Enjoyed reading this book as well as learning more about the crimes that took place doing this part of our history.

To be honest, I am not sure how I want to feel after reading these types of history books. It is a lot of information on atrocities committed at the camps and by the SS. It takes me through hate to sadness to hope that we someday get to where these things no longer happen in the world. If you a war history reader then this book should be on your list.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

Loved this book. Lots of interesting information to digest. This is a great read for anyone who loves to read about history. Very well written

I enjoy all books on this era and period of time. People need to still hear of the atrocity and horrible times that happened. Don’t let it happen again. Brilliant read one I will recommend

Prenger dives into the life story of SS Officer Konrad Morgen and his investigations of crimes committed by fellow SS officers during the war. Few know what they would have personally done in those circumstances but Morgen walked a fine line between maintaining a facade for whatever group he was talking to. Prenger's book is well-researched and presented nicely (but a bit dry in areas). This would make a good gift for anyone interested in the human side of the war.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword Military for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

I think this is the first time I’ve read a full non-fiction account on Auschwitz and this was quite an interesting read although it was a little dry but I could tell a lot of research has gone into this. The story is very informative and detailed but I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have liked.

This story focuses on a judge in Auschwitz, Konrad Morgen. He is an SS judge who investigated crimes committed in Nazi concentration camps and collected evidence in order to prosecute camp guards and SS commanders. Interesting, isn’t it? A German SS judge going against his own comrades for what happened in the camps? Throughout the story, Prenger tries to establish exactly who Konrad Morgan was and what his intentions were. He has his own set of values that does not necessarily align with the Nazis but then in order to live, he joined them.

Although he was tasked to investigate crimes in concentration camps, is it safe to say he didn’t know what had been going on in these camps, not even the gas chambers? Although to give him the benefit of the doubt, he did prosecute many SS officers and camp commanders for their crimes but it was under the law of the Nazis. What was meant by criminal acts for the Nazis? Many SS leaders and commanders were introduced here and the crimes they committed. They are truly horrifying and many of them committed these crimes with no remorse which sends chills down my spine. You may be curious to find out what happened to Morgen in the end. Was he trialled fairly during the war crime trials? I was not surprised with the ending.

I love how well documented this was. Prenger described the timeline and events clearly. Some incidents were so frustrating to read and again horrifying details of what happened in the camps is still hard to stomach. Prenger also added pictures of some of the officers at the end of the story and I honestly felt like ripping their smiling faces. Overall, I would recommend reading this with an open mind.

Thank you Netgalley and Pen & Sword for the arc.

A Judge in Auschwitz details the life of a German judge who seeks to maintain justice , law, and order in concentration camps - holding camp officers accountable- during World War Two. This judge goes on to testify at the Nuremberg Trials.

Well this was completely different but so informative and you could tell the research that had gone into it. Sometimes with detailed books they are a bit dry but this wasn't. It really explored the motives of the judge both during the war and after. The way the chapters were written really helped with this.

I can't say I enjoyed the book but I did get a lot out of it and for that I am grateful.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

I'm not certain I've ever read about such a self-serving, morally corrupt, pretend good deed doer, and fantasist that eclipsed even The Former Guy as I did in this book.

Konrad Morgen - yet another Nazi who fails to meet the Aryan ideal the Nazis themselves decided was the untermensch - was a lawyer in Germany during WWII. While he claims not to have joined the Nazi party voluntarily, it's clear he did, as otherwise he would not have been consistently promoted as he was, and he certainly would never have been in the SS.

Eventually. Morgen is tasked with rooting out corruption in the SS, which only makes sense if you're a completely twisted jackass. Most of what was deemed corruption dealt with stealing from the luggage left behind by Jews and other "undesirables" and the absurdly termed "illegal killing" - that is, killing inmates outside the defined policies under which the camp operated. While I can see how the Nazis would be able to separate the two, it makes my brain hurt to do so.

Morgen bounces around from camp to camp: Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and other camps, investigating any thievery or murders. He is, as one might surmise, astonishingly ineffective at bring many people up on charges: those people are transferred, or deemed necessary to do the heinous work they do, or have powerful friends like Himmler to step in for them. Like some of the camps (Thereisenstatd, for instance) this investigatory thing into the SS was, in my opinion, a show: an act put on so that people would see the SS was bound to certain policing, just like anyone else. Except it isn't policing if you're investigating yourself, and there are few charges and fewer punishments involved.

