Heinrich Himmler: SS national leader, chief of police, minister of the interior, and commander-in-chief... Hitler's most powerful disciple remains an enigma even today. Why did Himmler secretly order an extensive research project about witches? Why was he interested in the occult? The biggest question though: was Himmler, and not Hitler, responsible for the order for the mass murder of Jews?
Erwin Rommel was Hitler's favorite general and faithful follower, but in the end, Rommel eventually supported his leader's assassination. Like many other leading officers, he initially tolerated the increasing terror activities of the Nazi regime and preferred to look the other way. Unlike most others, Rommel refused to carry out extreme orders and realized that Hitler had to be removed.
Hitler's private life was amongst the Third Reich's best-kept secrets. The public only found out about his wife posthumously, and Eva Braun was far from the only woman in Hitler's life. Previous lovers, influential admirers, wealthy sponsors... somehow Hitler had a hold over all of them. What could have motivated these women to flock to Adolf Hitler?
Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, master builder, and armaments minister, laid the backdrop for Nazi ideology in stone and concrete. He was the man in charge of Germany's extensive armaments, and yet Speer somehow managed to retain his reputation as 'the good Nazi'. Speer's carefully cultivated image of the innocent bystander is revealed for what it is: a construct of lies and deceit.
The self-propagated myth of the noble, selfless 'Führer', who was ready to make sacrifices in the service of his people, is as persistent as it is false. Today we can prove how Hitler dipped into public funds and was given access to vast sums of money for his personal use. Far from the image of the frugal leader, Hitler profited from his position and became a very wealthy man.
Hitler did all he could to keep his colorful family background a secret... and there was much to hide: mental illness, bigamy, dissent, and suicide. Any of this information would have tarnished the public image that had been created by elaborate propaganda. Now, personal records and extensive written memoirs allow new, surprising, and shocking insights into Hitler's family background.
On the 17th of August, 1987, Hitler's former deputy Rudolf Hess commits suicide in prison, marking the end of a life of mystery and intrigue. We investigate some of the riddles still surrounding Hess. What motivated him to single-handedly fly to Scotland? Did he want to make peace with the UK? And Hess's last mystery: did he really kill himself, or was he murdered?
On July 27th, 1943, a U.S. patrol plane spots the German U-boat U-513. With no time for the vessel to dive: 2 bombs hit, and only 7 men survive. Until now, the final resting place of U-513, and what exactly happened to it, has remained a mystery. The adventurer Vilfredo Schürmann managed to locate the wreck, allowing us to piece together the puzzle of the U-boat's final mission and grisly end.
From 1936, Hitler's personal physician Dr Theodor Morell remained at his side, handing out dubious treatments, up to 8 different medications daily, including one containing strychnine. Did Morell try to poison his employer? Was Hitler well enough to lead Germany? American psychologist Nassir Ghaemi has doubts. We give an exclusive and surprising insight into a previously unknown side of Hitler.
In the last weeks of the Third Reich, the Nazi regime goes about hiding their immense riches in the Alps, but was this 'Alpine Fortress' an elaborate bluff or a serious plan for future Nazi resurgence? What happened to the hidden Nazi treasure? We follow the trail of these old mysteries and uncover what happened in the turbulent last days of the Third Reich.
Daredevil missions, dangerous assignments, and secret operations continue to mystify WWII experts. We take a fresh look at some of the most notable secret missions of the Second World War, from the 1943 Gran Sasso mission to free Benito Mussolini to the cold-blooded killing of the American-appointed mayor of Aachen in the last months of the war.
