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Traudl Junge
Gertraud "Traudl" Junge (; 16 March 1920 – 10 February 2002) was a German editor who worked as Adolf Hitler's last private secretary from December 1942 to April 1945. After typing Hitler's will, she remained in the Berlin ''Führerbunker'' until his death. Following her arrest and imprisonment in June 1945, both the Soviet and the U.S. militaries interrogated her. Later, in post-war West Germany, she worked as a secretary. In her old age, she decided to publish her memoirs, claiming ignorance of the Nazi atrocities during the war, but blaming herself for missing opportunities to investigate reports about them. Her story, based partly on her book '' Until the Final Hour'', formed a part of several dramatizations, in particular the 2004 German film ''Downfall'' about Hitler's final ten days. Early life and education Gertraud "Traudl" Humps was born in Munich, the daughter of a master brewer and lieutenant in the Reserve Army, Max Humps, and his wife, Hildegard (née Zottmann). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is not a state of its own. It ranks as the 11th-largest city in the European Union. The metropolitan area has around 3 million inhabitants, and the broader Munich Metropolitan Region is home to about 6.2 million people. It is the List of EU metropolitan regions by GDP#2021 ranking of top four German metropolitan regions, third largest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Munich is located on the river Isar north of the Alps. It is the seat of the Upper Bavaria, Upper Bavarian administrative region. With 4,500 people per km2, Munich is Germany's most densely populated municipality. It is also the second-largest city in the Bavarian language, Bavarian dialect area after Vienna. The first record of Munich dates to 1158. The city ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfsschanze
The Wolf's Lair (; ) was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the village of Görlitz (now Gierłoż), about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of the town of Rastenburg (now Kętrzyn), in present-day Poland. The central complex and the 's bunker were surrounded by three security zones guarded by two (SS) units: the and the . The 's armored was held in readiness nearby but, as a part of the German Army's elite Division, was used to counter-attack Red Army break-throughs in Army Group Centre's front and rescue cut-off Army, Air Force, paratrooper, and SS armoured troops. The 20 July plot, an assassination attempt against Hitler, took place at the Wolf's Lair on 20 July 1944. Name The name ''Wolfsschanze'' is derived from "Wolf", a nickname of Hitler used only by his close friends. "Wolf" was used in several titles of Hitler's headquarters throughout occupied Europe, such as ''Wolfss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, northwest of Hamburg. Its total length is . The Elbe's major Tributary, tributaries include the rivers Vltava, Ohře, Saale, Havel, Mulde, and Schwarze Elster. The Elbe river basin, comprising the Elbe and its tributaries, has a catchment area of , the twelfth largest in Europe. The basin spans four countries; however, it lies almost entirely just in two of them, Germany (65.5%) and the Czech Republic (33.7%, covering about two thirds of the nation's territory). On its southeastern edges, the Elbe river basin also comprises small parts of Austria (0.6%) and Poland (0.2%). The Elbe catchment area is inhabited by 24.4 million people; its biggest cities are Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Dresden a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernst-Günther Schenck
Ernst-Günther Schenck (3 October 1904 – 21 December 1998) was a German medical doctor and member of the SS in Nazi Germany. Because of a chance encounter with Adolf Hitler during the closing days of World War II, his memoirs proved historically valuable. His accounts of this period are prominent in the works of Joachim Fest and James P. O'Donnell regarding the end of Hitler's life, and were included in the film '' Downfall'' (2004). Schenck was not allowed to continue his medical career in post-war Germany. Biography Schenck was born in Marburg, Hesse-Nassau. His father was a professor at Muenster University, teaching classical literature and the humanities. He trained as a doctor and joined the SS. During the war, Schenck was actively involved in the creation of a large herbal plantation in Dachau concentration camp, which contained over 200,000 medicinal plants, from which, among other things, vitamin supplements for the Waffen-SS were manufactured. In 1940 he was appo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constanze Manziarly
Constanze Manziarly (14 April 1920 – disappeared 2 May 1945) was born in Innsbruck, Austria. She served as a cook and dietitian to Adolf Hitler until his final days in Berlin in 1945. Early life Manziarly was born in Innsbruck, Austria, on 14 April 1920. According to Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge, Manziarly wanted to be a teacher and only took up cooking for Hitler temporarily. Career Manziarly worked as cook and dietitian for Hitler from his 1943 stays at the Berghof until his death in Berlin on 30 April 1945. According to Junge, as of late 1944 Manziarly was still considered too new to be included within Hitler's "inner circle". On 16 January 1945, Hitler began residing in the ''Führerbunker'', the newer and lower unit of the Reich Chancellery bunker complex. Two rooms in the '' Vorbunker'', the older and upper unit, were used for food supply. Another room was used as the kitchen, with a refrigerator and a wine store. Manziarly prepared Hitler's meals in this kitchen d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Else Krüger
Else Krüger (9 February 1915 – 24 January 2005) was Martin Bormann's secretary (and, allegedly, mistress) from the end of 1942 until 1 May 1945.O'Donnell, J. (2001) 978 '' The Bunker''. Junge and Christian, when interviewed by O'Donnell, both claimed that Bormann was having an affair with Krüger. When O'Donnell asked Krüger if this was true, she neither confirmed nor denied these statements. She was born in Hamburg-Altona. She was in the ''Führerbunker'' during the Battle of Berlin in World War II. Krüger was with Eva Braun, Gerda Christian, Traudl Junge, and Constanze Manziarly when German dictator Adolf Hitler told them that they must prepare to leave for the Berghof like the others. However, she volunteered to remain with Hitler in the Berlin ''Führerbunker''. She was there when Braun indicated that she would never leave Hitler's side and they embraced. Hitler gave each of the women a cyanide capsule. Then on the afternoon of 30 April 1945, Hitler and B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Rattenhuber
