The Devil's Doctor: Felix Kersten and the Secret Plot to Turn Himmler Against Hitler

Waller, known for his works on espionage during WWII, has written an easy readable, fast paced look at Felix Kersten and the plot to turn Himmler against Hitler. It is not so much a biography of Kersten as it is a detailed account of how Kersten, and also Schellenberg, attempted to get Himmler to disobey orders and even attempt to overthrow Hitler to make peace with the Western Allies. The book is a fascinating look at the in-fighting that occurred within the Nazi party structure and gives a good look at the resistance movement within Nazi Germany. The epilogue gives a good look at the post-war life of Kersten and some of the other key players. The only negative is that the book is marred with typographical and grammatical errors which at times can make the read frustrating. Beyond that, well worth the read.

John Waller has done a great job of giving us an insiders look at the Nazi government at the top. His 'vehicle' is a fellow by the name of Felix Kersten, who. by one of those strange twists of history, became Heinrich Himmler's indispensable personal masseur. In that position Kersten, with connections to OSS and British intelligence, was able to influence Himmler. It is an outrageous story that provides exceptional insight in the personalities at the top of the Nazi machine. The story has a particular relevance to this reviewer, as Kersten played a role in preventing the resettlement of millions of "irreconcilable" Dutchmen to Eastern Poland and the Ukraine in 1941 and 1942. The Dutch hated the Nazi occupiers, and their opposition and riots in 1941 had enraged Hitler. Kersten saw the documentation, was appalled, and adopted the strategy of convincing Himmler that his health would be at serious risk if he undertook such a demanding task. Himmler finally decided to persuade Hitler that Germany's logistical system would be over-taxed by mass-moving people across the continent while fighting the war on the Eastern front. The operation was postponed till after the war. This tale was thoroughly investigated by the Dutch Government after the war, and validated. Kersten was appropriately honored. This vignette is only one of the many in the book. It was November 11, 1941, that Himmler emerged from the Fuhrer's presence and announced that the "destruction of the Jews is being actively planned." The occupied eastern territories "are to become free of Jews." These wartime orders in 1941 went well beyond the earlier decree in January 24, 1939, which intended to solve the 'Jewish question' by emigration and evacuation. Hitler's outbursts of temper and raving and ranting were often interpreted by his lieutenants as policy edicts to be carried out literally. The more one reads of what went on at the human level at the Nazi top, the more one is reminded of an insane asylum. How this Austrian misfit, Adolph Schickelgruber Hitler, unemployed in Vienna in 1913, cast into - and surviving - the traumatic trench warfare mass murder cauldrons of World War I, absorbing and caricaturing the prevailing cultural theories of racial blood purity, cranium indices denoting superior intelligence, and terror bombing (Douhet), and could then exploit the crisis of capitalism and the threat of communism by rising to the leadership of the German Reich -- and then driven by powerful paranoias, bring such misery to millions, particularly Poles, Russians, Germans, and others, and the Jewish compatriots that lived among them, defies staggering odds. I highly recommend this book. John Waller is a immensely respected OSS and CIA veteran, and author, who writes beautifully and with care, on a topic we should not forget.

Dr. Felix Kersten is a true World War II hero. Through his assigned job of being physical therapist to Heinrich Himmler, one of the most notorious, evil Nazi's of the war, read this fascinating true story of courage and manipulation. Kersten pounced on Himmler's naivete and prevented the persecution of thousands. Any history or war buff would love this book.