The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive
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- Create Date：2021-04-27 10:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Philippe Sands
- ISBN：1474608140
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Summary
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？
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？
Reviews
Eden
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2021 bk 73。 Intense， extremely well researched - but at the same time not over the top academic。 This book was an outgrowth of a podcast， a documentary， and personal contact with the son of one of the wanted leaders of Nazism。 The son wants to justify that his father was a good man and above the thousands of deaths， although ultimately I think he does realize that his father was capable and culpable of heinous acts。 The author was given access to thousands of documents， starting with letters wri 2021 bk 73。 Intense， extremely well researched - but at the same time not over the top academic。 This book was an outgrowth of a podcast， a documentary， and personal contact with the son of one of the wanted leaders of Nazism。 The son wants to justify that his father was a good man and above the thousands of deaths， although ultimately I think he does realize that his father was capable and culpable of heinous acts。 The author was given access to thousands of documents， starting with letters written to and from Charlotte von Wachter， Her husband was the one in charge of the area where the author's great and grandparents were killed as part of the holocaust。 The letters reveal the couple's young years， courtship， marriage， beginning political activism， and rise through the ranks of the Nazi political scene。 It reveals their 'ordinariness' in the midst of political turmoil， the need for love of family， the need for family support， daily activities， enjoying walking， skiing， swimming all the while moving into homes seized from Jewish owners， experiencing the parties and social whirl of the highest level of Nazism。 After the war， Charlotte risks much to get food and clothes to a husband sheltering in the mountains before he uses the ratline to Rome。 This story goes beyond his death and brings new information to light for peripheral characters in the story of the last years of Wachter's life。 A good read - but not light-hearted。 。。。more
Helen Cummings
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What an amazing story！ So well researched with meticulous attention to detail。 The photos that illustrated every chapter added considerably to the narrative for me。 So interesting。
Barbpie
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Wow。 Fascinating and un-put-downable。
Katie。dorny
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A history book that turned into a murder mystery that ended in a cathartic experience for the person you never saw coming。 Honestly this could have been a work of fiction so much was discussed and expored。This book centres around the life of Otto Watcher， the one time governer of Krakow and his son determined to vindicate said father。 Sounds like a stretch right for the man who signed off on the creation of the ghetto and execution of thousands of jews？ Well you've not seen the Olympic level sty A history book that turned into a murder mystery that ended in a cathartic experience for the person you never saw coming。 Honestly this could have been a work of fiction so much was discussed and expored。This book centres around the life of Otto Watcher， the one time governer of Krakow and his son determined to vindicate said father。 Sounds like a stretch right for the man who signed off on the creation of the ghetto and execution of thousands of jews？ Well you've not seen the Olympic level style of gymnastics his devoted son can do。The focus of this book however is not the history of the time， but the history of husband and wife who moved through his society via Otto's job and their reconciliation with the end of Nazi rule alongside the impact one family has had on history。Overall this was an incredibly interesting read and it took turns i wasn't expecting。 Nor was I expecting the alarming naivety of the son as was detailed。 But some look back with rose tinted glasses。 。。。more
Deep Majumdar
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Brilliant readingWhile world war 2 has always intrigued me， I wanted to know certain facts that are beyond the common narrative that is available in standard books and websites。 Philippe has not only taught me more on the Ratline， the grim reality between America， Nazi & the Vatican， but his style of writing is gripping and lucid。 One of the best reads on this topic so far。
Nisso Bucay
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Interesting complement to East West Street Very detailed and comprehensive。 It sometimes reads like a thriller and overall keeps the reader hooked。 However， it is really a complement to the podcast and loses some steam by explaining all possible alternatives about what happened to Otto Wachter。 Good overall but could be better。
