The Story of Eva Braun – Adolf Hitler’s Loyal Lover

One of the persons in the life of Adolf Hitler that we do not get to hear a lot about is Eva Braun. Some call her, timid and naive. Others call her brave, daring and intentional.

In this article, I intend to walk you through the life of Eva Braun and who she was to Adolf Hitler.

On February 6, 1912, in Munich, Germany, Eva Anna Paula Braun was born to a school teacher and a seamstress. In a middle-class family, Braun was the middle child of three daughters and seemed to be the typical teenager. She had a major interest in clothes and shoes, boys and makeup. Also, she enjoyed outdoor activities and, earning average grades, was not too interested in her studies.

She attended a school at the convent but left after finding that it was not a good fit. Braun later went to work at the shop of Heinrich Hoffman, who had been the personal photographer of Adolf Hitler, as a bookkeeper and assistant.

Eva Braun met Adolf Hitler in 1929 when she was 17, and he was 40. At the time, Hitler was leading the National Socialist German Workers Party.

Here, we might want to see from the lens of those who referred to Eva Braun as naive and timid. At 17, I do not think anyone is fit to make long-lasting emotional decisions especially not with a 40-year-old man.

Braun and Hitler became more closely involved in the early 1930s after one of Hitler’s mistresses committed suicide (Do not forget this).

It is still not completely known the exact romantic extent of Braun’s relationship with the leader, although Braun expressed deep devotion to the relationship. The facts of the depth the relationship between the duo remain unclear because, on Hitler’s orders, the correspondence between Hitler and Braun was destroyed. Limited regular entries were found in Braun’s diary.

Nonetheless, it is claimed that Hitler was often an authoritarian force and devoted much of his time to the Nazi Party’s growth.

Eva’s father, Fritz, strongly opposed the involvement of his daughter with Hitler.

Braun and Hitler kept their relationship a secret, with no public sightings of the pair together usually taking place. Subsequently, in 1935, Braun attended the Nazi Nuremberg Convention. It is claimed that in Hitler’s political decisions, she generally had little or no impact and that he chose her as a companion because he felt that she would not be a threat to his authority.

Her diary entries for 1935 indicate that his interest in her had not shown signs of deepening even at this stage. “Why do I have to go through all this?“, she writes of his continual absences. “If only I had never set eyes on him! I am utterly miserable. I shall go out and buy some more sleeping powder and go into a dreamlike state.”

In both 1932 and 1935, Braun attempted suicide (What is it about Hitler’s mistresses and suicide?). After the second attempt, Hitler funded an apartment for Braun.

She also took up residence at Hitler’s Berghof chalet in the Bavarian Alps in 1936, exercising some influence in the domestic sphere and enjoying gymnastics, sunbathing, skiing and swimming sports. She is said to have remained relatively undisturbed during the initial changes and invasions that caused World War II, although her attitude changed when the tide was turning against the Axis Powers.

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Towards the end of the war, Braun could have left Hitler, but she instead joined him at his bunker in Berlin. In the final days of the war, the two contemplated killing themselves rather than fall into the hands of enemy troops. For her show of loyalty, Hitler agreed to marry Braun. The couple wed on April 29, 1945.

The following day, on April 30, 1945, they committed suicide. Braun died from ingesting cyanide poisoning while Hitler poisoned and shot himself. Their bodies were brought to the bombed-out garden behind the Reich Chancellery, where they were burned.

We may now be forced to see from the lens of those who regarded her as brave, daring, and intentional.

Eva Braun had options but, she remained a mistress for 15 years, got married and 36 hours later, she committed suicide with her husband. But, was it worth it? Going down in history as the woman who desperately wanted to be called by the last name of Adolf, bearing it for one night and dying while at it (intentionally).

Hitler, to whom she had been devoted for years, chose to thank her for the many “years of faithful friendship”, as he put it in his last will, only as the Russians advanced in on Berlin and his fate was sealed.

It is an arduous task to judge the attitude and disposition of Eva Braun.

We’ll like to hear your thoughts in the comment section.