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Raoul Wallenberg: The Heroic Life And Mysterious Disappearance Of The Man Who Saved Thousands Of Hungarian Jews From The Holocaust
by Ingrid CarlbergAn Honorary Citizen of the United States and Canada, and designated as one of the Righteous among the Nations by Israel, Raoul Wallenberg was a modest envoy to Hungary whose heroism in Budapest at the height of the Holocaust saved countless Jewish lives, and ultimately cost him his own.A series of unlikely coincidences led to the appointment of Wallenberg, by trade a poultry importer, as Sweden's Special Envoy to Budapest in 1944. With remarkable bravery, Wallenberg created a system of protective passports, and sheltered thousands of desperate Jews in a special "international ghetto" created in collaboration with other neutral countries. As the war drew to a close, his invaluable work almost complete, Wallenberg voluntarily went to meet with the Soviet troops who were relieving the city. Arrested as a spy, Wallenberg disappeared into the depths of the Soviet system, never to be seen again.In this definitive biography, noted journalist Ingrid Carlberg has carried out unprecedented research into all elements of Wallenberg's life, narrating with vigor and insight the story of a heroic life, and navigating with wisdom and sensitivity the truth about his disappearance and death.
Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Stopped Death, First Edition
by Sharon LinneaThe book traces the life of the Swedish diplomat who saved Hungarian Jews during World War II and then mysteriously disappeared after the Russians occupied Budapest.
The Rape of Belgium
by Larry ZuckermanIn August 1914, the German Army invaded the neutral nation of Belgium, violating a treaty that the German chancellor dismissed as a "scrap of paper." The invaders terrorized the Belgians, shooting thousands of civilians and looting and burning scores of towns, including Louvain, which housed the country's preeminent university. The Rape of Belgium recalls the bloodshed and destruction of the 1914 invasion, and the outrage it inspired abroad. Yet Larry Zuckerman does not stop there, and takes us on a harrowing journey over the next fifty months, vividly documenting Germany's occupation of Belgium. The occupiers plundered the country, looting its rich supply of natural resources; deporting Belgians en masse to Germany and northern France as forced laborers; and jailing thousands on contrived charges, including the failure to inform on family or neighbors. Despite the duration of the siege and the destruction left in its wake, in considering Belgium, neither the Allies nor the history books focused on the occupation, and instead cast their attention almost wholly on the invasion. Now, The Rape of Belgium draws on a little-known story to remind us of the horrors of war. Further, Zuckerman shows why the Allies refrained from punishing the Germans for the occupation and controversially suggests that had the victors followed through, Europe's reaction to the rise of Nazi Germany might have taken a very different course.
The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War
by Lynn H. NicholasWinner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. The cast of characters includes Hitler and Goering, Gertrude Stein and Marc Chagall--not to mention works by artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso. And the story told in this superbly researched and suspenseful book is that of the Third Reich's war on European culture and the Allies' desperate effort to preserve it. From the Nazi purges of "Degenerate Art" and Goering's shopping sprees in occupied Paris to the perilous journey of the Mona Lisa from Paris and the painstaking reclamation of the priceless treasures of liberated Italy, The Rape of Europa is a sweeping narrative of greed, philistinism, and heroism that combines superlative scholarship with a compelling drama. "Nicholas knows the art world as well as any military historian knows his battlefield. ... Her work deserves the widest reading."--New York Times Book Review.
The Rape Of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust Of World War II
by Iris ChangIn December 1937, in what was then the capital of China, one of the most brutal massacres in the long annals of wartime barbarity occurred. The Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking (Nanjing) and within weeks not only looted and burned the defenseless city but systematically raped, tortured, and murdered more than 300,000 Chinese civilians. Amazingly, the story of this atrocity-one of the worst in world history-continues to be denied by the Japanese government.Based on extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents in four different languages (many never before published), Iris Chang, whose own grandparents barely escaped the massacre, has written what will surely be the definitive, English-language history of this horrifying episode-one that the Japanese have tried for years to erase from public consciousness.The Rape of Nanking tells the story from three perspectives: that of the Japanese soldiers who performed it; of the Chinese civilians who endured it; and finally of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved almost 300,000 Chinese. It was Chang who discovered the diaries of the German leader of this rescue effort, John Rabe, whom she calls the "Oskar Schindler of China." A loyal supporter of Adolf Hitler but far from the terror planned in his Nazi-controlled homeland, he worked tirelessly to save the innocent from slaughter.But this book does more than just narrate details of an orgy of violence; it attempts to analyze the degree to which the Japanese imperial government and its militaristic culture fostered in the Japanese soldier a total disregard for human life.Finally, it tells one more shocking story: Despite the fact that the death toll at Nanking exceeded the immediate deaths from the atomic blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined (and even the total wartime casualty count of entire European countries), the Cold War led to a concerted effort on the part of the West and even the Chinese to court the loyalty of Japan and stifle open discussion of this atrocity. Indeed, Chang characterized this conspiracy of silence, which persists to this day, as "a second rape."
