Figure 1.--Hitler loved to be photoigraphed with children. There are countless such images. This one is a card in the Deitchland Erwach series. The scenes are always like this, him greeting the children, accepting flowers or patting them on the head. We never see him actually engaged in any meaningful way. We are not sure where the photograph was taken. It does nor seem to be the Berrghof. It was probanly taken before the Berghof was built. The man he is with is his Adjutant Wilhelm Brückner, at the time a Oberleutnant.

Adolf Hitler is one of the most photographed men of the 20th century. His personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann had virtually unlimited access. Amd there are countless images of him with children. This includes not only children greeting him on his travels around Germany as well arranged encounters with Hitler Youth groups. Thee were especially intimate encounters with youngr children at the Berghof. This of course made for good propaganda in the German media, but he seems to have genuinely enjoyed contact with young children. But it is interesting that the photographs are almost all of him greeting the children--not playing with him. He seems to hsve liked to have the children around while he chatted with his intimates, but there is no evidence that he every actually played with them or actually engaged with them in any real way. He accepted their fllowers or patted them on the head, but that was it. There was no real engagement. Hitler apparently did not want it.

Created: 6:48 AM 9/4/2014
Last edited: 6:48 AM 9/4/2014