Rochus Misch (29 July 1917 – 5 September 2013) was a German ''
Oberscharführer'' (sergeant) in the
1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...
(LSSAH). He was badly wounded during the
Polish campaign during the first month of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in Europe. After recovering, from 1940 to April 1945, he served in the ''
Führerbegleitkommando'' (Führer Escort Command; FBK) as a
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...
, courier, and telephone operator for German dictator
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
.
Misch was widely reported in the media as being the last surviving former occupant of the ''
Führerbunker
The () was an air raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex constructed in two phases in 1936 and 1944. It was the last of the Führer Headquarters (''Führerhaupt ...
'' when he died in September 2013. However, it was later reported that former nurse Johanna Ruf, who died in 2023 at the age of 94, was the last surviving occupant of the ''Fuehrerbunker''.
Early life and education
Misch was born on 29 July 1917 in
Alt-Schalkowitz near
Oppeln (Opole) in the
Province of Silesia (now Stare Siołkowice, Poland).
His father, a construction worker, died of wounds sustained in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. His widowed mother died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
when he was two and a half, and he grew up with his grandparents. His older brother Bruno died following a swimming accident in 1922.
Over the objections of the school director, his grandfather took him out of school after eight years as he thought Rochus needed to learn a trade. After several years, Misch moved to
Hoyerswerda and became an apprentice with the firm of Schmüller & Model. There he trained as a painter. In 1935, after working as a journeyman painter, Misch attended the Masters' School for Fine Arts in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. After six months, he returned to Hoyerswerda to continue his training. Misch met Gerda, his wife-to-be, in July 1938. They later married on New Year's Eve, 1942.
They had a daughter, Brigitta Jacob-Engelken, who, after the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, supported Jewish causes.
Military service
In 1937, Misch received a call-up notice for military service. In Offenberg, he joined the ''
SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT), the predecessor to the
Waffen-SS
The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...
, instead of the German Army as the SS-VT did not require ''
Reichsarbeitsdienst
The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major paramilitary organization established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the Economy of Nazi Germany, German economy, militarise the wo ...
'' (National Labour Service) time. Along with eleven others, he was selected for Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, the
''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'' (LSSAH). In August 1939, he was promoted to the rank of SS-''
Rottenführer''.
World War II
For the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
in September 1939, his regiment was attached to the
XIII Army Corps, a part of the
8th Army. Near Warsaw on 24 September, he was one of four men selected by his company commander, then SS-''
Hauptsturmführer''
Wilhelm Mohnke, to negotiate the surrender of Polish troops during the
Battle of Modlin
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. He was picked because of his ability, although very limited, to speak Polish. After the negotiations failed, the Germans headed back to their lines. When they were about 80 metres from the fort, firing began. Several rounds struck Misch, who fell down and lost consciousness. Some German soldiers carried him to an aid station. Later, he was transferred to two different hospitals. Thereafter, he spent six weeks at a convalescent home. For his actions, Misch was awarded the
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
, Second Class. As Misch was the last living member of his
Lower Silesian family, Mohnke recommended him for the ''
SS-Begleitkommando des Führers'' (Führer Escort Command; FBK). This was made up of SS members, including men from the LSSAH, who were not serving on the front lines.
Misch was transferred to the FBK in early May 1940. As a junior member of Hitler's permanent bodyguard, Misch travelled with Hitler throughout the war.
When not serving as bodyguards, Misch and the others in the unit served as telephone operators, couriers, orderlies, valets, and waiters.
When on duty, the FBK members were the only armed men Hitler allowed to be near him. They never had to surrender their weapon and were never searched when they were with Hitler. It did cause Misch some concern that they were armed only with
Walther PPK 7.65 pistols.
