Hitler's Holocaust

- Season 1

(2000)

1939-1941: As murder of men, women and children becomes rampant, pogroms and deportation into Jewish ghettos are commonplace. Himmler, Hitler's executioner, is confronted with his own ordered atrocities when a victim's brain is splattered on his uniform. There must be a 'cleaner' way, he thinks, one that is 'easier' on the perpetrators.

1942: Hitler proclaims the mass murdering a "deed performed for humanity and" and following Pearl Harbor, he declares war on America. He then focuses on the expansion of concentration camps in the first years of World War II.

Once Poland was occupied, more extreme methods became acceptable. Many Jews failed to read the signs and stayed till it was too late, some kept believing reason, morality or past merits would protect them. In fact brought-in German soldiers and officials systematically confiscated all Jewish properties and relegated the 'Untermensche' to walled-off ghettos, for total plunder and a most unhealthy regime bound to lead to starvation and epidemics, more deadly then 'occasional' executions.

1942: As the flames of madness consume Europe, day and night, the death trains leave German towns. The broad masses realize the truth, but stay silent. At auctions, they even buy up what Jewish possessions remain. This year, the world will learn of the mass killings, but it will take six months before the Western allies issue a statement: Those responsible "will not escape without punishment."

A look into courage and heroism in the face of impossible odds, and German soldiers who conspire to assassinate Hitler, but whose failure cost them their lives. The Jewish citizens of the Warsaw Ghetto who take arms against brutal SS units, and miraculously hold on for nearly one month, until, out of 380,000, only 70,000 are still alive. They, too, are now deported.

1944-1945: As Germany's military situation becomes more and more hopeless, Hitler focuses on his objective of genocide. His new goal is to prevent anyone from bearing witness to the unspeakable horrors. In January 1945, the Soviet army reaches Auschwitz. The liberators are deeply shocked by what they see: thousand of emaciated human beings are vegetating between life and death.