The Rape of Poland: Pattern of Soviet Aggression
by Stanislaw MikolajczykFirst published in 1948, this is the inside story by the former head of the Polish Government in Exile, and more recently head of the Peasants’ Party in Poland, which tried to find a way to co-operate with the Soviets.“A raging question in Poland has become, ‘How long will it take them to communize us completely?’“To my mind, however, the question is badly framed. I am convinced that human beings cannot be converted to communism if that conversion is attempted while the country concerned is under Communist rule. Under Communist dictatorship the majority become slaves—but men born in freedom, though they may be coerced, can never be convinced. Communism is an evil which is embraced only by fools and idealists not under the actual heel of such rule.“The question should be phrased: How long can a nation under Communist rule survive the erosion of its soul?”—Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, Preface
The Rapparee
by Jack VanceThe Rapparee is Jack Vance's preferred title for the novel previously published as The Space Pirate and The Five Gold Bands.Five gold bracelets imprinted with cryptic messages were the clues that set Paddy Blackthorn off on a riotous galactic treasure hunt. But Paddy found himself not only the hunter but also the hunted for the armbands had been left to him by his would-be killers, the Rulers of the Five Planets.All Jack Vance titles in Gateway use the author's preferred texts, as restored for the Vance Integral Edition (VIE), an extensive project masterminded by an international online community of Vance's admirers. In general, we also use the VIE titles, and have adopted the arrangement of short story collections to eliminate overlaps.
Rare Courage: Veterans of the Second World War Remember
by Rod Mickleburgh Rudyard GriffithsAn astonishing collection of compelling and vivid wartime memories. As Canada’s tens of thousands of veterans of the Second World War increasingly fall victim to the ravages of time, their personal stories become more and more vital to our understanding of what happened in those pivotal years. InRare Courage, twenty Canadian veterans candidly describe their experiences in their own words, combined with more than eighty photographs and artifacts from the Dominion Institute and the veterans’ personal collections. Rare Couragetakes readers to the sinking of theBismarckand to the bloody beaches of Normandy. It describes the poignant search of a Jewish nurse for survivors of the Holocaust and chilling tales of shot-down airmen on the run in occupied Europe. Many of the stories shed light on little-known aspects of the war: Did you know that almost all the pioneering radar officers on British warships were Canadians? Or that a Canadian major-league baseball star ended up a prisoner in Stalag Luft 13? This is not dry, academic history, but a book that breathes with vivid details. Rare Couragecelebrates the heroism and remembers the horror of the Second World War.
Rascals in Paradise: Turbulent Adventures and Bold Courage on the South Seas
by James A. Michener A. Grove DayIn a thrilling collection of nonfiction adventure stories, James A. Michener returns to the most dazzling place on Earth: the islands that inspired Tales of the South Pacific. Co-written with A. Grove Day, Rascals in Paradise offers portraits of ten scandalous men and women, some infamous and some overlooked, including Sam Costock, a mutinous sailor whose delusions of grandeur became a nightmare; Will Mariner, a golden-haired youth who used his charm to win over his captors; and Captain Bligh, the notorious HMS Bounty captain who may not have been the monster history remembers him as. From lifelong buccaneers to lapsed noblemen, in Michener and Day's capable hands these rogues become the stuff of legend. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Poland. Praise for Rascals in Paradise "The best book about those far-scattered islands that has appeared in a long time . . . a portfolio of rare and ruthless personalities that is calculated to make the curliest hair stand straight on end."--The New York Times "[Combines] research and scholarship (A. Grove Day was a professor at the University of Hawaii) with a gift for spinning a yarn and depicting character (Michener, journalist and novelist, needs no introduction)."--Kirkus Reviews
Rastignac the Devil
by Philip Jose FarmerAfter the Apocalyptic War, the decimated remnants of the French huddled in the Loire Valley were gradually squeezed between two new and growing nations. The Colossus to the north was unfriendly and obviously intended to absorb the little New France. The Colossus to the south was friendly and offered to take the weak state into its confederation of republics as a full partner.
