Eva Anna Paula Braun was born on February 6, 1912, in Munich, Germany. Her mother, Franziska "Fanny," had worked as a seamstress before becoming a housewife. Her father, Friedrich "Fritz," left to fight in World War I when Eva was two years old and returned afterward to work as a schoolteacher.
Eva was the middle of three sisters. She had an older sister, Ilse, and a younger sister, Gretl. Their parents' attempts at discipline often failed because of the girls' spirited and mischievous behavior. Eva frequently pretended to have stomachaches to avoid eating and persuaded friends to do her household chores.
Fritz was Lutheran and Fanny was Catholic. Their religious differences added to the pressures of raising a family, and in 1921, when Eva was nine, the couple divorced. Divorce was nearly unthinkable at the time. The children went to live with their grandparents, but under strain Fritz and Fanny remarried eighteen months later.
Meanwhile, Germany was in turmoil. After its defeat in World War I in 1918, the country fell into chaos. Workers and soldiers blamed the aristocracy for the defeat. The November Revolution brought down Kaiser Wilhelm and twenty-two other German monarchies. The Weimar Republic was established, but the country faced enormous reparation debts. The result was massive inflation, and millions of soldiers returning from the front faced unemployment and poverty.
Even amid this hardship, the Braun family fared reasonably well. In 1920 they inherited a large sum and moved into a spacious apartment in Munich. Guilty over the instability caused by their marital problems, the parents showered their daughters with gifts and paid for lessons in music, art, and dance.
Eva attended a Catholic lyceum in Munich. She was an average student but talented at sports. She was popular, and her attention centered on diet, clothes, makeup, and boys. Her rebellious behavior and nights out dancing and drinking worried her parents. They sent her to a convent school in the countryside, but within a year she returned home and refused to go back.
Her older sister Ilse found work with a doctor, and seventeen-year-old Eva envied her financial independence. When Eva saw an advertisement in a photographer's shop window, she applied and was hired as a shop assistant and model. She also learned to take and develop photographs.
In October 1929, Eva was on a ladder arranging items on a high shelf when her employer, Heinrich Hoffmann, brought his best customer by after working hours. The forty-year-old politician took a good look at Eva's shapely legs, shown off by silk stockings and a short skirt. As Hoffmann had hoped, he liked what he saw.
They talked and discovered they both loved movies and opera. Eva was fascinated by the charming older man. She was ignorant of politics and did not recognize him as Adolf Hitler, leader of a rising political party. He began visiting the studio more often to see the teenage shop girl and invited her to dinner. Eva was thrilled by his interest and drawn to his mystery. Soon he began telling friends that he had a girl in Munich.
Hitler publicly cultivated the image of a celibate man who had sacrificed domestic life to devote himself entirely to the Nazi cause. The truth was far more complicated. Several women have been linked to him, many of them much younger than he was. Maria Reiter was only sixteen when Hitler promised to marry her. He then cut off contact, and in despair Reiter tried to hang herself, but her family found her in time and saved her life.
Unity Mitford, a young aristocrat, came all the way from London to meet him. She was infatuated with him, and there may have been a sexual relationship between them, but in public Hitler mostly lectured her about politics. With women, Hitler could be charming one moment and harsh the next. His thinking and the Nazi Party were deeply patriarchal. Women were marginal, second-class citizens.
Hitler once told an associate, "I will never marry. Women exist only to fit in with me. They are objects." Magda Goebbels often invited her husband's boss to parties in the hope that he might meet a suitable woman and settle down, but he usually avoided her.
Historians have long debated Hitler's sexuality. Some have argued that he was gay, bisexual, or asexual, and that his violent persecution of homosexuals, which sent nearly 15,000 people to concentration camps, was a reaction to self-hatred. There are also stories that as a young soldier in World War I he refused to sleep with French prostitutes and scolded his comrades for doing so. A report to the Munich police alleged that Hitler had a sexual relationship with another soldier. But most of this evidence is rumor and slander.
There is stronger evidence of Hitler's heterosexual relationships. Geli Raubal was the daughter of Adolf's half-sister Angela. She was infatuated with her step-uncle from her teenage years. In 1925 Angela became Adolf's housekeeper, and mother and daughter began living with him. It is believed that Adolf took advantage of his lovestruck niece's vulnerability. Angela is said to have told a friend that she had to engage in disgusting sexual acts, but that she consented because she did not want to lose Adolf to another woman.
In 1931, Geli found a love letter written by Eva Braun. She was so devastated that she shot herself with Adolf's pistol. Her death affected Adolf deeply, and he often visited her grave. After her death he paid her more attention than he had while she was alive. With one toy lost, Adolf focused more on Eva. He saw her as an ideal companion. He did not want a mistress who would oppose him or challenge him intellectually. He called her his "little chaparral," an Austrian term used to describe a sweet little girl of no importance.
