From its creation in 1933 until Hitler's death in May 1945, anyone living in Nazi-controlled territory lived in fear of a visit from the Gestapo, the secret state police. This is a lively and expert account of this notorious but little-understood secret police that terrorized hundreds of thousands of people across Europe.

"In the early thirties Hitler concluded that to achieve his ambitions of power in Europe, absolute control must be established within Germany. He entrusted this task to Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, who decided that he needed a small intelligence unit within the SS to monitor Nazi Party members and also anti-Nazi factions. The Nazi SS Security Service, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) was formed for that purpose. It was created by Reinhard Heydrich and under his dedicated, methodical and ruthless hand it grew into one of the most professional and dangerous espionage services in the world. SS Intelligence traces its early beginnings, its struggle against underfunding and the rival organisations--to its triumphs across Europe, including the successful operation of spies in Allied countries. Of particular interest is a series of events that took place in the late summer of 1940 when the exiled Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson were targeted by Hitler as potential allies in his battle to overcome Britain's determination to fight. An elaborate plan was hatched to snatch the ex-royal couple from Portugal before they departed by sea across the Atlantic. It is a fascinating episode involving Hitler's agents, Spain, Portugal, Churchill and the British Secret Service. This book reveals many new facts and gives insights that will fascinate every student of Hitler's Third Reich--and the spying game."--Dust jacket.

The Gestapo is a detailed guide to Heinrich Himmler's evil organization. It begins with the Nazi's rise to power in 1933, exploring the background to the secret police's expansion, the men it recruited, its commanders and other key figures, its organization, uniforms and insignia. With a thoroughly researched text complemented by rare black-and-white photographs of the Gestapo and its actions. This is an excellent guide to one of the most notorious organizations of the Third Reich.

The true story of the Gestapo - the Nazis' secret police force and the most feared instrument of political terror in the Third Reich.

Name as a 2016 Book of the Year by the Spectator A Daily Telegraph 'Book of the Week' (August 2015) Longlisted for 2016 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize Ranked in 100 Best Books of 2015 in the Daily Telegraph Professor Frank McDonough is one of the leading scholars and most popular writers on the history of Nazi Germany. Frank McDonough's work has been described as, 'modern history writing at its very best...Ground-breaking, fascinating, occasionally deeply revisionist' by renowned historian Andrew Roberts. Drawing on a detailed examination of previously unpublished Gestapo case files this book relates the fascinating, vivid and disturbing accounts of a cross-section of ordinary and extraordinary people who opposed the Nazi regime. It also tells the equally disturbing stories of their friends, neighbours, colleagues and even relatives who were often drawn into the Gestapo's web of intrigue. The book reveals, too, the cold-blooded and efficient methods of the Gestapo officers. This book will also show that the Gestapo lacked the manpower and resources to spy on everyone as it was reliant on tip offs from the general public. Yet this did not mean the Gestapo was a weak or inefficient instrument of Nazi terror. On the contrary, it ruthlessly and efficiently targeted its officers against clearly defined political and racial 'enemies of the people'. The Gestapo will provide a chilling new doorway into the everyday life of the Third Reich and give powerful testimony from the victims of Nazi terror and poignant life stories of those who opposed Hitler's regime while challenging popular myths about the Gestapo.