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Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz

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Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz

By: Thomas Harding
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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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.

©2013 Thomas Harding (P) 2014 Audible, Inc. Solider Heartfelt Inspiring Scary Thought-Provoking Imperialism Military Holocaust
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Critic reviews

“A chilling portrait of the banality of evil” (Ben Macintyre, The Times Books of the Year)
“[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)
All stars
Most relevant

Would you listen to Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz again? Why?

I would listen again to pick up facts I may have missed on first hearing.

What other book might you compare Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz to, and why?

I would compare it to Ben McIntyre's books about espionage in the Second World War. Equally compelling and informative.

What about Mark Meadows’s performance did you like?

He read with conviction and empathy. And he kept the narrative going, never calling attention to himself, allowing the author's voice to come through.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This is an exemplary audiobook.

Spellbinding Thriller...And All True

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Would you consider the audio edition of Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz to be better than the print version?

Ive not read it

What did you like best about this story?

It was interesting throughout. What you read in the blurb does happen but although it happens towards the end of the book, it remains thoroughly interesting throughout. I pause before using the word "enjoy" to describe a book of this context but i did. It had humour bits (early pranks) and does a wonderful job of showing how two different people ended up where they did without being judgmental. It makes you think about the wars and soldiers today, although i am making this book sound dull, it is not.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

This must be made into a film or at least inspire the writing of one. Possibly about rudolf's wife. We see them struggling, with rags on their feet, people hating them when they walk around (in a "we need to talk about kevin" esq way) the plot is slowly revealed through flash backs and makes us reconsider our sympathy.

Any additional comments?

If my film idea happens. Id like a credit: jonathan r brock.

Thanks.

Exceptional

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Well researched by the author and well told by both him and the narrator, but I would like to have known a bit more about the effect Rudolf’s life had on his children.

Well Told

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I enjoyed this book,Very interesting and a good book. What an amazing man Hanns was.

Very intertesing

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Where does Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favourite factual books

What other book might you compare Hanns and Rudolf: The German Jew and the Hunt for the Kommandant of Auschwitz to, and why?

Hitlers furies along similar lines although I preferred hans & rudolf

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Good storytelling

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Definitely one of sadness and interest

Any additional comments?

Worth a read

Excellent historical book

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