The powerful men under Hitler were already jealously watching one another like so many pretenders to the throne. Quite early there were struggles for position among Goebbels, Goering, Rosenberg, Ley, Himmler, Ribbentrop, and Hess. Only Roehm had been left by the wayside, and before long Hess was to lose all his influence. But none of them recognized a threat in the shape of trusty Bormann. He had succeeded in representing himself as insignificant while imperceptibly building up his bastions. Even among so many ruthless men, he stood out by his brutality and coarseness. He had no culture, which might have put some restraints on him, and in every case he carried out whatever Hitler had ordered or what he himself had gathered from Hitler's hints. A subordinate by nature, he treated his own subordinates as if he were dealing with cows and oxen.

The Slavs are to work for us. Insofar as we do not need them, they may die. Therefore, compulsory vaccination and German health service are superfluous. The fertility of the Slavs is undesirable. They may use contraceptives or practice abortion, the more the better. Education is dangerous. It is enough if they can count up to one hundred. At best an education which produces useful coolies for us is admissible. Every educated person is a future enemy.

Martin Bormann also came from the ranks of the old NSDAP membership. Like Himmler he had also worked on the land. Under Rudolf Hess he had exercised the function of party head of staff. Outwardly he no more resembled the physical image which National Socialism prized than Himmler or Goebbels. In stature he was of small build, fat and robust, an uncouth and unbelievably hyperactive personality. Whatever he did was carried through with unscrupulous force. He crushed underfoot anybody in his path. He was one of those persons for whom you instinctively stand even if you met him as a stranger in the street. His close personal relationship to Hitler, at which he was working doggedly when I joined Hitler's staff, was achieved by enlarging Hitler's country house Wachenfeld on Obersalzberg. He arranged finance for this endeavor skilfully by diverting party funds and gave Hitler, who had no real understanding of money, the feeling that here was somebody who might relieve him of all the burdens in this area with which he did not wish to be encumbered. When more structures went up on Obersalzberg later, we were not really surprised to see that Bormann himself had now acquired a magnificent country house and wormed himself into Hitler's close personal circle on the basis of being his "neighbour". Bormann was a strong personality whose influence even on Hitler I had occasion to remark often. He worked day and night, allowed colleagues and employees no rest and tyrannised them. For the most minor error he would ruthlessly cull a member of staff. He called for a furious work rate and appalled not only his workers and advisers but his adjutants such as Führer too. His fitting nickname was "The Lord God of Obersalzberg".

Martin Bormann was simply one of the most devoted and loyal of Hitler's vassals who would often force through ruthlessly and sometimes brutally the orders and directives given him by Hitler. Seen in this way, Bormann followed the same kind of path as did Franz Pfeffer von Salomon, running battles with Gauleiters, ministers, Party bosses and the rest being the rule. In the spring of 1930 at OSAF, Bormann was as yet unburdened by the far-reaching and unpleasant tasks which Hitler gave him later. Bormann could never be called an attractive man. He had married Gerda Buch, the beautiful daughter of Party judge, retired Major Walter Buch, who as the Reich USCHLA Judge in the NSDAP was highly respected and enjoyed Hitler's confidence. Buch had been an active officer and subsequently an instructor at an NCO training school. In the First World War he was regimental adjutant and later commander of a machine-gun sharpshooter unit. In 1918 he took over an officer-candidate battalion at Doberitz. After the war he left the army in the rank of major and joined the NSDAP In 1925 he was appointed USCHLA chairman, a position which required a lot of understanding for human inadequacies, much tact, energy and authority. He was predestined for the office, for his father had been president of the Senate at the Oberland tribunals in Baden. With his long face and tall, slim figure he always looked very elegant. He had been present at the marriage of his daughter to Martin Bormann, which was naturally very beneficial for Bormann's prospects.

