Gerda Christian
| Gerda Christian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
December 13, 1913 Berlin, Germany |
| Died |
April 14, 1997 (aged 83) Düsseldorf, Germany |
Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | German |
| Other names | Gerda Daranowski (maiden name) |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Occupation | Secretary |
| Employer | Adolf Hitler |
| Known for | Adolf Hitler's personal secretary before and during the Second World War. |
| Spouse(s) | 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.
Biography
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.
World War II
Gerda had worked for Elizabeth Arden before coming to work for Hitler.[1] She had been engaged to Hitler's driver Erich Kempka, and later married Luftwaffe officer Eckhard Christian on 2 February 1943.[2] Gerda then took a break from her employment for Hitler and her work was taken over by Traudl Junge.
In mid-1943, 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.[4] 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 and Traudl Junge both volunteered to remain with Hitler in the Führerbunker.[2] While in the bunker complex, the women also looked after the Goebbels children.[5] After the war Gerda stated that during Hitler's last days in Berlin, he made it clear that his body must not fall into the hands of the Soviets. He would shoot himself, while Eva Braun said she would take cyanide poison. At one of these meal time conversations, Hitler gave Gerda a cyanide ampoule for use.[6]
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.[7]
Post-war
In 1946, she divorced Eckhard Christian because he did not remain with her in the Führerbunker until after the death of Hitler.[2] Gerda moved to Düsseldorf, where she worked at the Hotel Eden.[2] 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.
Portrayal in the media
Gerda Christian has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions.
- Sheila Gish in the 1973 British film Hitler: The Last Ten Days.[8]
- Mitzi Rogers in the 1973 British television production The Death of Adolf Hitler.[9]
- Birgit Minichmayr in the 2004 German film Downfall (Der Untergang).[10]
Notes
- ↑ John Toland (1976), Adolf Hitler, p. 733, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Hamilton 1984, p. 141.
- ↑ Joachimsthaler 1999, p. 293.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Joachimsthaler 1999, p. 299.
- ↑ O'Donnell 1978, p. 134.
- ↑ Joachimsthaler 1999, pp. 169-170.
- ↑ O'Donnell 1978, pp. 271, 274, 291.
- ↑ "Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- ↑ "The Death of Adolf Hitler (1973) (TV)". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
- ↑ "Untergang, Der (2004)". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
References
- Hamilton, Charles (1984). Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 1. R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 0-912138-27-0.
- Joachimsthaler, Anton (1999) [1995]. The Last Days of Hitler: The Legends, the Evidence, the Truth. Trans. Helmut Bögler. London: Brockhampton Press. ISBN 978-1-86019-902-8.
- O'Donnell, James Preston (1978). The Bunker: The History of the Reich Chancellery Group. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-25719-7.
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