Hitler's Service During World War I

Does anyone know which battles Hitler fought in during World War I? He served as a runner, so he had a very high chance of being killed. Did any Allied soldiers claim that they had seen Hitler during a WWI battle?

I heard he went AWOL and went off to Alabama.

I have two sites for you to take a look at.
http://www.ety.com/HRP/walshcomments/20020508.htm

This second site is a little better.
http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/hitler.htm

Roman Soldier said:

Does anyone know which battles Hitler fought in during World War I? He served as a runner, so he had a very high chance of being killed. Did any Allied soldiers claim that they had seen Hitler during a WWI battle?

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Hitler fought in all three of the Ypres battles, in first Ypres in 1914 he got the Iron Cross (2c) for pulling a wounded officer out of the line of fire.
In 1915, besides 2nd Ypres, he fought at Neuve Chapelle.
In 1916 he fought at the Somme and was seriously wounded in the leg during the incredible artillery barrage preceding that battle.
In 1917 he returned to his rgt. in time for 3rd Ypres and the battle at Arras.
In '18 he took place in the ill fated Marne Offensive in which he received the Iron Cross (1c) for capturing a group of French soldiers single handedly.
An interesting story: In 1918 as his rgt. was in retreat Hitler ran smack into the sights of a British rifleman. The Brit remembered seeing Hitler not even go for his gun but instead just stared at him, resigned that he had the drop on him and that he was a goner. The Brit lowered his gun and gestured for Hitler to go on. Hitler nodded and took off. The British soldier was later decorated with the Victoria Cross for pulling another wounded soldier from the battlefield, an act which was caught in a photograph and later immortalized in a famous painting. In 1938 when Prime Minister Chamberlain was in conference with Hitler in Bavaria he noticed a copy of the painting and asked Hitler about it. Hitler told him about his encounter with the British soldier and asked him if he would personally send his thanks to him, which Chamberlain did on his return to England.
Weeks after his life had been spared by the British soldier Hitler's rgt. was cought in a gas attack south of Ypres. Hitler was temporarily blinded in this action and spent the remaining weeks of the war in an Army hospital.

Corporal Hitler

Too bad he wasn'tkilled in WW1.

i dont know why but it seems weird that someone as evil as hitler was so courageous in ww1

Just spent an enthralling half and hour reading through the links. Put a lot of flesh on the bones of what I knew. How different things could have been, mainly because the worldwide Bolshevik revolution may well have succeeded.

Evil people can be courageous too. Hitler could have avoided the war (he got outof it in Austria), but still joined a Barvarian Regiment. It was his hearing of the defeat of Germany in Pasewalk that was the impetus to overturn the defeat, detroy the communists and wipe out the Jews. Before then, Hitler's correspondance shows a fairly apolitical person in regards to anything beyond German nationalism.

Hitler was also a witness of the famous Christmas truce in 1914 in No-man's land.
He was actually a member of a unit from which some soldiers participated in a football match against the English soldiers.
Not surprisingly, Hitler happened to be one of the most fierce opponents of this kind of conduct. Later he referred to it as a shameful and traitorous behaviour.

TScott said:

In '18 he took place in the ill fated Marne Offensive in which he received the Iron Cross (1c) for capturing a group of French soldiers single handedly.
An interesting story: In 1918 as his rgt. was in retreat Hitler ran smack into the sights of a British rifleman. The Brit remembered seeing Hitler not even go for his gun but instead just stared at him, resigned that he had the drop on him and that he was a goner. The Brit lowered his gun and gestured for Hitler to go on. Hitler nodded and took off. The British soldier was later decorated with the Victoria Cross for pulling another wounded soldier from the battlefield, an act which was caught in a photograph and later immortalized in a famous painting. In 1938 when Prime Minister Chamberlain was in conference with Hitler in Bavaria he noticed a copy of the painting and asked Hitler about it. Hitler told him about his encounter with the British soldier and asked him if he would personally send his thanks to him, which Chamberlain did on his return to England.
Weeks after his life had been spared by the British soldier Hitler's rgt. was cought in a gas attack south of Ypres. Hitler was temporarily blinded in this action and spent the remaining weeks of the war in an Army hospital.

Corporal Hitler

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I did a google search about Henry Tandey (who you are refering to), but there are suprisingly few sites about him (only about 300 or 400). This sounds like the kind of story which everyone would know about.

Adolf Hitler was a valiant soldier? I can't really believe that.

Here's a parallel example, true story. Leonid Brezhnev, the old General Secretary of the USSR who came after Khruschev, was apparently many-times-over a Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. The thing is, nobody ever heard of him during or directly after the war, and he (as i recall) served on an island in the Arctic Ocean called "Novaya Zemlya." He even wrote a book about it before he died.

The real explanation was that he was a sucker for pretty medals, and as the leader of the nation, he assigned himself a medal every so often, for his "heroic" "service" against the Germans. His wartime friends even testified to his incredible heroism, so it did not look like such a blatant lie. There is an idiomatic saying in Russian -- something about a cuckoo praising the rooster in return for his praising her. I'm sure the people who lied about Brezhnev's bravery were paid enough for their trouble, and i'm sure a similar thing happened to Hitler. The citizens, however, made jokes about him getting a chest-expansion surgery to fit more medals.

