Otto Guensche, an aide to Adolf Hitler who burned the Nazi dictator’s body, died on Oct. 2 from heart failure. He was 86.
Guensche joined the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Germany, and rose to the rank of SS major. He became a member of Hitler’s inner circle and spent the last hours with the Nazi leader in the Fuehrer bunker in Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler and his companion, Eva Braun, committed suicide. Their bodies were placed in the garden of the Reich chancellery and burned. Guensche started the fire.
After World War II ended, Guensche was captured by Red Army troops and spent several years in Soviet captivity. He lived the rest of his life as a successful businessman in West Germany.
October 26, 2003 by
Otto Guensche
Categories: Military
Major Guensche was one of the foremost warriors of the second world war. He first distinguised himself on the field of battle, then as adjutant to Adolf Hitler and lastly as a prisioner of war in the horrors of the demented communist Russians.
He served his country with honor and after the war became a productive member of German society.
He is one of my all-time heros.