Hitler Conspiracy Theories

The standard account of Adolf Hitler’s death is that on 30thApril 1945, he committed suicide in his Berlin bunker, shotting himself in the head and possibly also taking a capsule of cyanide. With him when he died was Eva Braun, his mistress that he had married the day prior. After their deaths, both bodies were taken into the garden outside by their few remaining friends, covered in petrol and burned. The remains were then buried. The bodies were later identified by Soviety forces and an autopsy was performed.

An alleged picture of Hitler taken by one of his soldiers after his death

Many conspiracy theories have emerged claiming that Hitler escaped the bunker and fled to America. At the time, several important figures, including Joseph Stalin believed that Hitler had escaped the bunker and was still alive and active somewhere in the world.

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False Autopsy:

The two bodies were found by a Soviet unit known as the “79thSmersh”. The pathologist conducting the autopsy hoped to discover the exact cause of death. Dental records from Hitler’s dentist Hugo Blaschke were used, and the pathologist found that trace of cyanide was present in both bodies and it was determined both died from cyanide poisoning. The results of the autopsy were made public on 16th May 1945.

Despite the autopsy findings, Hitler’s staff continued to attest that he had shot himself – presumably as this death seemed more dignified. Their claims could not be ignored and the Soviet authorities fially had to accept that the autopsy had been wrong. Embarrassed by the Soviet army over such an important matter, Stalin issued an extraordinary statement on 9thJune 1945, stating the remains of Hitler’s body had not been found and that he had probably escaped.

Escape to Antarctica:

One theory states that in 1939, a secret German expedition was made to part of Antarctica with the intention of building a base there. The theory states that Hitler took a U-boat out of Germany and fled to the completed base in 1945, or possible even before the end of the war, with body doubles taking his place in Germany to avoid suspicion.

The secret mission in Antarctica was only known to 33 members and the ship’s crew. The aim was to increase the production of fat for the coming war, however the ‘real’ mission was clearly to create permanent bases for the Nazi’s. They established a German section of Antarctica named Neuschwabenland.

Historians have admitted there is evidence of Nazi post-war bases in Antarctica that were large enough to house German battleships. In 1946, Admiral Byrd was sent to Antarctica with the US government to establish bases and most likely spy on this base. Project HighJump was a US navy operation involving more than 4,700 men, 13 ships and 33 aircraft. Its primary mission was to establish a research base known as Little America, yet may theorists believe it was actually a manhunt for Hitler.

Later, British SAS soldiers were linked with operations in the area and, in the following few years until the early 1950’s. Some believe that the British and US forces were trying to kill Hitler and destroy his secret base, although nobody knows if they were successful.

In 2001, a satellite image was released showing structures in Antarctica that were built below the ice. After the release of these files, the American government sent troops to explore the structures, which was then cordoned off and is no longer accessible via google earth or satellite images.

The 2001 satellite captures of the base in Antarctica

Escape to Argentina and his death:

According to the claims of Simon Dunstan and Gerrard Williams in their book Grey Wolf, Adolf Hitler was in his seventies when he died in his bed in February 1962. By this time, he had been long abandoned by his wife, Eva, and by virtually all his Nazi henchmen. These claims are allegedly based on the papers of Dr. Otto Lehmann who treated Hitler in the final months of his life. The papers were reproduced in Manuel Monasterio’s book about Hitler’s life in Argentina. According to Lehmann’s notes, Hitler’s health rapidly declined in the early weeks of 1962. The doctors often heard moans and cries of anguish and despair from the room in which Hitler spent most of his time. Supposedly, Hitler suffered a paralyzing stroke on February 12th. He died the following day after falling into a coma.

After Hitler’s escape to Argentina, it is claimed he received support from then president Juan Peron and his soon-to-be wife, Eva. Juan Peron was more than sympathetic to the Nazi ideology, if only for monetary gain and power. It is claimed that Eva Peron was even more enthralled. She allowed fleeing Nazis safe passage into Argentina using her status and influence. In exchange, she accepted treasures, jewelry and even money stolen from Jewish families who had been murdered in the Europe concentration camps. The Perons were close friends with Hitler and supposedly met with him several times following his arrival in Patagonia after the war.

Berlin secret underground tunnel system:

In 2015, a false wall in a Berlin subway station was discovered, which could have facilitated the Führer’s escape in 1945. The false wall was found at Luftbrücke U-Bahn station in the German capital.

On April 21st 1945, the day after the last recorded public sighting of Hitler, there was a mass Nazi exodus from Tempelhof Airport, with up to eight planes being apparently loaded with Hitler’s personal effects. It is believed that the Nazi leader could have made it from his bunker to the airport almost entirely underground, except for the final 200 yards. Rumours have circulated of a hitherto unknown tunnel connecting this final 200 yards from a nearby subway station (originally known as U6 but know called Luftbrücke) to the airport. The 2015 investigation claims to have unearthed the tunnel that could have facilitated Hitler’s escape.

