Killing Hitler

Oct 30, 2024 11:36 PM

Author:Roger Moorhouse

Killing Hitler

Most people have heard of the Stauffenberg Plot but it is not widely known that this was only one of a long series of attempts on the life of Adolf Hitler. The Germans, Soviets, Poles and British all made plans to kill the Fuhrer. Lone gunmen, disaffected German officers and the Polish Underground, the Soviet NKVD and the British Special Operations Executive were all involved. Their methods varied from bombing, poisoning or using a sniper, to infiltrating the SS, or even sending Rudolf Hess back to Germany under hypnosis. Many of the plans did not make it beyond the drawing board, some were carried out. All of them failed.

Alongside the dramatic and largely unknown stories of Hitler's numerous assassins, this book presents a fascinating investigation of a number of broader issues, such as the complex motives of the German Resistance, the curious squeamishness of the British, and the effectiveness of the Nazi security apparatus.

Drawing on memoirs and original archival sources in Poland, Germany, Russia and Britain, Killing Hitler offers a unique perspective on the history of the Third Reich.

Reviews

The story of the attempts to kill Hitler has been told before... but [Moorhouse's] survey can claim originality thanks to the inclusion of plots hatched by non-Germans

—— David Cesarani , Literary Review

Roger Moorhouse's enthralling book accounts for a whole gallimaufry of foiled assassination attempts on the Fuhrer, which ranged from the sublime near miss to ridiculous schemes worthy of Mel Brooks

—— Roger Lewis , Sunday Express

A gripping account, which is thoroughly researched, but wears its scholarship lightly enough to be read like a good political thriller

—— Times Literary Supplement

Highly readable... Moorhouse tells his story briskly and sensibly

—— Richard Overy , Sunday Telegraph

In Killing Hitler, Roger Moorhouse has found a new approach to the story of the Third Reich which is both original and authentic

—— Norman Davies

Such is Moorhouse's story telling power that we await every fresh attempt on Hitler's life with the hope that this one will succeed... A story as gripping as it is authentic

—— Joseph E. Persico, author of Roosevelt's Secret War

Few books on the Third Reich offer a genuinely fresh perspective on the period but Roger Moorhouse's engrossing chronicle of the plots against Hitler does

—— Nick Rennison , The Sunday Times

This book shows what a murderous place Hitler's Reich was, and that the Fuhrer had the devil's own luck

—— M.R.D. Foot

The first detailed account of the numerous attempts to kill one of history's most reviled dictators

—— Herald

Osborne has written a fluent and fascinating book.... Read and enjoy this remarkable book

—— THES

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