A Special Mission: Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius XIIIn September, 1943, Adolf Hitler, furious at the ouster of Mussolini, sent German troops into Rome with plans to deport Rome's Jews to Auschwitz. Hitler also ordered SS General Karl Wolff, who had been Heinrich Himmler's chief aide, to occupy the Vatican and kidnap Pope Pius XII. But Wolff began playing a dangerous game: stalling Hitler's kidnap plot, while blackmailing the pope into silence as the Jews were rounded up. This tale of intrigue and betrayal is one of the most important untold stories of World War II, and A Special Mission is the only book to give the full incredible account of Hitler's kidnap plot and its far-reaching consequences. |
Contents
Section 17 | |
Section 18 | |
Section 19 | |
Section 20 | |
Section 21 | |
Section 22 | |
Section 23 | |
Section 24 | |
Section 9 | |
Section 10 | |
Section 11 | |
Section 12 | |
Section 13 | |
Section 14 | |
Section 15 | |
Section 16 | |
Section 25 | |
Section 26 | |
Section 27 | |
Section 28 | |
Section 29 | |
Section 30 | |
Section 31 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Adolf Adolf Hitler Allies Almansi ambassador American antiSemitic apparently army arrest asked Badoglio Berlin bishops bombing Bormann British cabled Cardinal Catholic chief rabbi Christianity Church Colonel communists concentration camp Concordat condemn diplomat Dollmann enemy Ernst von Weizsäcker Europe fascist fear felt Field Marshal Führer general’s genocide German German troops Germany’s Gestapo ghetto gold Heinrich Heinrich Himmler Himmler Hitler Holy Interviews with Dollmann Italian Italy Jewish Jewish genocide Kaltenbrunner Kappler Karl Wolff Kersten Kessel kidnap plot kill knew Lebensborn Maglione Mälzer massacre meeting military Möllhausen moral Munich murder Mussolini Nuremberg October Pacelli papal Pius’s policies political pontiff Pope Pius XII pope’s prison protest publicly Rahn Rasella Reich replied reprisal Ribbentrop Roman Jews Rome roundup of Roman seemed speak SS chief surrender Tardini Tittmann told U.S. National Archives Vatican City Vatican officials Vatican plot Via Rasella wanted Weizsäcker XII’s York Zolli