Johann Rattenhuber (30 April 1897 – 30 June 1957), also known as Hans Rattenhuber, was a German police and SS general (''Gruppenführer'', i. e. Generalleutnant). Rattenhuber was the head of German dictator Adolf Hitler's personal '' Reichssicherheitsdienst'' (Reich Security Service; RSD) bodyguard from 1933 to 1945. In January 1942, Rattenhuber's RSD units participated in the mass shooting of 227 Jews at Strizhavka. After the war, he was released from a Soviet prison on 10 October 1955 and allowed to go to West Germany. He died in Munich in 1957. Biography Rattenhuber was born in Munich, where he made a career as a police officer. During World War I he served in the 16th and 13th Bavarian Infantry Regiments. He later joined the ''Freikorps''. On 15 March 1933 he was appointed head of one of Hitler's personal bodyguard units then known as the ''Führerschutzkommando'' (Führer protection command; FSK). His deputy was Peter Högl. Its original members were Bavarian crimina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reichssicherheitsdienst
The ''Reichssicherheitsdienst'' (RSD, lit. "''Reich'' security service") was an SS security force of Nazi Germany. Originally bodyguards for Adolf Hitler, it later provided men for the protection of other high-ranking leaders of the Nazi regime. The group, although similar in name, was completely separate from the ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD), which was the formal intelligence service for the SS, the Nazi Party and later Nazi Germany. Its role included personal security, investigation of assassination plots, surveillance of locations before the arrival of Nazi dignitaries and vetting buildings as well as guests. The RSD had the power to request assistance from any other SS organisations and take command of all ''Ordnungspolizei'' (order police) in its role protecting the Nazi functionaries. Formation The RSD was founded on 15 March 1933 as the ''Führerschutzkommando'' ("Führer protection command"; FSK) under the command of then SS-''Standartenführer'' Johann Rattenhuber. His ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hans Baur
Johannes 'Hans' Baur (19 June 1897 – 17 February 1993) was Adolf Hitler's pilot during the political campaigns of the early 1930s. He began his aviation career as a flying ace in World War I. He later became Hitler's personal pilot and leader of the ''Reichsregierung'' squadron. Apprehended by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II in Europe, he was imprisoned in the Soviet Union for ten years. He died in Herrsching, Bavaria, in February 1993. World War I and interwar period Baur was born in Ampfing, Kingdom of Bavaria. He was called up to the Bavarian Army in 1915, and trained in field artillery. He then joined the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (air force) as an artillery spotter. In 1918, Baur served in FA 295 as an ''Unteroffizier'' pilot of two-seater Hannover CL.III ground attack aircraft. His observer was ''Leutnant'' Georg Ritter von Hengl. Baur was credited with six confirmed and three unconfirmed victories against French aircraft beginning 17 July 1918. '' Vizefeld ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilhelm Mohnke
Wilhelm Mohnke (15 March 1911 – 6 August 2001) was a German military officer who was one of the original members of the ''Schutzstaffel'' ''SS-Stabswache'' Berlin (Staff Guard Berlin) formed in March 1933. Mohnke, who had joined the Nazi Party in September 1931, rose through the ranks to become one of Adolf Hitler's last remaining general officers at the end of World War II in Europe. Mohnke participated in the fighting in France, Poland and the Balkans as part of the SS Division Leibstandarte, 1. SS Panzer Division ''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler''. In 1943 he was appointed to command a regiment in the SS Division Hitlerjugend, 12. SS Panzer Division ''Hitlerjugend''. He led the unit in the Battle for Caen, receiving the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 11 July 1944. Mohnke was given command of the ''Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler'' division during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. While participating in the Battle of Berlin, Mohnke commanded ''Kampfgruppe Mohnke'' (Combat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goebbels Children
The Goebbels children were the five daughters and one son born to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda. The children, born between 1932 and 1940, were murdered by their parents in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day both parents committed suicide. Magda Goebbels had an elder son, Harald Quandt, from a previous marriage to Günther Quandt. Harald, then aged 23, was a prisoner of war when his younger half-siblings were killed. There are many theories of how they were killed; one is that Magda Goebbels gave them something 'sweetened' to drink. The most supported theory is that they were killed with a cyanide capsule. Naming Some historian writers have contended that the children's names all begin with "H" as a tribute to Adolf Hitler, who was fond of all the children, but there is no evidence to support this; rather, it supports that Magda's "H" naming was the idea of her first husband, Günther Quandt, who chose names beginning with "H" for his other two ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Death Of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler, chancellor and dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, committed suicide via a gunshot to the head on 30 April 1945 in the in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would lose the Battle of Berlin, which led to the end of World War II in Europe. Eva Braun, his longtime companion and wife of one day, also committed suicide by cyanide poisoning. In accordance with Hitler's prior written and verbal instructions, that afternoon their remains were carried up the stairs and through the bunker's emergency exit to the Reich Chancellery garden, where they were doused in petrol and burned. The news of Hitler's death was announced on German radio the next day, 1 May. Eyewitnesses who saw Hitler's body immediately after his suicide testified that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot, presumably to the temple. Otto Günsche, Hitler's personal adjutant, who handled both bodies, testified that while Braun's smelled strongly of burnt almondsan indicati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