On 16 January 1945, following the Wehrmacht's defeat in the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
, Misch and the rest of Hitler's personal staff moved into the ''Führerbunker'' and ''
Vorbunker'' under the
Reich Chancellery garden in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. His FBK commanding officer,
Franz Schädle, appointed Misch to be the bunker telephone operator. Misch handled all of the direct communication from the bunker. He did not leave it for any significant period of time until the war ended in May 1945. On 22 April 1945, Schädle called him on the phone and told him there was a place reserved for his wife and young daughter on one of the last planes out of Berlin. Misch was temporarily released from duty and drove to pick up his family to take them to the aircraft. However, his wife refused to take their daughter and leave him and her parents in Berlin. Upon returning to the Reich Chancellery, Misch learned Hitler was releasing most of the remaining staff to leave Berlin. By that date, as the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
was entering Berlin, propaganda minister
Joseph Goebbels and his wife
Magda brought their
six young children to stay in the ''Vorbunker''. Joseph Goebbels moved into the room next to Misch's telephone exchange in the lower level of the ''Führerbunker''. The Goebbels children would play in the corridor around Misch's post.
On 30 April, the Soviets were less than from the bunker. That afternoon, Hitler and
Eva Braun committed suicide less than 40 hours after they were married. Misch witnessed the discovery of the bodies of Hitler and Braun. He followed
Otto Günsche and Hitler's chief valet
Heinz Linge to the door of Hitler's private room. After the door was opened, Misch only took a quick "glance". He saw Eva, with her legs drawn up, to Hitler's left on the sofa. Her eyes were open and she was dead. Hitler was also dead. He was either sitting on the sofa or in the armchair by it; his head "had fallen forward slightly". Misch started to leave to report the events to Schädle, then stopped and returned to the door of Hitler's study. Misch then observed that Hitler's corpse had been removed from inside the study and wrapped in a blanket. Several men then picked it up and carried it past him. Misch left and reported the events to Schädle, who instructed him to return to his duty station. After returning to the telephone exchange, Misch later recalled ''Unterscharführer'' Retzbach proclaiming "So they're burning the boss now!" Retzbach asked Misch if he was going upstairs to watch the events, but Misch declined to go. Thereafter, Günsche came down and told Misch that the corpses of Hitler and Braun had been burned in the garden of the Reich Chancellery.
Misch was present in the bunker complex when Magda Goebbels poisoned her six children and then committed suicide with her husband Joseph on 1 May 1945. According to Misch, this act by the Goebbels' of murdering their children was most unsettling. Years later he stated that event was the "most dreadful thing" he experienced in the bunker.
Prior to his suicide, Joseph Goebbels finally released Misch from further service; he was free to leave. Misch and mechanic
Johannes Hentschel were two of the last people remaining in the bunker. They exchanged letters to their wives in case anything happened to either of them. Misch then went upstairs through the cellars of the Reich Chancellery to where Schädle had his office to report one last time. According to Hentschel, by that time Schädle's shrapnel leg wound had turned
gangrenous. Misch told Schädle that Goebbels had released him. Schädle told Misch what route he should take in order to avoid the Soviet encirclement of the Berlin area. Thereafter, Schädle shot himself. Misch fled the bunker in the early morning of 2 May, only hours before the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
seized it. He met up with some other soldiers and travelled north through the U-Bahn tunnels. Shortly thereafter, they were taken prisoner by Red Army soldiers. Misch was brought to
Lubyanka Prison in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, where he was tortured by Soviet
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
officers in an attempt to extract information regarding Hitler's last days. Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
was extremely interested in learning of Hitler's fate and theories about possible escape. Misch spent eight years in
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
forced labour camps.
Later life and death
After his release from captivity, Misch returned to what was then
West Berlin
West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
on 31 December 1953.
At the time, Misch's wife Gerda worked as a teacher in
Neukölln. Misch struggled for several years with what to do with his life after captivity. He was offered various odd jobs, among others as a porter in a hospital and as a driver. Most of these job offers were through his wartime contacts, and required moving away from Berlin, which his wife refused to do. He finally obtained a loan backed by wealthy German philanthropists to buy a painting and interior decorating shop from a retiree in Berlin. The business had been started by Misch's old friend Adolf Kleinholdermann. In 1975, Gerda was elected to the parliament of West Berlin in which she served for several years. Years later, Gerda developed
Alzheimer's and she died in 1998. Misch continued to manage his shop until his retirement in 1986 at the age of 68.
