This is event is hosted by the National Army Museum on behalf of the Chelsea History Festival

When Nazi Germany surrendered in 1945, Governor of Galicia and leading SS Brigadesfuhrer, Otto von Wächter, was indicted for ‘mass murder’.

Wächter went on the run, spending three years hiding in the Austrian Alps before heading to Rome, where he was taken in by a Vatican bishop. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the ‘ratline’, he died unexpectedly a few days after having lunch with an ‘old comrade’.

Philippe Sands seeks to uncover the truth behind what happened to Otto von Wächter. He will present a fascinating account of the daily life of a Nazi fugitive, his relationship with his wife, and the activities of spies at the start of the Cold War.

Philippe Sands QC is one of the UK’s most prominent human rights barristers. He is widely celebrated for his work in international human rights and has been involved in many of the most important cases in recent years including Pinochet, Congo, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Iraq and Guantanamo. He has frequently appeared before international courts including the International Criminal Court and the World Court in the Hague. In addition to The Ratline, Sands wrote the Sunday Times bestseller East West Street, for which he was awarded the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Prix Montaigne. He is a Professor of Law at UCL, President of English PEN and a member of the Board of the Hay Festival.

The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive