From its creation in 1933 until Hitler's death in May 1945, anyone
living in Nazi- controlled territory lived in fear of a visit from the
Gestapo - Geheime Staatspolizei - or Secret State Police. Young or old,
rich or poor, nobody was beyond the attentions of a brutally efficient
organization that spread its influence into every corner of occupied
Europe. The Gestapo is a detailed history of Heinrich Himmler's
organization, whose 20,000 members were responsible for the internal
security of the Reich. Under its auspices, hundreds of thousands of
civilians, resistance fighters and spies were tortured and murdered, and
many more were deported to concentration camps. Drawing on evidence from
the Gestapo's own archives as well as eye-witness accounts, the author
charts the development of the organization, its key figures, such as
Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Himmler, its methods, and how the Gestapo
dealt with internal security, including the various attempts to
assassinate Hitler. Illustrated with 120 black-and-white photographs,
The Gestapo is a lively, expert account of this notorious, but little
understood, secret police force.