StoryChris035
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Just like East West Street: mesmerising。
Heather Anne
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Riveting！ I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 As a World War IIHistory buff I couldn’t wait to dig in and it did not disappoint！！ Mr。 Sands unveils a fascinating tale of intrigue that reflects excellent research and far reaching travel and investigation into the trail of a fleeing Nazi。。。。hard to put down！！！
ErnstG
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This is a brilliantly told story that weaves together a number of threads in a seemingly simple chronological way， starting with how an Austrian lawyer named Otto Wächter becomes a Nazi and then Governor of a Polish District， where he works for Hans Frank and gains kudos from Himmler for his treatment of Jews。 Almost incidentally， the occasional detail of how Wächter's actions destroys many of the author' family。 How Wächter's escapes at the end of the war and dies soon afterwards in Rome。 How t This is a brilliantly told story that weaves together a number of threads in a seemingly simple chronological way， starting with how an Austrian lawyer named Otto Wächter becomes a Nazi and then Governor of a Polish District， where he works for Hans Frank and gains kudos from Himmler for his treatment of Jews。 Almost incidentally， the occasional detail of how Wächter's actions destroys many of the author' family。 How Wächter's escapes at the end of the war and dies soon afterwards in Rome。 How the Americans and British stopped looking for war criminals and were happy to employ them against the Soviets as the Cold War started。 How Wächter's son dealt with the history of his father， compared with how Hans Franks's son dealt with that of his father。Astonishing。 It is fair to to wonder if the world needs another book on the Third Reich。 This one by the well-known lawyer shows that the answer is ''yes'' -- the issues haven't gone away。 。。。more
Nasus
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Continuation of the author's first book （East West Street） and both documentary and podcast with son of SS Officer。 The last 1/4 of the book gets too bogged down in trying to debunk son's conspiracy theory about his father being poisoned， and goes off on too many tangents regarding all the people spying/sneaking around Austria & Italy after the war。 Never really explains the depth of the Vatican's help in getting Nazis out of Europe and to Syria and So America; but rather alludes to it， even tho Continuation of the author's first book （East West Street） and both documentary and podcast with son of SS Officer。 The last 1/4 of the book gets too bogged down in trying to debunk son's conspiracy theory about his father being poisoned， and goes off on too many tangents regarding all the people spying/sneaking around Austria & Italy after the war。 Never really explains the depth of the Vatican's help in getting Nazis out of Europe and to Syria and So America; but rather alludes to it， even though the books' title - The Ratline - is what this process was called。The first 3/4 of the book are fascinating and a page turner。 Even though I had seen the documentary， I still learned lots of new information about the main character。 The wife of SS officer left quite a paper trail （diaries， photos， news clippings） that the author puts together thoroughly and with lots of context。 。。。more
Karen
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Fascinating account which fully utilized primary sources and interviews with family members as well as interviews with people somewhat peripheral to Otto。 I would recommend reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook。 First reason: I expect that there are maps and photos that would make the history more complete。 Second reason: the male reader， not the author’s narration， was snarky and that interfered with the experience。 What was very disturbing were the diary entries of Otto’s wif Fascinating account which fully utilized primary sources and interviews with family members as well as interviews with people somewhat peripheral to Otto。 I would recommend reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook。 First reason: I expect that there are maps and photos that would make the history more complete。 Second reason: the male reader， not the author’s narration， was snarky and that interfered with the experience。 What was very disturbing were the diary entries of Otto’s wife — mundane details of life amidst the cruelty and depravity of life under the Nazis。 Also I had no idea of the degree of complicity of members of the Catholic clergy with the Nazis。 。。。more
David
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Non-fiction。 Remarkable body of research and very well written account， but at times too much detail （for me）。