At OSAF, Martin Bormann headed the SA personal injury insurance plan designed by Dr Wagener, later known as the NSDAP Hilfskasse. All SA men were covered by it. At their gatherings there tended to be a lot of brawling which tended to result in bodily injuries. The insurance was useful and necessary. It was created to serve the single primitive purpose which the genius of Martin Bormann could not cover. Only after beginning work on the staff of the Fuhrer's deputy did Bormann succeed later in proving his extraordinary qualities. His career took off in the course of the 1930s. From chief of staff to Rudolf Hess he became NSDAP Reichsleiter and then Hitler's secretary. He expected from his staff that same enormous industriousness which distinguished himself, and this did not help to make him loved. "Hurry, hurry" was his celebrated phrase....

Bormann came to Hitler not only well prepared with his files but was also so in tune with Hitler's way of thinking that he could spare him long-winded explanations. Anyone who knew how Hitler did things will realise that this was decisive for him!

Many of the rumours still current about Bormann have in my opinion no basis in fact. He was neither hungry for power nor the "grey eminence" in Hitler's entourage. To my mind he was one of the few National Socialists with clean hands if one may put it that way, for he was incorruptible and came down hard on all corruption he discovered. For his oppressive attitude in this regard he increasingly antagonised corrupt Party members and many others.

I am of the opinion today that nobody in Hitler's entourage save Bormann would have had the presence to run this difficult office. For sheer lack of time Hitler could not attend to all day-to-day affairs, and perhaps whenever possible he avoided doing so to prevent himself becoming unloved! Accordingly all the unpleasant business was left to Martin Bormann, and he was also the scapegoat. Ministers, Gauleiters and others believed that Bormann acted from his own lust for power. I remember for example that at FHQ Wolfsschanze Hitler would often say: "Bormann, do me a favour and keep the Gauleiters away from me." Bormann did this and protected Hitler. The Gauleiters were as a rule old street fighters who had known Hitler longer than Bormann and felt senior to him. If a Gauleiter then happened to cross Hitler's path while strolling, Hitler would play the innocent and gasp: "What? You are here?" When the Gauleiter then held forth on Bormann's shortcomings, Hitler would put on his surprised face. "I know that Bormann is brutal," Hitler said once, "but whatever he takes on is given hands and feet, and I can rely on him absolutely and unconditionally to carry out my orders immediately and irrespective of whatever obstructions may be in the way."

The hostility between the Bormanns was so habitual and firmly established that they could stand side by side and ignore each other entirely. And when Hitler gave a letter or request to the younger Bormann to be passed on to the Reichsleiter, Albert Bormann would go out, find an orderly, and the orderly would pass instructions on to his big brother even if they were both in the same room. The same thing happened in reverse, and if one Bormann told a funny story at table all the rest of the company would roar with laughter, while his brother just sat there ignoring them and looking deadly serious. I was surprised to find how used Hitler had become to this state of affairs. He took no notice of it at all. Unfortunately I never managed to find out the reason for their enmity. I think there was a woman behind it. Or perhaps those two fighting cocks had long ago forgotten the reason themselves?

Martin Bormann was hated and feared by almost everyone in the Reich Chancellery Group, including his own brother Alfred, who was one of Hitler's personal adjutants. Even before the outbreak of war, Bormann, by placing his own desk in the ante-room to Hitler's office, could control civilian access to the Fuehrer. Except for three or four ministers and the important military officers, no one could now report in to the Fuehrer directly. Bormann also processed all non-military papers before they crossed the Fuehrer's desk. It was he, for instance, who had kept a careful eye on Speer's activities in the Palatinate, receiving reports from the Gauleiters under his command, and had informed Hitler of Speer's attempts to block the scorched-earth orders. Finally, by his custody of the Fund of the Friends of the Fuehrer, which he had set up for the purpose of milking industrialists, Bormann had access to a vast pool of money which he used for his private patronage and for bribing Gauleiters. This fund also financed the building of the Bunker. All this increased mightily his personal power. As Hitler, from 1939 on, began to concentrate almost exclusively on military affairs, Bormann was building his own political power-base within the party. Hitler knew this; and he knew that Bormann was roundly hated. He once said: "I know that Bormann is brutal. But I need him."

