Heinz Hitler

Heinrich "Heinz" Hitler (14 March 1920 – 21 February 1942) was the son of Alois Hitler, Jr. and his second wife Hedwig Heidemann. He was also a nephew of Adolf Hitler, who reportedly called Heinz his favorite nephew.

Heinrich Hitler
Heinz Hitler in uniform during the war
Nickname(s)Heinz
Born(1920-04-20)20 April 1920
Magdeburg, Weimar Republic
Died21 February 1942(1942-02-21) (aged 21)
Near Moscow, Soviet Union
Buried
Unknown, probably Butyrka prison
Allegiance Germany
Service/branchArmy
Years of service1939–1942
RankUnteroffizier
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsIron Cross 2nd Class
RelationsAlois Hitler, Jr. (father)
Hedwig Heidemann (mother)
William Patrick Hitler (half-brother)
Adolf Hitler (uncle)

Heinz was a strong supporter of the Nazis. He attended an elite boarding school, the National Political Institutes of Education (Napola) at Ballenstedt in Saxony-Anhalt.[1] When World War II began, he joined the Wehrmacht.

Aspiring to be an officer, Heinz became a signals subofficer with the 23rd Potsdamer Artillery Regiment in 1941, and was sent to serve on the Eastern Front, participating in the invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa. On 10 January 1942, he was ordered to collect radio equipment from an army post. He was captured by Soviet forces and was tortured to death at the Butyrka military prison in Moscow in February 1942,[1] at the age of 21.

Former classmate Hans-Wolf Werner describes how he benefited from his family connection with Adolf Hitler:

"One of the lads had a car. They tore through Magdeburg without a licence. The police stopped them and he showed his ID "Heinz Hitler" and the police just saluted and let them drive on (laughs)."[2]

See also

Notes
  • [1] Maser, Werner (1971). Adolf Hitler: Legende, Mythos, Wirklichkeit (in German). München & Esslingen: Welsermühl, Wels. pp. 60, 447.

References
  1. "Heinrich "Heinz" Hitler". Find a Grave. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. 1944 Hitlers family https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at1LpnrvJfI
  • Vermeeren, Marc (2007). De jeugd van Adolf Hitler 1889-1985 en zijn familie en voorouders (in Dutch). Soesterberg: Uitgeverij Aspekt. ISBN 978-90-5911-606-1.
  • Oliver Halmburger (director), Thomas Staehler (director), Timothy Ryback (consultant), and Florian Beierl (consultant) (2005). Familie Hitler. Im Schatten des Diktators (documentary film) (in German). München: Loopfilm GmBH and Mainz: ZDF-History.


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