Hitler Was My Friend
The Memoirs of Hitler's Photographer
Published on 24. January 2020
256 pages
978-1-78303-070-5 (ISBN)
Description
"Here's Adolf Hitler in a series of bizarre photographs which he kept hidden from the world . . . They have now been published in this memoir."-
Daily Express
Heinrich Hoffman was a key part in the making of the Hitler legend, the photographer who carefully crafted the image of the Fuhrer as a godlike figure. Hoffmann published his first book of photographs in 1919, following his work as an official photographer for the German army. In 1920 he joined the Nazi Party, and his association with Hitler began. He became Hitler's official photographer and traveled with him extensively.
He took over two million photographs of Hitler, and they were distributed widely, including on postage stamps, an enterprise that proved very profitable for both men. Hoffmann published several books on Hitler in the 1930s, including The Hitler Nobody Knows (1933). Hoffmann and Hitler were very close, and he acted not only as a personal confidante-his memoirs include rare details of the Fuhrer-but also as a matchmaker; it is Hoffmann who introduced Eva Braun, his studio assistant, to Hitler. At the end of the war, Hoffmann was arrested by the US military, who also seized his photographic archive, and was sentenced to imprisonment for Nazi profiteering.
This edition of a classic book includes photographs by Hoffmann and a new introduction by Roger Moorhouse.
"An extraordinary new book of photographs of Adolf Hitler includes one that so embarrassed him he banned it from being published. It shows the Führer in his lederhosen, striking an absurdly camp pose as he leans against a tree."- The Times
Heinrich Hoffman was a key part in the making of the Hitler legend, the photographer who carefully crafted the image of the Fuhrer as a godlike figure. Hoffmann published his first book of photographs in 1919, following his work as an official photographer for the German army. In 1920 he joined the Nazi Party, and his association with Hitler began. He became Hitler's official photographer and traveled with him extensively.
He took over two million photographs of Hitler, and they were distributed widely, including on postage stamps, an enterprise that proved very profitable for both men. Hoffmann published several books on Hitler in the 1930s, including The Hitler Nobody Knows (1933). Hoffmann and Hitler were very close, and he acted not only as a personal confidante-his memoirs include rare details of the Fuhrer-but also as a matchmaker; it is Hoffmann who introduced Eva Braun, his studio assistant, to Hitler. At the end of the war, Hoffmann was arrested by the US military, who also seized his photographic archive, and was sentenced to imprisonment for Nazi profiteering.
This edition of a classic book includes photographs by Hoffmann and a new introduction by Roger Moorhouse.
"An extraordinary new book of photographs of Adolf Hitler includes one that so embarrassed him he banned it from being published. It shows the Führer in his lederhosen, striking an absurdly camp pose as he leans against a tree."- The Times
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Heinrich Hoffmann
Hitler Was My Friend: The Memoirs of Hitler's Photographer
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08/2014
Frontline Books
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Person
Heinrich Hoffman (1885-1957) began his career in his father's photography shop. He became an official photographer for the army during World War One. He had a very close friendship with Hitler, and remained his official photographer until 1945. Historian Roger Moorhouse is the author of Berlin at War and contributed to He Was My Chief and With Hitler to the End.
