Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 (162 page)

40 
For biographical details see Anna Maria Sigmund, “Geli Raubal,” in:
idem
,
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, Vienna, 1998, pp. 131ff.;
idem
.;
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 23ff.

41 
Memoirs of Franz Hemmrich, p. 44; IfZ München, ED 153.

42 
Quoted in Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 101.

43 
Hess,
Briefe
, p. 385 (dated 17 Sept. 1927). Hitler, Angela Raubal and Geli Raubal added greetings on a postcard sent by Rudolf Hess to Ilse Pröhl from the Sächsische Schweiz on 2 Sept. 1929; BA Bern, Nl Hess, J1.211-1989/148, 39. See
Die Tagebücher von Joseph Goebbels. Part 1: Aufzeichnungen 1923–1941
, ed. Elke Fröhlich, Munich, 1998, vol. 1/2, p. 258 (entry for 22 Aug. 1927): “I’m getting to know the boss’s relatives. Likeable people just like him”; p. 260 (entry for 24 Aug. 1927): “Took my leave of the boss and his sweet niece Geli.” See ibid., p. 267 (entries for 8 and 10 Sept. 1927).

44 
H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, p. 46. On Geli Raubal’s outward appearance see also Hayman,
Hitler & Geli
, pp. 102–4; Baldur von Schirach,
Ich glaubte an Hitler
, Hamburg, 1967, p. 107.

45 
Heinrich Hoffmann,
Hitler wie ich ihn sah: Aufzeichnungen seines Leibfotographen
, Munich and Berlin, 1974, p. 124; see H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, p. 50. Gottfried Feder confirmed that Hitler’s niece had been at the Osteria Bavaria for the first time on 10 Nov. 1927; G. Feder’s diaries, vol. 10; IfZ München, ED 874.

46 
H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, pp. 55–9 (quotation on p. 58).

47 
Ibid., p. 61; see Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 125f.

48 
Geli Raubal to Emil Maurice, 24 Dec. 1927; partially reprinted in Sigmund, “Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen um Hitler
, vol. 1, pp. 140f. (see p. 141 for a facsimile of the letter).

49 
See Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 127–9 (see p. 128 for a facsimile of a reference signed by Hitler, which gives the leaving date of Jan. 1928). See also IfZ München, ZS 290.

50 
Nerin E. Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler: Leben und Schicksal
, Velbert und Kettwig, 1968, p. 24.

51 
Quoted in Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 127.

52 
H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, p. 51. In 1929 Hanfstaengl observed Geli Raubal and Hitler taking in a performance at Munich’s Residenztheater together. They behaved like a “romantic couple,” Hanfstaengl noted. Note by Hanfstaengl “Geli & A. H.”; BSB München, Nl Hanfstaengl Ana 405, Box 26.

53 
See Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 1/3, p. 52 (entry for 13 July 1928); p. 54 (entry for 15 July 1928).

54 
Ibid., p. 123 (entry for 15 Nov. 1928). See ibid., p. 124 (entry for 17 Nov. 1928), p. 126 (entry for 19 Nov. 1928). About Hitler’s performance at the Sportpalast Rudolf Hess wrote to his parents on 21 Nov. 1928: “You cannot imagine what the meeting was like—18,000 people and the boss’s oratory has rarely been as captivating.” BA Bern, Nl Hess, J1.211-1989/148, 41.

55 
See Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 154, 159.

56 
Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 1/3, p. 295 (entry for 2 Aug. 1929).

57 
Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler
, p. 24.

58 
Hoffmann,
Hitler wie ich ihn sah
, p. 124. See also an interview with Hermann Esser, dated 18 March 1964, vol. 1, who claimed that it was obvious that “Hitler was very attached to her, to say nothing of being in love.” BayHStA München, Nl Esser.

59 
Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 1/3, pp. 105f. (entry for 19 Oct. 1928). On the rumours see also Schirach,
Ich glaubte an Hitler
, p. 105; Joachimsthaler,
Hitlers Liste
, p. 323.

60 
Ralf Georg Reuth (ed.),
Joseph Goebbels Tagebücher. Vol. 1: 1924–1929
, Munich and Zurich, 1992, p. 428 (entry for 22 Nov. 1929). See Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 2/1, p. 68 (entry for 20 Jan. 1930): “He’s not working very much…And then there are the women, the women.”

