Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial docuseries deftly unpicks the cult of German Reich ideology

Streaming review

'Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial'. Photo: Netflix

Dónal Lynch

On a recent trip to an alpine village in Austria, a triptych of black-and-white photos in the hall outside my room caught my eye. They featured a woman in a dirndl, her blonde hair coiled into tight plaits on either side of her head. On a balcony that looked down on the operatic scenery, she shields her face from the light.

The photos were dated summer 1945. Europe lay in ruins. Tens of millions were dead. And yet the sun shone down indifferently on Lake Wolfgang and its beautiful people. Hitler’s fans had lost everything, except their ability to turn a look.