Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series)
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller (October 2018)
Confronting Nazi evil is the subject of the latest installment in the mega-bestselling Killing series
As the true horrors of the Third Reich began to be exposed immediately after World War II, the Nazi war criminals who committed genocide went on the run. A few were swiftly caught, including the notorious SS leader, Heinrich Himmler. Others, however, evaded capture through a sophisticated Nazi organization designed to hide them. Among those war criminals were Josef Mengele, the “Angel of Death” who performed hideous medical experiments at Auschwitz; Martin Bormann, Hitler’s brutal personal secretary; Klaus Barbie, the cruel "Butcher of Lyon"; and perhaps the most awful Nazi of all: Adolf Eichmann.
Killing the SS is the epic saga of the espionage and daring waged by self-styled "Nazi hunters." This determined and disparate group included a French husband and wife team, an American lawyer who served in the army on D-Day, a German prosecutor who had signed an oath to the Nazi Party, Israeli Mossad agents, and a death camp survivor. Over decades, these men and women scoured the world, tracking down the SS fugitives and bringing them to justice, which often meant death.
Written in the fast-paced style of the Killing series, Killing the SS will educate and stun the reader.
The final chapter is truly shocking.
Reviews (160)
“Killing the SS” Rings True, Authentic, INVALUABLE…
Friends of mine know me to be a left-of-center democrat. Definitely not a reliable conservative or republican voter. Thus, they might be surprised at my response to this invaluable educational resource that NEEDS to be used widespread in our educational system. Just a month ago, Bob Woodward’s book on Trump was released despite a furious Presidential uproar. Now, Bill O’Reilly’s book, released two days ago, focuses attention on the hunt for war criminals following the end of World War 2. Mind you, I, and most of my generation witnessed aspects of the events portrayed in this book, either up close, or from afar. Still, it is an invaluable reminder of what happened after the brutal murders of so many innocent Jewish people and other people due to racial, ethnic and religious hatred and persecution. I’ve not yet read other O’Reilly books, but will make a point of doing so in the future. Not because I am a political devotee, but because I appreciate his sense of history and style of presentation. I think I would have loved being a student of his, despite our political differences. BLUSH FACTOR: I came across no profanities. Further, this is a terrific book to read aloud in your prayer group, or to (or with) your children and your elders. Excerpt ‘…In a classic courtroom Q and A, James Heath destroys the SS killer: OHLENDORF: The Jews were collected at one place; and from there they were later transported to the place of execution, which was, as a rule, an antitank ditch or a natural excavation. The executions were carried out in a military manner, by firing squads under command. PROSECUTOR: In what way were they transported to the place of execution? OHLENDORF: They were transported to the place of execution in trucks, always only as many as could be executed immediately. In this way it was attempted to keep the span of time from the moment in which the victims knew what was about to happen to them until the time of their actual execution as short as possible. PROSECUTOR: Was that your idea? OHLENDORF: Yes. PROSECUTOR: And after they were shot what was done with the bodies? OHLENDORF: The bodies were buried in the antitank ditch or excavation. PROSECUTOR: What determination, if any, was made as to whether the persons were actually dead? OHLENDORF: The unit leaders or the firing-squad commanders had orders to see to this and, if need be, finish them off themselves. PROSECUTOR: And who would do that? OHLENDORF: Either the unit leader himself or somebody designated by him. PROSECUTOR: In what positions were the victims shot? OHLENDORF: Standing or kneeling. PROSECUTOR NIKTCHENKO: In your testimony you said that the Einsatz group had the object of annihilating the Jews and the commissars, is that correct? OHLENDORF: Yes. PROSECUTOR: And in what category did you consider the children? For what reasons were the children massacred? OHLENDORF: The order was that the Jewish population should be totally exterminated. PROSECUTOR: Including the children? OHLENDORF: Yes. Benny Ferencz listens to the responses, baffled by Ohlendorf’s arrogance. “He told his men never to use infants for target practice nor smash their heads against a tree. He ordered his men to allow the mother to hold her infant to her breast and to aim for her heart. That would avoid screaming and would allow the shooter to kill both mother and infant with one bullet. It saved ammunition. “Ohlendorf said he refused to use the gas vans that were assigned to his companies. He found that when the mobile killing vehicles arrived at their destination, where they were supposed to dump their asphyxiated human cargo into a waiting ditch, some of the captives were still alive and had to be unloaded by hand. His troops had to dig out the vomit and excrement—and that was very hard on his men.” Most unforgettable among Ohlendorf’s offensive comments was that each murder was an act of self-defense. O'Reilly, Bill. Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History (Bill O'Reilly's Killing Series) (Kindle Locations 487-520). Henry Holt and Co.. Kindle Edition. BOTTOM LINE How thorough and how powerful is this work by O’Reilly? Because of him, I spent another $8.99 to get a book mention by him: Paul Manning’s “Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile.” Regardless of your political sentiment, you NEED to read Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing the SS.” Better yet, add the Audible edition to your library. I wish the publisher would make the book and its Audible edition available to middle schools across the country for the maximum possible impact of this historical work upon our youth. Five stars out of five. 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RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “MY MIND WOULD NOT ACCEPT WHAT MY EYES SAW… I HAD PEERED INTO HELL”
