Hitler and the Occult

by Ken Anderson

Overview

Journalist Ken Anderson analyzes claims made by historian Trevor Ravenscroft and others that the Holy Lance, which is said to have pierced the side of Jesus Christ, took center stage in Hitler's life and was the focal point of Hitler's ambitions to conquer the world. In addition to pointing out the flaws in this theory, Anderson questions the veracity of the biblical story of the lance.Was there some meaning behind the flight of Hitler deputy Rudolf Hess to Britain, Hitler's supposed extrasensory perception, his choice of the swastika as the Nazi symbol, the "superman" who haunted the Fuhrer, the use of Nostradamus in propaganda, the way Americans were taken in by the astrological propaganda war, and strange similarities between Hitler and Charlie Chaplin? Anderson offers rational explanations for these alleged strange events and powers, demonstrating that they cannot be attributed to Hitler.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879759735
Publisher:	Prometheus Books
Publication date:	04/01/1995
Series:	German Studies
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.86(d)

About the Author

Ken Anderson is an Australian author and journalist.

Editorial Reviews

In this touching, if modest, memoir, Fuykschot recalls the daily problems her family endured during the WWII German occupation of Holland, which stretched from her 11th to her 15th year. She conveys the effect on the populace when Queen Wilhelmina fled to London-"We had lost our Queen, we were no longer a nation, we were nobodies..."-and the more devastating impact on the Fuykschot family when her father, an insurance inspector, was held in a hostage camp. After his release, the family suffered the increasing privation that was common across Holland: the absence of running water and electricity and the relentlessly diminishing food supply. During the grim winter of 1944-1945, children were sent into the countryside to beg for food at farmhouses. Fuykschot provides a dramatic account of the liberation of Utrecht by Canadian troops, who made such a favorable impression in ensuing weeks that scores of Dutch citizens ultimately moved to Canada ("Moving to Canada seemed to many like going to live with your big brother), including the author herself. Photos.

Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly

In this touching, if modest, memoir, Fuykschot recalls the daily problems her family endured during the WWII German occupation of Holland, which stretched from her 11th to her 15th year. She conveys the effect on the populace when Queen Wilhelmina fled to London-``We had lost our Queen, we were no longer a nation, we were nobodies...''-and the more devastating impact on the Fuykschot family when her father, an insurance inspector, was held in a hostage camp. After his release, the family suffered the increasing privation that was common across Holland: the absence of running water and electricity and the relentlessly diminishing food supply. During the grim winter of 1944-1945, children were sent into the countryside to beg for food at farmhouses. Fuykschot provides a dramatic account of the liberation of Utrecht by Canadian troops, who made such a favorable impression in ensuing weeks that scores of Dutch citizens ultimately moved to Canada (``Moving to Canada seemed to many like going to live with your big brother), including the author herself. Photos. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Takes a critical look at the evidence that Hitler may have been involved in the occult, and, disappointingly, finds that Winston Churchill had more ties to the occult through the Freemasons than did Hitler. Anderson analyzes various claims that Hitler believed the Holy Lance would help him conquer the world, and addresses other aspects of occult influence on the dictator, explaining the origins of his choice of the swastika as a symbol and the use of the predictions of Nostradamus in Nazi propaganda. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Some of the most persistent myths about Hitler connect him with mysticism, occultism, and the supernatural. Anderson provides much-needed debunking of these legends, tracing most of the longest-lived to their sources and refuting them. The members of the secret Thule Society may have had something to do with the early Nazi Party, Anderson grants, but Hitler suppressed it once he was in power. A supposed relic of the Crucifixion, the Holy Lance, may have helped inspire the Grail legends and others, but there is no evidence that Hitler ever saw it. The man presented as the fuhrer's favorite astrologer both by himself and the Allies never met Hitler, much less consulted him. Many Nazis (most notably, Himmler) were obsessed by occultist mumbo jumbo, but Hitler laughed it off. "Und so weiter". Anderson's point is that Hitler was in the grip not of any supernatural force, but of his own twisted mind. He was an opportunist who exploited the superstition of others to further his own lust for power and destruction.

Dennis Winters