Crime and Punishment
Author : Thomas Harding
Title : Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz
Published : 01/05/2014
Pages : 384
Genre : Biography
Publisher : Windmill Books
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the first British War Crimes Investigation Team is assembled to hunt down the senior Nazi officials responsible for the greatest atrocities the world has ever seen. Lieutenant Hanns Alexander is one of the lead investigators, Rudolf Höss his most elusive target.
This is not the first time I have delved into the subject of Auschwitz and the people that ran it. Both in fiction and by the people that where there it is a topic that at times is hard to stomach. The cruel crime perpetrated by these people are ones that we should never forget. In saying this I realize for some people books on this subject hold little or no interest. But for me it is very important one. Having gone as far as to read Höss's own account of his actions, this, however, was a book that I simply could not find the words to write about. His justification for action is one I will simply never understand. In having read several books about the man this was the first one I had come across that also dealt with the person who would go on to capture him. I suppose these men and women who scoured the globe in the hunt for Nazi war criminals are largely forgotten to the pages of history.
In the telling of these two men's story's Harding covers a great deal of ground, And for that matter the history of Germany. Starting with the birth of each of these men he gives an account of there lives up until both men's deaths. All be it one being somewhat longer than the other. Considering his closeness to Hanns, It being his great-uncle I felt he did a fairly unbiased account. It must have been a very difficult task to set out to do. Whereas Rudolf took on a path that would eventually lead him to be responsible for the greatest mass murder in history. Hanns as a jew fled from Berlin with the rise of the Nazi's to my own country of England where he then set out on a path to free not only his people but also the country he had been born in. These conflicting side also allowed for a much broader perspective of the war and the crimes that were committed. The author switches between these men with each chapter and follows them along chronologically throughout there lives.
It is clear in the reading of this book that the author has spent a great deal of time researching this topic. Too often I think people tend to grab at the information that is already out there and fails to dive deeper. What the author gives us is a book that not only tells a story of these two men but also a thriller in that is brings to the surface Hann's hunt for the men and women who tried there best to hide the crimes the had committed. I think it is a testament to the authors writing that he made the pages past quickly with such a heavy subject. I would say that not much time is actually given to Höss time as Kommandant which might seem a little odd. For me though I think this is not such a bad thing, this topic has been covered in numerous books and articles. scattered throughout the book are family photos of both men. Some of the most haunting for me where the pictures of Höss and his children at Auschwitz. They are smiling and laughing while being not far from the mass murders. One of the most bizarre story's is of his children playing a game of inmates in the villa's garden which made Höss become very angry with them.
For me, this book showed me some new information that I had not heard before. It also briefly shows the legacy of these men in the form of their descendants. With the author and the grandson of Höss visiting Auschwitz. So with a crowded field in this topic, I think it did manage to bring some new light to a subject I thought had been covered by pretty much every angle.
This is not the first time I have delved into the subject of Auschwitz and the people that ran it. Both in fiction and by the people that where there it is a topic that at times is hard to stomach. The cruel crime perpetrated by these people are ones that we should never forget. In saying this I realize for some people books on this subject hold little or no interest. But for me it is very important one. Having gone as far as to read Höss's own account of his actions, this, however, was a book that I simply could not find the words to write about. His justification for action is one I will simply never understand. In having read several books about the man this was the first one I had come across that also dealt with the person who would go on to capture him. I suppose these men and women who scoured the globe in the hunt for Nazi war criminals are largely forgotten to the pages of history.
In the telling of these two men's story's Harding covers a great deal of ground, And for that matter the history of Germany. Starting with the birth of each of these men he gives an account of there lives up until both men's deaths. All be it one being somewhat longer than the other. Considering his closeness to Hanns, It being his great-uncle I felt he did a fairly unbiased account. It must have been a very difficult task to set out to do. Whereas Rudolf took on a path that would eventually lead him to be responsible for the greatest mass murder in history. Hanns as a jew fled from Berlin with the rise of the Nazi's to my own country of England where he then set out on a path to free not only his people but also the country he had been born in. These conflicting side also allowed for a much broader perspective of the war and the crimes that were committed. The author switches between these men with each chapter and follows them along chronologically throughout there lives.
It is clear in the reading of this book that the author has spent a great deal of time researching this topic. Too often I think people tend to grab at the information that is already out there and fails to dive deeper. What the author gives us is a book that not only tells a story of these two men but also a thriller in that is brings to the surface Hann's hunt for the men and women who tried there best to hide the crimes the had committed. I think it is a testament to the authors writing that he made the pages past quickly with such a heavy subject. I would say that not much time is actually given to Höss time as Kommandant which might seem a little odd. For me though I think this is not such a bad thing, this topic has been covered in numerous books and articles. scattered throughout the book are family photos of both men. Some of the most haunting for me where the pictures of Höss and his children at Auschwitz. They are smiling and laughing while being not far from the mass murders. One of the most bizarre story's is of his children playing a game of inmates in the villa's garden which made Höss become very angry with them.
For me, this book showed me some new information that I had not heard before. It also briefly shows the legacy of these men in the form of their descendants. With the author and the grandson of Höss visiting Auschwitz. So with a crowded field in this topic, I think it did manage to bring some new light to a subject I thought had been covered by pretty much every angle.
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