RSHA book

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steve248
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RSHA book

#1

Post by steve248 » 08 Feb 2022, 19:47

Fonthill are publishing later this month (maybe early March) my latest book on RSHA.
You get over 600 pages and 50 or so illustrations.
There is an explanation of Sipo/SD schooling and a typical Kriminalkommissar Lehrgang at the Führerschule; and other courses at Grenzpolizeischule Pretzsch.
Amt IV includes an explanation of each Gruppen and how it changed under wartime conditions; and a long explanation of IV N and the V-Männer system.
It is set out by Amt and Amt VI gets broken down by Gruppen and takes into account the absorption of the Abwehr in 1944 and new Gruppen as a result. There was no report for Amt VI S so I used the very long interrogation of Skorzeny and his adjutant Radl who often had different views (Skorzeny exaggerating, Radl more down to earth). Radl was also interrogated alone and is included.
I have used as a basis the liquidation (i.e. final - not killing) and situation reports issued by Counter Intelligence War Room in 1945.
It covers every aspect of what RSHA did and did not; the jealousies and the fall out from power struggles.
It does not have an index. The thousand or so officials mentioned do not get more than one mention so I felt the personality lists for every Amt would be adequate.
RSHA book cover.png
RSHA book cover.png (83.83 KiB) Viewed 6026 times

J. Duncan
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Re: RSHA book

#2

Post by J. Duncan » 08 Feb 2022, 22:21

Awesome Stephen! Didn’t know you were plugging away at this. Looking forward to it. Thanks for letting us know. Not much in English on this subject so I’m definitely “all in”.


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Michael Miller
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Re: RSHA book

#3

Post by Michael Miller » 09 Feb 2022, 19:28

Congratulations! I'm literally salivating at the prospect of owning what I'm already certain will be a masterpiece.

Sincerely,
~ Mike

Mark Costa
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Re: RSHA book

#4

Post by Mark Costa » 10 Feb 2022, 00:37

A must have book and I am waiting with great anticipation. Congratulations.

Mark Costa

VanillaNuns
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Re: RSHA book

#5

Post by VanillaNuns » 10 Feb 2022, 14:06

I will get this one Steve. I've enjoyed both your books so far.

Amazon have publication date as 14 April:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RSHA-Reich-Sec ... 1781558671

During the Nazi regime in Germany, all police forces were centralised under the command of Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. The political police (Gestapo), the criminal police (Kripo), and the security service (SD) were all brought together under the RSHA umbrella in 1939, commanded by SS-General Reinhard Heydrich. Using RSHA in Berlin as the centre, the web of Heydrich’s control extended into every corner of Nazi-occupied Europe. British and American intelligence agencies tried to get to grips with RSHA departments at the end of the war, knowing who was who and what they did, relying on what captured RSHA personnel told them along with intercepted documentation. To provide Allied intelligence officers in the field with accurate knowledge, the Counter Intelligence War Room (CIWR) was established to provide this information and list further Gestapo, Kripo, SD, and Abwehr officials to be arrested and interrogated. The informative CIWR reports used here give a precise examination of the RSHA by department, some detailing how Nazi jealousies and rivalries were more helpful to the Allied war effort than the Nazi cause - a portrayal of how Nazi Intelligence agencies went wrong.

704 pages.

Boby
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Re: RSHA book

#6

Post by Boby » 10 Feb 2022, 17:26

Looks excellent! A great addition to Wildt monograph.

Boby,

steve248
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Re: RSHA book

#7

Post by steve248 » 10 Feb 2022, 22:26

14 April publication date - the poor author is the last to know via the media....

J. Duncan
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Re: RSHA book

#8

Post by J. Duncan » 31 Mar 2022, 00:05

I have the book. It’s thick and heavy, photo section in middle. This is not a book for the lay reader. You will not find a narrative account here. This is reports, tables, lists, many appendices, no index. It appears (upon initial inspection) to be compiled for the specialist in the field of research.

steve248
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Re: RSHA book

#9

Post by steve248 » 31 Mar 2022, 10:19

I don't have my copies yet!
No index because most of the names are only listed once and over 1000 of them.
I could have excluded the appendices, most of which show how RSHA Ämter developed and changed roles. Especially as RSHA VI changed considerably organizationally over time. RSHA IV also changed organizationally several times between 1939-1945.
The narrative is contained in the individual reports of the RSHA Ämter.

I hope it isn't considered for the specialist as that was not intention.

J. Duncan
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Re: RSHA book

#10

Post by J. Duncan » 31 Mar 2022, 11:32

Steve
So far I’ve only thumbed through it from front to back to get a bit of the book’s “flavor”. It’s loaded with minutiae such as a textbook in engineering. I know many will benefit from its information but it’s not for the casual reader who may be looking for a standard history of the organization from its origins to its closure along the lines such as others have done with the SS as a whole. I say “specialist” because regular readership probably won’t be able to process all of this information or know what it all adds up to - won’t know how to create the narrative for themselves using the information that’s presented.

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Re: RSHA book

#11

Post by VanillaNuns » 31 Mar 2022, 17:07

Here are some photographs from the Fonthill website. You will know what you are buying from these:
Attachments
9781781558676.PT10S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT09S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT08S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT07S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT06S_1024x1024.jpg

VanillaNuns
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Re: RSHA book

#12

Post by VanillaNuns » 31 Mar 2022, 17:11

A few more.

Great photograph of Schellenberg and fellow SD officers on the balcony of the Prinz Albrecht Palais.
Attachments
9781781558676.PT14S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT13S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT12S_1024x1024.jpg
9781781558676.PT11S_1024x1024.jpg

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Buster
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Re: RSHA book

#13

Post by Buster » 25 Jul 2022, 06:09

Hi
I have a question about this book, does it contain any lower SS/SD personell or is it only cover the higher ranking officials ?
Looks like a masterpiece

steve248
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Re: RSHA book

#14

Post by steve248 » 25 Jul 2022, 18:58

Buster,
The only senior Sipo/SD officials named are RSHA Amtschef. Sure there is a handful of SS-Ogrufs but the book does not dwell on them.
Most of the names are SS-Ustuf to SS-Ostubaf with some lower ranked officials. 100 or more for each RSHA Amt on average.

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Buster
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Re: RSHA book

#15

Post by Buster » 25 Jul 2022, 19:25

Thank you Steve for your reply,it answered my question.

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