Into that darkness
from mercy killing to mass murder
by Gitta Sereny · first published 1974
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A portrait of Franz Stangl, Commandant of Treblinka, the largest of the five Nazi extermination camps, based on interviews.
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I also recommend a couple of books on this subject: - Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning - Into that Darkness by Gitta Sereny Into that Darkness is the most depressing book I've ever read. It is essentially an interview with Franz Stangl, one of the commandants of the Treblinka camp which, if it's possible to…
on “The Life of an Auschwitz Guard” ↗This book pairs with "Into That Darkness" by Gitta Sereny. A semi-biography of the commandant of Treblinka, based on interviews with him.
on “Brutality of Life Reading List” ↗The Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is a great read on that subject. (It's very long, but the abridged versions are fine as long as you get a good translation). Into That Darkness by Gitta Sereny is also great - a biography from a series of post-war interviews with the commandant at Treblinka concentration camp, who wasn't any evil genius, just someone who didn't have any particularly…
on “Bunkers in Albania” ↗…down at some point and explicitly said "right, how can I help the Russian government?" There's some fantastic literature about how well-meaning people can get dragged in some terrible directions, like Into That Darkness about Franz Stangl, the commandant at Treblinka. I'd encourage you to rethink the way you phrase things like this if you want to have substantive debate. If you just want to shout at people, fill your…
…technically complex attack, one that killed children and civilians, strictly "technical." I got strong "Into the Darkness[^1]" vibes. [^1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/562714.Into_That_Darknes... - Into That Darkness: An Examination of Conscience.
on “Tell HN: HN is becoming too political” ↗