Season 1

The driving force behind Germany's attempt to breed a master race, Historian James Ellis learns how Heinrich Himmler orchestrated the genocide of millions.

James Ellis explores how the virulently anti-Semitic minister of propaganda Josef Goebbels orchestrated a campaign of hate that paved the way for the Holocaust.

As Hitler's second in command, Hermann Goering was a ruthless and flamboyant manipulator, and James is exploring how this revered fighter pilot of the First World War could emerge as a psychopathic war criminal in the Second. Addicted to wealth and power, Goering was willing to attain his goals by any means necessary, and as his power increased, so did his taste for the good life.

James is on the trail of Adolf Eichmann, the notorious Nazi bureaucrat who escaped justice for 15 years until his trial made the Holocaust a household name. Under oath, Eichmann insisted he was a powerless middle manager who was simply following orders, and James is determined to find out if there's any truth to his defense.

The architectural mastermind of the Third Reich, Albert Speer escaped the noose at the end of the war. But James believes there's a monstrous truth behind Speer's carefully crafted lies, and is determined to reveal the full extent of his crimes.

Tracing the origins of his sadistic pseudo-science, James investigates Josef Mengele, the notorious demon doctor of Auschwitz.

Hitler's naval commander Karl Donitz was a fanatical Nazi who would do anything to support the party's despicable aims. After the war, he claimed he'd only been a sailor following orders, but James is determined to prove Donitz was a committed war criminal who earned his bloody role as Hitler's successor.

As Hitler's personal lawyer, Hans Frank twisted the law to further the Führer's brutal agenda, and in enslaving an entire nation became known as the Butcher of Poland. James is determined to find out how this lawyer turned into a power-hungry monster.

As Hitler's master spy, Wilhelm Canaris staged covert operations that ultimately caused chaos and destruction. But he was also a double agent who provided secrets to the Allies and helped Jews escape from Germany. It's a complex story, and James wants to know more.

James is in Italy where he's investigating Benito Mussolini-the brutal dictator whose violent path to power set the template for the rise of Nazi Germany. Though not a Nazi, Mussolini's fascist alliance with the Führer places him squarely inside Hitler's circle of evil.