Hitler’s Last Witness: The Memoirs of Hitler’s Bodyguard

After being seriously wounded in the 1939 Polish campaign, Rochus Misch was invited to join Hitler's SS-bodyguard. There he served until the war’s end as Hitler’s bodyguard, courier, orderly and finally as Chief of Communications.

On the Berghof terrace he watched Eva Braun organize parties; observed Heinrich Himmler and Albert Speer; and monitored telephone conversations from Berlin to the East Prussian FHQ on 20 July 1944 after the attempt on Hitler's life. Towards the end Misch was drawn into the Führerbunker with the last of the ‘faithful’. As defeat approached, he remained in charge of the bunker switchboard as his duty required, even after Hitler committed suicide.

Misch knew Hitler as the private man and his position was one of unconditional loyalty. His memoirs offer an intimate view of life in close attendance to Hitler and of the endless hours deep inside the bunker; and provide new insights into military events such as Hitler’s initial feelings that the 6th Army should pull out of Stalingrad. Shortly before he died Misch wrote a new introduction for this first-ever English-language edition. The book also contains a foreword by the Jewish author Ralph Giordano and a new introduction by Roger Moorhouse.

REVIEWS

Rochus Misch's memoir is a thoroughly readable, informative and frequently fascinating insider's account of various events during and aspects of a momentous period of history, by a man who – with a very few others – was privileged to witness much that was historic, cataclysmic, sometimes bizarre, and finally nihilistic, but whose rank and position meant that he always lacked the opportunity, access or personal desire to influence that which he heard or observed.
David J.A. Stone, British military historian, author and former soldier



The long awaited recollections of a man seen on international television for over a decade regarding his eyewitness testimony of all things in the last days of the Nazi Regime. And it was well worth it too, as this fine you are there work puts the reader right in the center of events just as they transpired.
Military Advisor



‘[Misch’s] memoir is full of details, asides and digressions, which allow the reader a rare and fascinating insight into the Third Reich’s inner sanctum . . . Misch overheard conversations, watched the comings and goings and was a keen observer of events . . . He was as close to being a ‘fly on the wall’ as one could get.’

Roger Moorhouse, author Berlin at War

‘ . . . convincing first-person testimony (of) the dictator’s final desperate months, days and hours.’

Huffington Post


‘The memoirs of Hitler’s bodyguard and unquestioning servant who was one of the last people to see him alive.’

The Times(UK)




Misch, who was Hitler's bodyguard, courier, orderly, and telephonist, offers a memoir of his experiences in the Third Reich. He worked in Hitler's household, was in his bunker and witnessed his suicide, was held prisoner for nine years in Russia after the war, worked in camps there, and eventually returned to Germany.
Protoview



‘Misch glorifies nothing, criticizes nothing and justifies nothing, not even himself. He has a sharp eye for detail, which despite the passage of the years he depicts in a credible manner.’

Göttinger Tageblatt


‘An insignificant man, who experienced significant events.’

Neue Zürcher Zeitung




"...rapid, riveting read, the 254 pages of Hitler's Last Witness fly by. ...Rochus Misch considered Hitler a "normal, simple man, the simplest man I ever knew" and "extremely unpretentious". He loved children and animals. But he plunged the world into misery, chaos and holocaust. Remember that as you read Misch's admittedly enthralling account. And use it as one step to deeper study of Nazi Germany's notorious Führer."
Cybermodeler.com



Misch’s autobiography provides insight on Hitler “behind closed doors.” While this is a provocative yet disturbing account, it is an important addition to the historiography of the last days of the Third Reich.
International Bibliography of Military History 35, no. 2 (2015)







... a fascinating look at Hitler’s life from an insider’s perspective. Even though WWII ending almost 70 years ago, new information is still cropping up, making a study of this Era truly fascinating. The author gives us intimate details of Hitler’s life – both personal and professional. He even delves into Hitlers personality and quirks... us a glimpse into the last days of Hitler’s life from an insider’s point of view as the Russian army bears down on Berlin. It was indeed a a great read!
History Buff.com






".. the translated version of the original manuscript, the English language team added a wealth of footnotes and explanations, indicating they had gone to extremes in an effort to coordinate the author’s claims with actual historic fact, and ? here and there ? some facts that couldn’t be verified in every minute detail; and details are everywhere in Misch’s account. For one who was not a scholar, and who was in no position to make notes, his memory is extraordinary. If I had the space in this article, I could easily expend 2,000 words in explaining why I find the author and his story to be of extreme credibility; more accurate than the work of a host of more famous and even “storied” historical writers whose books line several shelves in my extensive WWII library...an illuminating insight into Adolph Hitler’s last days in the claustrophobic underground Berlin Bunker where the Third Reich came to an end.
The Spectrum