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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.Here, 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 Eva Braun. 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.” Linge also charts the changes in Hitler’s character during their time together and his fading health during the last years of the war. During his last days, Hitler’s right eye began to hurt intensely and Linge was responsible for administering cocaine drops to kill the pain. In a number of instancessuch as with the Stauffenberg bomb plot of July 1944Linge 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 amongst them.Though Linge held an SS rank, he claims not to have been a Nazi Party member. His profile of one of history’s worst demons is not blindly uncritical, but it is nonetheless affectionate. The Hitler that emerges is a multi-faceted individual: unpredictable and demanding, but not of an otherwise unpleasant nature.Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Linge was Hitler's personal assistant from 1939 to the end, constantly by his side during that entire time.This book has come out after another new release, "He Was My Chief" by Christa Schroeder. This is the first English translation of this work. The original publishing was in German in 1980. "Chief" is a new book that was released after Schroeder's death.The books, while definitely different in style appear to paint a similar portrait of Hitler and his inner circle.Linge's book is a personal memoir while much of Schroeder's book is gleaned from letters written by her to a friend. Both of these authors claim no knowledge of the atrocities committed by the Nazi government and unlike Hitler's other secretary, Traudl Junge, neither demonstrate any outward remorse.What is fascinating about both books is the intimate look into the rulers of the Third Reich. You learn not just about Hitler, but many details of his inner circle.The Linge book gives the reader a more detailed account of Hitler's daily interactions and life while the Schroeder book seems to give more detail in the whole atmosphere surrounding Hitler and his henchman.Both works pretty much cover the same time frame in history and have many similar accounts. The reader walks away with a completely different view of Hitler and the German people from that available in history books or popular media. The country and their leaders are portrayed as people, with human aspirations and faults, and not mystical evil monsters under a witchcraft spell.Perhaps that is what makes both books so incredibly important. What happened in Germany can happen anywhere. A nation can easily be lulled into complacency, accepting what they are told, controlled by manipulating leaders and an oppressive government. It demonstrates the importance of staying involved, always questioning and holding our leaders responsible for their actions.If you are interested in Hitler and wartime Germany, both are a must read.