The pilot who flew Hitler:

Captain Peter Baumgart, a former Luftwaffe pilot, claimed that he flew the plane that Hitler took after he escaped from Berlin through the underground tunnels. He stated that during his trial in which he was sentenced to five years in prison for SS membership. He maintained that he flew Hitler, Eva Braun and several other high-ranking officers from Berlin to the Danish town of Tonder in May 1945. Upon their safe arrival, Hitler shook Baumgart’s hand and transferred a piece of paper into it. The paper was a check for 20,000 marks. The pilot was then ordered to return to Berlin. Althought he wasn’t sure what had happened to Hitler when he left, it was rumoured that Hitler boarded a submarine bound for South America.

Hitler sightings:

After his ‘supposed’ death, there were a variety of reports from sources claiming to have seen Hitler, with the majority originating from Argentina. A computer system was used to calculate where most of the sightings were coming from, and it was concluded that the majority of sources came from Charata in Argentina. The languages spoken there were English, German and Spanish, and it was known as a place Nazi’s frequently visited, meaning he would have resources and connections in this location.

In summer of 1945, 15-year-old Catalina Gomero was living with the Eichhorn family, who were known supporters of Hitler. Years later, she recalled that a man had stayed with them during her time there. She both recongised and was informed by Mrs. Eichhorn that he was Adolf Hitler. Gomero went on to say that she had memorizes Hitler’s voice during the four days that he stayed with the family because she was so fascinated by his presence. According to her, Hitler had continued to telephone the Eicchorns until 1962.

Another known supporter of Hitler and the Nazi regime was Ante Pavelic, who escaped from Europe following the war. Whilst working as a carpenter at Pavelic’s building site, Hernan Ancin witnessed several meetings between Hitler and Pavelic in the early 1950’s. According to many people who claimed to have seen Hitler during this time, his mustache had been shaved off and his hair was considerably grayer. Ancin also stated that the former leader of the Third Reich looked ill and in distress.

Another potential sighting was July 27th 1945, where an Argentinian patrol unit was sent to apprehend a suspicious individual. Necochea’s beach is in South America, and on the evening of July 27th1945, the police had received reports of ‘unusual activity’ along the coast. Flashing lights were going back and forth from the Necochea beach to a point not too far from the shore. A small police unit arrested a German man who was using morse code to signal an unidentified vessel in the waters. They interrogated the man for most of the night. However, by the morning of July 28th, the man had admitted to aiding a German submarine that wished to ‘unload’ on the beach. When more police units arrived at the spot of the apprehension later morning they found clear evidence that such an unloading operation had taken place. Some officers followed tire marks to a secluded farm. After contacting his superiors, the leader led his men onto the property. According to reports, four German soldiers with submachine guns soon approached the officers. As a result, the Necochea police arrested the soldiers and held them whilst awaiting further instructions. Two hours later, the police were ordered by superiors to release the soldiers. Whether Hitler was at the farmhouse is open to debate, but there was certainly evidence of activity involving heavily armed German soldiers and some kind of “delivery” from a German submarine. Of course, the order to release the soldiers without an follow-up is suspicious in itself. The reason for this stand down could have been due to the relationship Hitler was alleged to have between Peron and his wife.

An alleged picture of Hitler taken in 1949

Testing of the skull:

On 30th May 1946, whilst the Soviets were investigating rumours of Hitler’s survival, two fragments from a skull were retrieved from the crater where Hitler was buried. The left piece of the parietal bones had gunshot damage and both were kept in Russia’s federal archives in Moscow, believed to be Hitler for decades. In 2009, samples of the skull were taken for DNA testing at the University of Connecticut by a bone-specialising archaeologist. Surprisingly, the skull samples were found to belong to a woman aged under 40

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Bone specialist Nick Bellantoni stated “The bone seemed very thin; male bone tends to be more robust. And the sutures where the skull plates come together seemed to correspond to someone under 40”. Hitler would have been 56 at the time of his death.

Hitler's skull which was tested in an autopsy

Declassification of files:

In 2014, after an executive order from Barack Obama, 700 secret documents from the FBI were declassified and made accessible to the public. The files revealed thousands of leads regarding where Hitler could have gone, and theories were created regarding these leads.

A 1955 document found by the Miami Herald among the declassified files reveals that a source told an unnamed CIA agent that “Phillip Cirtoen, former German SS trooper, stated to him confidentially that Adolf Hitler is still alive” and that he worked for the KNSM shipping company in Maracaibo. As proof, the source eventually shared a photograph of the person thought to be Hitler with the CIA. These newly released files reveal that the CIA were investigating whether or not Hilter was alive in 1955.

An image of one of the files that was de-classified in 2014

Operation paperclip:

Operation paperclip was a secret programme of the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA) largely carried out by special agents of Army CIC, in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians were taken from Germany to America for U.S. government employment, primarily between 1945-1959.

The primary purpose of this operation was to gain an advantage in the Soviet-American cold war, as well as the space race. The main goal was to produce more advanced biological and chemical weapons.

This theory states that the Nazi’s were actually the first to take man to the moon, making the journey as early as 1942. It is believed this mission was kept a secret and the American government recruited famous German engineers and inventors to help them put the first man on the moon, and allow this to be published to the media.

This theory is further amplified by the inclusion of a famous German engineer who was assigned to the American man on the moon mission, and actually helped build the spacecraft architecture. Wernher von Braun was a German American aerospace engineer and space architect, who was also a member of the Naxi party after officially applying for membership on November 12th1937. He was the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the key instrument in getting man to the moon.

Wernher Von Braun