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Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
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Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz
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Summary
Hanns Alexander was the son of a wealthy German family who fled Berlin for London in the 1930s. Rudolf Höss was a farmer and soldier who became Kommandant of Auschwitz and oversaw the deaths of over a million people. In the aftermath of World War II, the first British War Crimes Investigation Team is assembled to hunt down the senior Nazi officials responsible for the greatest atrocities the world has ever seen.
Lieutenant Hanns Alexander is one of the lead investigators, Rudolf Höss his most elusive target. In this book, Thomas Harding reveals for the very first time the full, exhilarating account of Höss' capture. Moving from the First World War to bohemian Berlin in the 1920s, to the horror of the concentration camps and the trials in Belsen and Nuremberg, it tells the story of two German men whose lives diverged, and intersected, in an astonishing way.
Critic reviews
“[an] extraordinary story...The tale of how he then doggedly tracked down Rudolf Hőss, the merciless commandant of Auschwitz is stunning - not just because it is so gripping, but because Harding interweaves Hanns’ life story fascinatingly with Hőss's... A compelling, remarkable picture of war and its aftermath.” ( The Sunday Times Books of the Year)
“Harding sketches the parallel lives of the SS officer with notable skill. The book is a moving reminder of what an extraordinary amount Britain gained by the Jewish flight from Europe in the 1930s.” (Max Hastings, Guardian Books of the Year)
“Hanns and Rudolf tells the mesmeric tale of his uncle's hunt for an arch perpetrator of the Jewish Holocaust.” (John le Carré, Telegraph Books of the Year)
“This superlative look at two men - one, Rudolf Höss, the Kommandant of Auschwitz; the other, Hanns Alexander, the man who arrested him - makes for uncomfortable, but essential reading.” (Stuart Evers, Netgalley Books of the Year)
“The detective story approach worked well in Thomas Harding's Hanns and Rudolf” (Ben Shephard, Observer History Books of the Year)
“An unexpected delight... It is amazingly well researched, resists judgement, and above all is an utterly compelling read.” (David Shrigley, New Statesman Books of the Year)
What listeners say about Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. S. Burgess
- 21-02-20
chilling, fascinating and humane
a good reading of a fascinating story. provides lots of details and insight into the final solution largely from the actions of a mid ranking but critical cog in the nazi death machine. it's a chilling account which provides lots of horrific facts about the escalation of the horror and the methodical progression to murder on an unimaginable scale. Hanns' tenacity in hunting down war criminals immediately after the fall of the Germans is made more heroic by his subsequent 40 years of relatively normal life in England. his extraordinary role in bringing Nazi war criminals to justice only being revealed to his wider family after his death . an inspiring but tragic story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mcfontaine
- 26-11-20
Fantastically written
Thomas Harding has a fantastic skill in telling a story, especially when it is about such an important time in history. These truths should never be forgotten.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike Heaney
- 14-01-21
One of the best books I have ever listened to.
What a fantastic audiobook...
I believe the Holocaust should never be forgotten... I absolutely love the way this is written.. and narrated... highly recommend... Mike.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wendy Siequien Edwards
- 31-01-21
Fascinating
A most interesting true story about how Rudolf Höst was responsible for the deaths of millions in Auswich and how he was caught and brought to trial by Hans Alexander
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dinah
- 11-10-13
Refreshingly Real, Gripping and Moving
What did you like most about Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz?
The story of two men, born in Germany and growing up in the 1930's is captivating. The story puts you there, within the time and place. You learn not to be judgemental but to follow the lives of these two individuals as they find themselves in extreme circumstances or the 'events' of history.
The story is very moving and thought-provoking.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I had no favourite character but could feel empathy for both of the main characters.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
I was interested in the description of the lives of the two main characters, Hanns and Rudolph, as children and as young men; and the story of how the times, the place and the circumstances we are born in to shape our lives.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I was gripped by this book and listened to it all from beginning to end. I listened to it again the next day and shall enjoy listening to it again.
Any additional comments?
A wonderful book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lee
- 29-03-22
Really interesting
Found this book to be informative about a group of people I knew very little about - nazi hunters. Hanns is Jewish while Rudolf is the nazi.
Well read
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anne Dudley
- 24-09-22
I really liked listening to this book
The narrator was excellent and he made history come alive. I listened to this book twice I just can't believe how soliders were brainwashed into thinking that killing Jews was exceptable
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Gabriel
- 27-01-14
Great story of WWII parallel lives
If you could sum up Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz in three words, what would they be?
Tells the story of two families, one jewish and the other a concentration camp commanders and about there lives before, during and after WWII. Fascinating insight into two very different Germans paths crossed at the end of the war.
What did you like best about this story?
interesting and factual which brought to life the struggle of jewish families to escape nazi Germany and how those left behind had to live in constant fear of being sent to concentration camps.
What three words best describe Mark Meadows’s voice?
Reading was good compared with some non fiction books which can be heard to follow because of the use of facts and no personal feelings, but Mark Meadows with the help of a well written book made it easy to get inside the characters.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The story of the Torah is moving and made me find out some more information about is history.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Asil Hindi
- 17-01-21
Utterly chilling book
Utterly chilling, outstanding and moving book on the brutality and the inhumanity in the concentration camps.
A historical and personal account of the lives of Hanns Alexander- German Jew who took refuge in Britain and then enlisted in 1940 to be part of the Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps to fight the German. Later on, Hanns will track and bring Rudolf Hoss- the vicious and sadistic commandant of Auschwitz to justice.
The personal story of Hanns Alexander and his family fleeing Germany in 1936, trying to settle and adapt to the British lifestyle after losing everything back home, and Rudolf Hoss, on the other side, originally who wanted to be a farmer, climbing his way up the SS ranks and assisting the rising of the National Socialist Part... Gets on your nerves.
Sad, disturbing and heart-breaking well- researched book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shaun Davidson
- 09-03-20
A enjoyable book for your library
Really enjoyed the book, the narrator was enjoyable to listen to, a must to have
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