61 
Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weissem und Braunem Haus
, p. 233. See also Hanfstaengl’s unpublished memoirs, p. 198, where he claims that Hitler’s relationship “had directed his male libido into the proper channel for the first and only time in his life.” BSB München, Nl Hanfstaengl Ana 405, Box 47.

62 
Schroeder,
Er war mein Chef
, p. 153. Henriette von Schirach was also convinced that “there were no intimate relations between the two.” Quoted in Knopp,
Hitler: Eine Bilanz
, p. 144. See Joachimsthaler,
Hitlers Liste
, p. 327.

63 
Transcript of a conversation with Adolf Vogl and his wife on 2 Jan. 1952; IfZ München, ZS 167; see Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weissem und Braunem Haus
, pp. 235f.; Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 144. In October 1923, the lawyer Richard Dingeldey invited Hitler to dinner on Franz-Joseph-Strasse 37. Also on the guest list were “our common friends Herr and Frau Vogl” and the Wagner scholar and musical director Alfred Lorenz. See R. Dingeldey to “my most esteemed Herr Hitler,” 10 Oct. 1923; BA Koblenz, N 1128/15.

64 
See Hamann,
Winifred Wagner
, p. 185; Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 146: Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 2/1, p. 202 (entry for 20 July 1930).

65 
See Otto Wagener,
Hitler aus nächster Nähe: Aufzeichnungen eines Vertrauten 1929–1932
, ed. Henry A. Turner, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Vienna, 1978, p. 98.

66 
See the bill issued by Rich & Söhne, Munich for “1 pair of snake leather shoes (cost 33 marks),” which Geli Raubal had purchased on 14 July 1931. The head of the company wrote: “My dear Herr Hitler! In accordance with your order, which we greatly value, we present you with a bill for the shoes purchased by your niece and send our fond regards with a Heil!” BA Berlin-Lichterfelde, NS 26/2557.

67 
Olaf Rose (ed.),
Julius Schaub: In Hitlers Schatten
, Stegen, 2005, p. 107.

68 
Hoffmann,
Hitler wie ich ihn sah
, pp. 125f. (quotation on p. 126). See also H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, pp. 62–4.

69 
H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, p. 64.

70 
Rose,
Julius Schaub
, p. 108. Schaub gives the date as 18 Sept., which cannot be correct as Geli Raubal spent that evening locked in her room.

71 
See Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler
, p. 21; Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 170.

72 
Heydecker,
Hoffmann-Erinnerungen
, p. 78. See Hoffmann,
Hitler wie ich ihn sah
, p. 128. On the morning of 19 Sept., Hess called Goebbels and told him: “Geli shot herself last night. What a terrible blow! I don’t dare to speculate about her motives. How will the boss get over it?” Goebbels,
Tagebücher
, part 1, vol. 2/2, p. 103 (entry for 20 Sept. 1931).

73 
Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 203–5 (see p. 204 for a facsimile of the speeding ticket).

74 
See ibid., pp. 174f.

75 
Ibid., pp. 170f. See
idem
, “Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, p. 149.

76 
Statements from Georg Winter, Anni Winter, Maria Reichert and Anna Kirmair are part of the final report from the Munich police dated 28 Sept. 1931; reprinted in Sigmund, “Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, pp. 148f.; see also
idem
.,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 171–3.

77 
Hitler’s statement from 19 Sept. 1931; reprinted in Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 175f.; see
idem
, “Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, pp. 150, 154.

78 
Münchener Post
, 21 Sept. 1931; for further examples of press commentary, see
Regensburger Echo
, 25 Sept. 1931 (“Tragedy in Munich’s Bogenhausen”),
Freistaat
, 22 Sept. 1931 (“Hitler’s family drama”),
Fränkische Tagespost
, 21 Sept. 1931 (“Suicide in Hitler’s apartment”) in BA Berlin-Lichterfelde, NS 26/13.

79 
See Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 179f.;
idem
, “Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, p. 151.

80 
Adolf Hitler,
Reden, Schriften, Anordnungen—Februar 1925 bis Januar 1933. Vol. 4: Von der Reichstagswahl bis zur Reichspräsidentenwahl Oktober 1930–März 1932. Part 2: Juli 1931–Dezember 1931
, ed. Christian Hartmann, Munich, 1996, doc. 36, pp. 109–11.