One incident told by old FBK members shows what happened, under Bormann's influence, to the once comradely spirit of the mountain people. One of Hitler's oldest and most faithful retainers was Bruno Gesche, a boisterous type who had been with Hitler since the Munich stormtrooping days. Gesche rose slowly in the SS and the Leibstandarte until, by 1942, he had become the commanding officer of the FBK, with the rank of Obersturmbannfuehrer (lieutenant colonel). At a wild Christmas party in 1944 in the officers' mess at Felsennest during the Battle of the Ardennes, Gesche got roaring drunk, apparently at the bad news coming in from Bastogne. A dead-eye marksman, he whipped out his pistol and shot out all the mess-hall light bulbs. Bormann insisted that Bruno Gesche stand before a court-martial. Hitler refused to intervene. Gesche was reduced to the rank of corporal and exiled to the Italian front. The old hand said goodbye to the Fuehrer like Falstaff taking leave of Prince Hal.

The most hated and dictatorial person in Hitler's immediate circle was Reichsleiter Martin Bormann. He had a cat-like, effusive show of friendliness when it suited his purposes, but when not being nice he was utterly brutal. His ruthlessness knew no bounds. His only known good point was his unbelievable work rate. One cannot talk about the fall of the Reich and the death of Hitler without a thorough understanding of the person who was the grey eminence in Hitler's personal circle.

I got to know Bormann in Munich in 1932. At that time he was relatively unknown until his appointment as head of the SA (Sturmabteilung) in-house insurance organisation, later that year. He had an excellent idea of how to make equals feel he was their friend and to have himself appreciated by his superiors. He worked almost day and night without a break and rightfully won the reputation of being a great workhorse. When Rudolf Hess was expanding the liaison apparatus between party and State he noticed Bormann and took him into the staff. After a short while Bormann rose to be Stabsleiter (head of staff) under Hess and had thus achieved his first goal. He belonged in the first team. He remained pleasant and was always ready to be of service to equals and those above him.

Things changed in 1936. After Hitler's Haus Wachenfeld on the Obersalzberg was rebuilt and expanded into the Berghof, Bormann burst out from his previously modest disguise. Now he just had to have a house on the Obersalzberg. This would give him a reason for being constantly in close proximity to Hitler, with whom he would otherwise have little to do in the course of his duties. In general, his only appearances at the Berghof were to accompany Hess there and stand by silently while Hess delivered his oral reports to Hitler.

Bormann therefore started to buy up land on the Obersalzberg The so-called reason for this was that it was being done on behalf of Rudolf Hess to create for Hitler a place where he could really find peace and recuperate without disturbance. To assist in this enterprise he founded an NSDAP financial consortium. He bought up tracts of land from local farmers. There was no need for him to use underhand methods for the purpose, for he had made it known that the NSDAP would pay four to five times over the market value. This speculation in land could not be kept secret from Hitler for ever. He was concerned that Bormann might be using intimidation to force people off their property, and so told the adjutancy to warn Bormann that at the first complaint he would put a stop to it. Bormann assured him that there were no grounds for disquiet: on the contrary, the farmers were actually coming to him offering to sell. Once Hitler's mind was set at rest, Bormann's buying spree on behalf of the NSDAP knew no bounds. Soon he had acquired the whole Ohersalzberg mountain.

The time now seemed ripe for Bormann to spin his web around Hitler even tighter. At that time, it was the practice at the Berghof for the duty adjutant to decide which Party leaders and men from the State and Wehrmacht to invite to lunch with Hitler. One day Bormann contacted the adjutant with a request to be invited to dine, should the Fuhrer approve. Obviously Bormann was approved. Shortly before the meal he telephoned the duty adjutant again to excuse himself from attending because his workload was too great. This happened several times. When he finally appeared for lunch one day he was late and took the opportunity to apologise to Hitler with the explanation that he was so weighed down with work that it had unfortunately not been possible for him to get away on time. He kept this ploy going so long that slowly but surely Hitler gained the impression that Bormann was the most industrious man in the whole Party apparatus.

