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Hitler's bodyguard: The Fuhrer was a good boss
By Ofer Aderet, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hitler, Jewish World 

Adolf Hitler gave Rochus Misch only a momentary glance when he was first introduced to the young man who was to go on to become the Fuhrer's head bodyguard.

Misch, now 91 and the only living member of the group that was in Hitler's bunker when the Fuhrer committed suicide, reveals his own impressions of the Nazi leader in his book "The Last Witness," published earlier this month in Germany.

The pivotal period of Misch's military career began in 1940, when he joined Hitler's inner circle, and ended with Hitler's suicide in his Berlin bunker in 1945. For five years, Misch worked as a courier, bodyguard and telephone operator in the Fuhrer's office.
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"In the inner circle, Hitler was a good boss," he recalled in the book. "In the living quarters and the work room Hitler was a very relaxed man. He had a deep and quiet voice. There was no need to be scared if you made a mistake."

Today Misch still receives letters at his home in Berlin. Many people contact him with requests for an autograph or for details of his connection to Hitler. In the last few years Misch has turned into somewhat of a celebrity, particularly in the wake of the popularity of the movie "The Downfall" (2004), which depicted Hitler's last days in the bunker.

A year after that movie the Israeli director Yael Katz Benshalom produced a documentary on Misch, also called "The Last Witness".

Incidentally, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian published an article three years ago on another witness from the bunker days they had managed to track down - nurse Erne Flegel, who had moved to northern Germany and agreed to tell her testimony for the first time.

In his book, Misch described Hitler's everyday life as quite banal. The reader will discover, for example, that Hitler spent his nights clutching a hot water bottle, and will learn about the mosquitoes that disturbed the Fuhrer's relaxation time in the military headquarters. Hitler particularly enjoyed the parties thrown by his wife, Eva Braun.

"She was a nice woman and very sporty," Misch wrote of Braun, describing her dancing ability.

In contrast to what one might assume, Misch insisted that the leader's headquarters were not run like a war room.

"Nobody saluted their higher-ranking colleagues within the building. Hitler was the only one who used the military salute," Misch wrote. "The young people called him Mein Fuhrer, the older called him Herr Hitler, or Boss."

The war crimes that occurred under Hitler's leadership, including the Holocaust, go almost unmentioned in the book.

"At no time did they speak about the camps and what happened there. I was at Hitler's side and he never visited the camps," Misch wrote. He also mentioned that one of Hitler's favorite songs was composed by a Jew, and revealed that his personal cook was not a "real Aryan."

Misch has a strong recollection of the final days. On April 30 1945, shortly after 3 P.M., Hitler left his final followers and entered the private room with Eva Braun.

"He didn't want us to disturb him anymore," remembered Misch, who understood at the time what was about to happen. "Thirty, maybe 45 minutes later, we heard the shots, and later they ordered me to open the door. And there I saw - and I could never forget it - Eva Braun on the couch and her head resting on Hitler."

An English-language edition of the book is expected to be released by the end of 2008.

