Introduction

Hitler’s Henchmen (German: Hitler’s Helfer) is a biography, war documentary hosted by David Ritchie, published by SBS in 1996 and 1998.

Outline (General)

‘Hitler’s Henchmen’ is a twelve-part series portraying the men who aided Adolf Hitler in his rise to power and serviced the infernal machinery of the Third Reich. Nuremberg was an historical first: the International War Crimes Tribunal sentenced leading Nazi paladins for their unparalleled atrocities while exposing to the world the infamy of the Hitler regime and its leaders: Newly discovered archive material and interviews with surviving family members and Nazi insiders to draw historical psycho grams of Hitler’s closest aides.

‘Hitler’s Henchmen’ is designed to offer in-depth personal and political profiles of the men who became architects of the destruction of Europe.

Outline (Volume 01)

Hitler’s Henchmen is the most comprehensive film series ever produced on Nazi Germany and its leaders. In six parts series portrays the men who aided Adolf Hitler in his rise to power and serviced the infernal machinery of the Third Reich. Meticulously researched, it offers an unrivalled insight into the secret lives of the men of the Nazi elite. More than half a century after Hitler’s demise ZDF have successfully recovered what was until now “lost” footage of Hitler’s aides.

This newly discovered archive material and interviews with surviving family members and Nazi insiders draws historical psychograms of Hitler’s closest aides. Nuremberg was a historical first: the International War Crimes Tribunal sentenced leading Nazi paladins for their unparalleled atrocities while exposing to the world the infamy of the Hitler regime and its leaders. They wielded power and enforced it: Goebbels, Goering, Himmler, Hess, Speer and Doenitz – 6 lives lived in Germany, six very different careers, but each contributed in its own way to making Hitler’s regime what it became.

Packed with exclusive interviews, combat film and both public and private German archive film, this documentary series takes you inside Nazi Germany as never before to help understand why this murderous regime behaved as it did – and how it came so close to world domination.

Outline (Volume 02)

Created, ordered and led by Hitler, the state apparatus of Nazi Germany rigorously controlled all aspects of life in the Third Reich from cradle to grave. To maintain his iron grip on the German people through the ministries of his dictatorial government, Hitler surrounded himself with a small clique of fanatical, devoted acolytes. Men such as Heinrich Himmler, the much-feared chief of the Waffen-SS and organiser of the Holocaust, and Hermann Goering, the bombastic head of the Luftwaffe, wielded enormous power and held the fate of millions in their corrupt hands.

This series tells the inside story of the Third Reich, looking at the personalities, roles and rivalries of Hitler’s closest associates; Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Reich’s chief diplomat; Baldur von Schirach, the fanatic who moulded the thoughts of the youth of Germany; and Martin Bormann, Hitler’s enigmatic advisor. The programme not only examine the actions of these infamous men, but probes their psychological makeup, determining how they earned Hitler’s trust, became blindly loyal to the cause, committed deadly atrocities and remained unrepentant to the end. Made in association with Germany’s leading TV producer, this documentary series features never-before seen footage from both government and private sources, rare photographs, documents and eyewitness testimony that proves conclusively that these men were not just following orders, but willing accomplices in Hitler’s crimes. Among those interviewed are members of Hitler’s staff, retired German army officers, and world- renowned historians.

It is the definitive dossier of some of the most reviled men in history. “Hitler’s Henchmen Volume 2” is a six-part sequel to “Hitler’s Henchmen Volume 1”, portraying the men who aided Adolf Hitler in his rise to power and serviced the infernal machinery of the Third Reich. They were the men who consolidated Hitler’s reign and turned his plans into action. Hitler’s henchmen wove the complicities and plots without which Hitler could have never perpetrated the crime of the century. They helped to sway the judges and the bureaucrats, the armed forces and the police, the scientists and the industrialists, the students and their teachers to the regime’s ways of thinking. What kind of men were they? What inspired them to serve a corrupt administration with such enthusiasm and devotion? How did their careers unfold and their fates end? This fascinating original German ZDF series answers all these and other burning questions by examining six of Hitler’s most infamous cohorts. With the use of newly discovered film clips and sound recordings from international archives, the portraits of these aides-de-camp provide viewers with a revealing psychogram of ‘Hitler’s most willing executors’, making it a must-have for anyone interested in military history.

Hitler’s Henchmen Series

• Series 01 (1996):
  • Episode 01: Hess: The Deputy.
  • Episode 02: Doenitz: The Successor.
  • Episode 03: Goebbels: The Firebrand.
  • Episode 04: Goering: The Marshal.
  • Episode 05: Himmler: The Executioner.
  • Episode 06: Speer: The Architect.

• Series 02 (1998):
  • Episode 01: Eichmann: The Exterminator.
  • Episode 02: Mengele: The Doctor of Death.
  • Episode 03: Ribbentrop: The Errand Boy.
  • Episode 04: Schirach: The Corrupter of Youth.
  • Episode 05: Freisler: The Hanging Judge.
  • Episode 06: Bormann: The Shadow Man.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
• Producer(s):
• Writer(s):
• Music:
• Cinematography:
• Editor(s):
• Production:
  • ZDF in association with ARTE, SBS TV, ZDF Enterprises.
  • English version by SBS-TV, Australia.
• Distributor(s):
  • ZDF.
  • SBS.
• Release Date:
  • Series 01: 1996.
  • Series 02: 11 February 1998.
• Running Time: 54 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: Australia.
• Language: English.

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