El rastro de los cuerpos: Una novela
by José Miguel TomasenaCon maestría y un claro juego de espejos, José Miguel Tomasena hace un retrato de la impunidad y la violencia desde el punto de vista de las víctimas. Cuando el diario en el que trabajaba entra en crisis, la periodista Tania Vázquez decide filmar por su cuenta un documental sobre los desaparecidos. Así conoce, entre muchas personas, a Doña Gaby, cuya hija Marilyn fue secuestrada previo pago de un rescate de cien mil pesos, y a Magdalena Chávez, que perdió a sus tres hijos y que decide embarcarse en una aventura para conocer su paradero. Estas dos madres, más todos aquellos padres que buscan a sus seres queridos en morgues, cuarteles, hospitales y fosas clandestinas, serán los personajes que iremos construyendo a través de mirar las grabaciones y de la voz del novio de Tania; sin embargo, documentar la lucha de estas mujeres tendrá consecuencias que jamás habrían podido prever... Con maestría y un claro juego de espejos, José Miguel Tomasena hace un retrato de la impunidad y la violencia desde el punto de vista de las víctimas, sean residentes en las regiones asoladas por el narcotráfico que sufren de la persecución cotidiana, o los periodistas acosados por los caciques locales para que no investiguen sobre desapariciones que prefieren dejar en el olvido; pero también es una novela sobre el amor a los hijos, sobre la esperanza de poder hacer un cambio y los deseos de justicia. «¿Dónde están los desaparecidos?, se preguntan los que se quedan, los sobrevivientes, pero sobre todo se atormentan pensando qué pudieron haber hecho, en qué fallaron, si es que hubo alguna posibilidad de salvación, de que la historia fuera distinta. El rastro de los cuerpos es el relato descarnado de estas pérdidas, una exploración ética y moral sobre la culpa y la responsabilidad, sobre el sentido del heroísmo y su peligrosa vecindad con la temeridad. Una magnífica novela que ojalá algún día podamos leer como un thriller, como una estupenda novela policiaca o de suspenso, en un futuro de paz, cuando hayamos superado la epidemia de violencia que asola al país». Juan Pablo Villalobos, autor de Fiesta en la madriguera
The Rat Report
by Constantine FitzgibbonA rat called Crocus, imprisoned in the laboratory of an Irish scientist Dr Dresmond Burke, is transmitting information to a person or persons unknown in another galaxy. His information is in the form of a report on man's history and development over the past 500 years. And it ends with Crocus's shadowy imprecise foreknowledge of what will become of the human race in the future.Crocus is sharp, wise and cleverer by far than most men - as, he claims, the whole race of rats is. He comments astutely on man's spiritual decline; on the collapse of formalised religion and the obsession with things scientific; with man's mistakes in numerology, and therefore in mathematics and astronomy; and with his loss of faith in all that is supernatural or extra-sensory. But Crocus himself is being monitored by Dr Burke, who is beaming the rat's thoughts through an elderly lady medium and on to a tape recorder. The message as transmitted is unintelligible, but Dr Burke thinks he knows a way to interpret it. This involves outside help...the help of the army...of foreign powers. And then he discovers that what he has learned through Crocus is already known to a small band of resolute and dedicated men. Man's thought-processes can be interfered with, thought-waves can move material objects, and this knowledge is being put to a use more potent than the nuclear bomb...
