If you are a reader who continues to be fascinated yet revolted by the Nazi Germany era, then do yourself a favor and pick up (or download) this book by Andrew Nagorski. It’s the logical sequel to his “Hitlerland,” which I have also read, thoroughly enjoyed and very strongly recommend! (It’s particularly timely during the current election campaign!)
Over the last 50 years I have read many, many books about Hitler and the Nazis, so, to be honest about it, I pretty much know all the “stories,” as well as how they end. Maybe you do too. But I want to emphasize the term “pretty much know all” here. In both of Mr. Nagorski’s books I was continually discovering heretofore unknown (at least by me) anecdotes that added immeasurably to the human interest elements of the stories. Let me give you just ONE example (of many) from “The Nazi Hunters” (and “Hitlerland”).
Most of the TOP Nazis found guilty at the Nuremberg trials were hanged (a few, such as Eichmann, escaped early capture; a few, such as Goering and Himmler, committed suicide before they could face the hangman). But have you ever read or heard much, if anything, about the soldier who served as the actual hangman? Me neither. He was Army Master Sergeant John C. Woods.
A young Jewish GI who assisted Woods in his gruesome duties, Herman Obermayer, described him this way: “(He) defied all the rules, didn’t shine his shoes and didn’t get shaved . . . His dress was always sloppy . . . his pants were always unpressed . . . his M/Sgt. Stripes . . . attached . . . by a single stitch of yellow thread. . . .”
Crucial information to the story of the Nuremberg trials? Of course not, but still mighty interesting and illuminating, particularly when contrasted with the typical cut-and-dried, quite often very boring accounts of the trials.
If you are like most people, and not especially well read on the subject, you probably also just assume that the hunting of Nazis, once the war ended, began in earnest and aggressively continued on many fronts for many, many years thereafter. Well, as Mr. Nagorski (and other, of course) points out in some detail, you would be very, very wrong in that assumption. To be sure, the hunt did begin soon after the war, and in some cases it was a very aggressive hunt indeed. But as exigencies of the “cold war” era soon replaced World War II concerns, genuine, widespread interest in and the aggressive nature of the hunt waned rather quickly, particularly among the Allies and especially among officials of the “new” Germany.
I would best describe “The Nazi Hunters” as being a condensed, yet quite thorough, very readable version of several key stories about the era: The actual hunt for the Nazis; the key figures involved in the hunt (both the hunters and the hunted); the Nuremberg Trials; and the lingering aftermath of the entire era and experience.
Here’s your choice: You can read many, many books to get information about and knowledge of these historical events (a formidable challenge!) OR, you can pick up the EXCELLENT condensed version written by Mr. Nagorski.
Oh, and one other thing: Hey, this guy can write!
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interesting subject
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2022