After winning Hitler's trust in this way, Bormann was given the stewardship of the Berghof. Thus he achieved another goal and won a fresh position of power from where he could damage his rivals. The expansion of his jurisdiction allowed Bormann to be nastier in his relationship towards subordinates. He began to feel secure. To his underlings he became the most irrational superior. One moment he would treat them in the kindest and most pleasant manner, even giving out presents, and a few minutes later he would be a sadist-belittling, offensive and wounding. Often he would go into such a rage that one would think he had lost his reason.

Once the entire staff was under his control, Bormann was empowered to hire and fire whomsoever he wanted. Woe betide the subordinate who fell into disfavour with him. He would persecute that person, filled with hate, for so long as he remained within reach. His behaviour was totally different to those people whom he knew Hitler liked and did not stand in his path. Towards them his friendship was unlimited and he would bend over backwards to make sure Hitler noticed.

Bormann's great passion was building. It was his method to sketch all the fancy ideas that he knew he shared with Hitler. Thus on the Obersalzberg he converted the houses that appeared to him appropriate for the purpose, making them into guest houses and small villas while creating for himself the wonderful opportunity to go over the plans with Hitler and so ingratiate himself with him even more.


Martin Bormann changed all this. He was hated and feared by almost everyone in the Reich Chancellery Group, including his own brother Alfred, who was one of Hitler's personal adjutants. Even before the outbreak of war, Bormann, by placing his own desk in the ante-room to Hitler's office, could control civilian access to the Fuehrer. Except for three or four ministers and the important military officers, no one could now report in to the Fuehrer directly. Bormann also processed all non-military papers before they crossed the Fuehrer's desk. It was he, for instance, who had kept a careful eye on Speer's activities in the Palatinate, receiving reports from the Gauleiters under his command, and had informed Hitler of Speer's attempts to block the scorched-earth orders. Finally, by his custody of the Fund of the Friends of the Fuehrer, which he had set up for the purpose of milking industrialists, Bormann had access to a vast pool of money which he used for his private patronage and for bribing Gauleiters. This fund also financed the building of the Bunker. All this increased mightily his personal power. As Hitler, from 1939 on, began to concentrate almost exclusively on military affairs, Bormann was building his own political power-base within the party. Hitler knew this; and he knew that Bormann was roundly hated. He once said: `I know that Bormann is brutal. But I need him.

One incident told by old FBK members shows what happened, under Bormann's influence, to the once comradely spirit of the mountain people. One of Hitler's oldest and most faithful retainers was Bruno Gesche, a boisterous type who had been with Hitler since the Munich stormtrooping days. Gesche rose slowly in the SS and the Leibstandarte until, by 1942, he had become the commanding officer of the FBK, with the rank of Obersturmbannfuehrer (lieutenant colonel). At a wild Christmas party in 1944 in the officers' mess at Felsennest during the Battle of the Ardennes, Gesche got roaring drunk, apparently at the bad news coming in from Bastogne. A dead-eye marksman, he whipped out his pistol and shot out all the mess-hall light bulbs. Bormann insisted that Bruno Gesche stand before a court-martial. Hitler refused to intervene. Gesche was reduced to the rank of corporal and exiled to the Italian front. The old hand said goodbye to the Fuehrer like Falstaff taking leave of Prince Hal.

Bormann is not doing very well at the moment. His ideas, particularly on the question of radicalization of the war, are not what I would have expected of him. As I have already said, these people are semi-bourgeois. Their thinking may be revolutionary but they do not act that way. Now, however, the revolutionaries must be brought to the top.

Once more a mass of new decrees and instructions issue from Bormann. Bormann has turned the Party Chancellery into a paper factory. Every day he sends out a mountain of letters and files which the Gauleiters, now involved in battle, no longer even have time to read. In some cases too it is totally useless stuff of no practical value in our struggle. Even in the Party we have no clear leadership in contact with the people.