The Perfect Nazi: Uncovering My Grandfather's Secret Past - Hardcover

Davidson, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399157018 ISBN 13: 9780399157011

Publisher: Putnam Pub Group, 2011

Synopsis

Part personal quest, part family memoir, part World War II history- and one horrifying family secret.

What if you found out that your grandfather-the man who had been a demanding, magnetic presence throughout your childhood-was a Nazi SS officer? This is the confession that Martin Davidson, already into middle age, received from his mother upon his grandfather Bruno Langbehn's death, and The Perfect Nazi is Davidson's exploration, using the skills he honed as a documentary producer for the BBC, of the truth behind this dark family secret.

As Martin dove into his research, drawing on an astonishing cache of personal documents as well as eyewitness accounts of this historical period, he learned that Bruno's story moved lock-step in time with the rise and fall of the Nazi party. He realized that his grandfather was in many ways the "perfect Nazi," his individual experiences emblematic of the generation of Germans who would plunge the world into such darkness-and he discovered all that he would have to come to terms with.

About this title

Review

"A fascinating and extraordinary journey into the heart of Nazism."
-- Ben Macintyre, Author Of Agent Zigzag And Operation Mincemeat
"Martin Davidson has done a brave thing: he has confronted and revealed his own family's Nazi past. The result is absorbing, highly readable and painstakingly researched."
-- Niall Ferguson
"The utterly compelling account of what it's like to discover that your grandfather was a ruthless officer in Hitler's SS."
-- Philip Kerr
"The Perfect Nazi is a terrific piece of writing, shedding light on how ordinary Germans abetted the Nazi terror and how in later years all was conveniently "forgotten.""
-- David Cesarani, Author Of Eichmann: His Life And Crimes
"A fascinating and compelling account. This is an important book for anyone interested in the moral climate which led to the Holocaust and the other crimes of the Third Reich."
-- Adrian Weale "Evening Standard" (UK)
"A riveting narrative that brings a fresh

About the Author

Martin Davidson is the commissioning editor for history and business programs at the BBC. He has two degrees from Oxford University. As a filmmaker specializing in historical and cultural subjects, he has produced and directed many documentaries for the BBC, A&E, and the History Channel. He lives in Oxford, England, with his family.

About this edition

• Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0399157018
• ISBN 13: 9780399157011
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 370