Newly discovered correspondence and greetings unveil how Nazi leader Adolf Hitler personally rewarded one of his most malevolent World War Two associates with pilfered gifts. The papers form a historical connection between Hitler and one of his top enforcers, Otto Telschow, over a four-year span. Telschow annually received Christmas presents from 1941 to 1944, proudly sourced from foreign shipments and occupied territories during the height of Nazi atrocities.
These letters are part of a recently unveiled diary, initially reported by the Mirror last month. In 1941, Hitler gifted Telschow a package of coffee, mentioning its origin from a larger donation. The scarcity of coffee for ordinary Germans at the time made these gifts significant. Hitler continued sending gifts in 1942 and 1943, emphasizing their foreign and occupied territories’ origins.
Even in 1944, amidst Germany’s impending defeat, Hitler sent Telschow a Christmas parcel, expressing joy in continuing the tradition. The 75-page leather-bound World War Two diary emerged at a U.S. auction, later acquired by the Lüneburg City Archive for £6,000. Experts authenticated the diary, verifying its content and details about Telschow’s interactions and duties.
The diary records Telschow’s observations, including Hitler’s hand injury episode, where he noted the Führer’s unchanged demeanor despite physical discomfort. Telschow, a committed National Socialist, served as a Gauleiter, wielding authority to suppress adversaries. He passed away in 1945 shortly after a suicide attempt, having governed Ost-Hannover with severe antisemitism, repression, and forced labor.
The crucial revelation lies in Hitler’s repeated acknowledgment and rewarding of Telschow, an extremist regional figure, with looted goods, while he enforced Nazi terror locally. Unlike prominent Nazi leaders, Telschow operated discreetly but effectively within his region, exemplifying the broader enforcement of Nazi atrocities beyond well-known figures. Hitler’s continuous rewards to regional enforcers like Telschow underscore the widespread support for and implementation of Nazi crimes at various hierarchical levels.