Hitler's Disappearance

Most people are familiar with the argument about whether Hitler actually did die in that bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945. The theories, and the arguments, have been going on for decades. Did he really shoot himself, or did he leave a body double behind as he escaped to South America? Or, to a secret base on the moon?

The theories are strange at times, and it is not surprising that they exist. For decades, there was no real evidence that he died at that time, in that place. Then the Russians came forward with their claims of having found Hitler’s charred corpse, and the world was pretty much satisfied with that.

Everybody, that is, except for conspiracy theorists.

But, what if everyone is wrong? What if Hitler actually died years earlier? Believe it or not, there is reason to wonder about this. There was a time during the war, after hostilities with Russian opened on the eastern front, but before it all went horribly wrong, when rumors were rife about Hitler’s death.

When I heard about this, I immediately asked my mother if she’d ever heard any of these rumors? ‘Oh, yeah,’ she muttered affirmatively. She didn’t offer any further elaboration. She did not need to. She acknowledged it as casually as if she were confirming that the sky is blue. Everyone, even young children, had heard the rumors back then.

So, why do so few people know that there was a period of several months during the war when Hitler was rumored to be dead? And, why did the German nation start to suspect that their leader was dead? Let’s start by answering the second question first – and bear with me when I don’t give specific dates; my library is buried under a pile of boxes in my sister’s house. They’ve been there ever since the roof of an apartment I was renting repeatedly leaked and flooded the place. I also suspect that more than a few are long gone, having been the victims of my numerous apartment moves prior to that.

Now, back to the task at hand. Germany’s war had now become a war on two fronts, and Hitler decided to fully take charge of his armies. He headed to the eastern front, and suddenly, his frequent addresses to the nation stopped. Just ‘bang’, like that, they stopped. The Fuhrer, who had kept in close contact with his people, broke that contact. Weeks, then months passed. The German people began to suspect that something was not right. This was not the way their Fuhrer would behave if he were alive and healthy! Therefore, something had to happened that prevented him from being seen by them, and speaking to them, on a frequent and regular basis. This break from his usual habits was seen as a sign of his unannounced death.

Then he was back. However, the Hitler who returned was not the same Hitler who left. Eyewitnesses stated that he seemed to have aged decades. These same witnesses claimed they barely recognized him. He was no longer the dynamic, healthy man he had been. The change was severe and dramatic. His health seemed to have deteriorated, too.

So, now back to that first question. Why do so few people know about Hitler’s disappearance and the rumors of his death? Had its memory faded with the passage of time due to its insignificant nature? Or, was it because it was something that the German hierarchy wanted forgotten? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing is certain: the Hitler who returned was not the same man. Whether that is literal, or just figurative, is open to discussion.

What we know is that suddenly Hitler was suddenly making catastrophic decisions. Almost overnight, the course of the war changed. There is no doubt that something happened to Hitler during those months. A man does not change that dramatically, in so short a time, without reason. What could have it have been?

The first possibility is that he died, and was replaced by a body-double. Perhaps an older half-brother, or uncle? I remember something about his having a half-brother somewhere.

The second possibility is that he suffered a massive health issue, such as a stroke.

The third possibility is that he was imprisoned and broken.

The fourth possibility is that he was being slipped drugs of some sort, so that he became a husk of the man he used to be.

Whatever happened, the Hitler who existed before was no more. Whether he really was dead, or sick, or drugged out of his mind, the brilliant strategist and gregarious-seeming Fuhrer completely ceased to exist. In his place was someone who could easily have been a different person altogether.

So, the question is, why are some people still arguing about whether he died in Berlin on April 30, 1945? The Fuhrer died long before that. The only question is whether it was in body or in spirit.

Adolf Hitler makes keynote address at Reichstag session, Kroll Opera House, Berlin, 1939.

image source: http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/color-photos-from-nazi-germany/