Hitler's Most Wanted
Hitler's Most Wanted takes a fresh look at how and why a generation of men and women living in a cultured, European society became the leaders of one of the most barbaric regimes of all time, responsible for starting a war that killed more than 60 million people. Visiting the villages and towns where these elite Nazi leaders grew up, as well as the sites of their worst atrocities, filmmaker James Ellis meets with young historians to explore the defining moments which transformed everyday Germans into mass murderers. As knowledge of the origins of the Third Reich recedes amongst millennials, Hitler's Most Wanted examines how respectable citizens in a free society were manipulated by propaganda. Now it's time for a new generation to scrutinize some of the key personalities of the Third Reich to determine what happened and ensure that the lessons of history never be forgotten.
- 2019-2019
- 1 season
- Documentary
Hitler's Most Wanted takes a fresh look at how and why a generation of men and women living in a cultured, European society became the leaders of one of the most barbaric regimes of all time, responsible for starting a war that killed more than 60 million people. Visiting the villages and towns where these elite Nazi leaders grew up, as well as the sites of their worst atrocities, filmmaker James Ellis meets with young historians to explore the defining moments which transformed everyday Germans into mass murderers. As knowledge of the origins of the Third Reich recedes amongst millennials, Hitler's Most Wanted examines how respectable citizens in a free society were manipulated by propaganda. Now it's time for a new generation to scrutinize some of the key personalities of the Third Reich to determine what happened and ensure that the lessons of history never be forgotten.
Season 1 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2019
Episode 1
Heinrich Himmler
James is retracing the story of Heinrich Himmler to find out how the middle class son of a schoolteacher became one of the main architects of Nazi evil. Second only to Hitler, Himmler was the criminal mastermind behind the Aryan breeding program known as Lebensborn, and the infamous death camps. Today, James picks up disturbing signs of fascism's resurgence in contemporary Munich.
Episode 2
Josef Goebbels
Hitler's minister of propaganda, Josef Goebbels was the mastermind behind the brainwashing campaign that eventually seduced Germany into joining the Nazi cause. James explores how the virulently anti-semitic Goebbels orchestrated a campaign of hate that paved the way for the Holocaust. Today, radicalism is again on the rise in Germany, and James joins a hair-raising counter protest on the front lines.
Episode 3
Hermann Goering
As Hitler's second in command, Hermann Goering was a ruthless and flamboyant manipulator, and James is exploring how this revered fighter pilot of the First World War could emerge as a psychopathic war criminal in the Second. Addicted to wealth and power, Goering was willing to attain his goals by any means necessary, and as his power increased, so did his taste for the good life.
Episode 4
Adolf Eichmann
James is on the trail of Adolf Eichmann, the notorious Nazi bureaucrat who escaped justice for 15 years until his trial made the Holocaust a household name. Under oath, Eichmann insisted he was a powerless middle manager who was simply following orders, and James is determined to find out if there's any truth to his defense.
Episode 5
Albert Speer
The architectural mastermind of the Third Reich, Albert Speer escaped the noose at the end of the war. But James believes there's a monstrous truth behind Speer's carefully crafted lies, and is determined to reveal the full extent of his crimes.
Episode 6
Josef Mengele
The notorious demon doctor of Auschwitz, Josef Mengele conducted barbaric experiments on innocent victims, including children. Tracing the origins of his sadistic pseudo-science, James is on a mission to determine what so corrupted a medical doctor that he went down in history as the Angel of Death.
Episode 7
Karl Donitz
Hitler's naval commander Karl Donitz was a fanatical Nazi who would do anything to support the party's despicable aims. After the war, he claimed he'd only been a sailor following orders, but James is determined to prove Donitz was a committed war criminal who earned his bloody role as Hitler's successor.
Episode 8
Hans Frank
45 mins
As Hitler's personal lawyer, Hans Frank twisted the law to further the Führer's brutal agenda, and in enslaving an entire nation became known as the Butcher of Poland. James is determined to find out how this lawyer turned into a power-hungry monster.
Episode 9
Wilhelm Canaris
As Hitler's master spy, Wilhelm Canaris staged covert operations that ultimately caused chaos and destruction. But he was also a double agent who provided secrets to the Allies and helped Jews escape from Germany. It's a complex story, and James wants to know more.
Episode 10
Benito Mussolini
James is in Italy where he's investigating Benito Mussolini-the brutal dictator whose violent path to power set the template for the rise of Nazi Germany. Though not a Nazi, Mussolini's fascist alliance with the Führer places him squarely inside Hitler's circle of evil.
