The Ratline

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

By: Philippe Sands

Narrated by: Philippe Sands, Katja Riemann, Stephen Fry

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EAST WEST STREET

As Governor of Galicia, SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter presided over an authority on whose territory hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed, including the family of the author's grandfather. By the time the war ended in May 1945, he was indicted for 'mass murder'. Hunted by the Soviets, the Americans, the Poles and the British, as well as groups of Jews, Wächter went on the run. He spent three years hiding in the Austrian Alps, assisted by his wife Charlotte, before making his way to Rome where he was helped by a Vatican bishop. He remained there for three months. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline' he died unexpectedly, in July 1949, a few days after spending a weekend with an 'old comrade'.

In The Ratline Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of a senior Nazi and fugitive, and of his wife. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, on the run, in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter, and how did he die?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.

©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.