Alleged doubles of Adolf Hitler
Although there is no evidence that
The most prominent evidence of any Hitler double is Soviet footage of a
Background
The 1939 book
In late April 1945, Stockholm's "Free German Press Service" circulated a rumor that a Hitler double named August Wilhelm Bartholdy, supposedly a former grocer from Plauen, was called to Berlin to be filmed dying on the battlefield in Hitler's stead.[9] The Germans émigrés stated, "He will act as Hitler's trump card, creating a hero legend around the Führer's death, while Hitler himself goes underground."[10] Hitler died in Berlin on 30 April, with his dental remains subsequently being positively identified.[11][a]
Supporting claims
On 9 May 1945, a week after the
In 1963, author
Filmed double
Soviet journalist Lev Bezymenski details the darned-sock-wearing double in his 1968
The footage shows the double with an apparent gunshot wound to the forehead[38] (with a a portrait of Hitler laid on the double's torso). According to Klimenko, later on 4 May, Hitler and Eva Braun's true remains were discovered buried in a crater outside the Chancellery, wrapped in blankets and reburied, then re-exhumed the next day after the double was debunked as being Hitler.[39][40] A 1945 Soviet television documentary implied the footage showed Hitler, with the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda later saying it was Hitler's double.[1] In 1992,[41] journalist Ada Petrova found the footage in the Russian state archives; the body double had been identified as Gustav Weler.[42][i] In their 1995 book, Petrova and Peter Watson opined that 'Weler' may have worked a menial job in the Reich Chancellery and occasionally stood in for Hitler as a political decoy.[38]
Arguments against
Presiding judge at the Einsatzgruppen trial at Nuremberg Michael Musmanno wrote in 1948, "There is not a shred of evidence to show that Hitler ever had a double." Musmanno further states that "the several score immediate associates of Hitler whom I questioned expressly stated that Hitler never had a double."[43] Among these, Hitler's chief secretary, Johanna Wolf, considered the use of a double in the Führerbunker an impossibility.[44] Musmanno wrote in his 1950 book about Hitler's death:
To suggest as some sophomorically reasoning theorists have, including the noted author Emil Ludwig, that possibly it was a double of Hitler who died and was cremated is, without any evidence to support it, about as rational as to say that Hitler was carried away by angels. ... it is inconceivable that Hitler, with his self-assurance of superiority over any other human being, would concede the existence of anyone even superficially an artificial duplicate of himself.[45]
In 1955, SS guard Hans Hofbeck recalled that during his Soviet captivity, he was asked about Hitler's alleged body double; the description seemed to match a
Soviet war interpreter Elena Rzhevskaya (who safeguarded Hitler's dental remains until they could be identified by his dental staff) attributed the rumours of doubles to Soviet Colonel General Nikolai Berzarin's pledge to nominate the discoverer of Hitler's corpse for the Hero of the Soviet Union award, causing multiple potential bodies to be presented.[25]
Historian Peter Hoffmann, a specialist on Hitler's security units, similarly doubts that he ever used doubles.[12] Historian Sjoerd deBoer also states that the stories of a double are highly suspect and found no evidence to support that there was one used in Berlin in April 1945 or that Hitler escaped. He concludes that these stories were part of the post-war Soviet disinformation campaigns regarding Hitler's fate.[47]
Legacy
The false implication that footage of a body double showed Hitler's corpse in a 1945 Soviet documentary was corrected in a 1966 documentary.[1][37][49] In September 1992, Ada Petrova edited a still of the footage into a Russian television broadcast, which was criticized for implying the body was Hitler's.[50] A few days later, Bezymenski claimed that the double was separate from Hitler's body, which he reaffirmed that the Soviets had found elsewhere "in the garden of the Chancellery".[37]
In his 1995 book on Hitler's death, historian
In 1998, British author
In a 2009 episode of
