal. Although SW is dead, Walters goes after him with such venom and frequency, you'd think he must have personally insulted Walters' Grandma, yesterday.
But back to the Nazis' fate: you don't really get much about that until well into the second half of the book. And then the narrative is maddeningly non-linear: you read a piece of information about Barbie, for instance, and then it's "As we shall see later..." Breaking up the narrative of each person's fate, and then stuffing the intervening pages with minutiae, just doesn't work. It's tough to keep straight what happens to whom, and where you are in the midst of their chronicle.
The book is crammed with information, but the structure makes it feel not very informative. When over half is spent on what is essentially personal discreditation and background, and then the real stories are diced up and crammed in at the end... Well, it's unimaginably frustrating. I can't fathom why the author structured the book this way, and I think it detracts enormously from what is a serious and seriously compelling topic.
March 25, 2023
A comprehensive study of the passage to south America and other countries of key Nazi leaders after the war, with many helped on their way through the Catholic church in Italy and also through Spain. And the search for Mengele, Eichmann and Barbie. The most striking part of the book is the debunking of the fabrications of Simon Wiesenthal, the most famous Nazi hunter.
October 9, 2010
This was a disappointing read. Seemed that the author was trying to discredit much of the past activities rather than really talk about what was really happening. I found the book rather difficult to read as it wandered aimlessly. There are better books about this out there.
January 12, 2011
Really liked this book. Left me with a feeling of anger about how these criminals were allowed to slip through the net of justice. Also an interesting reappraisal of the work of Simon Wiesenthal.
December 26, 2010
I could not get through the first CD, I tried but it just did not hold my interest.
February 5, 2013
Not as exciting as one would think. I really was looking for the breakdown on each of the top dogs, but this was everyone meshed together.
July 20, 2020
I do like Guy Walters' participation in various WW II /Nazi hunter documentaries, but my second attempt to read this books failed again as he jumps around too much and it becomes rather confusing. One page describes 1945, the next takes place in 1939, then another year and another year.
More chronological writing would do his book good.
I also disliked his disdain for Simon Wiesenthal who is one of my personal heroes.
Instead I recommend reading Andrew Nagorsky's "Nazi Hunters".
More chronological writing would do his book good.
I also disliked his disdain for Simon Wiesenthal who is one of my personal heroes.
Instead I recommend reading Andrew Nagorsky's "Nazi Hunters".
Read
October 19, 2021Nothing but the real account
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2023
3.5 ster
April 3, 2024
This book gives you the full and brutal story of hunting the most evil men and women in history.
February 2, 2018
Almost unbelievable
This book turned my stomach. So very many merely walked away from the greatest crime in the history of the world. It didn't end at Nuremberg as so many believe. Those who committed the actual crimes walked away. Hidden by South American countries, no, not just hidden but protected. Eichmann. Mengele, Stangl , Barbie. Too many to name. However I do want to point out that Barbie was first used by the Americans. How this nation could align itself with such a sadist is impossible to understand. Some are not mentioned at all. I was interested in the author's take on the "suicide" of Gustav Wagner but he never touched on the subject. The writer seems to regard Simon Wiesenthal as little more than a clown. I personally take exception to this because, even if he did not do all he took credit for he NEVER allowed the Holocaust to be forgotten. And that was necessary. Serge and Beate Klarsfeld are heroes and should be honored as such. Overall a well researched, well written book that left me feeling rather bitter because after the war was won not one country even seemed to care beyond Nuremberg. Brutal, sadistic, criminals lived long lives, their crimes never revealed. Their victims left with no justice.
This book turned my stomach. So very many merely walked away from the greatest crime in the history of the world. It didn't end at Nuremberg as so many believe. Those who committed the actual crimes walked away. Hidden by South American countries, no, not just hidden but protected. Eichmann. Mengele, Stangl , Barbie. Too many to name. However I do want to point out that Barbie was first used by the Americans. How this nation could align itself with such a sadist is impossible to understand. Some are not mentioned at all. I was interested in the author's take on the "suicide" of Gustav Wagner but he never touched on the subject. The writer seems to regard Simon Wiesenthal as little more than a clown. I personally take exception to this because, even if he did not do all he took credit for he NEVER allowed the Holocaust to be forgotten. And that was necessary. Serge and Beate Klarsfeld are heroes and should be honored as such. Overall a well researched, well written book that left me feeling rather bitter because after the war was won not one country even seemed to care beyond Nuremberg. Brutal, sadistic, criminals lived long lives, their crimes never revealed. Their victims left with no justice.
December 7, 2012
Long title but a very intricate and well researched book on a subject which remains fascinating despite coming to the end of its natural life given the limited number of such criminals still alive. The book as expected focuses on the hunts for the nazi bigwigs - Bormann, Eichmann, Mengele - and expertly takes us through the determination (and sometimes serious lack of determination from the authorities) to track these people down. However, the main surprise for me was not that it made we want to read more about the Nazis, but rather their most famous adversary - Simon Weisenthal - Walters essentially provides a character assassination on the famous nazi hunter throughout the book, which pushes the reader to the limits in its severity, but does make me want to see if others are in agreement with the ineffectiveness of the man who never forgot..