As their relationship deepened and Eva became somewhat more interested in his public persona, she knew their romance had to be kept secret from her family. Her father was politically opposed to Hitler and called him an extremist and a fool. Her older sister Ilse worked under a Jewish doctor and disliked Hitler's anti-Jewish rhetoric. But none of this discouraged Eva, who was captivated by the passionate, attractive man and by the fantasy of rising to success at his side.
Eva's younger sister Gretl was equally unconcerned. She got a job at Hoffmann's studio, and the sisters lived together in an apartment paid for with Hitler's money. Gretl was loyal to her older sister and shaped her own life around what Eva needed.
As the 1932 political campaign season heated up, Adolf's calendar filled with speeches and travel. He had little time for Eva and often ignored her increasingly anxious letters. She had shown signs of depression and erratic behavior throughout her life and was possibly bipolar. Being ignored made her desperate. She pointed her father's pistol at her chest. As she fired, the gun shook and the bullet struck her neck. Her sister found her bleeding and was able to call a doctor in time. They told their parents it was an accident.
A few months later, Mr. and Mrs. Braun were driving through the countryside and stopped for lunch in a village. A Nazi car pulled up at the same inn, and Adolf Hitler and their twenty-year-old daughter stepped out. Her parents were horrified and begged her to end the relationship, but she refused.
Her father wrote Adolf a letter asking him to stop seeing Eva and complaining that a girl should not be taken from her parents' home until she was married. Fritz foolishly handed the letter to Hoffmann, who passed it to Eva. She tore it up, and Adolf never laid eyes on it. He did, however, invite Fritz to dinner and gave him a gold watch. Eventually the Brauns accepted the reality that they had no say in their daughter's personal life. In time they began to feel proud that their daughter was the lover of such an important man. They kept complaining that Hitler ought to marry her and settle down, but the Führer ignored them.
In 1933, the Nazi Party took control of the Reichstag and Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. They called it the Third Reich, or Third Empire. The first had been the Holy Roman Empire, then the Prussian Empire. In the first few months, Germany's depressed morale swelled with new hope. Then came the Jewish boycott, bans on political parties, withdrawal from the League of Nations, and then the Night of the Long Knives, during which Ernst Röhm and more than a hundred other political enemies of Hitler were executed without trial. From then on there was no doubt what kind of man Hitler really was.
Eva was as aware of these things as the rest of Germany, but she never questioned her boyfriend of two years. Such matters did not interest her. As long as she could drive to Munich, shop, and boat and water ski at the seaside house he bought her, she was happy. As Adolf preferred, she borrowed peroxide from her dentist to bleach her hair blonde.
In 1935 she wrote in her diary, "His head was always full of political problems. Major Röhm gave him a lot of headaches, but even after all that, he made time for me."
Eva was in no way a First Lady. Adolf kept her in the background and kept their relationship secret. He liked to remain unmarried in the eyes of his female admirers and to maintain his identity as the father of all Germany. When diplomats came to visit, Eva was kept confined to her room. Political matters always took priority, and Eva often felt neglected. She was merely a convenience for him. When he wanted her with him, Eva got ready and waited. But when he traveled to give speeches, he forgot she existed.
In the spring of 1935, Eva received no letters or phone calls for months. She became distraught and took thirty-five sleeping pills. Her sister found her and she regained consciousness. Eva's second suicide attempt affected Adolf. He expected his followers to remain unquestioningly loyal unto death. Adolf gradually became more devoted. He brought Eva to the Berghof, his vacation spot on a mountainside in Bavaria.
Hitler renovated the house into a luxurious complex. He surrounded it with fences and bought and demolished all the other houses on the mountain. He and the other high-ranking Nazis living there became completely isolated. Hitler told party members and staff that Eva was his personal secretary, and they did not display affection in public, but everyone knew what was really going on.
They had separate bedrooms and bathrooms, connected by a door. Most evenings they spent together in his study. Eva drank wine in a dressing gown while Adolf drank tea. Then they went to bed together.
As the queen of the Berghof, Eva bought herself a silver fox fur coat, a color camera, plenty of designer clothes, and luxury goods and cosmetics. She changed clothes several times a day and did her hair daily, even though there was often no one around to admire her. For an outgoing girl in her twenties, life at the isolated Berghof could be quite monotonous.
Adolf arranged a Mercedes, a driver, and plenty of money for her. She slept late each day, ate food cooked by her personal chef, and doted on her Scottish terriers, Negus and Stasi. She kept them away from Hitler's German shepherd, Blondi. Eva spent her days swimming, sunbathing, cycling, hiking, and watching American movies, which were banned in the rest of Germany. She named the estate the Grand Hotel after a Greta Garbo film, and of course she pined for her beloved Führer, who was often busy imprisoning or killing his rivals.
