Philippe Sands on Otto Wächter, a Nazi on the Run from Justice

We Have Ways of Making You Talk is a weekly show exploring the war in close up, hosted by comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland as they discuss all matters Second World War. James and Al have a stunning knowledge of their subject, but don’t expect a linear narrative. The boys love a tangent and a forgotten tale, as they roam down forgotten front lines, cast new villains, and make the case for unlikely heroes.

In this week’s episode, Philippe Sands, author of East West Street and The Ratline, further explores The Ratline and its central cast of characters. Otto Wächter, the Nazi on the run from justice; his wife Charlotte, avowed Nazi but loving wife and mother. And Horst Wächter, their son, still trying to prove his parents were innocent of the worst Nazi crimes.

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Philippe Sands is an international lawyer and a professor of law at University College London. He is the author of Lawless World and Torture Team and is a frequent commentator on CNN and the BBC World Service. Sands lectures around the world and has taught at New York University and been a visiting professor at the University of Toronto, the University of Melbourne, and the Université de Paris I (Sorbonne). In 2003 he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel. He lives in London, England.