The book by Guido Knopp, a famous German writer and historian, tells the story of the history and activities of the SS - the Fuhrer's guard units, which became a state within a state. The author provides more than 1,000 testimonies from those who suffered at the hands of the SS or were involved in the activities of the Black Order, as well as stories from “hunters” of SS members hiding from justice. Based on our own research, personal diaries of representatives of the ruling elite of Nazi Germany and the revelations of victims of Nazi terror, a comprehensive picture of the social and political life of Europe during the German Third Reich is recreated.