The Rat Report
by Constantine FitzgibbonA rat called Crocus, imprisoned in the laboratory of an Irish scientist Dr Dresmond Burke, is transmitting information to a person or persons unknown in another galaxy. His information is in the form of a report on man's history and development over the past 500 years. And it ends with Crocus's shadowy imprecise foreknowledge of what will become of the human race in the future.Crocus is sharp, wise and cleverer by far than most men - as, he claims, the whole race of rats is. He comments astutely on man's spiritual decline; on the collapse of formalised religion and the obsession with things scientific; with man's mistakes in numerology, and therefore in mathematics and astronomy; and with his loss of faith in all that is supernatural or extra-sensory. But Crocus himself is being monitored by Dr Burke, who is beaming the rat's thoughts through an elderly lady medium and on to a tape recorder. The message as transmitted is unintelligible, but Dr Burke thinks he knows a way to interpret it. This involves outside help...the help of the army...of foreign powers. And then he discovers that what he has learned through Crocus is already known to a small band of resolute and dedicated men. Man's thought-processes can be interfered with, thought-waves can move material objects, and this knowledge is being put to a use more potent than the nuclear bomb...
Rat Trap
by Craig ThomasNew York Times–Bestselling Author: A hijacking at a London airport leads to a manhunt for an arms dealer as the clock ticks down to disaster . . . Engine troubles start just as the jet is approaching Heathrow. Then, after a harrowing landing, just as everyone breathes a sigh of relief, the hijackers rise up . . . Their demand: the release of arms smuggler Shafiq Nasoud from a British prison. Authorities decide to transport him to London in case the situation turns desperate—but things go very wrong. Nasoud escapes. Negotiations continue to fail. The hijackers&’ leader, an American, appears to be strung out on drugs—and the FBI gets in touch to share some deeply concerning information about another terrorist. Before it all ends, blood will be spilled—but whose? Praise for Craig Thomas&’s novels &“Will have you sweating bullets . . . Tension is sustained from first page to last.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Lively, straightforward action.&” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) &“The last word in espionage thrillers.&” —The Pittsburgh Press
Rate of Climb: Thrilling Personal Reminiscences from a Fighter Pilot and Leader
by Air Commodore Rick Peacock-EdwardsA veteran RAF fighter pilot reflects on his service in the sky during the Cold War, the Gulf War, and more in this exciting memoir.Rick Peacock-Edwards has led different lives at different times, but through it all, he has consistently enjoyed himself. One of three sons of outstanding South African Battle of Britain pilot F/O S R “Teddy” Peacock-Edwards, Rick has a compassionate regard for a generation of wartime aircrew: “As the proud son of one of the “Few,” their selfless daring has inspired me throughout my life. Importantly, they influenced my decision to become an airman in the Royal Air Force, to become a fighter pilot like my father, and to live life with spirit as they had lived their lives. It is essential that their experiences live on.” Rate of Climb, his original and entertaining biography, drawing on previously unpublished family and archival material, shows Rick in complete command of his primary subject: flying. A leading ex-RAF fighter pilot to his fingertips, he flew the Lightning, Phantom, Tornado F2/3 and other high-performance aircraft, and served in senior-ranking positions in the UK, Germany and the US. During a varied and distinguished career, he was closely associated with the Eurofighter Typhoon programme and was appointed as the Royal Air Force Inspector of Flight Safety. He ably demonstrated his uncommon skill and determined leadership during the Cold War era, first Gulf War and elsewhere. A past master of The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, he is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the immediate past vice chairman of the Royal Air Force Club in London. He is equally as engaged in his post-RAF career as he was when a serving officer. This is an action-packed account of a foremost flyer’s life with endless good stories, and a colourful cast of characters to match. Rick’s compelling recollections in Rate of Climb reveal a life of considerable achievement, in a very personal book capturing the ties of airmanship that the author has been privileged to share. A must for all lovers of derring-do in the air.
Rather Die Fighting: A Memoir of World War II
by Martin Gilbert Frank BlaichmanFrank Blaichman was sixteen years old when the war broke out. In 1942, the killings began in Poland. With his family and friends decimated by the roundups, Blaichman decided that he would rather die fighting; he set off for the forest to find the underground bunkers of Jews who had already escaped. Together they formed a partisan force dedicated to fighting the Germans. This is a harrowing, utterly moving memoir of a young Polish Jew who chose not to go quietly and defied the mighty German war machine during World War II.Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
A Ration Book Childhood: Perfect For Fans Of Ellie Dean And Lesley Pearse (East End Ration Book #3)
by Jean FullertonIn the darkest days of the Blitz, family is more important than ever.With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London's East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up. The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort. When Ida's oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns. But Ellen carries a secret, one that threatens not only Ida's marriage, but the entire foundation of the Brogan family. Can Ida let go of the past and see a way to forgive her friend? And can she overcome her sadness to find a place in her heart for a little boy, one who will need a mother more than ever in these dark times?
