Ratline: Soviet Spies, Nazi Priests, and the Disappearance of Adolf Hitler Hardcover – April 17, 2012

History has to be one of the most difficult subjects to write about. It takes courage to try to make sense of and investigate source material that was unquestioned, and now decades later is found out to be outright lies, half-truths, or inserted into the public domain to reinforce ideologies. Even this book has to be read with a historical discernment. Now, almost eight decades later, we are still uncovering propaganda laced absurdities. Researchers and truth seekers are gaining new insights and perspectives from previously unreleased classified military and government files. There are way too many statements in this book that infuriated me because of his preconceived bias.It’s important to understand what National Socialism was, and to understand its inclusion into the German way of life. There are very good resources on this. Please read Hitler’s Revolution by Richard Tedor, Jewish Domination of Weimar Germany by Eckart Verlag, Why Hitler Came Into Power by Theodore Abel, and Mein Side of the Story by M S King for starters. Watch the Hitler era speeches that have been posted on YouTube with English subtitles. From declassified American Intelligence files, read the once secret OSS memorandum dated September 6, 1943, with Heel Campaign as the subject line. Written by Donald V. McGranahan to a Lt. Dolan, suggestions are made to portray Hitler as insane, to discredit him in the eyes of the German people by spreading specific types of rumors, gossip, plant news stories, undermine German respect for Hitler and to widen the cleavage between him and the other power elements in Germany, and more. This is one of many documents and books that have been used by the fallacious prevaricators. And then, ask yourself this question. On page 232, and after multiple times in the book, the author states the following- “George Anton Poch, in order to further his stolen identity, converts to Islam, takes a Muslim name, and marries an Indonesian woman who more or less serves as his assistant and nurse. The transformation is complete. Adolf Hitler disappears. What nonsense. After all your research, does this sound like something Adolf Hitler would do? Once you understand the ideology, the social programs, and diplomacy, do you really think that, as the author suggests on page 192 that on January 19, 1970, an elderly European man died suddenly of a heart attack in Surabaya, Indonesia, and then three months later in April, a Soviet intelligence squad is rushed to an unmarked grave in Magdeburg, East Germany, where they dig up a body and cremate it, throw the ashes into a tributary of the Elbe River, and all because it was believed this dead man was Adolf Hitler? Did you notice, in East Germany, which was at that time under Soviet control! Read the book Hellstorm- The Death of Nazi Germany, 1944-1947. Who in their right mind would even want to bury Hitler there? Somebody is being played as a fool in this fiasco.Page 226- The intelligence agencies of the world knew of the existence of the Ratline, even before the end of the war. Memos detailing the efforts of the Nazis to expatriate gold and currency were rife. Operation Safehaven was designed to thwart those attempts, but as we have seen it failed miserably. Money and personnel were being moved abroad with swiftness and precision. Fairy tales were invented to discredit Hitler in the eyes of his followers and many of these same fairy tales became the operative narrative of the war. Neutral countries like Spain and Argentina were central to the efforts to save Nazis and their gold. SS officers were sent to these countries to ensure that these channels remained secure. And once the money was safely abroad, the personnel followed. Page 207- From 1945-1947, the emphasis was on Nazi hunting. The CIC was deeply involved in the search for war criminals and as such was often stepping on the toes of British, French, and Soviet intelligence operations taking place at the same time and the same place, sometimes involving the same wanted men. Beginning in 1947, however, there was a dramatic shift in focus away from the Nazi war criminals and towards defeating- or at least containing- the perceived Soviet threat. Suddenly, Nazis who were highest on the most wanted list found themselves enlisted in the fight against communism. (Perceived? - General Patton would surely disagree).There was an active Communist Party in Austria, being supported by the Soviet presence there. There was also a battle over the South Tyrol, which the Allies were intent to delivering to Italy regardless of its large ethnic German population. The reason behind this policy was the danger of Italy becoming Communist; American and British intelligence officers felt that moving a large German (and pro-Nazi, anti-communist) population