Hunting Eichmann in Around the World in 80 Books

Jun 23, 2020 Wes F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is my second Neal Bascomb book--both of them related to WWII. It was excellent--an engaging, informative, historical account that was a real joy to read. Well, parts of it were sickening, given the evil schemes hatched in the minds of the Nazi leaders who carried out the intended genocide of the Jews with a vengeance. Eichmann was at the very pinnacle of the so-called & horrific "Final Solution" plan to wipe out the Jews of Europe (though the plans ultimately even went further than that). W This is my second Neal Bascomb book--both of them related to WWII. It was excellent--an engaging, informative, historical account that was a real joy to read. Well, parts of it were sickening, given the evil schemes hatched in the minds of the Nazi leaders who carried out the intended genocide of the Jews with a vengeance. Eichmann was at the very pinnacle of the so-called & horrific "Final Solution" plan to wipe out the Jews of Europe (though the plans ultimately even went further than that). What Eichmann engineered with tone-deaf & steeled precision against the Jews of Hungary is simply unconscionable. The families ripped apart; the lives of children and women extinguished without so much as a thought of their value as human beings with their lives before them. The plunder of their goods. Eichmann was Hamaan from the Book of Esther in the Old Testament resurrected.

It was so satisfying to read about those who never gave up searching for Nazi war criminals who had escaped justice at the end of WWII. So amazing to read of the intricate planning & man hours & resources involved in the mission of Israel's Mossad (with help from Shin Bet & others) to track down, capture, hold, and bring a monster killer like Eichmann to meet justice & the hangman in Israel. So many things that could have gone wrong; so many alternate plans that needed to be arranged--as well as ingenious ways that their presence & footsteps were deftly covered. The use of the first El Al flight from Israel to Argentina was carried off with aplomb and was amazing to read about. Overall--a well-written historical account of one of the biggest undercover missions ever carried out by a spy agency; which was kept secret for some 40+ afterwards. Bascomb does an excellent job in giving an account of this complex & superb mission.

Borrowed this from the library--read it on my Kindle. I had previously watched a film on Netflix based on the book that was also very well done--and adheres very closely to the book & historical account. Worth a watch--and this book well worth the read. ...more

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