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Last update - 01:23 12/07/2008
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 ClickFOO