There have been over a thousand books written about the biggest stain on the human race… the Holocaust… the Nazi’s attempt at destroying the entire Jewish race… through their “Final Solution”. I have… and will continue to read different Holocaust stories and different survivor’s statements of fact…as I have for over half-a-century… almost endlessly… and do my best to pass on the horrors… to as many generations as I possibly can. So the most important Jewish mantra from my lifetime and beyond… “NEVER-AGAIN!” will forever and always… be a life sustaining pledge! Because of this personal dedication… I can wholeheartedly state that what is told in this book is not new… untold revelations. But what the author(s) have done so professionally… and intelligently… is the melding… of multiple major Nazi CRIMINAL war survivors… who fled the world’s authorities… and were eventually tracked down by self-proclaimed “Nazi-Hunters”… and the State of Israel… they are all tracked… followed… and discussed in this one book… where most books in the past… are not as all encompassing. Of course there is not as much individual detail in this one book as there are in previous individual books… on the less than animal excrement… with names like Eichmann… Mengele… Barbie… Bormann… and others. What O’Reilly and co-author Dugard… have done… is almost common sense… if you realize that O’Reilly used to be a teacher. I feel the way this book is laid out… is in a perfect format… for high school students (in addition of course to adults)… who may just be having their eyes opened as to the actual scale and depravity of the entire sick non-human Nazi deranged debauchery known as THE HOLOCAUST! It would be impossible to write an “any- age-version” expose’ of The Holocaust without some stomach turning examples… and for any full-fledged adult… they should be educated with no sick detail redacted… for the very good reason… that every person on earth should know… how vile it was… so “NEVER-AGAIN” would be the result. But this book has purposely restrained itself… I believe… for the greater goal… of making this book be able to target a younger entry level… to start a full education process at a younger age… a little easier. The author’s should be very proud of the way they were able to tell such an awful… must-be-told… story… in such an educational… and easy to read format.
Very disappointing
I've read two other books O'Reilly has written -Killing England and Killing Patton-both very good and interesting. Killing the SS isn't about the SS, it's about the Jews looking for the SS and basically apparently indiscriminately murdering lots of people along the way, with very little worthwhile information about the SS itself.
An Incredible Story
The “Killing” series of historical events by authors Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard are fascinating, well-researched back-in-time accounts of different eras. Their most recent release of “Killing the SS”, the hunt for the worst war criminals in history, is simply captivating. For this reader, some of the story was known, and a lot was not. That around 10,000 former Nazi’s were allowed to immigrate to America following the war is mind boggling. And, then there is the role of the Vatican and the Red Cross, who assisted between 8,000-10,000 Nazi’s immigration to South America. The search for Adolf Eichmann in Argentina was especially interesting for this reader, who had walked the streets of Buenos Aires numerous times and could easily see the city of 1960 when the Mossad captured Eichmann and flew him out in the middle of the night. Even after all these years, it is hard to come to grips with the evil that the Nazi’s brought this world. As the authors suggest, one really can not really come to an understanding of these crimes against mankind, until visiting one of the concentration camps, as this reader and his wife did when they visited Dachau on a dark cold snowy December day, that continues to haunt us after seeing the ovens. We pray that God does not forgive these monsters. It was just not the men of the SS who were evil, but also the women guards at female concentration camps like Ravensbruck. One of those women was Elfriede Huth, who following the war immigrated to the United States and lied about her role at Ravensbruck and lived in San Francisco for over 30 years before she was found out and expelled back to Germany. She and other Nazi’s that immigrated to the U.S. and lied about their roles have collected over $20 million from Social Security. Crazy. As with all the “Killing” books, it is essential to have one’s iPad close by, as there is no shortage of googling that needs to be done to uncover additional information about these criminals and events. As usual, great job Mr. O’Reilly & Mr. Dugard!
