Hitler's Alpine Retreat by James Wilson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hitler's Alpine Retreat
Book Review: Very Unusual Set of Pictures of Hitler
Summary: 5 Stars
Patriotic postcards were one of the major propagands media of the Nazi party. They were produced in huge quantities and have been popular with collectors since the end of the war. The author of this book has been a collector of Nazi postcards for many years. In this book he presents some 270 images from postcards that illustrate Hitler's retreat near Berchtesgadener, the prominent people who visited there, and the surrounding community. Most important of all, they show Hitler in a series of settings not usually seen. These include a smiling Hitler as he gets the results of the voting in the 1935 elections, and a number of images of Hitler with small children. He was reportedly quite fond of children, but then again, what politician could miss the opportunity of being photographed with kids (then or now). Then there are pictures of Hitler with his deputies, and here he is rarely smiling.
This book is a rare opportunity to see this part of Germany in a time, mostly before the war, when the world was unsuspecting of what was to happen. It presents an image that seems very different than the usual.
Book Review: A delightfull return to the past!
Summary: 5 Stars
After sifting through the dozens of books on Hitler written by jewish authors that all start out with "evil monster" and "most evil dictator" I was pleasantly surprised to find this treasure! Finally we get to see some of the pictures the others try to ban and don't want us to see. Pictures of Hitler being embraced and kissed by children, pictures of him feeding and playing with animals. I have always said that you can tell if a person is good or evil if they can get close to wild animals or not. Here we have a perfect example of Hitler feeding two wild deer. No evil person has the ability to do that, only the kindest of people can do this. The evil ones have to camoflage themselves, hide in bushes and even then have to shoot from a distance. Some of us can have them come right up to us in normal clothes right out in the open. I am happy to see that Hitler had this gift and that we see proof of him being able to gain the trust of wild animals.
Many don't realize that Hitler and the National Socialists had set up strict animal protection laws and were way ahead of their time. Still today many countries are way behind and animal abuse still remains a huge problem today.
When looking through this book, you wonder who this person is you see pictured in every other book. Just like tabloid newspapers, they find a picture that makes someone look crabby, then use that and make a caption they feel will go with it to make the person look bad. Here we see Hitler as he really was.
I had to purchase the book on the spot before it was banned or put out of print like all the other good books are. But now I have it and no one can take it away from me. I am going to show this book to everyone I can.
I must have over 50 books on Hitler and this one takes place in the top 3! The other two being Mein Kampf and The Young Hitler I Knew.
This book is mostly pictures and brief paragraph captions besides them explaining the photos, so you can look through and enjoy the entire book in one evening, although you will want to look at these photos again and again as they are rare photos that you don't get to see in any of the other books out there!
If any television programs, movies or books show Hitler in anyway other than completely evil, they are boycotted and banned. I am really really shocked that this book somehow made it through the censors and that I actually found it on a store shelf and that some publisher actually had the courage to publish it.
I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in the truth about history, and are tired of seeing the same propaganda photos trying to turn Hitler into an evil madman in every book out there.
Hitler's parents both died while he was a child, he had to make it on his own living through some tough times, and not only did he survive, but he became leader of his country!
Even the cover jacket of this book is beautiful! Be sure to get this while it is still available, I have a feeling this one is going to join the "out of print" list real soon when the bad guys find out about it.
All the photos are in black and white, but they are beautiful!
You will wish you could have poster size prints of them!
Book Review: numerous rare postcard views of Hitler's infamous Bavarian retreat
Summary: 5 Stars
Two hundred and seventy postcards from Wilson's personal collection plus a number of Nazi propaganda photographs take one into Hitler's famous lair of Berchtesgadener in the mountains of Bavaria. Hitler regularly sought relaxation in the mountain retreat; but it also served as a place for diplomatic meetings with foreign leaders and headquarters to plot military plans with top German generals. The large number of postcards picturing all parts of the grounds, out buildings, the main building's exterior and rooms and even a few of the tunnels and vaults underneath for electrical lines and generators were made for the propaganda purpose of making Hitler seem an everyday German enjoying the satisfactions of a country home. Berchtesgadener covered much ground, and its rooms were spacious with fine furnishings. But it was not palatial. As well identifying the sights and occasional individuals in the numerous postcards, as appropriate Wilson's captions note the significance of the location and call attention to architectural or design details. And as appropriate, the author's captions refer to past or future changes in buildings or groundwork. A few of the postcards picture changes in progress. An incomparable collection of Nazi and Hitler postcards; and as such a unique addition to any World War II or Nazi collection of books or memorabilia.Book Review: A look into the lost past.....
Summary: 4 Stars
James Wilson's Hitler's Alpine Retreat proves to be an interesting photographic history of Hitler's Bavarian home in the Berchtesgadner area in Bavaria, Germany. Nestled among the high alpine mountains, Hitler choose this area to live away from the hustle and bustle of Berlin and its political arena. Wilson uses 270 German postcards that tells the story of Hitler's mountainside retreat. The postcards also show areas around Munich, Germany where Hitler and his Nazi Party had their headquarters and monuments.
I found the book to be rather interesting since it shows the world, long destroyed by war and passage of time. The postcards, used for propaganda purposes, revealed an interesting reflection of the time and how Hitler liked to be presented to the German people and the world during the heydays of the 1930s. The postcards also shows the evolution of Hitler's home from a homely alpine cottage called "Haus Wachenfeld" to a more modern residence of Berghof and later, the infamous Eagle's Nest. The black and white postcards appears to be in excellent condition and its a look back in what it was. It interesting that Hitler appears to be a very much of a naturalist by outlook since he wants his home to blend with natural surrounding and an environmentist by action, even using electric power boat so not to damage the pristine lake water.
The captions accompanied all the postcards as well as author's comments. Author seem to be bit sympathatic in his comments about Hitler and the kids photographed with him since most the memoirs written by those closest to Hitler revealed that despite of the many cute photos, Hitler rarely bonded well with children. There are also several photos showing the modern (2004) views of some of the scenes from the postcards, a nice "before and after" comparison can be made.
Overall, a pretty informative photographic history of Hitler's Bavarian alpine home. An interesting book for anyone interested in the non-political element of Hitler's life prior to the war.
More Hitler's Alpine Retreat reviews:
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