from Austria to Italy would help keep that country from voting for the Communist party. Page 190- What is important to realize is that the networks were global, were well financed from a variety of sources, and included covert assistance from the International Red Cross, the Vatican, European and Latin American and Middle Eastern and Asian governments, Allied military intelligence, and their later incarnations as the CIA, the BND, etc. The world went from hot war to cold war….Page 74- Operation Sunrise was an arrangement between (future CIA Director) Dulles, the SS and the Wehrmacht that insured that the German surrender to the Allies in Italy would take place in a gentlemanly fashion. It was a strange agreement, one that afforded the SS in particular special treatment at the hands of Dulles and the OSS. Dulles had understood early that the ‘real enemy’ was Soviet Communism, and by enlisting the aid of SS officers as well as the Wehrmacht he felt he could contain the threat more successfully. And finally, from page 71- It is a luxury for historians to parse the documents and deconstruct the speeches and analyze the treaties and the wars in an effort to identify trends, affiliations, and responsibilities; but the history of the world from the point of view of those who suffer is fundamentally different from the point of view of the comfortable and the powerful. The suffering deal with the experience of history- the blood. The powerful deal with the data of history- the documents. Please also read The Bad War- the Truth Never Taught about World War II by M S King, What The World Rejected: Hitler’s Peace Offers 1933-1940, and the article Demystification of the Birth and Funding of the NSDAP by V.K. Clarke. On page 32 the author mentions the known fact that Adolf Hitler had body doubles. So do I believe that Adolf Hitler with a stolen identity lived on as George Anton Poch, converts to Islam, takes a Muslim name, and marries an Indonesian woman who more or less serves as his assistant and nurse? Not in the least. But to speculate, Georg Anton Poch may have also served his purpose as another one of Hitler’s doubles.

I will give this book three-and-a-half stars (no halves are really allowed above apparently). It's very informative in general and it puts forth its case in a manner that is at least quite intriguing, if not to say convincing. I won't reveal the "exact details" regarding who is believed to be whom, and so on, to avoid being a spoiler. But basically it will probably surprise you (if you've not heard this particular theory before) regarding what may have happened to Hitler and Eva Braun immediately after the war.It's an alternative (though not revisionist) history type of piece, ultimately, and worth looking at if nothing else. Personally I'm not sure I believe it, but it has opened my mind to a new possibility at least. I will say that I DO believe the main individual discussed in this book (without giving names) was probably NOT really who his identity papers claimed he was. I of course don't know who he really may have been, but I think he was someone else, someone from a much higher level within the Nazi hierarchy or someone who would have been in more imminent danger of capture, using a stolen identity. Otherwise he'd more than likely not have had such reason to eventually flee Europe entirely (right around the exact same time as Klaus Barbie, incidentally). This actual individual and his wife -- unless he was simply someone who was completely paranoid about Allied prosecution -- do not even seem to have been wanted or under any intense investigation (beyond a few CIC interrogations apparently, shortly after the war's end).The man himself was apparently a chief medical officer in Austria and had worked with euthanasia techniques or something like that, while his wife was a "race scientist", and they both did attempt to use Dutch concentration camp prisoners for racial "measurements" and so forth. But nonetheless, as detailed in the book, Allied intelligence eventually "forgave" and worked and dealt with men who had done far worse; in fact even Israeli intelligence worked with at least one of them in the Middle East ! So it's hard to believe that this individual in particular, a small-time Nazi doctor, a virtual unknown, would have been that extremely sought after that he had to utilize the "ratline" to flee Europe and head to such a far-flung remote locale at that (even south America was apparently not "safe" enough for him and his wife). So it's worth a read, you will learn some interesting facts if nothing else, and possibly be made aware of some alternative possibilities. After all, even without being a complete conspiracy-theorist type of person (which I myself generally am not), it's not often that we can fully believe 100% the "official versions" of great and momentous events in history.