81 
On the rumours see Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 203; Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler
, pp. 27f.; Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weissem und Braunem Haus
, p. 242. The story of Geli’s pregnancy can be traced back to Bridget Hitler, the first wife of Hitler’s half-brother, Alois; see Michael Unger (ed.),
The Memoirs of Bridget Hitler
, London, 1979, pp. 70–7. The claim that Hitler was the murderer was spread by Otto Strasser, who heard it from his brother Paul, who himself heard it from his brother Gregor, murdered in 1934; Otto Strasser,
Hitler und ich
, Konstanz, 1948, pp. 236–8.

82 
See Hamann,
Winifred Wagner
, p. 211; interview with Hermann Esser on 20 March 1964, vol. 1; BayHStA München, Nl Esser; Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, pp. 184f. Leo Raubal also called his sister’s death “a mystery” in an interview of 22 March 1971; IfZ München, ZS 2239. Adolf Vogl considered it “out of the question” that Geli Raubal could have committed suicide. IfZ München, ZS 167.

83 
H. v. Schirach,
Frauen um Hitler
, p. 67; see Gun,
Eva Hitler-Braun
, p. 21.

84 
See Hayman,
Hitler & Geli
, p. 145. See also O. Strasser,
Hitler und ich
, p. 97. Strasser, however, merely writes of “extravagant wishes” that “the imagination of a healthy man would hardly believe possible.”

85 
Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weissem und Braunem Haus
, pp. 233, 238. See the very similar account in Hanfstaengl’s unpublished memoirs, pp. 189, 192; BSB München, Nl Hanfstaengl Ana 405, Box 47.

86 
Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weissem und Braunem Haus
, p. 234. See Hayman,
Hitler & Geli
, p. 154, who uncritically accepts Hanfstaengl’s version. The nude portraits, which as late as 1998 Anna Maria Sigmund reprinted and described as genuine (“Geli Raubal,” in
Die Frauen der Nazis
, vol. 1, p. 144), were in fact fakes by forger Konrad Kujau. Sigmund corrected her mistake in 2003 in her book
Des Führers bester Freund
(pp. 208f.).

87 
Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler
, p. 28. See Heydecker,
Hoffmann-Erinnerungen
, p. 79. Gun and Hoffmann rely on an anecdote told by Anni Winter. According to Winter, before Geli Raubal locked herself in her room, she had discovered a letter from Eva Braun while tidying up Hitler’s chamber. In it, Braun thanked Hitler for inviting her out to the theatre. But it was no secret to Raubal that Hitler had been meeting up with Heinrich Hoffmann’s assistant for some time. As far as we can tell, Raubal did not see Braun as a rival. See also Rose,
Julius Schaub
, p. 103, who writes of a fleeting meeting between the two at the 1930 Oktoberfest. Gunter Peis (“Die unbekannte Geliebte”) emphasises Raubal’s “jealousy of Mimi Reiter,” who claimed to have slept with Hitler in the summer of 1931 (see above p. 275). More recently Peter Longerich (
Joseph Goebbels: A Biography
, London, 2015, p. 160) has insinuated that there might have been a connection between Hitler’s interest in Magda Goebbels (p. 285) and Raubal’s suicide.

88 
As in the statement by Emil Maurice dated 5 June 1945; quoted in Sigmund,
Des Führers bester Freund
, p. 186.

89 
Hoffmann,
Hitler wie ich ihn sah
, pp. 130–4; see Hoffmann’s manuscript for his court trial (January 1947), p. 14: Hoffmann claimed that Hitler shut himself away for ten days, which is manifestly untrue; IfZ München, MS 2049; Gun,
Eva Braun-Hitler
, p. 22; Otto Dietrich,
12 Jahre mit Hitler
, Munich, 1955, p. 198 (from a statement by Gregor Strasser); Hans Frank,
Im Angesicht des Galgens: Deutung Hitlers und seiner Zeit auf Grund eigener Erlebnisse und Erkenntnisse
, Munich and Gräfelfing, 1953, pp. 97f. (from a statement by Rudolf Hess); Karl Alexander von Müller,
Im Wandel einer Welt: Erinnerungen. Vol. 3: 1919–1932
, ed. Otto Alexander von Müller, Munich, 1966, p. 307. Elsa Bruckmann is quoted as saying that Hitler was “utterly broken and spent several hours sobbing in incomprehension.”