Hitler's Will

by Rothman, Herman

• ISBN13: 9780752448343
• ISBN10: 075244834X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-11-01
• Publisher: The History Press

Summary

When Hermi Rothman came to England from Germany during World War II, it was as a Jewish refugee. Enlisting in the British Forces made him one of many "King's Own Most Loyal" enemy aliens, but it wasn't until he joined the Counter Intelligence Corps that his incredible role in the denouement of the war began to unravel. Enlisted to interrogate the Nazis after the war, Hermi found himself at Auschwitz among the guards who had committed some of the worst war crimes ever seen. His testimony at the Auschwitz Trial in 1963 (he was one of the only soldiers to do so) was harrowing. But this dreadful information on the treatment of his fellow Jews would never perturb him as much as what he discovered sewn into the lining of one of the guards' jackets. The discovery of Hitler's will, Hermi's translation of it, and the interrogation he then became involved in regarding the exact circumstances of Hitler's supposed "suicide," is one of the most astonishing stories of the 20th century. And yet it has never been told until now, when, in his eighties, Hermi Rothman opens his memories of one of the most significant moments in history.

Author Biography

Hermi Rothman was born in Berlin in 1924 but fled to Britain in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. He enlisted in the British Forces later in the war and was then seconded to the No.3 Counter-Intelligence Corps. After studying a degree in history he worked as an economist and a trust lawyer before his retirement.