Last Days of the Nazis

While some material in this History Channel-aired WWII documentary series will be very familiar to viewers, much of this will likely come as a surprise and a revelation. For starters, the series draws from the rarely-considered notes of Allied interrogations of ex-Nazi leaders during the postwar years. Among those featured here are the notorious Albert Speer, as well as several figures of equal infamy who have been largely forgotten over time—most notably Melita Maschmann, the leader of the BDM youth organization for girls. Last Days of the Nazis also includes first-person accounts by Nazi leaders (including Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss) responsible for the coordination of the concentration camps—men whose verbal defense and justifications offer insights into Germany's embarking on an insane political path that resulted in unprecedented death and destruction in Europe and beyond. A handsomely produced and surprisingly non-sensational series that features dramatic re-creations of the interviews framed in a tasteful and intelligent manner, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)