Lee Cornell
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Done after 270 pages， about 80 pages from the end of the narrative。 A meticulous history， but far， far more detail than I need。 I kind of kept waiting for some obscure friend named early on to re-appear later in the book， but 。。。 nope 。。。 I appreciate the thorough investigatory process and the clear identification of what is factual， hearsay， or fiction， but eventually it just becomes tedious。 I am quite willing， at some point， to simply take the author's word without a detailed explanation of h Done after 270 pages， about 80 pages from the end of the narrative。 A meticulous history， but far， far more detail than I need。 I kind of kept waiting for some obscure friend named early on to re-appear later in the book， but 。。。 nope 。。。 I appreciate the thorough investigatory process and the clear identification of what is factual， hearsay， or fiction， but eventually it just becomes tedious。 I am quite willing， at some point， to simply take the author's word without a detailed explanation of how the conclusion was reached。 。。。more
Susan
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A very powerful and disturbing book。 Tells of a son's love for his parents and unwillingness to recognize his father's evil。 "It is more important to understand the butcher than the victim。" A very powerful and disturbing book。 Tells of a son's love for his parents and unwillingness to recognize his father's evil。 "It is more important to understand the butcher than the victim。" 。。。more
David
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An excellent and very humane book which investigates， in meticulous detail， the demise of Otto Wachter， Nazi governor of Krakow and Galicia in Poland during the Second World War。 The structure of the book， and the Slow-reveal involved， reads like a work of detective fiction， which should not come as a surprise considering it is clearly a tale of true crime and cover-up！The most impressive aspect of the book is Philippe Sands' ability to instill a degree of sympathy for Wachter's youngest son， Ho An excellent and very humane book which investigates， in meticulous detail， the demise of Otto Wachter， Nazi governor of Krakow and Galicia in Poland during the Second World War。 The structure of the book， and the Slow-reveal involved， reads like a work of detective fiction， which should not come as a surprise considering it is clearly a tale of true crime and cover-up！The most impressive aspect of the book is Philippe Sands' ability to instill a degree of sympathy for Wachter's youngest son， Horst， who remains in a dogged state of denial about his father's crimes， despite being presented with compelling evidence to the contrary。 A stunning piece of historical research which reminds us yet again of the negative impact that the deeds of a parent can have on descendants， demonstrated in particular by the attitude of Horst's daughter， Madalena。Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Mystic Miraflores
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When I read about Otto's death in Rome， I said to myself: "Wait， he was supposed to be on the Ratline and end up in Argentina。 Surely his death was faked。" But it wasn't， so I think the title is misleading。 The title should have revolved around Horst's idee fixe that his father wasn't a war criminal， despite mountains of evidence。 I grew frustrated at Horst's delusions。 But then I thought about the millions of American people who still think the 2020 election was stolen from Trump。 Delusion know When I read about Otto's death in Rome， I said to myself: "Wait， he was supposed to be on the Ratline and end up in Argentina。 Surely his death was faked。" But it wasn't， so I think the title is misleading。 The title should have revolved around Horst's idee fixe that his father wasn't a war criminal， despite mountains of evidence。 I grew frustrated at Horst's delusions。 But then I thought about the millions of American people who still think the 2020 election was stolen from Trump。 Delusion knows no bounds or time limits。 If this had been a fictional book， I would have criticized the author for having his Otto character--who is supposed to be in hiding--show up in a film production。 But Otto himself wanted to do it！ I had to scratch my head on this one。 What made me truly sick to my stomach at the end of the book， though， are the photos of the massacre of Bochnia。 My husband's family were Jews who were originally from Poland， but who fortunately came to the US around 1914。 However， some of those Bochnia victims could have been their relatives。 So Mr。 Sands' book had quite an impact on me， though in a negative way， reminding me of the constant "man's inhumanity to man"。 。。。more
Caitlin
