Rochus Misch, "Adolf Hitler's devoted bodyguard for most of
World War II and the last remaining witness to the Nazi leader's final
hours in his Berlin bunker," has died, .
Misch was 96. He died Thursday in Germany.
In a 2005 interview with the AP, Misch "stayed away from the central questions of guilt and responsibility, saying he knew nothing of the murder of 6 million Jews and that Hitler never brought up the Final Solution in his presence. 'That was never a topic,' he said emphatically. 'Never.' "
AP
In 2009, :
"They walked by me about three or four meters away, I saw his shoes sticking outside the sack," Misch told the AP.
Misch was able to flee the bunker three days later. He later spent 9 years in a Soviet prisoner of war camp, before being allowed to return to Berlin.
As the , Misch "remained loyal to the Fuhrer ... affectionately referring to Hitler as 'boss.' In [the AP] interview in 2005, he remained unapologetic about his relationship with most reviled man of the 20th century. 'He was no brute. He was no monster. He was no superman,' Misch said."
The AP adds that "in the forward to the English-language version of his book, The Last Witness — due for publication in October — [Misch] wrote that it was a different 'reality' then and he never asked questions during what he considered just his 'regular day at work.' "
Misch was 96. He died Thursday in Germany.
In a 2005 interview with the AP, Misch "stayed away from the central questions of guilt and responsibility, saying he knew nothing of the murder of 6 million Jews and that Hitler never brought up the Final Solution in his presence. 'That was never a topic,' he said emphatically. 'Never.' "
Rochus Misch, one of Adolf Hitler's bodyguards, in 1944. He died Thursday in Germany at the age of 96.
According to the AP:"I knew about Dachau camp and about concentration camps in general. ... But I had no idea of the scale. It wasn't part of our conversations. The Nuremberg Trial dealt with crimes committed by the Germans. But you must remember there was never a war when crimes weren't committed, and there never will be."
Misch saw the Fuhrer's body on April 30, 1945, after the Nazi leader and Eva Braun committed suicide in the Berlin bunker where they had been living as Allied troops drew closer. He watched as others carried Hitler's body out to be burned."Misch and SS comrade Johannes Hentschel accompanied Hitler almost everywhere he went, including his Alpine retreat in Berchtesgaden and his forward 'Wolf's Lair' headquarters. He lived between Hitler's apartments in the New Reich Chancellery and the home in a working-class Berlin neighborhood that he kept until his death.
" 'He was a wonderful boss,' Misch said. 'I lived with him for five years. We were the closest people who worked with him ... we were always there. Hitler was never without us day and night.' "
"They walked by me about three or four meters away, I saw his shoes sticking outside the sack," Misch told the AP.
Misch was able to flee the bunker three days later. He later spent 9 years in a Soviet prisoner of war camp, before being allowed to return to Berlin.
As the , Misch "remained loyal to the Fuhrer ... affectionately referring to Hitler as 'boss.' In [the AP] interview in 2005, he remained unapologetic about his relationship with most reviled man of the 20th century. 'He was no brute. He was no monster. He was no superman,' Misch said."
The AP adds that "in the forward to the English-language version of his book, The Last Witness — due for publication in October — [Misch] wrote that it was a different 'reality' then and he never asked questions during what he considered just his 'regular day at work.' "
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