RESTRICTED
(Classification
cancelled)
HEADQUARTERS 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION
101ST CIC DETACHMENT
APO 472, U.S. Army
12 July 1945
MEMORANDUM FOR THE OFFICER IN CHARGE
Subject: Interrogation of Frau Paula WOLFF (Frl. Paula HITLER).
I was born at the estate of my father in HARTFIELD, AUSTRIA, in 1896. My
father was 60 years old at the time of my birth. He died when I was 6. I know
nothing about my father’s family. My brother and I spent little of our time
together, as he was 7 years older. He attended the Realschule in STYRIA and
spent only his vacations at home. The death of my mother left a deep impression
on Adolf and myself. We were both very much attached to her. Our mother died in
1907 and Adolf never returned home after that.
Since I was so much younger than my brother, he never considered me a
playmate. He played a leading role among his early companions. His favorite
game was cops and robbers, and that sort of thing. He had a lot of companions.
I could not say what took place in their games, as I was never present. Adolf
as a child always came home too late. He got a spanking every night for not
coming home on time.
After my brother finished school he went to VIENNA. He wanted to go to the
Academy and become a painter, but nothing came of it. My mother was very sick
at the time. She was very attached to Adolf and wanted him to stay home. That’s
why he stayed. He left the house after her death in 1907. I never saw him from
1908 until 1921. I have no idea what he did at this time. I did not even know
if he was still alive.
He first visited me in 1921. I told him that it would have been much easier
for me if I had had a brother. He said: ‘I had nothing myself How could I have
helped you? I did not let you know about myself because I could not have helped
you.’ Since my father was an official we received a pension of 50 kronen. This
should have been divided between Adolf and myself I could have done nothing
with 25 Kronen. My guardian knew that Adolf supported himself in VIENNA as a
laborer. Adolf was interviewed and renounced his half in my favor. Since I
attended the Higher Girls’ School the money came in handy. I wrote him a letter
in 1910 or 1911, but he never answered.
I never had any particular artistic interestz [sic]. I could draw
rather well and learned easily. My brother was very good in some subjects, and
very weak in others. He was the weakest in mathematics and, as far as I can
remember, physics, also. His failure in mathematics worried my mother. He loved
music. He preferred WAGNER even then. WAGNER was always his favorite.
My brother came to VIENNA in 1921 for the express purpose of seeing me. I
did not recognize him at first when he walked into the house. I was so
surprised that I could only stare at him. It was as if a brother had fallen
from heaven. I was already used to being alone in this world. He was very
charming at the time. What made the biggest impression on me was the fact that
he went shopping with me. Every woman loves to shop.
I did not see him regularily [sic]. About a year later he visited me
again. We went to our parents’ grave near LINZ. He wanted to go there. Then we
separated, he going on to MUNICH, and I to LINZ. I visited him in MUNICH in
1923. This was before 9 Nov. He still looked the same to me. His political
activities had not changed him. The next time I saw him was in the Dirsch
Strasse in MUNICH. The only person that I met among his political friends was
SCHWARZ, treasurer of the party. The next time I saw him was on the Nuremburg
Party Day. This was the first time that he invited me to a Party Day. I
received my tickets like any other person.
(At this point the interrogator said: ‘We found some of your brother’s
letters to you. They are very short. A lady who worked with him once said that
he had absolutely no family sense.’) There is something to that. I think he
inherited that from our father. He did not care for our relatives either. Only
the relatives on our mother’s side were close to us. The SCHMIEDs and the
KOPPENSTEINs are our dear relatives, especially a cousin SCHMIED who married a
KOPPENSTEIN. I knew no one of my father’s family. My sister ANGELA and I often
said: ‘Father must have had some relatives, but we don’t even know them.’ I
myself have a family sense. I like my relatives from the WALDVIERTEL, the
SCHMIEDs and the KOPPENSTEINs. I usually wrote my brother a birthday letter,
and then he wrote a short note, and sent a package. This would contain Spanish
ham, flour, sugar, or something like that that had been given to him for his
birthday.
