This is the personal account of a Luftwaffe aide always at Hitler's side from 1937 until the last days in Berlin, now published for the first time in English.

Nicolaus von Below was a 29-year-old pilot when Goering selected him for the position of Hitler's Luftwaffe adjutant. He was with Hitler at every stage as the Second World War unfolded. His observations tell of Hitler's responses to momentous events as well as military decisions and policy-making at Fuhrer Headquarters. This is a superb source describing life in Hitler's inner circle, relied upon on by Gitta Sereny in her biography of Albert Speer.

He provides fascinating insight into how Hitler planned the invasions of Poland and Russia, what he thought of Britain and America, why he placed his faith in the V-1 and V-2 projects, how others dealt with him, and much more. Von Below was present at the assassination attempt in July 1944, and records the effect on Hitler and his followers.

Von Below was the last of Hitler's close military entourage to emerge from the bunker alive. His frank memoir will appeal to anyone interested in how Hitler ran his war. He was denounced to the British in 1946 and imprisoned as a material witness at Nuremberg, until being discharged in 1947.

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright Page
• Contents
  • List of Illustrations
  • List of Abbreviations
  • Introduction
    • My Career Prior to Appointment
    • The Daily Routine of the Luftwaffe Adjutant
    • Hitler’s Staff
    • The Führer’s Residences
    • Hitler and the Luftwaffe
    • The Polish Question and the Path to War
  • Chapter One: 1939
    • The FHQ
    • The Polish Campaign
    • The Battle for Warsaw
    • Hitler’s Style of Leadership
    • Hitler, Halder and Brauchitsch
    • Decision for a Campaign in the West
    • Assassination at the Bürgerbräukeller
    • Hitler’s Thought on the Operational Plan
    • Developments at the End of the Year
  • Chapter Two: 1940
    • Preparing for ‘Weserübung’
    • Discussing the Operational Plan
    • Fritz Todt
    • The Visit of Sumner Welles
    • ‘Weserübung’
    • Attack in the West
    • Dunkirk
    • Victory and Armistice
    • Continuation of the War Against Britain
    • Planning ‘Seelöwe’
    • Promotions
    • Reichstag Sitting, 19 July
    • Air War over Britain
    • The Question of ‘Seelöwe’
    • Domestic Dramas
    • Meetings with Pétain, Laval, Franco
    • Russia, Britain, the Balkans, Gibraltar
    • Molotov in Berlin
    • ‘Barbarossa’
    • Priorities in Armaments
    • Critical Voices
  • Chapter Three: 1941
    • Decisions
    • The Mediterranean and North Africa
    • Planning for ‘Barbarossa’
    • Before the Balkan Campaign
    • Operation ‘Marita’
    • Matsuoka
    • Hitler’s Attitude to the Russian Enemy
    • The Balkan Campaign
    • The Flight of Rudolf Hess
    • Crete
    • Battleship Bismarck
    • Final Preparations for 22 June
    • Wolfschanze
    • First Successes
    • Mölders and Galland
    • Discussions Concerning the Attack
    • Mussolini and Horthy at the Front
    • Private Arguments
    • The ‘Final Solution’
    • Autumn 1941: Russia, Bohemia and Moravia, and North Africa
    • Equipping the Luftwaffe
    • Cure at Constance
    • At War with the United States
    • Winter Crisis
    • A Separate Peace with Russia?
    • Stresses and Strains
    • Hitler and the Army Generals
    • Udet and Milch
  • Chapter Four: 1942
    • Malta
    • The ‘Channel Dash’
    • Höpner Relieved of Duty
    • Speer Succeeds Todt
    • Stabilisation in Spring
    • The AirWar Intensifies
    • Planning the Summer Offensive
    • Reichstag Session, 26 April
    • Conquest of the Crimea
    • Flying to See Kesselring and Rommel
    • Göring’s StarWanes
    • Summer Offensive
    • Halder Dismissed
    • My 35th Birthday
    • Towns Bombed and Industry Destroyed
    • Threatening Developments in the East
    • British Offensive in North Africa
    • Stalingrad
  • Chapter Five: 1943
    • Raeder Steps Down
    • Casablanca, North Africa
    • Manstein and Hitler
    • Manstein’s Offensive
    • Accusations Against the Luftwaffe
    • Planning for ‘Zitadelle’
    • Tunis
    • Visits by Allies
    • Hitler Demands Stronger AA Defences
    • Holiday in Prague and Vienna
    • Hitler Criticises the Luftwaffe
    • ‘Zitadelle’
    • Sperrle’s Forty Years
    • Break with the Italians
    • The Suffering of Hamburg
    • Jeschonnek’s Suicide
    • Pressure on the Eastern Front
    • Codeword ‘Achse’
    • A Separate Peace?
    • Exit Engel
    • Landings in Italy
    • Further Intensification of the AirWar
    • Hitler’s Intransigence
    • Getting Ready for the Invasion
    • Firmness in Defence
    • The Me 262 Displayed
    • Teheran
    • Situation at the End of 1943
  • Chapter Six: 1944
    • Armaments Conference
    • The Crimea Lost
    • Manstein and Kleist Relieved
    • War in Italy
    • Air Attacks on Armaments Plants
    • Rumours of Assassination
    • Hanna Reitsch
    • Führerbefehl 11
    • My Uncle’s Funeral
    • Hungary Occupied
    • New Moves in Armaments Production
    • A New FHQ?
    • The Death of Hube
    • Speer’s Return
    • Hitler and Göring
    • Peaceful Days at the Berghof
    • Anger Over the Me 262
    • Attacks on Our Hydrogen Works
    • A New Job
    • Invasion
    • The V-1
    • Allied Advances in the West
    • The Death of Dietl
    • A Second Landing?
    • Army Group Centre Shattered
    • Final Days at Obersalzberg
    • The 20 July Bomb Plot
    • Retribution
    • My Health Deteriorates
    • Convalescence and Recovery
    • Szymonski’s Visits
    • Return to Wolfschanze
    • Intentions, Reflections, Illusions
    • The ‘Areopag’
    • A Hopeless Situation
    • The Ardennes Offensive
    • No Way Out
  • Chapter Seven: 1945
    • Military Command in Crisis
    • Dresden
    • Last Speech to the Gauleiters
    • Hopes for the Me 262
    • The Noose Tightens
    • Farewell to My Wife
    • Last Days in the Bunker
    • Göring Dismissed; Greim Appointed
    • The Last Days
    • Flight from Berlin
  • Notes
  • Plates
  • Index