If Hitler came to the Berghof while Eva was menstruating, the housekeeper was sent to the pharmacy to fetch something to stop it. Eva complained in her diary that she felt used and that Adolf only wanted her for certain purposes. Still, she rationalized the unequal relationship to herself.
A friend described her giggling at a photo of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain sitting on a sofa in Hitler's Munich flat. She remarked, "If only he knew what that sofa has seen."
Hitler had no qualms about chasing other women, among them the director Leni Riefenstahl, who made the propaganda film "Triumph of the Will." It inspired millions to join the Nazi Party, and Adolf was fascinated by her intelligence and drive, the exact opposite of Eva. But his primary mistress subtly maintained her position as queen of the Berghof. She avoided any potential female rival at the estate.
She alone was allowed to take candid photos and videos of Adolf and the rest of the inner circle. The photos were often shown at the Berghof, and Adolf encouraged her to sell them to her old employer Hoffmann for publication in propaganda books and newspapers. Eva photographed Hitler as a relaxed and affable host. She often staged scenes of Christmas trees or Easter egg hunts with the blonde, blue-eyed children of his companions. She portrayed Hitler as a kind, fatherly figure. In reality, he was uncomfortable around children.
In the summer of 1939, Eva went on a cruise through the Norwegian fjords with her mother and sisters. They enjoyed excellent food, sunbathing, and games on deck. That September, Hitler invaded Poland, and the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany. Eva cried when she heard the news. Not for the coming suffering and death, but because Adolf would have even less free time for her. But she reasoned that at least he would not have time for another woman either.
She ordered the Berghof staff to stock up on provisions so that she, the Führer, and their important guests would want for nothing. Hitler proudly wore his uniform and declared he would never take it off until Germany was victorious or until his death in that uniform.
While her beloved was invading Norway, Denmark, Austria, and France, Eva kept herself removed from everything she found unpleasant. She banned radios and newspapers at home. Instead she read American magazines and romance novels, wore Parisian lingerie, and daydreamed of a happy domestic future with her beloved Führer. She dreamed of blonde children with him, but Adolf told her he never wanted children. He believed his children would always be compared to their famous father and would fall short. He also refused to marry her, saying he had no time for a wife.
There were rumors that Eva became pregnant but had a secret abortion in Munich. However, there is no conclusive evidence of this. Adolf did show increased affection and concern for Eva. When she went swimming or skiing, or was late for tea, he worried. When the Allies were bombing Germany, Adolf was concerned about the Berghof's safety. He installed smoke cannons that could cloak the estate in thick fog.
While he was busy directing the war, Eva avoided loneliness by inviting friends and family to the house. As the only resident of the Berghof, she alone was permitted to bring guests. Hitler made a habit of calling her every day. She waited eagerly for his call, which lasted only about ten minutes. As soon as it ended she became lively and told her friends they could now go hiking, swimming, or drive into town.
Companions noticed that in Hitler's presence Eva was quiet, careful, and restrained. But when he left, she became exuberant and liked to loosen up, party, drink, and smoke, habits Hitler discouraged. She sometimes hummed the American song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" to mock her conservative lover.
When Adolf could not come for Eva's birthday, which happened often, he sent her jewelry as compensation. One New Year's Eve in 1939 he did come home, and Eva boldly claimed her place beside him in group photos; in all but name she was the lady of the manor.
While other Germans suffered rationing and bombing, Eva vacationed in Italy several times with her sister and friends. Since Mussolini was Hitler's ally, the group could travel freely in the Mediterranean country. They shopped in Milan, toured the ruins of Pompeii, and sunbathed at the resorts of Portofino.
Eva's parents happily accepted Hitler's hospitality, and her father formally joined the Nazi Party. Gretl had her own room at the Berghof, but Ilse lost her job when her Jewish employer fled to America, and her resentment grew. She complained that spending so much time with self-absorbed men had turned her sister into an arrogant queen.
On the other side of the Obersalzberg mountains, salt mines were used as mass graves for victims of the concentration camps. Most Germans knew only that their Jewish neighbors and colleagues were disappearing, but they did not know the horrific fate they suffered. How much Eva and the other women of the inner circle knew about the Holocaust has long been debated.
Hitler did not discuss politics directly with women, but he was not the kind of person to stay silent at the dinner table either. So it is quite possible that Eva overheard a great deal. It seems she was indifferent to her husband ordering the genocide of millions. When the convent where she had studied was about to be acquired as a Nazi training camp, the nuns begged Eva to intervene on their behalf. She replied coldly that they would do better to take off their nun's habits and let their hair grow long.
Eva even told her sister Ilse, who often criticized the Nazis, that if Hitler decided to send her to a concentration camp, she would not come to rescue her. Her only complaint was that the war made her favorite cosmetics hard to find, but she could still procure luxury clothes from occupied Paris. So somehow she survived.
