Thoughts on Hitler, his Health, Russia, and Genocide

[stcamp]

Hitler began living in bunkers in different locations from 1942 on. Metaphorically you could say that is when he began his decent into darkness. This is also when his health began to deteriorate.
There have been many theories about why his health began to fail and I am sure there were multiple reasons for it.

It occurred to me that this is when the Reich began a premeditated systematic program of killing of millions of people on his orders. Would this not have an effect on him? It effected Himmler who had to visit his masseuse daily to alleviate what his body was doing to him. Hitler may not of been bothered as much by what he ordered as much as the idea of being caught. I read in Gitta Serenys book on Speer, “Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth” that Hitler told him in late 43 or early 44 that there was no way Germany could surrender as they had burned their bridges and there was no going back..

I have also wondered about his military decisions and if they were connected to this. He was not a fool and many said he was influenced by WWI and static defenses. Yet this was a man who embraced Blitzkrieg and overruled the General Staff in 1940 and embraced the plan to go through the Ardennes. He also overruled them and invaded Norway. Not the actions of someone who believed in static defense. Yet in Russia he embraced the fortress and never give an inch concept. I wonder if this just to buy time so he could continue with his “ethnic cleansing”?

[Oberst_Emann]

During WWI, Hitler's commanding officer whom awarded him the Knight's Cross for bravery, refused to actually promote him past Corporal, labelling Hitler as "mentally unfit to lead men".

The officer may have been more right then he knew............

[Kurt_Steiner]

It was the Cross of Iron, actually. The RitterKreuz didn't exist at that time.

Best regards

[stcamp]

It is amazing he survived considering he was on active duty from 1914-1918 and I believe his regiment (List) partcipated in 3 major campaigns.

[Oberst_Emann]

Ah, thank you for the clarification Steiner.

[Roger Griffiths]

One has to realize that Hitler would not have become an officer anyway. In Europe in 1914, only gentlemen became officers. Second thing is that Hitler must have made a very good impression as he was a messenger. The transmission of orders, by hand, had been only entrusted to officers previously, and vital communications continued to be so. 'By officer only'. Hitler had the Iron Cross First Class. This tended to be an officer only decoration. He must have been forwarded for it by his Colonel, a Jew. Being a messenger was not a soft touch, quite the opposite. It required careful planning, as any exposure from the Trenches was likely to be met with a snipers bullet.

To say Hitler was not a leader is somewhat whimsical. He charmed the most talented and intelligent nation in Europe and led it into the abyss.

Hitler was from a not very healthy family and constantly feared an early death before his lifework was complete. His lifestyle was healthy from the aspect of not drinking or smoking or overeating, but he never took a holiday. Then the nervous strain as things started to go wrong must have taxed his system. He had a quack doctor, Doctor Morell who pumped him full of God knows what. All this probably led to onset of Parkinson's Disease in July? 1944, although Parkinson's is probably genetic, but I would'nt know.

The one thing I can't understand is what he had against the Jews. OK, there is a long history of anti-semitism in Europe, but the Nuremburg Laws can be traced to earlier laws from most countries of Europe, including England. Also, whatever he said in Mein Kampf and in speeches, he did'nt seem to give an order for the Final Solution overt or covert as soon as he could. It appears many other people were involved and that they had to egg him on. I would be obliged to anyone who can enlighten me.

Roger

[Kurt_Steiner]

Some info about Hitler's role in WW1 (from http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9038 )

On 8/16/1914, he enrolled in 1st Coy, 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry (aka the List Rgt). His service serial number was 148 (in the coy). He trained with the regiment in Oberwiessenfeld, Muncih & Lechfeld. Also serving in the regiment at this time with him were Max Amann (regimental clerk & SjtMjr, later to run the Volkischer Beobachter, among other things) & Rudolf Hess (officer; he'd been studying philosphy & geophysics at Muncih U). He was considered to be a good soldier, tho a bit of an ass kisser to the brass. Of course he was a Meldeganger (dispatch runner). They went to the front on 10/21/1914 & into the battle for Lille. His coy marched into it on the evening of 10/23/1914. They bivo'd that night in the courtyard of the Old Bourse. They were there a couple days, then were off to the front proper. Right into the battle for the Wytschaete Messines Ridge during the Ypres campaign. IMO one of the most horrid battles fought in human history, and for the most part a pointless waste of human life. Anyways, only around 500 of 3000 or so of List Rgt survived to fight another day. Hitler survived unscathed apparently, except for a torn tunic. Onward the regiment went, eventually into the Somme. In early 10/1916, he was sitting in a dugout with a dozen or so other soldiers when the bunker took a direct hit. Four were KIA, 6 seriously WIA & Hitler took a shell splinter to the face. He stayed on the horse, as it were, and a few days later, on 10/7/1916, he was WIA for the second time while carrying dispatches near Bapaume during a period of extremely heavy barrages from the BritComm Royal Arty. This day he and one of his few close friends in the unit, a Ernst Schmidt, volunteered for a tough one. Schmidt made it through, and Hitler was WIA by a shell frag in the left thigh. He was evac'd to Germany on a hospital train three days or so later, & went to an Army hospital at Beelitz, near Berlin. It was considered a serious wound, but apparently it did a good job healing.

Roughly two months later he joined the Reserve Battalion of the 2nd Bavarian Infantry Regiment in Munich for light duty. He didn't like it there and wanted back in the war, so he rejoined List on 3/1/1917, which shortly became involved in the usual beta noir of WW1 soldiers...trench fighting. In the summer, it was back to Ypres. In the fall of 1917, they went for a couple months to rest area near Mulhouse in Alsace. Eventually, back to the line. In 3/1918 they fought at Montdidier against the French after being taken out of the Oise-Aisne area. Back to the war. On the evening of 10/13/1918, his coy was located near Werwick, south of Ypres. They were in trenches dug into a low level hill. Throughout the day, they'd taken heavy bombardment, and that evening, in came the gas shells. They thumped in til around midnight. Given the rather shoddy gas masks they had, the chlorine gas created many casualties. Around seven am the next day, he started back to the rear, suffering from the gas attack, and delivered his last dispatch to Bttn HQ. He was nearly blind, and within a couple days was at a hospital at Pasewalk, nearStettin, blind. Luckily for him, some doctors there had been studying chlorine gas, and he eventually regained sight. He was LUCKY AS HELL. Most chlorine gas victims were not so lucky. Hey left the hospital on 11/21/1918 & made his way to Munich, back to his regimental barracks. He and his friend Schmidt spent some time on a volunteer gig out guarding POWs at Traunstein on the Austrian frontier for awhile (I do not know the "technical" designation of this camp...anyone?). AFter the war he served a number of military functions. He worked as an instructor, an internal spy (sort of a Germanic SMERSH agent, only in reverse?)...etc.

Doc

He was highly decorated, though there is some debate as to the accuracy on some of them. To be expected. Ironically the reccomendation for his IK1 was from Lt Hugo Gutmann, a Jewish officer...the main reason he was a little shy on the specifics of his IK1 later on. Interestingly, Hitler was quite the dissenter towards Gutmann. Refused to salute him most of the time, often wouldn't respond to him...even got threatened with punishment on a number of occasions.

Best regards

[Roger Griffiths]

Fascinating, Kurt. Thank you. I was not aware of all his wounds.

Pehaps Adolf was not one of those people who could settle back into civilian life, once a soldier, always a soldier.

Roger