Offers an incisive introductory survey of the Holocaust from the ideological inception of modern anti-Semitism through the rising tide of anti-Jewish persecution in the 1930s and culminating in the Final Solution. I would strongly recommend the book for use in college courses on the Holocaust or the Third Reich, and it is appropriate for advanced high students as well.

– Abraham J. Edelheit, Jewish Book World

McKale presents a chillingly detailed and documented account of the Nazi insanity motivating the murderous attempt to exterminate the Jews in Europe. In view of the massive manpower, construction, transportation, energy, and other resources expended in this task, winning World War II, for the Nazis, was nothing more than a step toward success in the Holocaust.

– Martin Blumenson, Author of Heroes Never Die: Warriors and Warfare in World War II and Patton.

For anyone seeking to come to terms with the depravity of the Holocaust, Hitler's Shadow War will be required reading.

– Booklist

McKale's book is a stunning achievement that will be read eagerly by students and scholars of the Holocaust. ... If readers at any level, or any library, were to purchase one book on the Holocaust, Hitler's Shadow War would be the recommended choice.

– Choice Reviews

Donald McKale's latest book is a detailed study of Nazi Germany's Jewish persecutions and the Holocaust. Drawn mainly from the abundant secondary literature in English, the work surveys the familiar territory, however in great detail.

– History: Reviews Of New Books