Okay, let's cut to the chase. The author of this book, Peter Levenda, claims Adolf Hitler never committed suicide in his Berlin bunker in 1945 at the end of World War 2. Instead he thinks Hitler may have escaped to Argentina, Colombia and Brazil, and ended up in Indonesia. Assuming the identity of a German doctor - Georg Anton Pöch - Hitler donned a white coat and became a hospital administrator on a remote island. Later Hitler converted to Islam, married again after Eva Braun left him and was buried in a Muslim grave. Levenda wants the body 'dug up and identified'.But does this body belong to Hitler? On page 195 the author confesses he has doubts: 'Regardless of who Pöch really was - the Chief Medical Officer of the Salzburg Gau, or the leader of the Third Reich - he was definitely a Nazi who made it to Indonesia.'So just a Nazi, not the great dictator! Nonetheless, the author keeps banging on in chapter after chapter about the possibility of Hitler travelling to Indonesia. And many readers believe him judging by the five and four star reviews they've written on Amazon. One thinks this book contains 'a solid foundation of research.' The book, he assures us is, 'A great read with a solid closing argument worthy of a courtroom.'Another customer claims this book contains: 'Deep investigative reporting of the highest caliber.'Yet another declares: 'Makes me think that A.H. did end up in Indonesia but did convince me that the "suicide in the bunker" was a created myth. In fact, the entire Hitler escape sounds entirely logical and possible.''Entirely logical and possible,' huh? ... What about this claim on page 230? ... 'With the simple expedient of shaving off his famous moustache and covering his head with a hat or a blanket, Hitler could easily have escaped Berlin and Germany itself as an old man in a wheelchair. His nurse could as easily have been Eva Braun.''Could easily have escaped ... as an old man in a wheelchair'? ... But did he? Where is the evidence? Are there any witnesses? Alas, no. This absurd theory is just invented by the author. Everything is vague, especially when it comes to Hitler faking his own death and assuming the identity of a German doctor. 'At some point between April 1945 and September 1951,' the author tells us, 'Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun had become Georg Anton and Hella Pöch ... Hitler and Braun then made it to South America.'Hitler and Eva, we are told, sailed for Argentina and 'disembarked sometime in late 1951 or early in 1952...' Again more vagueness. On page 127 the author admits: 'There is almost nothing else that can tell us where the Pöch couple was located between the years 1951 and 1954 when they finally arrived in Indonesia.'This lack of evidence makes it difficult for the author to build a convincing case. Later on page 174 Levenda tells us: 'FBI files on Hitler's escape reveal some extremely detailed reports of Fuhrer sightings in Latin America from Colombia to Argentina. Some are rather convincing, others seem fanciful. We should remember that sightings of Elvis Presley are also plentiful, and that people report the oddest things to the authorities ... and to the tabloid press.'Undaunted, the author regales us with 'a persistent rumour' on page 181. Hitler, he claims, visited the Eden Hotel in Argentina after the war: 'There are two photographs at the hotel that seem to show a blurred image of the Fuhrer.' ... 'Seem to show'? ... What proof is that? Neither picture appears in the book so readers are unable to judge for themselves.Rumours of Hitler in Colombia draw a blank as do others elsewhere in north America - such as Hitler seen washing dishes in Miami, or on a railroad car in St Louis.Anyway, Dr Pöch and his wife - or Adolf and Eva if you prefer - eventually turn up Indonesia in 1954.On page 115 we're told Dr Pöch 'knew little about medicine.' But earlier on page 102 the same witness had this to say about Hitler the doctor in action: 'Dressed always in the white coat of his profession, he had no qualms about making house calls or even, at times, dispensing medicine for free for those in need.'Where does this information come from? Peter Levenda says he gleaned much of it from an obscure book published in the archipelago in 2010 entitled "Hitler died in Indonesia" by Soeryo Goeritno. That plus circumstantial evidence.We're told Eva returned 'quietly to Europe' in 1964 when her father died. After that Hitler became a Muslim ... Am I serious? ... Hitler became a Muslim? That's what the author tells us on page 116: 'Georg Anton Pöch winds up converting to Islam and taking the name Abdul Kohar.'Heil Kohar!Am I joking? Am I making this up? ... No! ... On page 198 the author tells us again that Hitler 'converts to Islam.' And if we've failed to get the point repeats this extraordinary claim a third time on page 232: 'Georg Anton Pöch, in order to further his stolen identity, converts to Islam, takes a Muslim name, and marries an Indonesian woman who more or less serves as his assistant and nurse. The transformation is complete. Adolf Hitler completely disappears.'So the Muslim Hitler - or Pöch, or Kohar - marries 'a young Sundanese bride.''It makes sense,' enthuses one Amazon customer. 