| Gerda Christian | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1913 Berlin, Germany |
| Died | April 14, 1997 (aged 83) Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | German |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Known for | Adolf Hitler's personal secretary during the Second World War |
| Spouse | Eckhard Christian |
Gerda "Dara" Christian née Daranowski (13 December 1913 – 14 April 1997) was one of Adolf Hitler's private secretaries during World War II.
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Born Gerda Daranowski, and nicknamed "Dara", she began working for Hitler in 1937 after his secretaries Johanna Wolf and Christa Schroeder had complained about having too much work. They asked for assistance but Hitler reportedly hesitated. He did not wish to see a new face in his inner sanctum. He finally gave in and hired Gerda Daranowski.
She had been engaged to Hitler's driver Erich Kempka, and later married, Luftwaffe officer Eckhard Christian on 2 February 1943.[1] Gerda then took a break from her employment for Hitler. She was replaced by Traudl Junge. Eckhard Christian was appointed Ia of the Luftwaffe Command Staff at Hitler's request.[2] Gerda Christian returned to Hitler's staff as one of his private secretaries.[3]
Eckhard was promoted to Generalmajor and Chief of the Luftwaffe Command Staff at Hitler's request on 1 September 1944. In April 1945, Eckhard was stationed in Berlin at the Führerbunker HQ. He left the bunker complex on 22 April 1945 to become Chief of the liaison staff of the Luftwaffe to OKW Command Staff North.[4] Gerda was one of two secretaries who volunteered to remain with Hitler in the Führerbunker.[3] After Hitler's death, Gerda tried to escape Berlin on 1 May 1945. She was part of a "break-out" group led by Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke, that included secretaries Else Krüger and Traudl Junge. The group was captured by the Soviets on the morning of 2 May, while hiding in a cellar off the Schönhauser Allee.[5]
She divorced Eckhard Christian in 1946 because he did not remain with her in the Führerbunker until after the death of Hitler.[3]
After the war, she lived in Düsseldorf, where she worked at the Hotel Eden.[3] She was a friend of Werner Naumann, a former state secretary in the Third Reich's propaganda ministry and a leader of a postwar neo-Nazi group. She died of cancer in Düsseldorf in 1997, aged 83.
Gerda Christian has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions.
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