- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (12 Aug 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0471262927
- ISBN-13: 978-0471262923
- Product Dimensions: 23.3 x 16.2 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,132,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Himmler's Crusade
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Product Description
The compelling story of a trek across an exotic land–and the sinister consequences
It was an SS mission led by two complex individuals–one who was using the Nazis to pursue his own ends, and one so committed to Nazism that afterward he conducted racial experiments using the skulls of prisoners at Auschwitz. Himmler′s Crusade relates the 1938 Nazi expedition through British India to the sacred mountains of Tibet in search of the remnants of the Aryan people, the lost master race. Based on a wide range of previously unused sources, this intriguing book reveals the mission–a pet project of Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler—to be the result of both a bizarre historical fantasy and a strategy to provoke insurgency in British India. Providing rare glimpses into Himmler′s SS stronghold, this riveting tale sheds new light on the occult component of the racial theories that obsessed Himmler and his fellow Nazis.
From the Inside Flap
It is a pilgrimage that thousands have taken in search of enlightenment, inner peace, or even sheer adventure. When five officers of the Nazi SS made the arduous journey to Tibet’s forbidden city of Lhasa in the winter of 1938, however, the objects of their quest were mysterious, sinister, and, ultimately, deeply malevolent. Under orders from Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, these scientists were to find proof of a bizarre historical fantasy, lay the groundwork for a global political and military strategy, and pinpoint the origins and remnants of the Aryan "master race."
Himmler’s Crusade tells the riveting tale of one of the most perverse, eccentric, and frightening scientific expeditions in history. Based on a wide range of previously unused sources, including journals, new interviews, and original research in German archives as well as in Tibet, this real–life drama combines the highest standards of narrative history with the high adventure and exotic locales of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Central to this chilling tale is the complex and problematic character of Ernst Schäfer, the expedition’s leader. A serious and extremely competent young zoologist, Schäfer was so consumed by ambition that he was eager to become Himmler’s protégé and to do anything his patron commanded in return for opportunity, fame, and influence at the very highest levels of Nazi power. Though they had their own projects to pursue, Schäfer’s team spent most of its time in Tibet doing Himmler’s bidding, which included sowing the seeds of rebellion, undermining Britain’s relationship with the Tibetan ruling class, and confirming Himmler’s grotesque theories about the origins of the Aryan race.
Part spy thriller, part detective yarn, and all real–life adventure, Himmler’s Crusade takes you from Himmler’s SS stronghold at Wewelsburg Castle, where he inculcated elite SS recruits with the appropriate racial thinking, to the dizzying Himalayan heights, where Schäfer and his team examined Tibetan nobles for signs of Aryan ancestry. It asks penetrating questions about the relationship between science and politics and sheds new light on the occult theories that obsessed Himmler and his fellow Nazis. Supplemented with dozens of fascinating photos taken during the expedition, this engagingly told tale provides deep insight into one of the strangest episodes in the tumultuous months just prior to the outbreak of World War II.
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First Sentence
AT THE BEGINNING OF 1939, ADOLF HITLER UNVEILED HIS NEW REICHS Chancellery building in Berlin. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
AT THE BEGINNING OF 1939, ADOLF HITLER UNVEILED HIS NEW REICHS Chancellery building in Berlin. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
we all know the evils committed by Nazi Germany in the name of Racial purity and lieberstraum this book looks at a part of the mythology behind the third Reich the belief in the Aryan ideal it's roots and searching for this "truth" were people who believed that the German race was descended from these Aryan super beings not the archetypal Nazi thugs but scientist who hitched their stars to the party and Hitler. Himmler believed in the old Norse gods and the occult He supported the psuedo sciences used by the Nazis to justify the slaughter of millions.
this book details an expedition financed by Nazi Germany to find the roots of the Aryan race in Tibet measuring bone structure looking for clues to the birth place of the Aryans
A worrying book in that you can see that these expeditions could be spun by politicians to look like adventures, a search for scientific truth and the evidence gathered and interpreted by experts to support policy without question being allowed or anyone who does question being beaten down by the so called evidence
an interesting book but not light reading and not entertaining in the sense of amusement
this book details an expedition financed by Nazi Germany to find the roots of the Aryan race in Tibet measuring bone structure looking for clues to the birth place of the Aryans
A worrying book in that you can see that these expeditions could be spun by politicians to look like adventures, a search for scientific truth and the evidence gathered and interpreted by experts to support policy without question being allowed or anyone who does question being beaten down by the so called evidence
an interesting book but not light reading and not entertaining in the sense of amusement
5 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The word Crusade infers to me the combination of effort of hundreds, if not thousands of individuals to a common purpose -for example to rid the World of Malaria or Aids could become a modern day crusade.
The Book entitled 'Himmler's Crusade' appears to be nothing of the sort. Yes, Himmler at one time was very interested in race research and encouraged various Doctors and other Scientists in projects, as the book describes. However, although Himmler was in a position to authorise and facilitate such research, it was not his prime concern for the War years that his activities are chiefly known for. Thus the expeditions of a few Germans to Tibet around 1938 is hardly part of a Crusade
The involvement of Himmler in the story is somewhat peripheral - a bit like writing a book indicating Adolf Hitler had a great interest in German postage stamps -because after he came to power, they bore his image.
This is a book that describes those expeditions to Tibet pre -war and some of the research made during the war on the bodies of dead concentration inmates that had been passed to medical institutes. It is factual and descriptive - but may disappoint some readers who are expecting some Himmler revelation.
