A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XII

by Dan Kurzman

Overview

In September, 1943, Adolf Hitler, furious at the ouster of Mussolini, sent German troops into Rome with plans to deport Rome's Jews to Auschwitz. Hitler also ordered SS General Karl Wolff, who had been Heinrich Himmler's chief aide, to occupy the Vatican and kidnap Pope Pius XII. But Wolff began playing a dangerous game: stalling Hitler's kidnap plot, while blackmailing the pope into silence as the Jews were rounded up. This tale of intrigue and betrayal is one of the most important untold stories of World War II, and A Special Mission is the only book to give the full incredible account of Hitler's kidnap plot and its far-reaching consequences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306816178
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/27/2008
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	551,454
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Dan Kurzman, former foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, is the award-winning author of sixteen highly acclaimed books, including Fatal Voyage and The Bravest Battle. He lives in New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xiii
Prologue     1
Prelude to Madness     5
Wolff in the Wolf's Lair     11
The Plotters     18
Flirting with Treason     39
Fighting for Hitler's Ear     48
The Only Way to Save Germany     63
Closer to Himmler than to Himmel     74
A Wandering Dog     82
A Prisoner of Sorts     89
Out of Fear of Men     95
Living with God and the Devil     105
A Blueprint for Massacre     115
An Agonizing Dilemma     120
The Art of Examining Walls     135
A Question of Priority     145
Eve of Desperation     160
"But They Promised Me"     177
A Bargain in Blood     193
The Mathematics of Murder     197
The Path to the Vatican     211
The Odd Couple     220
Meeting a New Conqueror     224
Saved from the Noose     232
Epilogue     240
Notes     249
Bibliography     261
Index     269
About the Author     285

Editorial Reviews

In 1943 Hitler attempted to kidnap Pope Pius XII so the Germans could occupy the Vatican. The Nazis were also planning to deport the Roman Jews to Auschwitz. SS General Karl Wolff, Heinrich Himmler's chief aide, was charged with carrying out these orders. George Wilson reads this WWII history in an even and engaged tone, effortlessly recounting each action of the convoluted plot, which Kurzman researched, in part using primary sources. The result is unexpected international intrigue as Wolff attempts to forestall both the kidnapping and the mass deportation while the Vatican tries to reign in the Reich's growing power through political and religious edicts. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 08 - AudioFile