World War II: Interrogations of Members of Hitler's Inner-Circle - Download

World War II: Interrogations of Members of Hitler's Inner-Circle

1,852 pages of English language documentation of interviews of 66 individuals who were interrogated as part of the U.S. investigation, led by Captain Michael Musmanno, to determine if Adolf Hitler died at the end of the war.

Musmanno and several other interviewers conducted personal interviews with Hitler's secretaries, his dentist, many of the top Reich generals, and other persons who knew of or about Hitler, or was near Hitler in the days leading up to his suicide. In 1948 Michael A Musmanno conducted interviews, with the help of a simultaneous interpreter named Elisabeth Billig. Among those interviewed included the leader of the Hitler Youth, Artur Axmann; Hitler’s secretary, Traudl Junge; and his aide-de-camp, Baron von Loringhoven. Among the many things covered are the Soviet Invasion of Germany, details of everything from the claustrophobic quarters of the Hitler’s underground bunker, the Führerbunker, to his marriage to Eva Braun, to his final meal and eventual suicide. Several interviewees mention the July 20, 1944 attempt on Hitler's life.
 

Highlights include:

Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi Germany. Written report by Speer on the character of Hitler. He covers Hitler's personnel relations with close collaborates, his work habits, his character, his relationship with Eva Braun, his role as supreme commander of the Wehrmacht. Subjects covered: Bormann, Martin; Braun, Eva; Death of Roosevelt; Germany Armed forces; Goering, Hermann; Hitler, Adolf; Himmler, Heinrich, 1900-1945; Keitel, Wilhelm, 1882-1946; Operation Valkyrie.

Anni Winter, Hitler's housekeeper in Munich, discusses Hitler, Eva Braun, Gehle (Hitler's niece), the other women in Hitler's life, Bormann, Hess, Schaub and the destruction of Hitler's papers, Dr Morell, and Hitler's version of how the Jews were treated.

Arthur Axmann, Reich Youth Leader (Reichsjugenführer) of the Nazi Party from 1940-1945, discusses the events and people in Hitler's bunker during the last months of the war.

 General Gottlob Berger discusses his impressions of Hitler from 1931 to the end of the war. He also discusses Hitler's plans for using prisoners as human shields and what it was like in Hitler's bunker at the end of the war.

Hugo Blaschke, Hitler's dentist answers questions about how be met Hitler and became his dentist.

Dr. Karl Brandt was Hitler's personal physician, Reich Commissioner for Health and Sanitation, and headed the administration of the Nazi euthanasia program. He writes about the women around Hitler: Eva Braun and her sisters, Geli Raubal, and Frau Marion Schoenemann.

Franziska Braun discusses her daughter Eva and her relationship with Hitler.

Gerda Christian, Hitler's secretary from 1939-1942, 1943-1945, discusses the last days in the Fuehrer bunker.

Admiral Karl Dönitz discusses German naval warfare, the new type of submarine developed in 1943, and his actions at the end of the war. In
a second interview he discusses the Italian Navy and why he feels he should not have been condemned. Doenitz was the leader of Nazi Germany for 23 days after Hitler's suicide in April 1945.

Added to this collection is a 1962 interview of Veronika Eichmann, the widow of Adolf Eichmann. Mrs. Eichmann shares stories of her husband
and their children.

General Engel describes his visits to Hitler on March 18 or 19 and on April 1, 1945. He discusses Hitler's appearance, the men around Hitler, and Hitler's reaction to the news of Roosevelt's death.

Hans Fritzsche, a senior Nazi in the Propaganda Ministry, discusses Hitler's health, suicide, cremation, and jawbone. He discusses Goebbels and the last days in the bunker.

Klosten Glonn, an officer in the Bavarian National Police, describes the events of November 8, 1923, which are known as the Beer Hall Putsch.

Margaret Himmler, wife of Heinrich Himmler, discusses her husband's stomach troubles, how busy he was, how often he reported to Hitler, and the poison he carried around with him. She claimed no knowledge of what went on in the concentration camps. 

Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command, in a statement discusses the hardships of the Versailles treaty and the reasons for the rise of the NSDAP (the Nazi Party). He discusses the reasons for Hitler's decisions. 

Mrs. Gertraud (Traudl) Junge, one of Hitler's secretaries, discusses her duties, her conversations with Hitler, and gives a detailed description of the last days in the bunker. This includes Hitler's resolve not to leave

Berlin, Eva Braun, the dictation of his will. Mrs. Junge discusses Hitler's cooks, his diet, and his body guard, Mr. Schaub.

Erich Kempka, Hitler's chauffeur, discuses Eva Braun and the suicide and cremation of Hitler and the Goebbels.

Ludwig Krieger, one of Hitler's stenographers, describes the stenographers and how they worked both in Berlin and Berchtesgaden, Hitler's reaction to the death of Roosevelt, why Hitler carried poison, how Hitler treated people.

Erich Mansfeld, alias Eric Skrzipozyk, a guard at Hitler's bunker, describes the cremation of the bodies of Hitler and Eva Braun.

Report of Dr. Theodor Gilbert Morell, Hitler's personal physician, describing Hitler's health and the drugs Morell administered with descriptions of these drugs. 

Julius (Wilhelm) Schaub, personal attendant to Hitler, discusses his job, the bunker from April 21 to 25, 1945, the burning of Hitler's papers, Hitler's Munich apartment, Hitler's niece, and the rest of Hitler's family. He denied that Hitler ever had a double.

Major General Schellenberg describes meeting Hitler in 1937, his attempts to convince Himmler to remove Hitler from power, Hitler's health, and his belief that Hitler did not commit suicide, but was murdered.

Christa Schroder, one of Hitler's personal secretaries, describes her duties, his health, Eva Braun, the last days in the Bunker, her escape to Berchlesgaden, and a letter written by Eva Braun to her sister discussing the plan to commit suicide.

 
About Michael A. Musmanno

 Michael Angelo Musmanno (April 7, 1897 – October 12, 1968) was an American jurist, politician, and naval officer. He went to work as a coal loader in Pennsylvania the age of 14. After serving in the United States Army in World War I, he obtained a law degree from Georgetown University. In 1927, Musmanno volunteered to serve as an appellate attorney for the defendants int he Sacco-Vanzetti case. Musmanno was elected in 1928 as a Republican state legislator for Pennsylvania serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In 1931, Musmanno became the youngest judge in the county court of Allegheny County.

He entered the United States Navy during World War II as a military attorney. After the war in 1946 he served as military governor of an occupied district in Italy. In 1947, he served as a presiding judge for the Einsatzgruppen Trial in US military court at Nuremberg .In 1948 World War II Captain Michael Musmanno led the U.S. investigation to determine if Adolf Hitler died at the end of the war. In 1951 he was elected as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In 1961 Musmanno testified as a prosecution witness in Jerusalem in the Israeli trial of Adolf Eichmann.