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      1.   Interesting book 21:28  |  American G.I. 10/07/08
      2.   RIGHT,AND I GUESS HE THINKS HIS RETIREMENT PLAN WAS GOOD ALSO;TO 21:59  |  glenna 10/07/08
      3.   How Cozy! Yuck! 22:02  |  Yosemite 10/07/08
      4.   Hitler suffer´s from neuro-sifilis 22:36  |  JP 10/07/08
      5.   Deleted by moderator 22:37  |  Dovy 10/07/08
      6.   Deleted by moderator 22:38  |  ramin 10/07/08
      7.   I THINK the Composer was Frans Lehar Cook was Italian-Im not sure 23:26  |  Alan SA 10/07/08
      8.   Actually, To Tell You The Truth... 23:33  |  Yosemite 10/07/08
      9.   #6 Ramin 23:46  |  horst 10/07/08
      10.   He has not mentioned the Holocaust? 00:33  |  Javad 11/07/08
      11.   Deleted by Moderator 01:09  |  Dovy 11/07/08
      12.   Still treue to the last 01:14  |  Jewboy 11/07/08
      13.   #7 a half jewish austrian was cook, but 01:19  |  Jewboy. 11/07/08
      14.   NO JP he did not. 01:22  |  Sorry but... 11/07/08
      15.   His dog liked him too 02:01  |  Paul Freedman 11/07/08
      16.   ramin is dissapointed 02:25  |  tooclose2detroit 11/07/08
      17.   There will always be this problem 02:48  |  Colin Wright 11/07/08
      18.   The `who was the best boss` poll 03:02  |  Colin Wright 11/07/08
      19.   putting a spin on it 03:20  |  hollingsworth 11/07/08
      20.   making a mistake 03:25  |  hollingsworth 11/07/08
      21.   nobody is completely evil 06:44  |  rm 11/07/08
      22.   Cold blooded??? 06:49  |  Al 11/07/08
      23.   The author didn´t read the book, did he? 07:25  |  Phil 11/07/08
      24.   Sentencing guidelines 07:42  |  Nathaniel 11/07/08
      25.   Javad`s comments - Hitler`s bodyguard: The Fuhrer was a good boss 07:46  |  jed nightingale 11/07/08
      26.   To "jed nightingale" of New York 09:35  |  Javad 11/07/08
      27.   Opportunity knocks 09:39  |  Natallie Durson 11/07/08
      28.   A GOOD BOSS, A GOOD MANAGER 10:04  |  indrajaya 11/07/08
      29.   # 8 good idea yosemite; best seen to date! 10:06  |  eric 11/07/08
      30.   #11 to Himmler 10:19  |  Dav 11/07/08
      31.   #6 Gas 11 million 10:24  |  Dav 11/07/08
      32.   Deleted by moderator 10:29  |  Dav 11/07/08
      33.   Hitler Was Never A Good Boss And He Didn`t Like Animals Either! 11:03  |  Yosemite 11/07/08
      34.   Natallie off the wagon, yet again 11:07  |  Ramius 11/07/08
      35.   Deleted by moderator 11:10  |  ginza 11/07/08
      36.   On nice men 11:11  |  Clickfool 11/07/08
      37.   Misch is a NAZI 11:11  |  Barney 11/07/08
      38.   WWII was not a hollywood movie 11:12  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      39.   For Jed Nightingale # 24 11:27  |  Clickfool 11/07/08
      40.   # 8 - Putting your own spin on it 11:31  |  Natallie Durson 11/07/08
      41.   you must discount on 50 milions... 11:53  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      42.   # 15 continues 12:05  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      43.   Deleted by moderator 12:13  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      44.   again and again 12:27  |  Manolo ME expert 11/07/08
      45.   11 minus 6 are 5 12:33  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      46.   Of course he was a great boss for Germany 12:39  |  Jonathan S 11/07/08
      47.   Body guards ar not `inner circle` 12:59  |  Manolo nazi expert 11/07/08
      48.   Manolo: Hitler was well praised in Madrid 13:07  |  Ulf 11/07/08