In their 2011 book, Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler, British authors Simon Dunstan and Gerrard Williams cite "a noted facial recognition expert witness" in claiming that a double stood in for Hitler on his 20 March 1945 appearance with the Hitler Youth—citing this as the dictator's last public appearance. The book claims that in a deal with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (the country's intelligence agency during World War II), on 28 April 1945 Hitler's private secretary, Martin Bormann, installed the alleged 20 March imposter and an actress in place of Hitler and Braun, then staged their deaths, possibly with the help of Müller.[63]
Greek
See also
- The Great Dictator – 1940 American film by Charlie Chaplin
- The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler (film) – 1943 American film by James P. Hogan
Notes
- ^ a b c d e In addition to a maxillar golden bridge, Hitler's dental remains include part of a mandible broken and burned around the alveolar process.[2][3]
- ^ Another source places this in 1935.[6]
- ^ Soviet Marshal Vasily Chuikov wrote in his 1964 memoirs that Hitler's body was found on 2 May.[23] According to Soviet war interpreter Elena Rzhevskaya, this is the day Joseph Goebbels and a woman presumed to be his wife[24] were discovered, but Hitler's body was not unearthed until 4 May.[25]
- ^ Soviets also told Ryan in 1963 that Hitler's body had been cremated outside of Berlin,[22] which was later claimed to have occurred in 1970.[26]
- ^ a b According to eyewitness accounts, Hitler did not die by a gunshot through the mouth or have a wound in the back of his head.[27] Further, in 2017–18, forensic analysis was conducted on Hitler's dental remains, which did not detect any gunpowder.[11]
- ^ a b In 2009, a skull fragment claimed to be Hitler's, which had an exit wound through the back of the head, was determined to have female DNA.[28]
- ^ A U.S. official had related in 1947 that Hitler Youth leader Artur Axmann believed that Hitler's body had not been discovered partly because "the impact of the shot fired into his mouth destroyed his dental fixtures".[29] This explanation of Hitler's death is thought to be false, with the shot being to the right temple.[27]
- ^ a b One witness and some authors argue that the bodies were burnt nearly to ashes,[30][17] although the fragment of Hitler's jawbone was only burnt on the edges of the alveolar process, where it was sundered from the rest of the jaw.[2][3] According to German forensic biologist Mark Benecke, body water would hinder the success of an open-air cremation.[31]
- ^ The same film reel contained footage of the remains of Joseph and Magda Goebbels, as well as those of their children.[42]
- ^ a b Since the 1950s, forensic scientists have identified individuals via their ear measurements, which normally remain proportional for life.[60]
- ^ Besides Hitler and Braun, the alleged passengers were Walther Hewel, Wilhelm Burgdorf, and Hermann Fegelein, with Georg Betz as the pilot.[56]
- ^ The purported Soviet autopsy on Hitler's corpse found the body to be about four inches shorter than his presumed height.[34][61]
References
- ^ a b c The AP (16 September 1992). "Hitler's Double Creates Mix-Up 1 More Time - As A Corpse". Deseret News. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b Bezymenski 1968, pp. 45–46.
- ^ S2CID 29159362.
It is important to see that these data fit perfectly with the [Soviet] autopsy report and with our direct observations.
- ^ "Author Declares He Impersonated Hitler". The Harvard Crimson. New York. 3 March 1939. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ Holzwarth, Larry (31 October 2018). "18 of the Many Attempts to Assassinate Adolf Hitler by the German Resistance". HistoryCollection.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hamilton 1984, pp. 172, 173.
- ^ "Report Hitler Double Prepared". Chicago Tribune. 27 April 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ a b Daley, Jason (22 May 2018). "Hitler's Teeth Confirm He Died in 1945". Smithsonian. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-2458-0.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ UP (6 June 1945). "Hitler's Body Found, Russians Report; He Died of Poisoning". The Hanford Sentinel. Hanford, CA. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 22, 23, 247–249.
- ^ "World War II // 50 Years Ago Today". Tampa Bay Times. 6 July 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ a b Musmanno 1950, p. 233.
- ^ Miller, Merle (10 August 1945). "Berlin Today". Yank, the Army Weekly. 4 (8). United States Department of War: 7.
