German officer Otto Gunshe: biography

Life, and especially the death of the Fuhrer of the Third Reich, has always been shrouded in secrets and speculation. That's why it's so important to know about his surroundings. One of the close people in the last months of Hitler's existence was Otto Günsche.

Who was this man? What was his role in the death of the dictator? What happened to him after taking Berlin? Why did the ex-Adjutant of the Führer die? You can find out all this by reading the article.

short biography

Born Otto Gunshe, whose biography is considered, in Jena on 24.09.1917. Until 1936, nothing is known about his life. Further, he was in the escort team of the SS.

The activities of Otto Günsche (years of life 1917-2003) in the SS:

• In 1940-1941 he was an orderly officer;
• In 1941-1942 he studied at the SS academy, after being promoted to the Sturmbannfuhrer, then he was on the Soviet-German front;
• In the winter of 1943 he became an adjutant to the dictator, and by summer returned to the front again;
• In February 1944 again became Adjutant of Hitler;
• Since the summer of 1944, he was an employee of the "Leibstandarte-SS";
• In the spring of 1945, he received a special assignment from the Führer.

The post of personal adjutant of Hitler

The young officer was at the beginning of the Second World War for just over twenty. He had the appearance of a real Aryan and impressive growth. He managed to make a dizzying career in the army and rise to the rank of Sturmbannfuhrer SS.

Hitler appointed him his personal adjutant. The Führer trusted Otto Günsche. Once he even helped Hitler, after the assassination in the summer of 1944. Once with the Fuhrer, he helped him get out of the obstruction and provided first aid. After this, the young officer remained with the dictator until the last day.

The last days in the bunker

According to Otto Günsche, who remained with the commander until his death, the Führer changed every day. He became more and more hunched, breathing ever harder. His face was turning purple with a surge of blood. During the attacks, the dictator often shouted that the war was lost, but he would not leave Berlin. This was said in the memoirs of one of the secretaries of the Reich.

On the day of his suicide, Hitler spent a lunch in the bunker, after which he informed the audience of his intention. He distributed cyanide potassium to everyone and said goodbye to his companions, among whom were Goebbels and Bormann.

To all who will be saved, the Führer wished to be caught by the English or the Americans, avoiding a meeting with the Red Army. After parting, the dictator and his companion retired to another room. Gunshe remained guard at the door.

As the bunker was regularly bombed, its inhabitants decided to flee from the advancing Soviet troops. The adjutant, along with the secretary, Gerda Christian, headed for underground communications and underground mines to the Friedrichstrasse station. There they said goodbye and went in different directions. A young officer was captured by the Red Army, and Gerda Christian got to Bavaria, where she surrendered to the Americans.

A special mission of Hitler

The dictator did indeed trust his adjutant very much. This is indicated by the last request of the commander, who most of all did not want to fall into the hands of Stalin. Even the Fuhrer wanted to hide his body from enemies, since he suspected that he would be exhibited as an exhibit in the Soviet museum.

These suspicions of Hitler were not unfounded, since after the murder of Mussolini his body was hung up for public viewing. Therefore, Otto Günsche (his growth according to sources, was about two meters), was supposed to burn down the dictator's body after his death.

The decision on suicide came to Hitler on April 30. At the same time, he ordered Gyunshe to obtain fuel for two bodies.

Did Günsche fulfill the Führer's mandate?

The memoirs of Traudl Junge mention memories of a personal adjutant. Of these, it is known that Hitler and Eva Braun closed behind a steel door. Ten minutes later, a shot sounded. The Fuhrer shot himself in the mouth, causing his skull to split, and his companion drank the poison. Günsche wrapped the deceased in a blanket and with his assistants brought him to the park along with Eva Brown's body. They put both corpses at the entrance to the bunker, doused with fuel and set fire to it. The burnt bodies were buried in a hurry in a hurry, as the Soviet troops were half a kilometer from them. The witnesses of what happened could not identify the charred corpses.

The adjutant described this to the employees of SMERSH in 1945, but Stalin did not believe the captive's words. Many still suspect that the Führer escaped and crossed into Latin America.

Whatever it was, there is no confirmation of the version of the escape, so it's not necessary to trust the words of the German officer.

Life after 1945

In 1950, Otto Gunsche, whose photo is presented in the article, was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. German prisoners, who served time with the ex-adjutant, recalled that he fought well and could stand up for himself.

In 1956, Chancellor Adenauer was able to agree with the representatives of the USSR that German prisoners of war should be returned to their homeland. He did not start a business in Gunsha, so he could settle in Lomar, do business, get married and have children.

From that time, the former SS officer diligently avoided public attention. He rarely interviewed, but continued to keep in touch with former associates. One of the last memories in the press about him was an article for 1988, dedicated to the funeral ceremony of R. Schulze-Kossens (another adjutant of the Fuhrer).

Death

Otto Günsche died in his own home at the age of 86 years. The cause of death was heart problems. He led a solitary life and avoided public attention. Despite the fact that he knew the truth about the last days of the dictator's life, Gunshe never began to write his memoirs, although he regularly received proposals on this.

Awards

For his rapid but short career, German officer Otto Gunshe was awarded two awards. It:

• Iron Cross of the first class - the award was divided into eight ranks, from the second class to the big cross.
• Breastplate (for injury) - the award was approved by Hitler for a small group of officers who were injured, saving the Führer during the assassination attempt on 20.07.1944. Twenty-four officers received this award, four of whom were awarded it posthumously.

The image of Gunshe in the movie

The last days of Adolf Hitler's life attracted the attention of many filmmakers, both documentary and feature films. Mentioned in them and the fate of the faithful associates of the Fuhrer, one of which was Gunshe.

Feature films about Hitler, which featured O. Gunshe:

• The 1981 film "Bunker" tells the story of the last months of the life of the Führerbunker dwellers. The dictator was played by Anthony Hopkins, for which he received the Emmy Award. His adjutant was played by Andri Ray.
• The film "Bunker" of 2004 is based on the memoirs of T. Young. He narrates about the last days of the Third Reich. The picture was nominated for an Oscar as the best foreign film. The young officer was played by actor Getz Otto. This German actor is known for his high growth - 196 cm. Besides this role, he played the SS guard in Spielberg's "Schindler's List", as well as one of the villains in Bondiana "Tomorrow Never Dies".
• The film "Hitler: The Last Ten Days" of 1973. All the action takes place in the bunker, starting with the celebration of the birthday of the Fuhrer, who turned 56 years old shortly before his death. In the role of Otto British actor John Hallam. He died in 2008, having appeared in many films. The most famous of them are "Dragon Slayer", "Flash Gordon", "King David".