I did not see my half-sister Mrs. Angela HAMITZSCH very often. She lived in
DRESDEN. She had her husband and children and was happily married. I spent the
last few days before the arrival of the Americans with her, as she was also in
the Berchtesgadener Hof
During the Party Day in NUREMBURG my brother received me in his hotel, the
Deutscher Hof He wrote me very rarely, as he was ‘writing lazy.’ He wrote only
a few words, and only once a year.
From 1929 on I saw him once a year until 1941. We met once in MUNICH, once
in BERLIN, and once in VIENNA. I met him in VIENNA after 1938. His rapid rise
in the world worried me. I must honestly confess that I would have preferred it
if he had followed his original ambition and become an architect. (The
interrogator interrupted to say that this was the most classical statement that
she would ever say.) It would have saved the world a lot of worries.
My brother did not live on a special diet in his youth. Our mother would
never have permitted that. He never cared much about meat. I suppose that he later
became a vegetarian because of a stomach ailment.
The first time that my brother suggested my changing my name was at the
Olympic games in GARMISCH. He wanted me to live under the name of ‘WOLFF’, and
maintain the strictest incognito. That was sufficient for me. From then on I
kept this name. I added the ‘Mrs.’ as I thought that less conspicuous. I was
ordered to remain incognito also when I was moved from my home in AUSTRIA to
the Berchtesgadener Hof
I lost my job in a Viennese insurance company in 1930 when it became known
who my brother was. From that time until the Anschluss he gave me a monthly
pension of 250 schillings. After the Anschluss he gave me 500 marks a month.
In 1940 I went to BERLIN to see my brother. I was never under the
observation of the Sicherheitsdienst. I could always move about freely. The
criminal police once came to check on all the guests when I lived in a hotel in
MUNICH during MUSSOLINI’s visit. Even they did not know who ‘Frau WOLFF’ was.
I am a Catholic, and the church is my biggest outside interest. My brother
was also Catholic, and I don’t believe that he ever left the church. I don’t
know for sure.
For the last few years I was employed as a typist in a hospital. My brother
knew about it. He fully agreed that I should employ myself I had to give it up
later on as it was too much for my health.
My coming to BERCHTESGADEN was very strange. I was in my house in Lower
AUSTRIA between VIENNA and LINZ. I wanted to remain at home. It is very
important that someone keep the vegetable garden in order, and see that
everything thrives. One morning in the middle of April of this year a passenger
car stood before the door. A driver entered the house and told me that he had
the task of bringing me to the OBERSALZBERG. We were supposed to leave in 2
hours. I was amazed, since I had made no preparations. I said that under no
circumstances could I leave in 2 hours. Then we agreed to drive away the next
morning. I don’t know who the driver was. I think the car was a Mercedes. There
was also a second driver in the car. (The interrogator, who believes that the
trip was arranged by Martin BORMANN, and that Miss HITLER was in grave danger
of being killed, then asked: ‘That was done by Martin BORMANN?’). I don’t know
about that. I knew BORMANN only slightly. When we were halfway to BERCHTESGADEN
the driver said to me that they hadn’t reckoned on my coming along. I said: ‘Why
didn’t you tell me that before? Then I wouldn’t have come along.’ The driver
was not armed, and I’ve forgotten how he looked.
I saw Eva Braun only once. That was in 1934 in NUREMBURG! My brother never
discussed the subject with me. I have never visited my brother’s place on the
OBERSALZBERG, either with him or now that the Americans are here. I was never
invited.
When I arrived at the Dietrich Eckart Hütte, where Färbe of the
Berchtesgadener Hof put me, no one knew who I was. I took my meals in my room,
and didn’t talk to the people. I knew no one there. At present we are leaming
English. I still have to go over my vocabulary for today. I studied English at
school, but have unfortunately forgotten most of it.
The personal fate of my brother affected me very much. He was still my
brother, no matter what happened. His end brought unspeakable sorrow to me, as
his sister. (At this point Miss HITLER burst into tears, and the interrogation
was ended.
Conclusion of statement.
[s] George Allen
Attached CIC
Reviewed:
FRANCIS E. MARTINI
Special Agent CIC
Commanding
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