There is one documented death sentence handed out from his investigation, involving the commandant of Buchenwald, Karl Koch. Koch's sadist and equally evil wife was also found guilty, but face no serious punishment for her part.

Morgen lays claim to attempting to charge a slew of other people, from Eichmann to Dirlewanger to Mengele, but there seems to be no "there" there, as he claims his investigations suffered interference at all turns. Shocker.

The most outlandish of Morgen's claims, however, come after he war. As he is questioned by the military tribunal and testifies at various trials, Morgen paints himself not only as a paragon of justice - he tried to stop the thefts of items that now belonged to the Reich and tried to stop the so-called illegal killings and use of the punishment bunkers in the camps! - but also someone working inside the system to stop the Holocaust itself.

What he was in reality: someone with delusions of grandeur and a serious worker of the tribunal system, on one hand throwing other defendants under the bus, while on the other insisting that he was within the law to ignore the mass murders that were policy at that time.

It's a sometimes infuriating read, and shares a lot in common with books about con wo/men in any sort of setting. It may also make you want to punch Nazis. If you're already in great favor of punching Nazis, as I am, this will simply bolster that feeling.

Five out of five stars.

Thanks to Pen & Sword Military and NetGalley for the reading copy.

A very interesting subject of reviewing one man's professional career as a Nazi SS Officer Judge, working in the concentration camps to prosecute other Nazi's performing illegal acts, such as murder, stealing and profiteering.
The book opens up a new perspective into the workings of the SS in an area that really hasn't seen the light of day.
It covers the investigations into the offences and the trials and also covers the trials after the end of World War Two.
A good read and worth space on your bookshelf.

A Judge in Auschwitz Konrad Morgen's Crusade Against SS Corruption & 'Illegal' Murder by Kevin Prenger follows SS Judge Konrad Morgen has he gathers evidence to prosecute his fellow Nazi officers for acts of theft, corruption and unauthorized murders. Morgen was instrumental in the charges against Karl Koch and and his wife Ilse. Ilse was known as the “Witch of Buchenwald” for her brutality. Morgen also tried to prosecute other SS officers such as Oskar Dirlewanger and Hermann Fegelein and Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss, Adolf Eichmann. “A Judge in Auschwitz” follows Morgen’s testimonies in the Nuremberg trials.
“A Judge in Auschwitz” was not what I anticipated. It is more of a text book biography of Konrad Morgen. The lines were still blurred. I was curious about Morgen’s actually thoughts walking through the gas chambers, seeing the corruption and how did he draw a line between what to prosecute and what was authorized by the Third Reich. It is evident that Prenger has spent a great deal of time researching the life of Morgen. Thank you to Kevin Prenger, Pen and Sword and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

In autumn 1943, SS judge Konrad Morgen visited Auschwitz concentration camp to investigate an intercepted parcel containing gold sent from the camp. While there Morgen found the SS camp guards engaged in widespread theft and corruption.

Worse, Morgen also discovered that inmates were being killed without authority from the SS leadership. While millions of Jews were being exterminated under the Final Solution programme , Konrad Morgen set about gathering evidence of these ‘illegal murders’.

Morgen also visited other camps such as Buchenwald where he had the notorious camp commandant Karl Koch and Ilse, his sadistic spouse, arrested and charged. Found guilty by an SS court, Koch was sentenced to death.

Remarkably, the apparently fearless SS judge also tried to prosecute other Nazi criminals including Waffen-SS commanders Oskar Dirlewanger and Hermann Fegelein and Auschwitz Commandant Rudolf Höss. He even claimed to have tried to indict Adolf Eichmann, who was responsible for organising the mass deportation of the Jews to the extermination camps.

This intriguing work reveals how the lines between justice and injustice became blurred in the Third Reich. As well as describing the actions of this often contradictory character the author questions Morgen’s motives.

This was a five star read! What a book! Fully recommend you buy this well researched book!