Description: Drawing from documents and eyewitness reports, this is an exploration of the Einsatzgruppen--"special task forces"--organized by Heinrich Himmler to follow the German army as it advanced into eastern Poland and Russia, murdering 1.5 million Jews between 1941 and 1943. Photos.
Review Quotes: "Through his fine and accessible account, Rhodes deepens our sense of the Holocaust's utter evil." --The New York Times Book Review
"Graphic and sometimes lurid. Yet this is how the story must be told for readers to grasp the depth of the horror. . . . The impact of this story is profound." --The Washington Post Book World "A vivid account. . . . Should contribute to better understanding of Nazi Germany and its crimes." --Los Angeles Times Book Review "A pointed reminder that all of us--even the most ordinary--are capable of horrendous acts of violence." --The Denver Post "This is an important and enormously powerful book." --Elie Wiesel "Powerful. . . . Not only an important work but a morally necessary one."-Houston Chronicle"Rhodes breaks searing ground. . . . Without reminders like this, we might never learn."-Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Graphically and chillingly details the work of the special killing battalions of Himmler's SS. . . Extremely well-written. . . [A] fine work of gruesome history."-Jerusalem Post "Powerfully concise. . . [Rhodes] continues his authoritative research with a story that is wrenching in human terms."-The Kansas City Star "Riveting history. . . Unrelenting."-The Weekly Standard "This latest contribution to the debate about the origins of Nazi behavior-the processes of socialization to butchery-is dreadfully timely."-Newsweek