A Ration Book Childhood (East End Ration Book #3)
by Jean FullertonIn the darkest days of the Blitz, family is more important than ever.With her family struggling amidst the nightly bombing raids in London's East End, Ida Brogan is doing her very best to keep their spirits up. The Blitz has hit the Brogans hard, and rationing is more challenging than ever, but they are doing all they can to help the war effort. When Ida's oldest friend Ellen returns to town, sick and in dire need of help, it is to Ida that she turns. But Ellen carries a secret, one that threatens not only Ida's marriage, but the entire foundation of the Brogan family. Can Ida let go of the past and see a way to forgive her friend? And can she overcome her sadness to find a place in her heart for a little boy, one who will need a mother more than ever in these dark times?
A Ration Book Dream: Winner Of The Romance Reader Award (historical)
by Jean FullertonJean Fullerton, queen of the saga, returns with a charming new war-time series. It's 1939, and the Brogan family of London's East End are ready to show Hitler what-for. But things don't seem so rosy when rationing, evacuation, and air-raids start to put this larger-than-life family to the test. When a mysterious young man arrives at the Brogan's local parish church, he provides just the dazzling distraction they need—and for eldest daughter Mattie, the promise of more than she'd ever wished for. But as the pair fall deeper in love, they are drawn into secret dangers, rife on the very London streets they call home. The young couple must do all they can to protect life as they know it. But will their dreams be able to survive the nightmare of wartime?
Rational Fog: Science And Technology In Modern War
by M. Susan LindeeA thought-provoking examination of the intersections of knowledge and violence, and the quandaries and costs of modern, technoscientific warfare.Science and violence converge in modern warfare. While the finest minds of the twentieth century have improved human life, they have also produced human injury. They engineered radar, developed electronic computers, and helped mass produce penicillin all in the context of military mobilization. Scientists also developed chemical weapons, atomic bombs, and psychological warfare strategies.Rational Fog explores the quandary of scientific and technological productivity in an era of perpetual war. Science is, at its foundation, an international endeavor oriented toward advancing human welfare. At the same time, it has been nationalistic and militaristic in times of crisis and conflict. As our weapons have become more powerful, scientists have struggled to reconcile these tensions, engaging in heated debates over the problems inherent in exploiting science for military purposes. M. Susan Lindee examines this interplay between science and state violence and takes stock of researchers’ efforts to respond. Many scientists who wanted to distance their work from killing have found it difficult and have succumbed to the exigencies of war. Indeed, Lindee notes that scientists who otherwise oppose violence have sometimes been swept up in the spirit of militarism when war breaks out.From the first uses of the gun to the mass production of DDT and the twenty-first-century battlefield of the mind, the science of war has achieved remarkable things at great human cost. Rational Fog reminds us that, for scientists and for us all, moral costs sometimes mount alongside technological and scientific advances.
Rational Methods, Prudent Choices: Planning US Forces
by Robert P. Haffa Jr.Planning for US military forces goes on regardless of the political party in power, the state of the budget, or the issues of the moment. Because planners decide the size and shape of land, air, and sea forces, force planning is at the very core of our national security effort. In this primer on force planning, Colonel Robert P. Haffa reviews the process used to structure our strategic, general purpose, and rapidly deployable forces. He contends that many people both within and outside the defense community do not fully understand force planning methods. Too often, he writes, military planners themselves—caught up in the daily pressures of the bureaucracy—focus on parochial, near-term issues. At the national level, far too many public debates are cast in terms of dollars instead of national objectives, missions, and forces. Haffa calls for a return to first principles, recommending these four guidelines for force planning: emphasize coherent policy relationships; rely on empirical data; stress planning, not budgeting consider the long term. Haffa shows that rational planning methods lead to prudent choices. His analysis reminds force planners never to lose sight of fundamentals, especially while prodding national leaders to pay attention to the rational methods of force planning. This fresh study of how we plan our military forces inspires us to get back to the basics essential for informed, productive debate on defense issues. Bradley C. Hosmer Lieutenant General.