October 11, 2020
I don’t tend to gravitate towards non-fiction, but found the narrative supplied by Walters particularly gripping. Each chapter plays out in dramatic fashion. The chapter on the Eichmann case could have been the template for the 2018 movie, ‘Operation Finale’ starring Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac as the story played out from start to finish.
There is a considerable amount of attention paid towards Simon Wiesenthal, the self-styled Nazi hunter, and while Walters does seem to persistently register his disdain for Wiesenthal, he does make peace with him at the end.
I came to this book after watching ‘Hitlers Inner Circle’ on Netflix where Walters provides a dynamic presence, and his passion is certainly evident in this read too as he continues the story.
There is a considerable amount of attention paid towards Simon Wiesenthal, the self-styled Nazi hunter, and while Walters does seem to persistently register his disdain for Wiesenthal, he does make peace with him at the end.
I came to this book after watching ‘Hitlers Inner Circle’ on Netflix where Walters provides a dynamic presence, and his passion is certainly evident in this read too as he continues the story.
January 17, 2018
This would have been much better as a 300 page book rather than as a 500+ page book. The subtitle gives an accurate summary of the book. It is an often interesting story that describes, among other things, the frequent complicity of institutions such as the U.S. government, the governments of other countries, and the Catholic Church, in helping Nazi war criminals to escape justice after World War II. Unfortunately, the author frequently digresses into lengthy detail that detracts from the flow of the book and seems to have an obsession with belittling the efforts of famed Nazi war criminal hunter, Simon Wiesenthal. Nonetheless, a worthwhile read for those interested in this topic.
January 2, 2021
I found this book mostly fascinating, seeing the varied escapes and hiding places, and hiding in plain sight of the Nazi war criminals. It impressed me how dedicated some people are to bringing these monsters to justice. The depressing parts of this book were 1) how little so many people care about bringing these people to justice and 2) the discrediting of Simon Wiesenthal. I think Walters could have spent more time on the tracking and bringing to justice of the war criminals, and less on the discrediting of Wiesenthal.
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July 26, 2011Meticulous and fascinating account of the post-WW2 hunt for escaped Nazis. Walters is not afraid to be (often rightly) critical of governments, organisations and individuals over their approach to the problem and effectively debunks a few myths in the process, but, unlike many other studies of this subject, he doesn't resort to the kind of hysterical over-analysing and conspiracy-theorising that mars a lot of work on this topic.
February 23, 2013
Well researched. Hard to read. Depressing because of how little interest was shown by the allies after WWII in finding and prosecuting war criminals. In fact, USA, France Britain and Russia all hired nazi war criminals for espionage. Very disturbing. The book is very explicit about the specific atrocities committed.
January 14, 2018
Excellent book! The information contained in it is amazing. I'm a big WWII buff, but I learned things that I never knew. I was also a little disturbed by some of the information. I can't believe the amount of war criminals that were never held accountable. I'll admit some chapter's were a little winded, but all in all a phenomenal book!
August 27, 2010
This is an excellent book on Nazi War Criminals and the search made to bring them to justice. The book is well written and entertaining.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Nazi history.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in Nazi history.
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August 6, 2011This book spends more time discrediting Simon Wiesenthal than the actual search for Nazis. I was expecting much more on the actual search and lives of Nazis.
March 2, 2012
History of the hunt for Nazi war criminals including Adolf Eichmann, Josef Mengele, Franz Stangl and Klaus Barbie.
March 25, 2021
At the end of the Second World War, the likes of Goering, Hess and Heydrich were tried at Nuremberg, the likes of Himmler and Goebbels committed suicide, whilst the likes of Adolf Eichmann, Josef Mengele, Franz Stangl and Klaus Barbie fled the ruins of the Third Reich.
Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how these fugitives escaped, the attempts, in the case of Eichmann successful, in the case of Mengele unsuccessful, to bring them to justice and to find out what happened to those that did get away. In this book are interviews with the hunters and the hunted alike, he shows us the escape routes which he has himself travelled, whilst poring over archives in Great Britain, USA, Germany, Austria and Italy, he brings this period of the 20th century to dramatic and vivid life.
It took me quite a while to read this book, whilst reading four other books during the period I read this book, I took to reading a chapter then going to the next book on my pile. The book was so informative that I had at times to really concentrate, which meant one chapter a time, though on one occasion half of chapter seven in two separate readings, I was able to finish the final two chapters in two sittings without going to another book.
