Gestapo: The Story Behind Hitler's Machine of Terror

Summary

Formed in 1933, the Gestapo became one of the most feared state forces of the Third Reich before and during World War II.

Chronicling the history of the organization, from its origins to the brutal and horrific offences that it perpetrated on hundreds of thousands of people, to its eventual downfall, Gestapo is a compelling tale of power and destruction taken to their most terrifying extremes. Familiar in films as the ominous men wearing black leather trench coats seen arresting people on the flimsiest of pretexts, the true story of the Geheime Staatspolizei (or Gestapo for short) is even more frightening.

Drawing on numerous sources, Gestapo explores how this secret state police force was born on 26 April 1933, the creation of Hermann Göring. Together with the Kriminalpolizei and the Sicherheitsdienst, the Gestapo would enforce a reign of terror on Germany and across much of Europe. Containing profiles of key figures and chilling tales of its death squads' sadistic efficiency - from the torture of Resistance members to mass murder in collaboration with the Einsatzgruppen - Gestapo shows how the organization thrived on Hitler's insecurity until, as the Allies triumphed, its members were eventually rounded up and, as far as possible, brought to justice.