Hitler passed gas, pigged out, threw temper tantrums and had a host of other nervous and nasty habits at the dinner table.
The revelations come from a German officer who spent a lot of time with Hitler near the end of the war. His details of day-to-day life inside the bunker with Hitler were tucked away for more 60 years in a top-secret document that experts say likely belonged a British intelligence agent.
You can click here to read more about how the documents were discovered after more than 60 years.
Some of the Fuhrer’s “uncouth” behaviors that his wartime dining companions found appalling include:
- nervous nail biting at mealtime
- ate fast
- ate only vegetables and stewed fruit
- gorged on cake (which gave him a digestive disorder)
- passed gas
- got lost in his own thoughts
- paid little attention to what others were saying
- threw “carpet-biting” tantrums
- had a streak of “passive masochism” in his post-dinner relationships with women
- thought he was “greatest military genius of all time”
"Little short of shocking," said the German officer. Really?!
Philly's renowned authority on human behavior, Dr. Frank Farley doesn't think so. He sees a "Despot at the Dinner Table" whose flatulence, indifference and tantrums were very much an "in-your-face form of intimidation" which makes sense for a man who "had risen to the point of absolute control," says Farley.
Farley says most of us conform to the expectations of others; that's what manners are all about. Hitler had no need for niceties.
"Hitler was a monster in his lack of concern for many people. Why would we expect him to show much concern for table mates? We can presume he knew people were afraid of him and his unpredictable and in-your-face table behavior (e.g., flatulence, quirks, ignoring others, etc.) might be said to help assert his absolute control over them all. He could do whatever he wanted, they could not."
The German officer thought Hitler was not a homosexual, which was the rumor of the day. Hitler said he never married because it would have interfered with his duty to his country, according to the documents.
The German officer, whose name was never revealed, said Hitler was a mad, delusional man in the last days of the war. He told the story of a girl who was a dinner guest at the bunker. Apparently, Hitler was behaving so badly that night, she turned to her mom and said, “... will the lunatic chew up our carpets too?”
