'Generally a man who lived at night, indeed! Loved those banal details, the table manners and all that. I thought, though, the jerk was a teatotaller, after an embarassing drunk turned his from alcohol. Was this real beer, or 'near-beeer', I wonder.

By Charles Laster on Jun 30, 2009 at 2:28 pm

The man was a politician with little education whose world view was shaped by anti-semitic phamphlets read during his Vienna days before WWI. The tragedy of Hitler is that so many who knew better went along with him.

By Donald Neal on Jul 5, 2009 at 12:17 am

Before I begin, I must offer the caveat that, in no way, am I defending Adolf Hitler. That he was a monster is not in doubt. However we must also realize that the man sruvived at least three years of the most bloody warfare ever to happen in this world. Not only did he survive, but he performed as a messenger: one of the most exposed and dangerous jobs on the Western (or any other) Front. He performed his duties with such bravery that he was one of a VERY few enlisted men to be awarded the EK-I …the Iron Cross 1st class. At least part of his attraction to the German masses was the fact that he was a bona-fide War Hero…and Germany needed a hero at that time. God knows, their choice (or lack of viable alternatives) certainly led the world down a horrible path; one that we are still reeling from today. Perhaps some deeper examination of his years with the Bavarian Infantry might reveal some further clues to the inner workings of this man…

By Mike Halvorsen on Jul 7, 2009 at 11:04 pm