Gestapo: The Story Behind the Nazis' Machine of Terror

The word Gestapo conjures ominous images of black leather trench coats and unexplained arrests in the middle of the night. But who really were these agents and what part did they play in Hitler''s Third Reich?The Gestapo were a national and international instrument of terror, responsible for maintaining the Nazi regime and crushing suspected dissidents. They assassinated political opponents and orchestrated the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jewish citizens. This astounding read chronicles the history of the organisation, including:• Detailed profiles of key characters, from Heinrich Himmler to Ernst Kaltenbrunner.• Chilling tales of their brutal offences, including the torture of Resistance members and mass murder in collaboration with Eisatzgruppen• The true story behind ''The Great Escape'', where prisoners of war hatched an elaborate escape plan from a German POW camp. • The assassination of Gestapo leader Reinhard Heydrich• The organisation''s eventual downfallGestapo is a compelling tale of what happens when power and destruction are taken to their most terrifying extremes.