Hitler’s experiences in the Great War have long been shrouded in mystery and controversy, not least because there is relatively little material from that time written by himself.
Hitler’s experiences in the Great War have long been shrouded in mystery and controversy, not least because there is relatively little material from that time written by himself. Although Austrian by nationality, he volunteered for the German army in 1914 and served throughout the war in its List Regiment, mostly as a dispatch runner based at regimental headquarters. After he became a celebrity, quite a few former comrades wrote about his war service. Some were enthusiastically positive about Hitler’s military record, others were more sceptical.
The enthusiasts remembered him as particularly courageous. When the Colonel needed a reliable man for an important report, he called for Hitler, who was so devoted to the regiment that he did not seek any promotion which would take him away from it. Granted, even the enthusiasts had to admit that Hitler was a ‘mad Austrian’. He could never give a brief answer to a question, and seemed to live in his own world. He gazed lovingly at his rifle with the delight of a woman contemplating her jewellery, but could not open a tin with his bayonet. Whilst his comrades used their time off to fraternise with local women, Hitler drew buildings. But if the enthusiasts are to be believed, it was strange that he survived at all, given that the ranks of the List Regiment had to be repeatedly filled.
The sceptics amongst Hitler’s old comrades did not find it at all surprising, as he spent most of his time away from the front line as a ‘rear area pig’. He never mentioned in his autobiography that most of his war service was as a dispatch runner rather than a combat soldier.
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