In the Service of the Führer. Hitler’s Shadow

This is the personal story of Karl Wilhelm Krause, who was the valet. of the Fuehrer from 1934 to 1939, and was also responsible for his personal safety and security. Through his daily contact with Adolf Hitler, and those of his most intimate circle, both in his public life, as well as, inside the Führer’s private quarters, no one had access like Herr Krause. Nor was anyone ever in a better position to observe Hitler; his personal habits, character, and demeanour, and to assess his social interactions with average citizens, employees, friends and colleagues, public figures, academics, leaders of industry, as well as, with foreign leaders and dignitaries. In this one and only interview, recorded on camera in the early 90s, Herr Krause testifies of his duties, his daily routine, and what he saw, heard and experienced, while in the constant presence of, and service to, the leader of the Third Reich. Hitler called him „mein Schatten“ (my shadow).

The testimony which you are about to hear is of invaluable historical importance, and forms a comprehensive and highly relevant, contemporary documentation, revealing surprising facts about the most talked about and enigmatic man in history, painting a far different picture of Adolf Hitler, than the court historians, Hollywood, and the Mass Media have typically portrayed.

This German language interview took place around 1990 and has been kept under wraps. We have translated it into English, paying close attention to accuracy. We do not have access to the original tapes. What is contained here is exactly what was published in Germany in its original form. We have also translated the text captions into images, inserted some extra pictures, added a musical score, and created both an intro and outro. A 90 minute version is planned with some extra related footage, but we have set no release date for the final version.

NOTE: There is one know error in this film. One picture we included is not of Herr Krause, as we have since discovered, but rather of another of Hitler’s servants by then name of Rochus Misch. It is in the introduction, a colour photograph, and the gentleman is in a green uniform.

Some of the topics covered include:

What Hitler was really like as a person and as a boss, his habits, his mission, the so-called Annexation of Austria, Crystal Night, the beginnings of the war with Poland, England’s declaration of war against Germany, Germany’s decision to attack the Soviet Union, etc. There is a wonderful anecdotal story about a private, unscheduled taxi ride and walk around Munich, just the two of them together, one night at Christmas time.

Karl Wilhelm Krause 

(05.03.1911 – 06.05.2001)