Book Summary and Reviews of A Special Mission by Dan Kurzman

A Special Mission by Dan Kurzman

A Special Mission

Hitler's Secret Plot to Seize the Vatican and Kidnap Pope Pius the XII

by Dan Kurzman

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  • Published:
  • May 2007, 285 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In September, 1943, Adolf Hitler, furious at the ouster of Mussolini, sent German troops into Rome and ordered SS General Karl Wolff, who had been Heinrich Himmler's chief aide, to occupy the Vatican and kidnap (and, perhaps, kill) Pope Pius XII. At the same time plans were being made to deport Rome's Jews to Auschwitz, Wolff began playing a dangerous game: stalling Hitler's plot against the pope, whom he hoped would save him from the noose in case Germany lost the war. To save Pius, Wolff and fellow conspirators blackmailed him into silence when the Jews were rounded up, hoping that Hitler would rescind his order.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Kurzman does a good job of telling a suspenseful and little-known story of WWII intrigue." - PW.

"This is a compelling read and belongs in every comprehensive World War II collection." - Libray Journal.

"A little-known tale whose significance the author trumpets a bit too brassily. " - Kirkus.

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