june prominent official nazi_germany head nazi party gained immense power position adolf_hitler private secretary control flow information access hitler joined paramilitary organisation working manager large estate served nearly year prison accomplice friend later commandant concentration camp murder joined initially worked party insurance service transferred july office deputy served chief staff position create extensive bureaucracy involve possible decision making gained acceptance hitler inner circle accompanied providing events requests began acting hitler personal secretary post officially appointed solo flight britain seek peace negotiations british government assumed duties title head final approval civil service appointments reviewed approved legislation facto control domestic matters leading proponents ongoing persecution christian churches favoured harsh treatment jews areas conquered germany world war returned hitler berlin january approached city hitler committed suicide attempted flee berlin avoid capture soviets probably committed suicide bridge near station body buried nearby found confirmed genuine tried trials convicted war crimes crimes humanity sentenced death hanging early life education born son post office employee second wife family lutheran half siblings father earlier marriage died gave birth sons died infancy martin born albert born survived adulthood died mother soon remarried studies agricultural trade high school interrupted joined 55th field gunner june days world war saw action served garrison duty february working short time cattle feed mill estate manager large farm shortly starting work estate joined landowners association meant money worthless stored farms estates valuable estates including units stationed site guard crops joined organisation headed acting section leader treasurer march sentenced year accomplice friend murder perpetrators believed tipped french occupation authorities fellow member carrying sabotage operations french industries arrested executed night took meadow town beaten throat cut perpetrators confessed police dug body laid charges july released prison february joined short lived paramilitary organisation created replace storm detachment assault division banned aftermath failed returned job remained moved mother career joined membership number joined january number special order granted number reflect old fighter status early career took job weekly paper edited member deputy party leader joining began duties regional press officer lack public speaking skills ill suited position soon skills use business manager region moved munich october worked insurance office initially provided coverage insurance companies members hurt killed frequent violent skirmishes members political parties insurance companies unwilling pay claims activities set der benefits relief fund directly administered party party member required pay receive compensation injuries sustained conducting party business payments fund solely discretion began gain reputation financial expert party members felt personally receiving benefits fund addition stated purpose fund resort source funding short money time success general election won seats party membership grew dramatically fund collecting million year worked staff founded precursor organisation responsible donated use motor vehicles belonging party members later expanded training members automotive skills head party seizure power january relief fund provide general accident property insurance resigned administration applied transfer accepted chief staff office deputy july served personal secretary july department responsible settling disputes party acted party state policy decisions legislation position create extensive bureaucracy involve decision making possible october hitler named national leader highest party rank november named deputy june gaining acceptance hitler inner circle accompanied providing events requests appointed renovations hitler property early 1930s hitler bought property renting vacation retreat chancellor hitler drew plans expansion main house charge construction commissioned construction barracks guards roads motor vehicles accommodation staff amenities retaining title bought adjacent farms entire complex covered square kilometres members inner circle built houses perimeter beginning commissioned building eagle nest tea house high gift hitler birthday april hitler seldom building liked impress guests taking hitler residence constantly attendance acted hitler personal secretary capacity began control flow information access hitler period hitler gave control personal finances addition salaries chancellor president hitler income included money raised royalties collected book use image postage stamps set collected money german hitler behalf funds received programme party leaders retained hitler personal use took notes hitler thoughts expressed dinner late night preserved material published war hitler table talk office deputy final approval civil service appointments reviewed personnel files decisions appointments power minister interior example overlapping responsibilities typical nazi regime travelled hitler including trips austria annexation austria nazi_germany signing munich agreement later year placed charge organising major annual party event hitler intentionally played party members civil service way fostered distrust competition subordinates consolidate power typically written orders instead communicated verbally conveyed falling favour meant access hitler cut proved master intricate political ability control access hitler enabled power high ranking officials enemies ruthless continuous intriguing power influence hitler favour came inner workings world war progressed hitler attention focused foreign affairs conduct war exclusion directly engaged increasingly sidelined affairs nation hitler attention successfully supplanted duties position hitler concerned germany face war fronts plans progressed invasion soviet_union scheduled place later year flew solo britain seek peace negotiations british government arrested arrival spent rest war british prisoner eventually receiving life sentence war crimes trials later said hitler described departure worst blows life considered personal betrayal hitler ordered shot return germany abolished post deputy assigning duties title head position responsible appointments hitler associates began refer face power effective reach considerably war early war produced labour crisis regime hitler created man committee representatives state army party attempt control war economy committee members head field marshal chief der controlled party committee intended independently propose measures regardless wishes hitler final decisions committee soon known met times january august ran resistance hitler cabinet ministers headed deeply entrenched spheres influence excluded committee seeing threat power worked bring result changed committee declined anti church campaign article party platform called christian denominations treaty vatican signed guarantee religious freedom catholics hitler believed religion fundamentally incompatible strongly anti christian agreed stated publicly national socialism christianity political hitler intended postpone elimination christian churches war repeated hostile statements church indicated subordinates continuation church struggle tolerated encouraged leading proponents ongoing persecution christian