With Hitler to the End

“Creepy yet fascinating . . . Of interest to anyone seeking more insight into the everyday life of one of history’s monsters” (Library Journal).   Heinz Linge worked with Adolf Hitler for a ten-year period from 1935 until the führer’s death in the Berlin bunker in May 1945. He was one of the last to leave the bunker and was responsible for guarding the door while Hitler killed himself. During his years of service, Linge was responsible for all aspects of Hitler’s household and was constantly by his side. He claims that only Eva Braun stood closer to Hitler during these years.   Through a host of anecdotes and observations, Linge recounts the daily routine in Hitler’s household: his eating habits, his foibles, his preferences, his sense of humor, and his private life with Braun. In fact, Linge believed Hitler’s closest companion was his dog. After the war, Linge said in an interview, “It was easier for him to sign a death warrant for an officer on the front than to swallow bad news about the health of his dog.”   In a number of instances—such as with the Stauffenberg bomb plot of July 1944—Linge gives an excellent eyewitness account of events. He also gives thumbnail profiles of the prominent members of Hitler’s “court”: Hess, Speer, Bormann, and Ribbentrop among them.   “Now [Linge’s] incredible story has been translated into English for the first time and casts new light on what it was like to be constantly alongside the Nazi despot.” —Daily Mail