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  • Hitler's Hangman

  • The Life of Heydrich
  • By: Robert Gerwarth
  • Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
  • Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (265 ratings)

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Hitler's Hangman cover art

Hitler's Hangman

By: Robert Gerwarth
Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
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Summary

Reinhard Heydrich is widely recognized as one of the great iconic villains of the 20th century, an appalling figure even within the context of the Nazi leadership. Chief of the Nazi Criminal Police, the SS Security Service, and the Gestapo, ruthless overlord of Nazi-occupied Bohemia and Moravia, and leading planner of the "Final Solution," Heydrich played a central role in Hitler's Germany. He shouldered a major share of responsibility for some of the worst Nazi atrocities, and up to his assassination in Prague in 1942, he was widely seen as one of the most dangerous men in Nazi Germany.

Yet Heydrich has received remarkably modest attention in the extensive literature of the Third Reich. Robert Gerwarth weaves together little-known stories of Heydrich's private life with his deeds as head of the Nazi Reich Security Main Office. Fully exploring Heydrich's progression from a privileged middle-class youth to a rapacious mass murderer, Gerwarth sheds new light on the complexity of Heydrich's adult character, his motivations, the incremental steps that led to unimaginable atrocities, and the consequences of his murderous efforts toward recreating the entire ethnic makeup of Europe.

©2011 Robert Gerwarth (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This admirable biography makes plausible what actually happened and makes human what we might prefer to dismiss as monstrous." ( The Wall Street Journal)

What listeners say about Hitler's Hangman

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting listen

Good insight into this dark individual. Good narration to help keep the listener engaged especially during the darker aspects of this story

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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overall good

interesting book but spoiled for me by what was either poor editing or very odd intersections of another voice - sometimes words were said by 2 narrators in the same sentence. not sure if I would try to listen again.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hangman story

Interesting story well narrated about one of the alleged most evil man in the modern history

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting.....

Informative and compelling to listen to. I highly recommend this book. The narrator was very good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Detail

A fine fully detailed history of a complex character.Well worth listening to for students of the Nazi development in Germany.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting book, irritating narration

I bought this book after watching "Conspiracy" again. Although I knew who Heydrich was and how he died I wanted to find out more. I found the book interesting if at times the number of names thrown at the reader/listener made it difficult to remember just who was who, what position(s) they held and where they stood in the byzantine hierarchy of the Third Reich. I'd recommend it to anyone who, like me, wanted to know more about one of Hitler's most devoted subordinates. I would recommend anyone to buy the book - hard copy or kindle - rather than this audiobook, or at least listen to a sample first. Although this narrator is nowhere near as bad as the reader of Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" I found his over-enunuciation of German names (most especially Heydrich) and other words intensely annoying. I also did not care for his use of different voices when quoting from individuals; however YMMV.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating book

Astonishing insight into the SS and the Jewish holocaust and the crimes of world war two

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

robot narrator

Great book but it sounds like it is being narrated by a computer. Fascinating insight into the workings of the third reich.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting

A well researched insight into one of Hitler's lesser known key lieutenants. I recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Distubingly good read

a very well written & read book. Disturbing subject matter but i really enjoyed it

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