Misch was loyal to Hitler to the end of his life, stating in Nazi
apologia, "He was no brute. He was no monster. He was no superman", "...very normal. Not like what is written", and "
was a wonderful boss".
Misch's daughter, Brigitta, learned through her maternal grandmother that Gerda was of Jewish descent. However, Gerda never mentioned it and her father refused to acknowledge it. Brigitta became an architect and has supported Jewish causes.
She stated that she was disappointed by her father's lack of remorse after the war.
After the release of the 2004 German film
''Downfall'' (''Der Untergang'') in France, French journalist Nicolas Bourcier interviewed Misch on a number of occasions in 2005. The resulting biography was published in French as ''J'étais garde du corps d'Hitler 1940–1945'' ("I was Hitler's bodyguard 1940–1945") in March 2006, . Translations were released in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, and Germany in 2006 and 2007. Misch served as consultant to writer
Christopher McQuarrie on the 2008 film
''Valkyrie'', a Hollywood depiction of the
20 July plot.
In a 2005 interview, Misch called ''Downfall'' "Americanized" while comparing what happened in the film to what happened in real life, stating that although it portrayed the important facts accurately, it exaggerated other details for dramatic effect, such as the film's characters screaming and shouting when in his recollection most people in the bunker spoke quietly. In the interview he also expressed some skepticism regarding Hitler's role in Nazi atrocities. He also opined that "
Neo-Nazis" did not exist but were rather just patriotic people, and that the US
invaded Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in 2003 to enrich
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
After listening to an 11-minute recording of
Hitler in private conversation with Finnish Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Misch opined: "He is speaking normally, but I'm having problems with the tone; the intonation isn't quite right. Sometimes it seems okay, but at other points not. I have the feeling it's someone mimicking Hitler. It really sounds as if someone is mimicking him."
With the deaths of
Bernd von Freytag-Loringhoven on 27 February 2007,
Armin Lehmann on 10 October 2008, and
Siegfried Knappe on 1 December 2008, Misch was said to be the last survivor of the ''Führerbunker''.
His memoir in German, ''Der letzte Zeuge'' ("The Last Witness"), was published in 2008.
The English edition was published in 2014 with an introduction by historian
Roger Moorhouse
Roger Moorhouse (born 1968) is a British historian and author.
Education
He was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England, and attended Berkhamsted School and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies of the University of London, graduating ...
. Misch lived in Berlin in the same house he moved into when he was released by the Soviets.
The house is in the district of Rudow in south Berlin. Misch regularly received visitors who wished to speak to or interview him.
Misch died in Berlin on 5 September 2013 aged 96.
In July 2017, it was reported that Johanna Ruf, who at the time of her stay in the ''Führerbunker'' was a 15 year old nurse, was the last survivor of the ''Führerbunker''. Ruf died on 21 June 2023.
Books
* ''J'étais garde du corps d'Hitler 1940–1945'' (I was Hitler's bodyguard 1940–1945), with Nicolas Bourcier. Le Cherche Midi 2006, .
* Rochus Misch: ''Der letzte Zeuge. Ich war Hitlers Telefonist, Kurier und Leibwächter''. Mit einem Vorwort von
Ralph Giordano. 11. Auflage, Piper-Verlag 2013, .
* ''Hitler's Last Witness: The Memoirs of Hitler's Bodyguard''. Frontline Books 2014, .
See also
* ''
The Bunker''
* ''
''Downfall'' (''Der Untergang'')
* ''Die Letzte Schlacht'' (The Last Battle)
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
* Part 2 – Eva Braun saß tot in der Couchecke
* interview with Rochus Misch
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misch, Rochus
1917 births
2013 deaths
SS non-commissioned officers
German shooting survivors
German torture victims
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union
People from Opole
Military personnel from the Province of Silesia
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class
Personal staff of Adolf Hitler
Waffen-SS personnel