Life, and especially the death of the Fuhrer of the Third Reich, has always been shrouded in secrets and speculation. That is why it is so important to know about his surroundings. One of the close people in the last months of Hitler's existence was Otto Günsche.
Who was this man? What was his role in the death of the dictator? What happened to him after the capture of Berlin? What did the ex-adjutant of the Fuhrer die from? You can learn about all this by reading the article.
short biography
Otto Günsche, whose biography is being considered, was born in Jena on September 24, 1917. Until 1936 nothing was known about his life. Then he got into the SS escort team.
The activities of Otto Günsche (years of life 1917-2003) in the SS:
- in 1940-1941 he was an order officer;
- In 1941-1942 he studied at the SS Academy, after which he was promoted to Sturmbanführer, then he was on the Soviet-German front;
- in the winter of 1943 he became an adjutant of the dictator, and by summer he returned to the front;
- in February 1944 he again became Hitler's adjutant;
- since the summer of 1944 he has been an employee of the Leibstandarte SS;
- in the spring of 1945 he received a special assignment from the Fuhrer.
The post of personal adjutant of Hitler
The young officer at the beginning of World War II was a little over twenty. He possessed the appearance of a real Aryan and impressive growth. He managed to make a dizzying career in the army and rise to the rank of SS Sturmbanfuhrer.
Hitler appointed him as his personal adjutant. The Führer trusted Otto Günsche. Once he even helped Hitler, after the assassination attempt in the summer of 1944. Once with the Fuhrer, he helped him out of the rubble and rendered first aid. After that, the young officer remained with the dictator until the last day.
Last days in the bunker
According to Otto Günsche, who remained with the commander until his death, the Führer changed every day. He became more and more hunched, breathing harder. His face was turning purple from a rush of blood. During attacks, the dictator often shouted that the war was lost, but he would not leave Berlin. This was stated in the memoirs of one of the secretaries of the Reich.
On the day of his suicide, Hitler spent lunch in the bunker, after which he informed those present about his intention. He distributed potassium cyanide to everyone and said goodbye to his associates, among whom were Goebbels and Bormann.
To everyone who escapes, the Führer wished the English or Americans to get caught, avoiding a meeting with the Red Army. After parting, the dictator and his companion retired to another room. Günsche remained on guard at the door.
Since the bunker was regularly bombarded, its inhabitants decided to flee from the advancing Soviet troops. The adjutant, along with secretary Gerda Christian, went through the underground communications and underground mines to the Friedrichstrasse station. There they said goodbye and went in different directions. The young officer was captured by the Red Army, and Gerda Christian reached Bavaria, where she surrendered to the Americans.
Hitler's special assignment
The dictator really really trusted his adjutant. This is evidenced by the last request of the commander, who most of all did not want to fall into the hands of Stalin. The Fuhrer even wanted to hide his body from enemies, because he suspected that he would be exhibited as an exhibit in the Soviet museum.
These suspicions of Hitler were not unfounded, because after the murder of Mussolini his body was hung up for public display. Therefore, Otto Gunshe (his growth, according to sources, was about two meters), was to burn the dictator's body after his death.
The decision on suicide came to Hitler on April 30. Then he ordered Gunshe to get fuel for two bodies.
Did Günsche fulfill the order of the Führer?
In the memoirs of Traudl Junge, the recollections of the personal adjutant are mentioned. Of these, it is known that Hitler and Eva Brown closed behind a steel door. Ten minutes later, a shot rang out. The Führer shot himself in the mouth, causing his skull to split, and his companion drank poison. Günsche wrapped the deceased in a blanket and with his assistants carried him to the park with the body of Eva Braun. They laid both corpses at the entrance to the bunker, doused them with fuel and set them on fire. They buried the burnt bodies in a hurry in the courtyard, since the Soviet troops were half a kilometer away from them. Witnesses of the incident could not identify the charred corpses.
The adjutant told about this in 1945 to SMERSH employees, however, Stalin did not believe the prisoner's words. Many still suspect that the Fuhrer escaped and crossed to Latin America.
Be that as it may, there is no confirmation of the version of the escape, so one does not have to trust the words of the German officer.
Life after 1945
In 1950, Otto Günsche, whose photo is presented in the article, was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. German prisoners who were serving time with an ex-adjutant recalled that he fought well and could stand up for himself.
In 1956, Chancellor Adenauer was able to agree with representatives of the USSR that German prisoners of war be returned to their homeland. They did not start a business in Günshe in their native land, so he was able to settle in the city of Lomar, do business, get married and have children.
Since that time, the former SS officer carefully avoided public attention. He rarely gave interviews, but continued to keep in touch with former associates. One of the last press memories of him was an article for 1988 on the funeral ceremony of R. Schulze-Kossens (another adjutant of the Fuhrer).
Death
Otto Günsche died in his own home at the age of 86. The reason for leaving life was heart problems. He led a solitary life and avoided public attention. Despite the fact that he knew the truth about the last days of the dictator’s life, Günsche didn’t write his memoirs, although he regularly received offers about it.
Awards
During his fast, but short career, the German officer Otto Günsche was awarded two awards. It:
- Iron Cross of the first class - the award was divided into eight ranks, from the second class to the big cross.
- Breastplate (for injury) - the award was approved by Hitler for a small group of officers who were injured while saving the Fuhrer during the assassination attempt on July 20, 1944. Twenty-four officers received such an award, four of whom received it posthumously.
Günsche's image in the cinema
The last days of Adolf Hitler's life attracted the attention of many directors, both documentary and feature films. Mentioned in them is the fate of the faithful associates of the Führer, one of which was Gunshe.
Feature films about Hitler, in which O. Gunshe appears:
- The 1981 film "Bunker" tells about the last months of the life of the inhabitants of the Fuhrerbunker. The dictator was played by Anthony Hopkins, for which he received an Emmy Award. His adjutant was played by Andri Ray.
- The 2004 film “Bunker” is based on the memoirs of T. Junge. He talks about the last days of the Third Reich. The picture was nominated for an Oscar as the best foreign film. The young officer was played by actor Getz Otto. This German actor is known for his high growth - 196 cm. In addition to this role, he played an SS guard in Spielberg's Schindler's List, as well as one of the villains in Bondian, Tomorrow Never Dies.
- The film Hitler: The Last Ten Days of 1973. All the action takes place in the bunker, starting with the celebration of the birthday of the Fuhrer, who turned 56 years old shortly before his death. In the role of Otto, British actor John Hallam. He died in 2008, starring in many films. The most famous of them are “Dragon Slayer”, “Flash Gordon”, “King David”.