The very name of Hitler`s secret police has become synonymous with the rule of terror that, under Heinrich Himmler, first maintained and then extended the Fuhrer`s iron grip on Germany and its people. Waging relentless war on political dissidents, disaffected citizens and religious minorities alike, the Gestapo`s tactics of torture, interrogation and summary execution bolstered Hitler`s crumbling regime to the last and established a reputation for brutality and oppression that would endure long after the last Gestapo commandant met his fate at the gallows.