38/ Max Wünsche: Among the Inner Circle II (1939)
Eva Braun was a guest like no other at the Berghof. She was the only person allowed to have her own room, which she could furnish and decorate as she wished. Her quarters were located next to “the Führer’s apartment” and were connected by an internal door. Whenever Adolf Hitler stayed there, she was present as well. But who was this blonde young woman, Hitler’s secret lover, or merely a platonic companion?
„She (Eva Braun) was a simple, attractive girl who became acquainted with Hitler through Hoffmann, and he liked her very much. I think that, as a wife—or lover, if you prefer that term—she gave him a great deal on a human level… She was respected and treated with consideration, but never openly.“ — MW
About one of the men, Max Wünsche preferred not to say anything at all—who was he? After all, he is often standing right beside him in photographs, captured in conversation. It was Karl Brandt a young and ambitious doctor. He came into contact with Adolf Hitler through his fiancée, the swimmer Anni Rehborn, who had known Hitler since the mid-1920s. Through her family’s connection, Brandt likely met Hitler in a private setting before 1933 and was soon drawn into his circle. Their relationship deepened quickly, and by 1933 Brandt was already among Hitler’s close associates, later becoming his personal physician. The role in which MW met him.
There is another doctor in the photographs, who was introduced to Hitler by Hoffmann in the mid-1930s and who soon became indispensable to him: the doctor Theodor Morell. He was described as a mysterious figure: overweight, unkempt, dark-complexioned, with very hairy hands adorned with “exotic rings.” He was regarded as a “charlatan,” who administered gold-packaged “wonder drugs” to Adolf Hitler—some of which he had prepared himself. Nevertheless, it seems that there was no one in Hitler’s circle who had not been treated by Morell. He treated Max and his colleagues for all kinds of colds, pneumonia, weakness, and just about everything else…
Around fifteen to twenty people—excluding servants, guards, and other staff—would gather around Adolf Hitler on the uplands above Berchtesgaden during weekends, national holidays, summer vacations, before the Nuremberg rallies, and over New Year. About half of them were women.
Among those regularly present were Eva Braun, her sister Margarete Braun, her friend Herta Schneider, Margarete Speer, Anni Brandt, and the secretaries Johanna Wolf and Christa Schroeder. Besides the usual male companions such as Otto Dietrich, Brückner and Schaub, Alber Speer, Martin Bormann frequent guests also included Heinrich and Erna Hoffmann, Hermann Esser and his wife Anni, the sculptress/painter Sofie Stork and Marianne (Marion) Petzl, a friend of the Hoffmanns.
The adjutants (military and non-military) and their wives held a somewhat unusual position. This can be illustrated by the example of Nicolaus von Below and his wife Maria, as Max Wünsche and his girlfriend (later wife) Inge later enjoyed the simililar privileges. Since Adolf Hitler did not distinguish between official and private life, Nicolaus von Below and his wife Maria, soon after von Below deployment as adjutant, became part of his inner circle, receiving invitations to Bayreuth Festival and state dinners at the Reich Chancellery.
At the Obersalzberg, the young couple lived in an annex next to the Berghof, alongside other military adjutants such as Rudolf Schmundt (Army) and Karl-Jesko von Puttkamer (Navy). Their private life was thus closely intertwined with military briefings and constant telephone discussions. They all were close and very personal with Hitler and his lady friend, as well as Bormann, and lived as a ‘community’. Even in their later interview, Max and his wife expressed themselves in a very similar way—overwhelmed by fond memories, and clearly perceiving Hitler’s circle more as their family than anything else.
„During the time of our successes, many people were eager to share in that success. They supported it, made themselves available, and the average person was satisfied (…). Even the intelligentsia had to acknowledge that there were tangible results after the rise to power. However, Hitler did not favor intellectuals who lacked character, and such people remained on the margins. They often opposed him quietly. Had they been admitted into the inner circle, they likely would have been enthusiastic.“ — MW
All of them, together with their families, contributed to Adolf Hitler’s personal well-being. In return, he rewarded his inner circle with careers, money, gifts, and various privileges. Hitler’s “round table” on the mountain therefore did not consist of widely known figures of the National Socialist state but rather of mostly lesser-known aides—including an indispensable female companion. Together, they formed a protective circle around the “Führer,” whom they admired as a political genius and continually affirmed in his actions. But they all knew very well that nothing must ever be said about what went on there.
And since I lost the entire blog, we’ll have another post soon! Reminder: I’m happy to send the texts of the old posts (without pictures) the images are scattered across folders. Next time, we’ll take a closer look at the staff and that constant, repetitive routine! See you soon! Long live our little community!
