Although Adolf Hitler wanted to kill all of Europe’s Jews, he apparently had a soft spot for one in particular. A Jewish judge was reportedly spared, for a while, because of a letter that claimed Hitler wanted him protected, reports the Associated Press, citing an article in the Berlin quarterly Jewish Voice From Germany.
Ernst Hess (photo), a judge, had served in the same unit as Hitler in World War One, and had even briefly been his commanding officer. In the Jewish Voice From Germany, historian Susanne Mauss writes that she found a letter from Heinrich Himmler that grants Hess protection “as per the Fuhrer’s wishes”. That protection apparently lasted until 1942, after which Hess lost his special protection and had to work in a forced labor camp.
Mauss talked to Hess’ 86-year-old daughter, who said her father and others in his unit would often express shock at Hitler’s rising political fame in the 1920s and 1930s, noting that Hitler had no friends in the unit and had been “an absolute cipher”.
A historian says that, while it’s possible the letter is genuine, he cautioned that it didn’t mean the order actually came from Hitler. In particular, Fritz Wiedemann, Hitler’s aide, has long been known to have been sympathetic towards Jewish veterans.
Rico says okay, that's two racial slurs in the same piece; sorry. But this Hess was no relation to Rudolf, one guesses...
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