Hitler's Last Secretary A firsthand account of life with Hitler
By Traudl Junge
Edited by Melissa Muller
Date
Review Posted: April 7, 2014
Author: Traudl Junge
Release
Date: 2002
Web
Site:
Related
Blog:
CCCCC (A
case could be made that I would only review the best of the best because if
while reading a book it does not hold my interest, I would not finish it and
therefore would not review it.)
Format:
This is a book translated from German into English, it is the memoirs of
Ms. Traudl Junge who was on Adolph Hitler's secretary staff and who became very
close to him for about 2.5 years. She
was in her early 20's when hired by Hitler
Reason
For Reading THIS book: I watched a TV show on WWII, specifically
Germany where Ms. Junge was interviewed.
I was fascinated by her story and her apparent honestly in relating the
last days of Adolph Hitler in the bunker where she stayed until the end of
Hitler's life.
Number
Of Times I Have Read This Book: Only once.
Brief
Summary of Content:
First a disclaimer. I have held very strong beliefs regarding
Adolph Hitler and consider him one of the world's worst and most prolific mass
murders. This opinion has been long
established based on books I have read, movies I have watched and television
shows on WWII. So as I read this book,
please take that into account because you are going to be surprised at my
review of this book. Also keep in mind
that the book is about Traudl Junge, not necessarily Adolph Hitter but it would
be impossible to discuss Junge without discussing Hitler.
As stated, when I first started
reading this book I thought I already knew all there was I ever wanted to know
about Adolph Hitler. Yet as I started reading,
I learned about a young woman growing up in the 1930's Germany and how at least
this particular young woman (Junge) was not exposed to the political activities
in Germany at that time or at least that is how she described herself. More importantly she began to describe how
she was hired by Hitler and why and far more importantly how Hitler not only
treated her but the entire secretarial staff.
This is where I found myself
getting more involved in the reading of this book and found it hard to put
down. Where before I read the book, I
could not imagine Hitler demonstrating any characteristics other than the ones
you saw on TV specials, movies and in most books - one of being a complete
tyrant that everyone feared. Junge
describes someone entirely different.
She describes a person (employer) who is warm, humorous (yes humorous)
and who showed a sincere (at least to her) concern for the welfare and health
of his secretarial pool.
Junge's book recalls numerous
recollections of events and situations and how Hitler reacted and it became
very obvious to me while reading her recollection of events as to how and why
so many Germans literally fell in love with Hitler as difficult as that was for
me to totally understand. The book
covers the period from about 1938 to 1945 but focuses on the 2.5 years Junge
spent as Hitler's secretary from 1942 through the end of the war when Hitler
committed suicide. As I read about
Junge's last days in the bunker up and until Hitler shot himself, I got
engrossed in her writing and at times could feel the tension, smell the smells,
and even feel the fears that ran rampant throughout the bunker. What also very evident was that the
secretaries had little to no knowledge about how the war was progressing or
not. It was not until the very end when
the outcome of the war became obvious did Hitler ever talk about the war. Instead when they met or had meals together
Hitler would talk about stories of his youth, crack jokes and get the
secretaries talking about themselves.
I know that Junge was an integral
part of Germany's war effort but I grew to like her very much and found her to
be very admirable and more importantly believable. This was a fascinating read to me and I am
very satisfied that I decided to read the book.
I learned a great deal about life in Germany during the War and the
attitudes of people in regards to their support of Hitler and the German
cause. That does NOT mean I support
Hitler or his cause, only that I have a new appreciation for the people who
worked for him and how they could get caught up in his magnetism.
If you like history, you'll love
this book!
Who
Should Read the Book? Anyone
interested in history. Anyone who wants
to learn more about Adolph Hitler and how he thought and acted behind the
scenes you see on film. Anyone who wants
to avoid a similar situation from ever happening again.
Final
Test: Would I read the book again? Maybe.
It kind of speaks for itself and except for creating a better
understanding of the players (remember these were all very German names and
spelling including locations in Germany and Europe) I am not sure there would
be any additional value from reading it more than once.