      49.   #14 PAUL, Hitler´s first dog ran away from him 13:13  |  AY 11/07/08
      50.   #45 Hitler deliberately killed 12 millions 13:19  |  Ulf 11/07/08
      51.   Mein Fields 13:41  |  Ronnie Wolman 11/07/08
      52.   There is a growing belief 13:45  |  Paul Wood 11/07/08
      53.   #50 ULF, "loved animals"! Good grief ! 13:46  |  AY 11/07/08
      54.   It is very brave of Haaretz to publish this 13:53  |  Edith 11/07/08
      55.   Mein Sweepers 13:58  |  Ronnie Wolman 11/07/08
      56.   Mein Myopia 14:12  |  Ronnie Wolman 11/07/08
      57.   What propaganda can do to the world! 14:41  |  Dav 11/07/08
      58.   I imagine he was a good boss 14:47  |  zionist forever 11/07/08
      59.   hollingsworth - 15:01  |  17 11/07/08
      60.   Hitler was a normal Germanick untermensch 15:04  |  17 11/07/08
      61.   #55 Edith "oh the poor Adolf!he didn`t know what he did was evil! 15:07  |  Hastaroth 11/07/08
      62.   To experts 15:19  |  Austin Powers 11/07/08
      63.   Deleted by moderator 15:39  |  Ramius 11/07/08
      64.   # 61 Hastaroth - 15:46  |  17 11/07/08
      65.   Austin Powers 15:49  |  Ramius 11/07/08
      66.   17 16:05  |  hollingsworth 11/07/08
      67.   to Paul Wood 16:09  |  hollingsworth 11/07/08
      68.   WHERE WERE YOU AT 1995, OH, EUROPEANS? 16:11  |  indrajaya 11/07/08
      69.   Arrest the man 16:15  |  David 11/07/08
      70.   Hitler 16:19  |  Jan Hus 11/07/08
      71.   Philosopher ClickFOOL on Nazi general Rommel 16:30  |  Jonathan S 11/07/08
      72.   The Bosnian muslims in Srebenica 16:33  |  Tulip 11/07/08
      73.   Clickfool is actually somewhat right 16:48  |  Ben 11/07/08
      74.   Ronnie, is it Sweepers or Myopia? 16:53  |  Tulip 11/07/08
      75.   Much ado about nothing... 16:55  |  Hanoman 11/07/08
      76.   # 68 hollingsworth- ""Good antisemite(s) can not live without 17:01  |  17 11/07/08
      77.   Why is he still alive? 17:01  |  John 11/07/08
      78.   Hollingsworth 17:13  |  Ramius 11/07/08
      79.   Private lives of war criminals 17:21  |  anon 11/07/08
      80.   # 70 - I am with you on this 17:36  |  17 11/07/08
      81.   Hitler Killed homosexuals!!! 17:40  |  Holocaust expert 11/07/08
      82.   For Ramius on the Thunderbird # 64 17:42  |  Clickfool 11/07/08
      83.   Hitler did the dirty work of Europeans 17:42  |  European Aristocrat 11/07/08
      84.   Those ranting hatefilled rallies must have been fakes.! 17:45  |  PETER SM 11/07/08
      85.   Durson, there are plenty of ways in which Israel 18:01  |  jj 11/07/08
      86.   The slow genocide of the Palestinians reminds us that racism 18:05  |  lakshmi 11/07/08
      87.   just seen on TV 18:12  |  wh 11/07/08
      88.   Manolo, your perspective is interesting, if not 18:12  |  jj 11/07/08
      89.   Haaretz is owned by Germans, by the way 18:23  |  Moshe Davidson 11/07/08
      90.   Clicktool, wrong again 18:32  |  jj 11/07/08
      91.   Natallie Durson 18:32  |  Jane 11/07/08
      92.   Austin Powers # 63 Yeah, And He Was A Teatotaler Too 18:33  |  Jeff Northridge 11/07/08
      93.   Clicktool wrong again 2 18:37  |  jj 11/07/08
      94.   Deleted by moderator 18:49  |  MR 11/07/08
      95.   clicktool wrong again III 18:56  |  jj 11/07/08
      96.   THE BANALITY OF EVIL 19:13  |  David 11/07/08
      97.   clicktool wrong again 4 19:21  |  jj 11/07/08
      98.   Hitler was although a war criminal against his soldiers 19:23  |  AGerman 11/07/08
      99.   Very Nice but why didn`t he commit suicide too? 19:41  |  Jeremy 11/07/08