'And the pix of Hitler and his assumed identity are convincing. As they say, ausgezeichnet!'Rubbish - the book makes no sense and the photos are ridiculous. They look nothing like Hitler. On page 198 we're informed that 'Georg Anton was said to be an avid photographer.' Why then are there only three lousy photos of him in the book that look totally different from Hitler? All they show is an emaciated bald-headed old man wearing an ill-fitting suit and glasses. But the author is convinced he's found crucial photographic evidence. 'The ears and jaw line seem virtually identical', he claims when comparing the Pöch photos with genuine images of Hitler. 'Please note the jaw line and ear shape. Comparison with those of Pöch are suggestive.'But the shape of the head is wrong. So is the one ear we can make out clearly in these high contrast, grainy photos. When I showed them to an artist who specialises in portraiture he said: 'The ears are most incongruous - as is the jawline and what looks to be inked-in phoney eyebrows and eye pupils.' In short, these photos are unconvincing and could be any old man, but never Hitler.You want proof? ... Then visit the WW2TALK website where I've posted these bogus photos and compared them with genuine pictures of Hitler. Readers need to go to page 10 of WW2TALK's discussion forum entitled "Hitler Escaped". Then scroll down a considerable way as there are many articles. Eventually you'll reach one called "Seeing double - ludicrous Hitler survival photos".Although many Nazis fled abroad at the end of WW2 there is no evidence that Hitler did. He meant to go down fighting in the heart of his capital and create a legend. Besides, the dictator was a human wreck. He was too ill to travel vast distances without his normal support staff.Like most conspiracy theorists who believe Hitler survived WW2 Levenda displays no understanding of Hitler's psychology. Hitler committed suicide in 1945 because he had no alternative. Having lost the war the dictator had no wish to stand trial, or have his body put on public display. Moreover, Hitler had threatened to kill himself many times when his world fell apart and life became unbearable. It was a logical means of escape.In his book "HITLER - the survival myth" the historian Prof Donald M. McKale quoted James McRandle who argued '"how typical Hitler's death was." By European and Western standards, he had been a "suicidal personality" ... McRandle documented wherein "at least nine times during the days preceding his death," Hitler had threatened to end it all. And on five occasions before that, "extending as far back as 1905, Hitler stated that he would kill himself, and twice he named a pistol as the weapon of destruction".'A miasma of uncertainty hangs over Levenda's book - theories are tentatively advanced, then contradicted and never properly examined. In the final pages the author admits: 'It is even possible that no one is buried in Pöch's tomb ... Maybe he was snatched - by the Soviets, by the Americans, by the Israelis even ... Who knows?'If the author has doubts why should the reader believe what he writes? But Levenda is confident about one thing - Hitler escaped from Berlin in 1945.Sadly, all mainstream historians disagree with him.So does the world's leading Nazi hunting organisation, the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Yad Vashem, the world centre for Holocaust research in Jerusalem, also denies Hitler survived the war. So does the Wiener Library, another leading authority on the Holocaust and Nazi era. So does Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive). So does "Encyclopaedia Britannica" which has exacting standards of accuracy.Even that controversial maverick David Irving argues Hitler and Eva killed themselves in the Berlin bunker in 1945. So do two contentious journalists mentioned in the text - Paul Manning and Ladislas Farago - whose books the author admires.Peter Levenda refuses to accept the established version of Hitler's death - what he calls 'the lie about the suicide of Hitler in the Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945.' But he has found nothing convincing to put in its place. He should therefore think carefully before he accuses others of lying.Did Hitler escape to Indonesia and become a Muslim? ... In a word - NO! ... And this book fails to prove that he did.

Tky

When you know that Hitler's skull was not Hitler's skull, but through DNA evidence infact that of a woman, and that the tooth evidence was the reproduction work of Hitler's dentist, one wonders at the convenience of ending the war with Hitler shooting himself. Why didn't the Catholics preists help the Jews.......fascinating reading......

With many unheard stories, a good description of the ratline and the indonesian ending, this book is well written. I would have liked more details on the latin america part of Hitler's escape and possibilities of living in Bariloche or Paraguay or even the US.