Rationed Life: Science, Everyday Life, and Working-Class Politics in the Bohemian Lands, 19141918
by Rudolf KučeraFar from the battlefront, hundreds of thousands of workers toiled in Bohemian factories over the course of World War I, and their lives were inescapably shaped by the conflict. In particular, they faced new and dramatic forms of material hardship that strained social ties and placed in sharp relief the most mundane aspects of daily life, such as when, what, and with whom to eat. This study reconstructs the experience of the Bohemian working class during the Great War through explorations of four basic spheres-food, labor, gender, and protest-that comprise a fascinating case study in early twentieth-century social history.
Ratline: Soviet Spies, Nazi Priests, and the Disappearance of Adolf Hitler
by Peter LevendaRatline is the documented history of the mechanisms by which thousands of other Nazi war criminals fled to the remotest parts of the globe - including quite possibly Adolf Hitler. It is a story involving Soviet spies, Nazi priests, and a network of Catholic monasteries and safe houses known as the rat line. The name of one priest in particular, Monsignor Draganovic, was discovered by the author in a diary found in Indonesia. Why would this name turn up in a document written in a spidery German hand on a remote island in Indonesia? As famed author Peter Levenda began his research, more information came to light: In December of 2009, it was revealed that the skull the Russians claimed was Hitler's - salvaged from the bunker in 1945 - was not that of Hitler! In 2010, files from the Office of Special Investigations of the Justice Department were declassified, revealing a history of American intelligence providing cover for Nazi war criminals. The mystery deepened, and the author returned to his own roots hunting Nazis in North America, South America, and Europe. He revisited old contacts and made some new ones, and gradually the explosive story was revealed: there is no forensic evidence to prove that Adolf Hitler died in the bunker in April 1945!
The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive
by Philippe Sands*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* FROM THE AUTHOR OF EAST WEST STREETAs Governor of Galicia, SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter presided over an authority on whose territory hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed, including the family of the author's grandfather. By the time the war ended in May 1945, he was indicted for 'mass murder'. Hunted by the Soviets, the Americans, the Poles and the British, as well as groups of Jews, Wächter went on the run. He spent three years hiding in the Austrian Alps, assisted by his wife Charlotte, before making his way to Rome where he was helped by a Vatican bishop. He remained there for three months. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline' he died unexpectedly, in July 1949, a few days after spending a weekend with an 'old comrade'.In The Ratline Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of a senior Nazi and fugitive, and of his wife. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, on the run, in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter, and how did he die? *** 'A gripping adventure, an astounding journey of discovery and a terrifying and timely portrait of evil in all its complexity, banality, self-justification and madness. A stunning achievement' STEPHEN FRY 'Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable' JOHN LE CARRÉ'Breathtaking, gripping, and ultimately, shattering. Philippe Sands has done the unimaginable: look a butcher in the eye and tell his story without flinching' ELIF SHAFAK'A triumph of research and brilliant storytelling' ANTONY BEEVOR
The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive
by Philippe Sands*FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EAST WEST STREET* As Governor of Galicia, SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter presided over an authority on whose territory hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed, including the family of the author's grandfather. By the time the war ended in May 1945, he was indicted for 'mass murder'. Hunted by the Soviets, the Americans, the Poles and the British, as well as groups of Jews, Wächter went on the run. He spent three years hiding in the Austrian Alps, assisted by his wife Charlotte, before making his way to Rome where he was helped by a Vatican bishop. He remained there for three months. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline' he died unexpectedly, in July 1949, a few days after spending a weekend with an 'old comrade'.In The Ratline Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of a senior Nazi and fugitive, and of his wife. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, on the run, in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter, and how did he die? *** 'A gripping adventure, an astounding journey of discovery and a terrifying and timely portrait of evil in all its complexity, banality, self-justification and madness. A stunning achievement' STEPHEN FRY 'Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable' JOHN LE CARRÉ'Breathtaking, gripping, and ultimately, shattering. Philippe Sands has done the unimaginable: look a butcher in the eye and tell his story without flinching' ELIF SHAFAK'A triumph of research and brilliant storytelling' ANTONY BEEVOR