      100.   Yosemite: #8 "take over" as tour guides etc 19:43  |  Gray 11/07/08
      101.   HOLLINGSWORTH AND THE JEWS 19:45  |  Brant 11/07/08
      102.   # 70 indrajaya 19:50  |  Axel 11/07/08
      103.   clicktool wrong again 5 19:54  |  jj 11/07/08
      104.   Haaretz`s new owners theme: Hitler was good 20:26  |  Maya 11/07/08
      105.   hitler 20:35  |  Beverly 11/07/08
      106.   HITLER GOOD BOSS 20:36  |  TYRON 11/07/08
      107.   It`s good to hear that Hitler was a good bossThe banality of evil 20:53  |  Jacob Blues 11/07/08
      108.   Actually Lakshmi, what we see, is how avg people, like yourself 20:58  |  Jacob Blues 11/07/08
      109.   To the Indonesian 21:00  |  Linichka 11/07/08
      110.   Why this article was written:An Opinion 21:00  |  Ronnie Wolman 11/07/08
      111.   Maya: A Simple Example of.... 21:01  |  Gray 11/07/08
      112.   #91 Beverly 21:03  |  Paul Wood 11/07/08
      113.   Absolutely Hitler and his Supporters thought he was doing Good 21:14  |  Ronnie Wolman 11/07/08
      114.   Good date of death 21:22  |  Tosefta 11/07/08
      115.   Lake of Fire awaits Hitler 22:01  |  Brod 11/07/08
      116.   Hitler`s sex life 22:05  |  me 11/07/08
      117.   Good date of death for AH 22:43  |  Tosefta 11/07/08
      118.   He also loved his dog 23:24  |  Mark Lincoln 11/07/08
      119.   Natalie Durson- once again spins her web 23:35  |  Avrum 11/07/08
      120.   #70 Where were you while Suharto killed thousands? 23:53  |  Ulf 11/07/08
      121.   The White Rose 00:01  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/07/08
      122.   To hollingsworth (#20) 00:20  |  Morris Valentine 12/07/08
      123.   To Ronnie 00:37  |  Ricardo Levy 12/07/08
      124.   Banality of evil 01:10  |  TOBIAS RÜGER 12/07/08
      125.   I thought I sent a response to Hastaroth 01:53  |  Edith 12/07/08
      126.   #93 For the same reason as he had the Jews killed 02:00  |  Edith 12/07/08
      127.   Ricardo Levy: Super or Superficial? 03:36  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/07/08
      128.   Ronnie Wolman 04:35  |  Mark B. 12/07/08
      129.   Ignorance of WWII Europe 04:39  |  Scott G 12/07/08
      130.   Bodyguard 05:10  |  James 12/07/08
      131.   Mein Kampf and Maureen from down under. 05:18  |  Jane 12/07/08
      132.   Scott G. - Heydrich 05:57  |  Mark Lincoln 12/07/08
      133.   Re 18 You can`t stand the truth 06:16  |  Alan the real one 12/07/08
      134.   re 68 Just watching a documntary 06:32  |  Alan the real one 12/07/08
      135.   Hitler and Others 07:34  |  Mac-101 12/07/08
      136.   #132 Marc Lincoln 08:16  |  Scott G 12/07/08
      137.   hitler was such a good boss that Romel,etc.tried to assasinate 08:17  |  Susanna/Shoshana 12/07/08
      138.   #137 10:18  |  AGerman 12/07/08
      139.   Maybe he was, but... 11:26  |  Craig van den Berg 12/07/08
      140.   Mark B: Bach to the Future 13:54  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/07/08
      141.   Mark B: Right Bachs and Left Bachs 14:29  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/07/08
      142.   1.5 million Armenians and 1 million Greeks 14:45  |  Anonymous 12/07/08
      143.   `MEIN KAMPF `a Best Seller in ARAB Bookstores 14:50  |  Dagma 12/07/08
      144.   Franco look after jews 15:21  |  Manolo 12/07/08
      145.   profffesional fakemakers 15:28  |  Manolo 12/07/08
      146.   Figth for your country is not a crime! 15:33  |  Manolo 12/07/08
      147.   Germany build modern EU with former enemies 15:49  |  Manolo 12/07/08
