Europe News
Hitler could "not bear to be watched," British records reveal
Oct 29, 2010, 0:02 GMT
London - Nazi leader Adolf Hitler could 'not bear to be watched' and even told his SS guards to keep a safe distance from him, newly-released British wartime archives revealed Friday.
The previously secret material, published by the National Archives, records the observations of a 19-year-old German soldier at the Nazi leader's Obersalzberg retreat in the Bavarian Alps.
'Hitler cannot bear to feel himself watched, and if he sees an SS man following him about he shouts at him 'If you are frightened, go and guard yourself'. In consequence, guards were instructed to keep him in sight but to remain unobserved themselves,' the private recorded.
He described Hitler as a 'grey and bent' man who wore a 'very satisfied expression.'
'He is mild on personal contact but apt to bang tables and shout during conferences,' reported the young SS soldier, who later deserted to the Allied side.
Hitler would rise at around 10 am for a late breakfast, go for a 'leisurely' walk, receive visitors in the afternoon, dine very late and work into the small hours.
Another prisoner of war quoted in the documents described Hitler's condition after the attempt on his life in the Wolf's Lair eastern front headquarters in occupied Poland on July 20, 1944.
'Hitler did not look well; his face was pale and covered with loosely hanging flesh. Hitler himself complained that his doctors were a bad lot and that matter was still dripping internally from his ear to his tongue,' the archives revealed.
Read more about Great Britain History
Read more about Germany
COMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in Europe
- 1. Pope in Easter message calls for peace and religious tolerance
- 2. Magnificent Messi leads Barcelona to ninth straight win
- 3. Pope leads Easter vigil, calls for "true enlightenment"
- 4. Barcelona increase pressure on Real with romp in Zaragoza
- 5. Pope Benedict XVI leads Easter Vigil
Older Talkback