Another "Killing" Book
As one who has read and enjoyed all of the previous seven "Killing" books, I debated whether to review this one. By now any readers of these books will have already determined whether they like the format or not before they open the book. Those who dislike the former Fox news commentator or somewhat superficial pop-nonfiction will avoid the book. Those who like a book which can be finished in a few days that is filled with "pithy" character-driven prose, and ample maps and photos of the topic covered will not be disappointed. Reading this book or a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum should be mandatory for those who trivialize the term "Nazi" and thereby dishonor those who fought against them by attempting to attach it to any modern U.S. politician. None of the SS men and women described in this book showed any remorse or guilt for their atrocities and personified the absolute depravity and total evil which was Nazi Germany.
It’s well written but poorly fact checked
I learned as a journalist that a small factual mistake can contaminate an entire story. Especially if the fact is easily checkable. This book has them! The best example is the identification of the three defendants acquitted in the Nuremberg trial. They are right about two but wrong about the third. The book says it was the head of the Krupp family but that is wrong. He was mentally incompetent and never went to trial. The third acquitted was Fritz von Papen, the man who brockered Hitler’s appointment as chancellor. There’s only about 500 books with the correct facts. This immediately raises the question of what other facts are wrong. I don’t know but everything is suspect.
This book will leave you feeling so many emotions.
If you've ever read a Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard book (Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus...) you know why you would never hesitate to order their next book. The books are incredibly well-researched, told in non-political fashion, and written in the style of In Cold Blood: Non-fiction but told like a fast-reading novel. I didn't realize when I ordered this book that it was not about Hitler and the Nazis per se. It's about the specific men and women underneath Hitler, who carried out the murders of millions: The S.S. This book will leave you feeling so many emotions. You'll feel surprise, anger, a sense of justice served, a sense of justice not served, horror, incredulity, and a disbelief in all that happened, and is still happening from the late 1930s to this very moment in history. I wish every person would read this book in order to know about the people who carried out Hitler's atrocities.
Spellbinding
Read this amazing book in 2 nights. I was amazed at the persistence of Israel in tracking down these notorious animals responsible for the killing of millions. So tragic and heartbreaking the accounts of what was done to the Jewish people. A must read.
Oh my Gosh!
There have only been a few books that I could hardly put down but this book I didn't want it to end. There was some information in here that I did not know and I appreciate that. I watch all I can on the history of World War II on t.v. and the history channel and science channel have come out with more and more information. The style of writing keeps you interested also. I was really surprised to learn what the Red Cross and the Catholic institution did to help Nazi's escape. Sickens me!! No wonder my mom said not to donate the the Red Cross but to Salvation Army and I always have. Thank you so much for such a wonderful informative book. It makes you want to shout to the world..Read This!! Hurry!! So worth your while!! Thank you, thank you!!
Surprisingly Good Read
I'm not a big fan of WWII history, and I had felt O'Reilly had pretty much covered the subject. Still I ordered the book based upon the author's books are always great reads. I was not disappointed, but was quite surprised at how much I didn't want to put this book down. I had a passing idea of the war criminals capture, but I discovered how little I knew and was shocked at how much of the world (including the US) attempted to shield and protect war criminals, especially that many went to work for the US government. I thought this book was masterfully done and unless you are squeamish about learning about Nazi atrocities to innocent children, I recommend this book.
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