      148.   ronnie wolman 16:20  |  zionist 12/07/08
      149.   Hitler bodyguard 16:40  |  Darrell English 12/07/08
      150.   Nice Guy 17:02  |  CA 12/07/08
      151.   Banality of evil 17:22  |  Anonymous 12/07/08
      152.   Germany still in denial, see latest integration exams 17:29  |  Tulip 12/07/08
      153.   Yosemite No 7 17:44  |  Jackie 12/07/08
      154.   Haaretz The Deleting by the Moderator is not helpful... 18:25  |  KATHY 12/07/08
      155.   bodyguard 18:30  |  THE TEACHER/INSTRUCT 12/07/08
      156.   Interview with Rochus Misch 18:57  |  Paul C 12/07/08
      157.   Hitler was 20:02  |  wh 12/07/08
      158.   Point taken Ronnie Wolman, but Jürgen Klinsmann? 21:18  |  Mark B. 12/07/08
      159.   # 101 Brant..Haaretz why Was Brant Deleted? 21:30  |  K 12/07/08
      160.   # 89 Moshe..Their one German who has a stake in it.Not All of it 21:37  |  K 12/07/08
      161.   Hitlers was a great Leader 21:38  |  Helmuth 12/07/08
      162.   LAKSHMI you should watch the Islamo facist racist AL Aqsa TV 21:42  |  PETER SM 12/07/08
      163.   #147 Helmuth, I see you are a Darwinistic fascist 21:53  |  Mark B. 12/07/08
      164.   peter sm 21:57  |  wh 12/07/08
      165.   # 84 Peter SM ..I Don`t Want to Disturb you,But! 22:06  |  KATHY 12/07/08
      166.   # 146 To Moshe about the german ownership,here it is: 22:10  |  K 12/07/08
      167.   #149 Marc M. 22:14  |  Helmuth 12/07/08
      168.   Dear Ronnie Woolman 22:18  |  Habakuk 12/07/08
      169.   Gallows for Misch! 22:19  |  PE 12/07/08
      170.   #152 Peter SM an addendum.Does the name Michael Hoffman RingABell 22:43  |  KATHY 12/07/08
      171.   Scott G # 136 Obergruppenfurher Reinhard Heydrich 23:16  |  Jeff Northridge 12/07/08
      172.   Kathy and deleting postings 23:21  |  Tulip 12/07/08
      173.   # 1 American GI Short reply.Jews Do Not Call Themselves "chosen" 23:47  |  KATHY 12/07/08
      174.   KATHY from Karkur 00:46  |  Mark B. 13/07/08
      175.   # 150 Helmuth..Hitler was a great Leader..So are Serial Killers.. 01:11  |  . 13/07/08
      176.   # 150 Helmuth Again..Why is this man still alive? 01:15  |  . 13/07/08
      177.   The only good thing about Hitler 01:29  |  captainccs 13/07/08
      178.   @83 02:25  |  Mannstein 13/07/08
      179.   Human Hitler! 02:25  |  Jose Marcio 13/07/08
      180.   My Posts Were Deleted Here, But.... 03:31  |  Gray 13/07/08
      181.   Life is full of paradoxes. Why not this one ? 04:19  |  DieUntergang 13/07/08
      182.   Other HItlers 04:37  |  Mac-101 13/07/08
      183.   #167 Gray. There is a "new age dawning.` 04:47  |  Maureen Ann 13/07/08
      184.   KATHY thank you Those sites are free to spew venom&lie about Jews 05:38  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      185.   GRAYRe Andrea Levin.Where does she say what YOU claim? 06:00  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      186.   Maurine Ann; Nothing Would Surprise Me. 06:17  |  Gray 13/07/08
      187.   MAUREEN a new age indeed.Leftist media lies are challenged 06:29  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      188.   KATHY we all need to challenge their "facts" & sources.Note how 06:32  |  PETER SM 13/07/08
      189.   Maurine Ann 07:20  |  Mac-101 13/07/08
      190.   # 173 Kathy re chosen 09:38  |  Traude 13/07/08
      191.   WJC is a bunch of crooks 23:54  |  Jack 16/07/08
      192.   i agree 09:54  |  oliver 27/07/08
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