Hanged for Hitler

“A gripping account of Hitler’s shadow war — and the spies who paid for it with their lives.”

During the Second World War, German Intelligence waged a covert campaign against Britain and its allies, recruiting agents whose loyalty to Adolf Hitler would ultimately cost them their lives. Among these were Karel Richter and Theodore John Schurch — two men drawn into espionage by very different paths, but bound by the same fatal outcome.

One was sent into England on a single, high-risk mission intended to test the integrity of Germany’s most important London-based agent at a moment when the entire Abwehr network in Britain was under suspicion by the Germans themselves. The other was radicalised at home, recruited by Axis intelligence, and embedded with deadly consequences within the British Army itself, operating in war-torn North Africa and Italy.

Their activities exposed the vulnerabilities of wartime security and the power of ideology to turn belief into betrayal. Both stories would end in arrest, secret trials and ultimately execution.

Based on archival research and previously top secret intelligence records, Hanged for Hitler brings to life the deadly aspects of Hitler's hidden war, revealing how espionage, ideology and human frailty led two men inexorably to the gallows.

‘Reveals deadly aspects of Germany's shadow war operating not only in Britain but also in North Africa and the Continent.’

‘A sober reminder that Hitler's secret war against Britian had deadly consequences for all its shadowy agents.'

About the Author

Tony Matthews is a Welsh–Australian historian and author who has devoted his career to uncovering the hidden stories of Australia’s past. Since migrating in 1972, he has written nearly 40 books—including best-selling regional histories and gripping true crime anthologies—and produced more than a dozen documentaries for the ABC and Seven Network, as well as hundreds of radio programs.

Born in Swansea, Wales, and educated at Clevedon College, Tony travelled widely before settling in Australia to pursue his lifelong passion for history. His first book was published in 1986, with many titles since achieving strong sales—most notably Crosses: Australian Soldiers in the Great War, which remained on Queensland bestseller lists for 13 consecutive weeks.

Renowned for his meticulous research and accessible storytelling, Tony brings history to life through compelling narratives and unforgettable characters. His colonial true crime books have been serialised on radio and praised for their vivid, dramatic flair.