- ISBN 0-393-04994-9.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 257–259.
- ^ a b "Police Gazette's First New 'Hitler Is Alive' Article Since 1972". National Police Gazette. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, CA. 16 March 1966. p. 72. Retrieved 23 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ Ryan 1995, p. 366.
- ^ ISBN 978-1784382810.
- ^ Petrova & Watson 1995, p. 89.
- ^ a b Joachimsthaler 2000, p. 166.
- ^ a b ABC News (9 December 2009). "DNA Test Sparks Controversy Over Hitler's Remains". ABC News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Axmann, Artur, interviewed on October 10, 1947. - Musmanno Collection -- Interrogations of Hitler Associates". Gumberg Library Digital Collections. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021 – via Duquesne University.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 213–214, 252–253.
- ^ Benecke, Mark (12 December 2022) [2003]. "The Hunt for Hitler's Teeth". Bizarre. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Dr. Mark Benecke.
- ^ a b Ryan 1995, pp. 504–505.
- ^ "Hitlers letzte Reise". Der Spiegel (in German). 19 July 1992. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ a b Bezymenski 1968, p. 45.
- ^ Bezymenski 1968, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Petrova & Watson 1995, pp. 52–53.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- ^ a b Petrova & Watson 1995, p. 90.
- ^ Petrova & Watson 1995, pp. 52–54.
- ^ Bezymenski 1968, pp. 32–33.
- ^ Petrova & Watson 1995, p. 76.
- ^ a b Petrova & Watson 1995, pp. 89–90.
- ^ Musmanno, Michael (23 July 1948). "Roundup of Facts and Evidence Proves Conclusively Death was Hitler's Fate". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PN. p. 21. Retrieved 23 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 181, 302.
- ^ Musmanno 1950, p. 236.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 256–257.
- ^ de Boer 2022, p. 202.
- ^ a b c Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 32–34.
- ^ "Film The Chronicles Without Sensation. (1966)". Net-Film. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
- The Associated Press (17 September 1992). "Alleged Hitler photo shows bullet wound". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, CA. p. 19. Retrieved 23 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 252–253.
- ^ Daly-Groves 2019, p. 157.
- ISBN 978-1-58648-366-1.
- ^ Bezymenski 1968, pp. 73–75.
- ISBN 978-0-53-115097-9.
- ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, p. 34.
- ^ Daly-Groves 2019, pp. 122–124.
- ^ Lotozo, Eils (5 October 2009). "The Truth About Hitler's Skull". Haverford College. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "Hitler's Escape". MysteryQuest. Season 1. Episode 1. History. 2009. Event occurs at 12, 16, 39.
- ^ Tangalakis-Lippert, Katherine (19 March 2023). "Is Putin using a body double? Listen here: Skeptics say spotting a decoy is all in the ears". Business Insider. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ Flood, Charles Bracelen (1985). "Lance Corporal Adolf Hitler on the Western Front, 1914–1918". The Kentucky Review. 5 (3). University of Kentucky: 4.
- OCLC 319183518.
- ISBN 978-1-4027-8139-1.
- ^ a b Kapnistos, Peter Fotis (2013). "Pope Sixtus VI: An Inglorious Guide to Hitler's Doubles by Foits Kapnistos". Issuu. pp. 1–11. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-84792-286-1.
- ^ "Berger, Heinrich". WW2 Gravestone. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
Sources
- Bezymenski, Lev (1968). The Death of Adolf Hitler (1st ed.). New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
- Daly-Groves, Luke (2019). Hitler's Death: The Case Against Conspiracy. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-4728-3454-6.
- de Boer, Sjoerd (2022). The Hitler Myths: Exposing the Truth Behind the Stories about the Führer. Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-39901-905-7.
- Hamilton, Charles (1984). Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 1. R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 0-912138-27-0.
- ISBN 978-1-85409-465-0.
- Musmanno, Michael A. (1950). Ten Days to Die. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
- Petrova, Ada; ISBN 978-0-393-03914-6.
- ISBN 978-0-684-80329-6.