Adolf Hitler - a ranting, evil demagogue whose insane ambitions and
beliefs took the world to the brink of extinction and caused the deaths
of millions.
And yet there was another side to the Fuhrer, one that was rarely seen
and even now remains unknown by most people. It was a softer side, a
gentler side that, in the main, came out only in his dealings with the
women in his life. With his secretaries and other female staff he was
caring and considerate - almost without exception they have recorded
that he was an employer of compassion and understanding, someone who was
really interested in their lives.
Eva Braun is a well-known figure but she was not alone in her role as
the Fuhrer's lover. Dozens of women preceded her, people like Mitzi
Reiter, Henny Hoffmann and his own niece Geli Raubal. To them and the
many more who spent time alone with him, Hitler was the ultimate
romantic, someone to love and in return be loved back.
Hitler was adored by the women of Germany. They flocked in their
thousands to see him, to hear him speak. In their eyes he could do no
wrong. They might never meet him but they could look, they could
listen - and they could fantasize about a future that would never
happen. Without the support of women, their help and guidance, Hitler
might never have risen to power. In the wild postwar days the Society
women of Munich gave him shelter and encouragement. They gave him space
and time to climb the slippery political ladder to the top.
At the pinnacle of the German state, he used and abused their adulation
and support to maintain his position. Women had taught him how to
behave, how to be accepted by polite society. Women had funded his Nazi
Party and helped give him an ideology to underpin his movement. He
accepted that as his right but ultimately he repaid them by leading the
country to the edge of destruction.
This book, Hitler and His Women, looks at all of the women in Hitler's
life, his lovers and his passing flings. From his mother and sisters to
a teenage infatuation with a girl he never actually met, from actresses
like Zara Leander to English aristocrat Unity Mitford, it examines the
relationships and how they affected the course of history. The findings
may well astound you.
