The Ratline

Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive

By: Philippe Sands

Narrated by: Philippe Sands, Katja Riemann, Stephen Fry

Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

As governor of Galicia, SS Brigadesführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter presided over an authority on whose territory hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed. By the time the war ended in May 1945, he was indicted for 'mass murder'. Hunted by the Soviets, the Americans and the British, as well as groups of Poles and Jews, Wächter went on the run. He spent three years hiding in the Austrian Alps before making his way to Rome and being taken in by the Vatican where he remained for three months. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline' he died unexpectedly, in July 1949, a few days after having lunch with an 'old comrade' whom he suspected of having been recruited by the Americans.

In The Ratline Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of a Nazi fugitive, the love between Wächter and his wife Charlotte, who continued to write regularly to each other while he was on the run, and a fascinating insight into life in the Vatican and among American and Soviet spies active in Rome at the start of the Cold War. Using modern medical expertise, the door is unlocked to a mystery that continues to haunt Wächter's youngest child - what was Wächter doing while in hiding, and what exactly caused his death?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Philippe Sands (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"A gripping adventure, an astounding journey of discovery and a terrifying and timely portrait of evil in all its complexity, banality, self-justification and madness. A stunning achievement." (Stephen Fry)

"Hypnotic, shocking and unputdownable." (John Le Carré)

"Breathtaking, gripping, and ultimately, shattering. Philippe Sands has done the unimaginable: look a butcher in the eye and tell his story without flinching." (Elif Shafak)

Great book but audio issue

This is an exceptional book. The only issue was that Phillipe's audio quality is poor. There are three narrators so this does not ruin the book. But the quality difference is striking.

Sad history

This is a must read for everyone who is interested in the history of WW 2 and it’s horrible genocide.
This book tells the story of an Austrian womaniser/family man who believed in Hitler even before the Anschluss and who oversaw a huge territory during the war where many Jews were massacred.
After the war he fled, spent years hidden in the mountains before he eventually ended up in Rome where he died soon afterwards.
The ever more interesting be it sad story goes on telling the denial of one of his sons, who keeps believing and telling that his father was a good person who did not mean I’ll to the Jews.
There is a documentary on YouTube regarding the same story.

Exception piece of research on WWII

I loved "East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity" and this continues the story of one of the main Nazi players in Poland and Galicia during the war. Based on a trove of documents provided by Otto von Wachter's son Horst, the author traces his escape from Germany to Italy where he planned to obtain false papers to reach South America. He died under mysterious circumstances which the author then sets out to unravel. The action switches between encounters in the present between Horst and the author as well as the various sources and historical details of Otto and his wife, Charlotte's life.

The audio version narrated by Stephen Fry and the author was an absolute delight.

Nazi hunting brilliance

superbly documented and brilliantly narrated, this book reads like a conversation. deep personal accounts and insights into the horrific wod of Nazi leadership

Too many irrelevant details

Great story. Well researched. Powerful narration. Scary main characters. But way too many details - about fishing, numerous theater visits, unimportant people interviewed…. Cut the story down to half the time. And please more focus on the rat line itself.