It was one of Nazi Germany’s top-secret operations. It was the most humiliating episode in the Bank of England’s history. It saved dozens of Jewish artisans from the chimneys.

Operation Bernhard was the massive counterfeiting plot designed to destroy England’s economy—and the financial wellbeing of any other nation that dared to defy the Third Reich. With the failure of its predecessor, Operation Andreas, Operation Bernhard sought talent from an unlikely source. SS Officer Bernhard Krueger selected his crew of counterfeiters from concentration camps. Some of the men were only hours away from death when they were recruited for the scheme. Printers, lithographers, artists, and others with related skills were brought to Block 19 at Sachsenhausen.

While he was nothing like Oscar Schindler, Krueger saw the sense of treating his men like human beings. Decent food and clothing meant so little to those used to it, but it meant far more to those who had been denied the most basic of necessities.  Such treatment will buy respect, if not some form of loyalty.

Author Lawrence Malkin’s in-depth research delves into a lesser-known facet of WWII and Nazi Germany. The first several chapters provide information of the events leading to the formation of Operation Bernhard. These chapters are somewhat slow, but they are essential to understand the remaining narrative, which grows intriguing andcompelling.

KRUEGER’S MEN would be an excellent reading choice for students of WWII history, as well as any fields that could benefit from the study of a complex crime ring.

Whether a student or casual purveyor, this book is a fascinating study of brilliance and diligent work put to an unsavory use.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
10/25/2006

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