Heydrich Butcher of Prague

Heydrich Butcher of Prague written by Ian Baxter and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 144

Reinhard Heydrich along with Heinrich Himmler, whose deputy he was, will always

be regarded as one of the most ruthless of the Nazi elite. Even Hitler described him

as ‘a man with an iron heart’.

He established his fearsome reputation in the 1930s, as head of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the intelligence organisation which neutralised opposition to the Nazi Party by murder and deportation. He organised Kristalnacht and played a leading role in the Holocaust, chairing the 1942 Wannsee Conference which formalised plans for the ‘Final Solution’. In addition, as head of the Einsatzgruppen murder squads in Eastern Europe he was responsible for countless murders.

Appointed Deputy Reich-Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, he died of wounds inflicted by British-trained SOE operatives in Prague in May 1942. The reprisals that followed his assassination were extreme by even the terrible standards of Nazi ruthlessness.

Heydrich’s shocking and leading role in the Nazi regime is graphically portrayed in this Images of War book.

For some reason, I have a little fascination in Reinhard Heydrich, not in a fanboy way but because he looks and acted like an arrogant and pompous oaf. I learnt about him in university before I saw him, so having heard what a cruel man he was, eventually finding out what he looked like just confirmed what I had been told. What this man carried out in Czechoslovakia was sick and cruel and this is explained in this great little book which explains his rise to his position, and what he did to endear himself to Hitler and Himmler. But finally, the book talks about his death at the hands of SOE operatives, and I suppose this adds to the story in that there was such drama around his death and how it happened or very nearly didn’t. This book is an Images of War book and although the pictures are limited, this is down to the fact that there are little ‘action’ type photos but the ones there are, are good but a bit formal in nature. But I would still say this is an excellent read and a good addition to the Images of War series.

Himmler - Hitler's Henchman

Himmler - Hitler’s Henchman written by Ian Baxter and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 119

Heinrich Himmler has a strong claim to be Adolf Hitler’s most powerful subordinate.

He was certainly the main architect of the Holocaust. Appointed Reichsfuhrer-SS in

1929 he built the SS into a million strong paramilitary force and took control of the

Nazi concentration camps system. From 1943 he became Chief of German Police

and Minister of the Interior with command of the Gestapo as well as the

Einsatzgruppen, who committed appalling atrocities and murder in occupied Eastern

Europe and Russia.

Despite his lack of military experience in the closing stages of the War he was appointed by Hitler as Commander of Army Group Vistula. Realising the war was lost, Himmler attempted to open peace talks with the Allies. Learning of this, Hitler dismissed him of all his posts in April 1945. Detained and arrested by British forces, he committed suicide on 22 May 1945.

The wartime career of this cruel and capable man is captured brilliantly with contemporary fully captioned images in this Images of War series work.

A book about one of the most evil men in history, Heinrich Himmler was one of Adolf Hitler’s henchmen, one of the chosen few for the Third Reich. Himmler was the one who became the main architect for the campaign to rid the world of the Jewish population as he took control of the Nazi concentration camp system. Along with this he was also responsible for the SS, German police system and Minister of the Interior and also headed up the detested Gestapo & Einsatzgruppen. As you can see he certainly wasn’t the nicest of men to know in life. 

The book does look at his early life for a moment but the three chapters in the book, concentrate on the early invasion of the East, being the architect of Genocide and his role as War Lord. The information in the book is very comprehensive and detailed and is supported throughout with a great number of photographs which is primarily what the aim of the book is. But my only downside of the book is many of the photographs are very similar, it reminds me of a Tory minister being shown around workplaces during an election campaign so that the workers can wonder at the visiting gentry. But to be honest, most of these photos seem to be official-type publicity photos, so one shouldn’t really be surprised. I love the Images of War Series, and even this book I should think fits nicely into the range.

How the World allowed Hitler to Proceed with the Holocaust

How the World allowed Hitler to Proceed with the Holocaust written by

Tony Matthews and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 480

In July 1938 the United States, Great Britain and thirty other countries participated in a vital conference at Évian-les-Bains, France, to discuss the persecution and possible emigration of the European Jews, specifically those caught under the anvil of Nazi atrocities. However, most of those nations rejected the pleas then being made by the Jewish communities, thus condemning them to the Holocaust.

There is no doubt that the Évian conference was a critical turning point in world history. The disastrous outcome of the conference set the stage for the murder of six million people. Today we live in a world defined by turmoil with a disturbing rise of authoritarian governments and ultra right-wing nationalism. The plight of refugees is once more powerfully affecting public attitudes towards those most in need. Now, on the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of the Second World War, it’s time to reflect on the past to ensure we never again make the same mistakes.

Tragedy at Évian also shines a spotlight on some of the astonishing and courageous stories of heroic efforts of individuals and private organisations who, despite the decisions made at Évian, worked under extremely dangerous conditions, frequently giving their own lives to assist in the rescue of the Jewish people.

This is one of those books that leaves you astounded with disbelief and bewilderment at how ineffectual people can be. The book focuses primarily on the Evian-les-Bains Conference in France and how a good number of countries knew of the impending problems and disaster for the Jews, and yet very few did anything about it. A book that seems very apt at the moment with the conflict happening in Ukraine with millions of people being displaced to neighbouring countries. In a way, it seems now more and more people are aware of the situation to migrant people, whereas back at the start of WWII it seems the world was far less aware of these situations.

I must admit that when I started reading this book I thought it might be a bit hard going or not the most lively or interesting read when the main focus is on the conference. But actually, it is a very good book, comprehensive and detailed but it runs smoothly and is very interesting, so huge credit to the author Tony Matthews for his writing. Whist the book can be hard reading at times due to the wretched subject matter, it does feel like an important book to read and learn from. Certainly a good book I would happily recommend to others and a good subject matter that needs writing about.