By June 1944 the Allies had landed on the beaches of Normandy. But Eva was more preoccupied with her sister Gretl's marriage to SS officer Hans Fegelein. She may have arranged the marriage because she herself loved Hans. Eva was quite jealous of Gretl's marital success and said she wanted the wedding done so lavishly it might as well be her own. She ordered the Berghof staff to empty the pantry for a luxurious wedding feast.
On July 20, members of the German resistance tried to blow up Hitler with a bomb in a conference room at the Wolf's Lair. But the Führer escaped with minor injuries. He sent Eva his torn and bloody uniform and assured her of his safety. Eva is said to have replied, though the letter was never found, "My dearest, I am distraught. At this moment I am dying of fear knowing you are in danger. Come back as soon as possible. You know I have always told you that if anything happens to you I will die. From the day we first met I promised myself that I would follow you everywhere, even beyond death. You know I live only for your love. Yours, Eva."
For the rest of that summer Hitler desperately tried to save the war in Berlin. Meanwhile, Eva wore a mask of artificial cheerfulness. Every night she showed movies from her carefree days. She dragged her friends swimming, hiking, and having fun. They were more worried about the increasingly grim news from the front. And by October, fear had shattered Eva's mask. She wrote her will, leaving everything to her family, and resolved to stay with her beloved to the end.
As the Allies advanced toward Germany, Hitler came to the Berghof oasis one last time. Then he returned to Berlin, taking Eva with him. By March 1945, the Russians had surrounded the capital. Eva's friends advised her to flee and hide while she still could, but she replied, "Do you think I would let him die alone? I will stay with him until the last moment."
Adolf and Eva took shelter from the bombs in their vast Führerbunker beneath the Reich Chancellery headquarters. The strain of the war had broken Hitler into a sick old man with ashen skin and early signs of Parkinson's disease. Eva suffered frequent migraines. She was Hitler's emotional anchor, and he became more affectionate toward her, relaxing his reserve in front of others.
Hitler wrote his last will. He stated he was leaving Eva 12,000 Reichsmarks a year, equivalent to nearly five hundred thousand dollars today. He blamed his generals, the German people, and above all the Jews for his impending downfall. He became paranoid and furious at those around him. He ordered several Nazi leaders executed on suspicion of disloyalty, among them Hans, Gretl's husband and the father of her unborn child. But Eva was unwavering.
After fourteen years as Hitler's secret mistress, her greatest wish was finally fulfilled. Adolf arranged for a registrar from the front to come and marry them. Shortly after midnight on April 29, Eva wore a black sequined evening dress. In the bunker's harsh light her eyes shone with tears of joy. Hitler wore his uniform as usual. Joseph Goebbels was the chief witness at the hasty ceremony, where, under Nazi law, both bride and groom swore they were of pure Aryan blood and free of hereditary disease. As Eva signed the marriage certificate, she began to write "B" for Braun, then crossed it out and wrote "Eva Hitler" instead.
They held a simple wedding meal with their companions and toasted with champagne. Hitler did not take part. He had also arranged for lethal cyanide capsules to be brought to the bunker. He was growing agitated and suspicious. He feared the cyanide would only knock him out, so that his men could hand him over to the Allies alive. So he decided to test the poison on his dog Blondi.
Eva put on her husband's favorite dress, which was dark blue with white flowers painted around the neck. She fixed her hair and painted her nails. At one o'clock in the afternoon on April 30, the newlyweds said goodbye to their staff and close associates. Eva gave some of her jewelry to her friends. Then they went into his study. At three-thirty in the afternoon, only forty hours after their honeymoon began, a gunshot was heard.
Officers entered the study and found Adolf and Eva's lifeless bodies lying together on a small sofa. Eva's head rested on Adolf's shoulder. Eva had swallowed a cyanide capsule, and Adolf had drunk the poison and shot himself in the right temple to be sure. The newlyweds' bodies were carried up the stairs and placed in the garden behind the Reich Chancellery. As the Red Army bombed Berlin, their bodies were thrown into a pit, doused with petrol, and burned. This was Hitler's wish, because he did not want to become a gruesome trophy for the advancing Allies. What remained of their bodies was later identified by a dentist. Hitler was fifty-six and Eva was thirty-three.
A week later, Gretl gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Eva. The rest of the Braun family survived the war. Fritz faced trial for being a member of the Nazi Party. He testified that Hitler could not have been a bad man, otherwise his daughter would not have loved him. The simple, heartbroken father was released with a small fine. He and Fanny lived a quiet life in the countryside.
Eva's posthumous trial was held in Nuremberg. Since she had no influence over the atrocities committed by her husband, she was found innocent. She had never said a word for or against Hitler to anyone but herself.