The moral of this tale is that politics is a dishonest business, and politicians go to every effort to make themselves look good to the people of their country. I'm sure if Hitler were at one time a hero, he wouldn't have died in such a pathetic manner. In many cases, the end of a man's life measures his heroism. I am touched by the story of Nathan Hale and his last minutes of life. That is how heroes die.

alexgb00 said:

Adolf Hitler was a valiant soldier? I can't really believe that.

Here's a parallel example, true story. Leonid Brezhnev, the old General Secretary of the USSR who came after Khruschev, was apparently many-times-over a Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. The thing is, nobody ever heard of him during or directly after the war, and he (as i recall) served on an island in the Arctic Ocean called "Novaya Zemlya." He even wrote a book about it before he died.

The real explanation was that he was a sucker for pretty medals, and as the leader of the nation, he assigned himself a medal every so often, for his "heroic" "service" against the Germans. His wartime friends even testified to his incredible heroism, so it did not look like such a blatant lie. There is an idiomatic saying in Russian -- something about a cuckoo praising the rooster in return for his praising her. I'm sure the people who lied about Brezhnev's bravery were paid enough for their trouble, and i'm sure a similar thing happened to Hitler. The citizens, however, made jokes about him getting a chest-expansion surgery to fit more medals.

The moral of this tale is that politics is a dishonest business, and politicians go to every effort to make themselves look good to the people of their country. I'm sure if Hitler were at one time a hero, he wouldn't have died in such a pathetic manner. In many cases, the end of a man's life measures his heroism. I am touched by the story of Nathan Hale and his last minutes of life. That is how heroes die.

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Yes, I'm sure that a lot of folks would be much more comfortable believing, as you apparently do, that Adolf Hitler was always the simpering drug addicted swine he had become at the end of his life. Were there attempts by the German propagandists to enhance Hitler's military service? No doubt there were, but facts are there for all to see. Hitler was a decorated corporal in the Great War. No credible historian has ever denied those facts.

Herman Goering was a dashing, chivalrous, heroic member and leader of the famous Flying Circus unit led by Von Richtoven (aka Red Baron) during the great war too, only to later become a bloated, snivelling, laudanum swilling tyrant. Hitler's demise was not unprecidented at all. You will find similar instances throughout all societies. Look at Ira Hayes.

alexgb00 said:

Adolf Hitler was a valiant soldier? I can't really believe that.

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A lot of, in fact the vast majority, of tyrants were, very brave and charismatic people, because those are the qualities you need to become a tyrant. I can't name any of his contemperies but I know that the tyrants of the aincent world were very charismatic and brave, strong, will and the ability to get people to think the way you do (by peaceful means or other...), that's how people get power

The difference between Hitler and Leonid Brezhnev is that Leonid was set up as a leader by an already totalitarian institution, it was very easy for him to spread such lies as people were already living in a society where the government controlled all the supplies of information. Leonid just had to be a shrewd polticion to gain power.


Hitlers situation was comleatly differant, he had to gain power in the free and democratic Weimar republic, he couldn't just feed people out and out lies (though he did feed them popular myths and half-truths) as he could easily be discredited by his opponents. Hitler, unlike Stalin and those that come after him, actually won the suppot of the population to gain power, and he did this by being very charasmatic, strong willed and brave. His military record was actually the one thing that he didn't have to exaggurate a great deal.

Both of you guys are probably right. Just that it's traditionally been hard for me to imagine Hitler as having any noble traits.

Chances are that if you've heard of someone, he's very good at somthing, doesn't mean their not evil.

Yes, DFG, their fame (or infamy) speaks for itself. Kind of makes you think what the world respects these days.

alexgb00 said:

Both of you guys are probably right. Just that it's traditionally been hard for me to imagine Hitler as having any noble traits.

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I look at Hitler's actions during WWI and would rather say he was just stupid, and/or had a bunch of "dumb luck" than to say he was brave. It is more fun to be uncharitable to such a man, than to admit he could have any "good qualities" ... but he had to have some sort of bravery to pull off what he did.

What hitler did was without a doubt aweful and defidently not humane. But you cant really say that he should have died in world war 1. Because back then he most likely would have had morals. Everyone knows that after a war situation, ur whole outlook on life is comepletely changed. And even though what hitler did was so wack and unforgivable, in my opinion, if this would not have happend then, it would have happend some other time. And it almost did happen again. Aparently in 1967 i believe at a highschool there was an experiment gone wrong. They called it the wave. It almost became similar to the holocost (hitlers movement). If you want to know any more info on it heres a link that could tell u a litlle about it. They made the experience into a book. here's the link...... http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/3145/wave.html#nofiction

Interestingly both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were decorated soldiers. Both, (I think) were corporals and both were wounded in heroic circumstances. Because a person is "evil" does not make them a "coward."

Kiwimac