It also seemed to me that the book contained two separate subjects. First was the subject of the book, second was the author's slight, if slight can be correctly used here, obsession, is obsession the correct word, with one of the top Nazi hunters, Simon Wiesenthal. In some chapters it seemed that Walters was more interested in the faults of Wiesenthal than the book's subject; hunting the Nazi criminals that got away. It is clearly informative, but could have also been better, to the fact that some of the ways the criminals got away could have been more dramatized. Otherwise a very decent book that, as the Daily Telegraph puts it, 'Deserves a lasting place among histories of the war.'
Guy Walters has travelled the world in pursuit of the real account of how these fugitives escaped, the attempts, in the case of Eichmann successful, in the case of Mengele unsuccessful, to bring them to justice and to find out what happened to those that did get away. In this book are interviews with the hunters and the hunted alike, he shows us the escape routes which he has himself travelled, whilst poring over archives in Great Britain, USA, Germany, Austria and Italy, he brings this period of the 20th century to dramatic and vivid life.
It took me quite a while to read this book, whilst reading four other books during the period I read this book, I took to reading a chapter then going to the next book on my pile. The book was so informative that I had at times to really concentrate, which meant one chapter a time, though on one occasion half of chapter seven in two separate readings, I was able to finish the final two chapters in two sittings without going to another book.
It also seemed to me that the book contained two separate subjects. First was the subject of the book, second was the author's slight, if slight can be correctly used here, obsession, is obsession the correct word, with one of the top Nazi hunters, Simon Wiesenthal. In some chapters it seemed that Walters was more interested in the faults of Wiesenthal than the book's subject; hunting the Nazi criminals that got away. It is clearly informative, but could have also been better, to the fact that some of the ways the criminals got away could have been more dramatized. Otherwise a very decent book that, as the Daily Telegraph puts it, 'Deserves a lasting place among histories of the war.'
May 7, 2023
I am a high school history and academic support teacher who uses long form lit to teach history and uses Book Love to support students in reading. My students are very engaged with WWII lit. I was hoping this would be a book I could add to my classroom library. Unfortunately it isn't. The discussion of escaped Nazis and the hunt for each one is disorganized and difficult to follow. Add in much of the narrative is about how Simon Wiesenthal, a specific Nazi hunter was consistently lying or got information wrong.
I have read other books - Operation Paper Clip and The Nazi Hunters, that discuss the willingness of the Allies to "forgive" former Nazis because they were seen a s "useful" in fighting the Cold War or were a detailed, organized, specific account of finding, identifying, catching, and bringing to trial a Nazi for Crimes Against Humanity. The above book was a bit of a hodge podge of both, while not doing justice to either narrative with page after page of complaints about a man named Simon Wiesenthal, who frankly I have maybe read about in passing prior to this book. 3 Stars is being generous for the narrative and is given for the long list of Nazis and compiled information on them that clearly took some effort.
I have read other books - Operation Paper Clip and The Nazi Hunters, that discuss the willingness of the Allies to "forgive" former Nazis because they were seen a s "useful" in fighting the Cold War or were a detailed, organized, specific account of finding, identifying, catching, and bringing to trial a Nazi for Crimes Against Humanity. The above book was a bit of a hodge podge of both, while not doing justice to either narrative with page after page of complaints about a man named Simon Wiesenthal, who frankly I have maybe read about in passing prior to this book. 3 Stars is being generous for the narrative and is given for the long list of Nazis and compiled information on them that clearly took some effort.
February 9, 2018
You need to be a student of history and non-fiction, but I enjoyed reading this book.
Nazis and Nazi hunters seem to be a popular historical topic, but in reality, many if not most Nazis simply set a plan, and moved to various locations and stayed very low and out of sight to avoid being captured and potentially put on trial.
Let me say it again. Many if not most Nazis walked away with no penelty. Not what many of us have been led to believe. And no, most probably not there was no Nazi network to help them do so. People are clever, and figure out when to “get out of town” to avoid problems..
The writer is really good and scholarly in his investigations. What he found was in truth that most or many of those who should have been prosecuted for war crimes were not, and died mostly of old age or illness.
Justice is often illusive, as are convictions. What must matter here is that humankind took notice of the Holocast, and called it evil. Most of the perpetrators were never brought to justice.
Nazis and Nazi hunters seem to be a popular historical topic, but in reality, many if not most Nazis simply set a plan, and moved to various locations and stayed very low and out of sight to avoid being captured and potentially put on trial.
Let me say it again. Many if not most Nazis walked away with no penelty. Not what many of us have been led to believe. And no, most probably not there was no Nazi network to help them do so. People are clever, and figure out when to “get out of town” to avoid problems..
The writer is really good and scholarly in his investigations. What he found was in truth that most or many of those who should have been prosecuted for war crimes were not, and died mostly of old age or illness.
Justice is often illusive, as are convictions. What must matter here is that humankind took notice of the Holocast, and called it evil. Most of the perpetrators were never brought to justice.
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