churches february decreed members clergy admitted following year ruled members clergy holding party offices dismissed party member considering entering clergy party membership push force closure theological departments universities unsuccessful able reduce religious instruction provided public schools hours week mandated removal classrooms notes memoirs drafting plans planned rebuilding berlin told churches allocated building sites campaign catholic_church hundreds monasteries germany austria confiscated occupants expelled august publicly protested persecution action nazi non voluntary programme mentally ill physically deformed sick killed series received international attention criticised programme illegal immoral led widespread protest movement church leaders strongest protest nazi policy point called hanged hitler concluded death viewed lead unrest hitler decided deal issue war personal secretary preoccupied military matters spending time military headquarters eastern hitler came rely handle domestic policies country april hitler officially appointed personal secretary time facto control domestic matters new appointment gave power act official capacity matter invariably advocate extremely harsh radical measures came treatment jews conquered eastern peoples prisoners war signed decree extending laws annexed territories east signed decree october permanent longer solved emigration use ruthless force special camps east nazi death camps decree signed july gave absolute powers jews came exclusive jurisdiction estimates million jews representing thirds jewish population europe nazi regime knowing hitler viewed slavic people inferior opposed introduction german criminal law conquered eastern territories lobbied eventually achieved strict separate code implemented martial law polish jewish inhabitants areas criminal law practices poles jews incorporated eastern territories december permitted corporal punishment death sentences trivial offences supported hard line approach brutal treatment slavic people serving head favoured moderate policy touring collective farms ukraine concerned health good physical constitution population concerned constitute danger regime discussion hitler issued policy directive read work far don need die fertility undesirable food necessary masters come shared responsibility people militia drafted remaining able bodied men aged ditch militia founded october poorly equipped trained men sent fight eastern nearly killed having impact soviet advance days berlin hitler transferred headquarters shelter berlin january secretary remained end april located garden government district centre city final major soviet offensive war began april april started city april 56th birthday hitler trip surface ruined garden awarded boy soldiers afternoon berlin bombarded soviet artillery time april left bunker complex flew ordered hitler leave berlin early morning hours april witnessed signed hitler testament named estate night hitler married civil ceremony soviet forces continued fight way centre berlin hitler committed suicide afternoon april took hitler shot hitler instructions bodies carried garden burned accordance hitler wishes named party minister officially confirming position facto general secretary party grand admiral appointed new president germany head government chancellor germany wife committed suicide later day battle berlin ended general der commander surrendered city general commander soviet death rumours survival discovery remains account death left doctor hitler youth leader hitler pilot members groups attempting break soviet carried copy hitler testament group left travelled foot tunnel station surfaced members party attempted cross bridge tiger tank tank hit soviet artillery destroyed knocked ground eventually crossed river attempt walked railway tracks station decided leave opposite direction encountered patrol doubled saw bodies later identified bridge near railway switching yard time check thoroughly know died soviets admitted finding body fate remained doubt years tried chaotic days war contradictory reports arose whereabouts sightings reported argentina spain wife placed surveillance case tried contact long time insisted saw munich july case alive multiple public notices upcoming trials placed newspapers radio october november proceedings trial got underway november lacking evidence confirming death tried permitted article charter charged counts conspiracy wage war aggression war crimes crimes humanity prosecution assigned lieutenant defence prosecution stated participated planning signed virtually legislation forward regime unsuccessfully proposed court convict dead nature activities unable prosecution extent involvement decision making convicted war crimes crimes humanity acquitted conspiracy wage war aggression october sentenced death hanging provision later found alive new facts brought light time taken consideration reduce sentence discovery remains coming years organisations including cia west german government attempted locate success west german government offered reward information leading capture sightings reported points world including australia denmark italy south_america autobiography nazi intelligence officer claimed soviet spy escaped moscow nazi hunter believed living south_america west german government declared hunt retired postal worker named told police soviets ordered colleagues bury bodies found near railway bridge near station dressed uniform clad underwear colleague found doctor second body identifying gave boss postal chief turned soviets turn destroyed wrote wife august told husband body interred bodies dead soldiers grounds berlin excavations july site specified failed locate bodies december construction workers uncovered human remains near station spot claimed buried autopsy fragments glass found jaws skeletons suggesting men committed suicide biting avoid capture dental records reconstructed memory identified skeleton damage consistent injuries sons reported sustained riding accident forensic determined size skeleton shape skull identical likewise second skeleton deemed similar height known proportions composite photographs images photographs men faces completely facial reconstruction undertaken early confirm identities bodies soon afterward west german government declared dead family permitted body case forensic examination later proved necessary remains identified german authorities ordered genetic testing fragments skull testing led professor forensic science tests dna relatives identified skull remains cremated ashes scattered baltic_sea august family september married year old father major served chairman und responsible settling disputes party hitler frequent visitor met hitler served witnesses wedding series including actress children martin april march called crown prince named hitler godfather born july named later called flight scotland died twin sister died born july born august named godfather changed flight scotland born june named godfather born born august born april born september died children fled italy april allied air attack died cancer april italy children survived war cared foster homes eldest son martin ordained roman catholic priest worked africa missionary later left married nazi awards decorations golden party badge olympic games decoration class honour old guard honour ring honour sword blood order bronze knight order crown italy explanatory notes
Martin Bormann