The Book entitled 'Himmler's Crusade' appears to be nothing of the sort. Yes, Himmler at one time was very interested in race research and encouraged various Doctors and other Scientists in projects, as the book describes. However, although Himmler was in a position to authorise and facilitate such research, it was not his prime concern for the War years that his activities are chiefly known for. Thus the expeditions of a few Germans to Tibet around 1938 is hardly part of a Crusade
The involvement of Himmler in the story is somewhat peripheral - a bit like writing a book indicating Adolf Hitler had a great interest in German postage stamps -because after he came to power, they bore his image.
This is a book that describes those expeditions to Tibet pre -war and some of the research made during the war on the bodies of dead concentration inmates that had been passed to medical institutes. It is factual and descriptive - but may disappoint some readers who are expecting some Himmler revelation.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
29 reviews
58 of 66 people found the following review helpful
A Brilliant Account of History
24 Oct 2003
Format:Hardcover
This is a brilliant and incredibly well researched book analyzing a little known, but powerfully important, part of Nazi history. I picked the book to read because it received such a stellar review by Michael Burleigh, the most renowned international authority on the Third Reich. Immediately, I was entranced by every aspect of Hale's account of an SS-sponsored expedition to Tibet in 1938-39. Hale goes way beyond doing a comprehensive book study of the subject. He actually conducted his own expedition to Tibet, retracing the steps that the SS-sponsored expedition leaders took and interviewing individuals who were either part of the expedition or who were associated with it. For example, throughout the book Hale provides astonishing information from his interviews with Bruno Beger, an anthropologist and SS member who would later be brought to trial and imprisoned for selecting over 100 inmates for "study" at Auschwitz (all of whom were gassed). I would recommend Hale's book for anyone interested in the origins and perpetuation of Nazism. Himmler's Crusade is already a classic in the field.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
A bewildering (written) History Channel documentary
14 Mar 2005
Format:Hardcover
Remember Indiana Jones? Weren't those silly scenes fro "Raiders" quite hilarious, with the Nazis searching for the "Arc of the Covenant"? Well... read this book, and you may not find them so amusing next time around.
Christopher Hale, a BBC documentary producer, really knows how to present and tell a story, no matter how unbelievable and apparently preposterous it may seem at first. After all, what would the Nazis be doing in Tibet in 1938-39, right? Worng! Turns out they were there, and not on a picnic trip: they were actively looking for their Aryan roots, visting the forbidden city of Lhasa, meeting with the current regime (and making the British rather nervous at that), while the new Dalai Lama was being found and brought to Tibet .
The story of Ernst Schäfer -who after the war denied any wrongdoing to his allied captors- and his four team-mates makes for an enjoyable and very entertaining reading, while Hale's subtle but precise insights and ocassional humorous remarks all you (the reader) to participate on his unique documentary-producer perspective.
Far from offering his own ideological perspective, Hale limits himself to describing -with his keen ability to look beyond the evident and the superficial- closing up the book with a simple yet well structure "moral" (to give it a name) on the inherent dangers of believeing that myths are essentially harmless: as he's so clearly explained -and history frequently demonstrated- a nation's inherent and underlying beliefs can lead it to far away places.
In summary: if you enjoy cuddling up with a good history book, and don't feel the need to read a doctoral thesis on the occult roots of Nazism (for which Nicholas Goodrich-Clarke is the best path to follow), get a hold of this very well researched and smartly illustrated book (the pictures do tell a whole story here), written from the unmistakeable perspective of a TV-documentaries' producer (you feel like you're watching the documentary on the History Channel). It's an amazing story, proving once again that truth is always far ore incredible than fiction.
Christopher Hale, a BBC documentary producer, really knows how to present and tell a story, no matter how unbelievable and apparently preposterous it may seem at first. After all, what would the Nazis be doing in Tibet in 1938-39, right? Worng! Turns out they were there, and not on a picnic trip: they were actively looking for their Aryan roots, visting the forbidden city of Lhasa, meeting with the current regime (and making the British rather nervous at that), while the new Dalai Lama was being found and brought to Tibet .
The story of Ernst Schäfer -who after the war denied any wrongdoing to his allied captors- and his four team-mates makes for an enjoyable and very entertaining reading, while Hale's subtle but precise insights and ocassional humorous remarks all you (the reader) to participate on his unique documentary-producer perspective.
Far from offering his own ideological perspective, Hale limits himself to describing -with his keen ability to look beyond the evident and the superficial- closing up the book with a simple yet well structure "moral" (to give it a name) on the inherent dangers of believeing that myths are essentially harmless: as he's so clearly explained -and history frequently demonstrated- a nation's inherent and underlying beliefs can lead it to far away places.
In summary: if you enjoy cuddling up with a good history book, and don't feel the need to read a doctoral thesis on the occult roots of Nazism (for which Nicholas Goodrich-Clarke is the best path to follow), get a hold of this very well researched and smartly illustrated book (the pictures do tell a whole story here), written from the unmistakeable perspective of a TV-documentaries' producer (you feel like you're watching the documentary on the History Channel). It's an amazing story, proving once again that truth is always far ore incredible than fiction.
36 of 46 people found the following review helpful
a compelling book
24 Oct 2003
Format:Hardcover
I found this account of the Himmler sponsored expedition to find the mythical origins of the Aryan race utterly absorbing, not only because it sheds light on one of the odd, yet central strands of the Nazi cosmology but also because of the ways in which it was observed by the British. I had little idea that Tibet formed the locus of Western spiritual projections over so many decades.
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