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  • Their Darkest Hour

  • People Tested to the Extreme in WWII
  • By: Laurence Rees
  • Narrated by: John Hopkins
  • Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (200 ratings)
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Their Darkest Hour cover art

Their Darkest Hour

By: Laurence Rees
Narrated by: John Hopkins
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Award-winning writer and filmmaker Laurence Rees has spent nearly 20 years meeting people who were tested to the extreme during World War II. He has come face to face with rapists, mass murderers, even cannibals, but he has also met courageous individuals who are an inspiration to us all. His quest has taken him from the Baltic States to Japan, from Poland to America and from Germany to China.

Here he presents 35 of his most electrifying encounters. Meet Estera Frenkiel, a young Jewish woman given the chance to save 10 fellow Jews from deportation and death; Peter Lee, a British officer brutally treated by his Japanese captors; Zinaida Pytkina, a female member of the Soviet Union's infamous SMERSH organisation, who took pleasure in killing a German prisoner; Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier so fanatical that he refused to surrender until 29 years after the end of the war; and Petras Zelionka, a Lithuanian who shot Jewish men, women and children for the Nazis. 

The devastating first-hand testimony in Their Darkest Hour is both a lasting contribution to our understanding of the war and a powerful insight into the behaviour of human beings in crisis.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Laurence Rees (P)2020 Penguin Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Their Darkest Hour

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

A hard read

The story is appropriately read. The tone is right for the subject matter. The stories are varied but all carry their own particular horror. And some are almost unlistenable.

I listened over several days and mixed in other books.

There are some stories I will follow up, in particular the British treatment of Russian and Yugoslav prisoners.

It was good to hear the voices of women and children telling their stories.

If I am left with one thought it is “judge ye not, let thee be judged”.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent 10/10

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Made me shed a tear in certain spots, but certainly did not disappoint. I would recommend this book, not just to historians but to all, as it is part of a very important time throughout history. John Hopkins did a fantastic job narrating, especially at doing the prunciation of the interviewees. Hope there is more to come from him in the future.

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6 people found this helpful

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

Fascinating

A fantastic look into human beings failings and depth of character. Very thought provoking and at sometimes very upsetting. Felt I was left with a greater understanding of how people can allow themselves to become beasts and hopeless victims at the blink of an eye.

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Bit of an historical re-tread

Bit self important and shows a very special skill in taking some of the most terrifying and fantastic moments of the twentieth century and rendering them somehow dreary. Great idea, but you buy the bag to find it rather empty

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

not for the faint of heart, but good

Rees has here summed up war, from the perspective of it's victims (mainly citizens, also soldiers). For balance, he includes American sirmen in WW2 and British soldiers, though understandsbly his emphasis. is on Germans. Russians and Japanese.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • JB
  • 25-09-21

The evil of mankind

The stories and experiences are commonplace throughout human history. The author tries to apply a modern morality to a different time period. History must be viewed in context and for those who lived the horror, survival, rather than morality was the main driving force. Similar stories occur daily, in Africa and the Middle East, so it seems humanity has learned nothing. Author mentioned a USAF pilot who bombed the Japanese, slight error as USAF did not exist until 1947, two years after WW2 ended.
A good selection of stories and very moving personal accounts of survivors.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Extremely Thought Provoking

When I started this audio book, I felt like it was going to be, another cancel culture assault on area bombing.
What followed was accounts that were to say the least, harrowing.
This is an incredibly well written series of accounts that have clearly taken decades to put together.
Telling stories, that push the boundaries of what humans are capable of, when circumstances alter any perception of reality and shatters boundaries. Leading to the ultimate question.
What would I do?

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

The body of work.

What I always say about todays perspective of the the past is analyzed through today’s standards. To understand any human beings actions is to immerse ourselves in a time a place . The time of the first 50 years of the 20th century were so volatile and dangerous that to try and find oneself there is impossible. Yet listening to these interviews gives a vivid glimpse into those desperate times of the Second World War. Excellent book 🇮🇪

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

a must 5*

very sad but true storyline a brilliant book making you think hard about yourself and how you treat others.

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

Disturbing but essential!

Very difficult history & complex issues aired - especially the final chapter. I am reminded of the history of the Korean teenager who was captured by the Chinese army, then by the Russians, later by the Germans & liberated by the Americans. He became a New York taxi driver!

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