Adolf Eichmann was born in Germany in March 1906, but grew up in Austria after his family moved there during the first World War. In 1932 he joined the Nazi party there. Within two years he was attached to Heinrich Himmler's elite SS (Schutz-Staffel) military organisation and was soon attached to a central office in Berlin dealing with Jewish affairs.

In January 1942 Nazi leaders met at Wannsee near Berlin and agreed the so-called final solution, their plan to exterminate all of Europe's Jews. Eichmann was put in charge of this Holocaust, organising the schedules, targets to be met and logistics. He was responsible for the identification, assembly and transportation of Jews to concentration camps in German-occupied territories.

Almost all were murdered: in 1944 Eichmann reported to Himmler that four million Jews had perished in camps, two million more in mobile extermination units.

After the war, Eichmann was captured, but he escaped from US custody in 1946. For some years he was believed to be in the Middle East, but he settled in Argentina in 1958. He was located there by the Nazi-hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, and smuggled to Israel in May 1960. After a trial before three judges, for crimes against the Jewish people and humanity, he was convicted and hanged in May 1962.