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Thought I'd give it a try because of the ratings， but it's pretty dry and drawn out。 Got to the part of the 'love story' where they marry， and the surrounding circumstances were so far off I decided to stop reading。 Thought I'd give it a try because of the ratings， but it's pretty dry and drawn out。 Got to the part of the 'love story' where they marry， and the surrounding circumstances were so far off I decided to stop reading。 。。。more
Lucy
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A well written and researched page turner。 The first book I’ve read that explores the story of a nazi family， post war escape and the next generation。
Janice
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What great research！ Sands did not leave a stone unturned。
David A
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Amazing storytelling of true history。 It was enthralling to see how this story unfolded as the author followed the main characters， a senior Nazi member and his wife。 He goes back in time， but also forward， uncovering bombshell discoveries the descendants didn't know about their own past and present。 He jumps between telling the story and telling how he discovered the story， which does a really good job of connecting past and present。 Definitely recommend this one。 As a side note， the author's o Amazing storytelling of true history。 It was enthralling to see how this story unfolded as the author followed the main characters， a senior Nazi member and his wife。 He goes back in time， but also forward， uncovering bombshell discoveries the descendants didn't know about their own past and present。 He jumps between telling the story and telling how he discovered the story， which does a really good job of connecting past and present。 Definitely recommend this one。 As a side note， the author's own family was killed in WW2 while held captive by the subject of the book。 Even though most people would have an axe to grind， I really appreciate his ability to stick to the facts and tell the story objectively without much editorializing。 I hate it when authors lay out information well but don't trust me to connect the dots。 。。。more
Richard Moss
，
Although Philippe Sands' East West Street was a profound and wide-ranging look at war crimes， genocide and the Holocaust， it was also at its heart a Sands family memoir。The Ratline is also the story of a family - but this time one who played a significant part in killing Philippe Sands' relatives。 Yet again though this is far more than just biography。Otto Frank was an early Austrian convert to Nazism， his zealotry rewarded by promotion to become a senior administrator in the German occupation of Although Philippe Sands' East West Street was a profound and wide-ranging look at war crimes， genocide and the Holocaust， it was also at its heart a Sands family memoir。The Ratline is also the story of a family - but this time one who played a significant part in killing Philippe Sands' relatives。 Yet again though this is far more than just biography。Otto Frank was an early Austrian convert to Nazism， his zealotry rewarded by promotion to become a senior administrator in the German occupation of Eastern Europe。He was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people， and sought as a war criminal。 As we find out from the beginning of The Ratline though， he was never to be prosecuted as he died apparently on the run from justice in Italy in 1949。This then is the story of his rise and fall， but also of his family and the legacy it left。 Charlotte， his wife， remained loyal to the end of her life， and passed on her rose-tinted view of Otto to their son Horst。 He remains convinced that Frank was a Good Nazi。It is an unlikely connection with Horst that allows Sands access to the documents and details that give the detail of Otto Frank's life and death。 Horst is convinced they will prove his father innocent of being a driver of the genocide and horror of the Nazi occupation of Poland and Ukraine。 It does anything but。Before becoming a book， much of the detail of The Ratline was revealed in a film and a BBC podcast series。 There are more details revealed here though， and a book allows a longer exploration of the themes。It is a remarkable story。 The rise of the Franks has a horrible， if familiar， fascination， but The Ratline also reveals much about the chaos and fluid morality of Europe in the immediate post-war years。 It is also though about the banality of evil and the human need to sometimes gloss over painful truths。 Otto could be responsible for mass murder， but also apparently a well-loved husband and father， with Charlotte somehow able to separate those apparently contradictory lives。Charlotte does seem to share her husband's Nazi convictions， but to admit the abhorrent consequence of his actions is unconscionable。 This was a wife prepared to forgive repeated marital unfaithfulness as well as murder。 To admit his guilt would be to admit her own culpability。The Ratline grips with every page， and is a reminder that the consequences of 20th Century crimes remain with us today。 。。。more
RAFAEL GÓMEZ SALES
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Lo que me ha fascinado del libro， al margen de su prosa concisa y aséptica， es leer sobre la dificultad de Horst Wächter para asumir el pasado de su padre， que fue un destacado gobernador nazi。 Sobre todo porque hablamos de un hijo culto， educado por una madre poderosa y querida， y que presenta una ambivalencia con respecto al papel de sus padres con respecto a la Alemania nazi。 Así， hábilmente， sin juzgar， el escritor Sands tiene que manejarse por los vericuetos de las fuentes， los paisajes， el Lo que me ha fascinado del libro， al margen de su prosa concisa y aséptica， es leer sobre la dificultad de Horst Wächter para asumir el pasado de su padre， que fue un destacado gobernador nazi。 Sobre todo porque hablamos de un hijo culto， educado por una madre poderosa y querida， y que presenta una ambivalencia con respecto al papel de sus padres con respecto a la Alemania nazi。 Así， hábilmente， sin juzgar， el escritor Sands tiene que manejarse por los vericuetos de las fuentes， los paisajes， el golpe de estado， el periodo en el que Watcher fue gobernador y creó un gueto judío， las masacres， la huida de Otto por las montañas， el periodo romano con identidad falsa y deseoso de escapar a Sudamérica， el papel De la Iglesia y el obispo Huidal， las contradicciones sobre su muerte y los problemas de la familia Wächter。 Me ha parecido un libro muy bien estructurado que no podía parar de leer。 。。。more
Eric
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Sands' narrative listens almost like a thrilling novel。 It reveals much of what we've all come to detest about our intelligence services - spinning a narrative that satisfies multiple constituencies， none of them really well。 Having poked around Salzburg， Berchtesgaden， and environs it is easy to see how very visible figures could hide out for extended periods of time。 Sands' narrative listens almost like a thrilling novel。 It reveals much of what we've all come to detest about our intelligence services - spinning a narrative that satisfies multiple constituencies， none of them really well。 Having poked around Salzburg， Berchtesgaden， and environs it is easy to see how very visible figures could hide out for extended periods of time。 。。。more
Xplvlup
，
This book makes you think about subjective perception and how to work with people， although they have different opinions than you。 Other than that I learned a lot about fleeing Nazis and the involvement of the USA in that。
Tobi Laukaitis
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Part non-fiction， part memoir， part thriller， this book was incredible！ Sands did a good job of staying neutral as he navigated the life of Otto as he answered the question of whether or not he was a “good man。”Sands showed how twisted the Nazi way of thinking was and how they lived as Jews were being murdered in the streets。 We rarely see the point of view of the butcher in these historic tales， and this book did a great job of showing Otto’s life， but also highlighting the victims too。 I don’t Part non-fiction， part memoir， part thriller， this book was incredible！ Sands did a good job of staying neutral as he navigated the life of Otto as he answered the question of whether or not he was a “good man。”Sands showed how twisted the Nazi way of thinking was and how they lived as Jews were being murdered in the streets。 We rarely see the point of view of the butcher in these historic tales， and this book did a great job of showing Otto’s life， but also highlighting the victims too。 I don’t believe Charlotte or Otto had any regrets about being Nazis or their treatment of Jews during this their lifetime。 I would love to believe Horst’s theory of his father being poisoned， but I think Sands and the experts are right that it probably didn’t happen。 Looking forward to reading more works by Sands！ 。。。more
Vafa
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Great book， fascinating （true） story and civilized dialogue and common search involving a major war criminal’s son and the grandson of one of his victims 。
Gilles Russeil
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Extraordinaire livre qui suit le destin d'1 famille autrichienne marquée par la nazisme。 Le grand père criminel de guerre， sa femme qui perpétue son souvenir， son fils dans le déni。 Un grand livre historique et familial ！ Magistral Extraordinaire livre qui suit le destin d'1 famille autrichienne marquée par la nazisme。 Le grand père criminel de guerre， sa femme qui perpétue son souvenir， son fils dans le déni。 Un grand livre historique et familial ！ Magistral 。。。more
Angela
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A long read。 Well researched。 Very detailed。 A bit more academic in style than I usually prefer non-fiction
Mark
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A fascinating read。 Much enjoyed it。
Angie
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