"At Hitler's Side" is a book about Nicolaus von Below's time as Hitler's assistant from 1937 to 1945. Von Below tells what it was like to be with Hitler during World War II, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and insights.
I found this book especially interesting, because my grandfather fought against Germany in the Soviet Union army during WW II, I wanted to understand more about the war and the leaders involved. Von Below describes how Hitler planned and started the war, and how he reacted to key events like the invasion of Poland and the D-Day landings. The book also reveals Hitler's thoughts on other leaders, like Churchill and Roosevelt, and his obsession with new weapons like V-1 and V-2 rockets. As a trusted aide, von Below was present at high-level meetings and witnessed critical moments, like the attempt on Hitler's life in July 1944. He even followed Hitler into the bunker in Berlin as the war was ending. Von Below's story offers a unique and intimate perspective on one of history's most infamous figures, making "At Hitler's Side" a fascinating and important read for me.

This is the first book I’ve read from the perspective of someone who was by Hitler’s side. It is written as a journal and broken down by year. It was interesting that he was present at the 1944 assassination attempt. But it is hard to believe that as close as he was to Hitler, he wasn’t aware of everything that was going on.

Thank you to the author, Pen & Sword, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This account from one of the few people who were very close to Hitler from before the start of WWll until the end, brings a whole new insight to how Hitler evolved from a visionary for the German population to a paranoic, unstable fanatic. It brings to the fore how it was Hitler and his cronies, Himmler, Goring, and Goebbels, that truly were the cause of the German failures, as none of them faced the reality of how to wage the war they wanted and ignored the growing capabilities of their opponents. The book follows the chronology of the rise of Hitler after WWl and it is evident that he used his perception of what was required to bring the German people along with his ambition of making Germany great again after the humiliating defeat in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles.
This book opens up a personal view by his Luftwaffe Adjutant and his observations of the man as he deteriorates and increasingly blames his military leaders for the disastrous decisions he, himself makes. It is also evident that after the July 1944 bomb attempt on his life when he was wounded, Hitler was never the same again physically or mentally. From this point on there was never any doubt as to the final outcome.
Any historian of WWll or military history should read this updated account of Hitlers’ life and how we see Europe and the world today.

I requested this book as I am extremely interested in the Holocaust and reading true life stories surrounding this heartbreaking time in history. I was intrigued to read this and find out more from somebody who was close to Hitler at both a personal level and from an employment perspective.

The author does show insight into Nazi Germany and goes into details about quite a lot of events, which makes the reader question whether he really believed that the Jews were simply going to work camps as opposed to being sentenced to death in the most barbaric way.

I enjoyed reading this book, different to the real life stories of survivors which I’m used to reading but did shed insight into some of the things that actually happened during the Nazi era.

The memoirs of Nicolaus von Below, Hitler's Luftwaffe adjutant who worked closely with him & even socialised on occasion. There for Hitler's reactions to the successes & failures of the Reich's military strategies, von Below was even present at the assassination attempt in July 1944. The memoirs are split into single years from 1939 to 1945 when von Below leaves the bunker shortly before the end.

How do you rate something like this? It was very well translated, well written & kept my attention. The author was obviously an intelligent man who was detail-orientated. It was fascinating (albeit controversial) to get a perspective from the opposite side & I hadn't realised there was so much dissent amongst Hitler's inner circle. It is an important first-hand source for insights into Hitler's inner circle & the workings of his mind.

One of the big issues here is the denial of knowing about Hitler's plans when it came to those deemed undesirable. I suppose it is theoretically possible to have been in the midst of things & yet have no idea of the Holocaust unfolding, however there's so much detail here about other events, yet the reader is supposed to believe that the author naively thought that Jews were being sent to work camps rather than being systematically murdered. I remain unconvinced.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword History/Greenhill Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book can be reviewed on different levels. Level one is a personal diary-like account of Germany during the Nazi rule. It reflects a personal view of Hiter who is described as gentle and mild. It also portrays private thoughts on several issues and topics Germany was facing at the time. it is not clear how representative these views and opinions are.

Level two is as a primary document of the inner works of Hitler and his entourage, von Below included. It gives a great inside into the mechanism of power in Nazi Germany. Also, the thoughts and reasoning of the army and its leadership are well presented.

Level three is the book as a historical view of Nazi Germany. This is very controversial as the author’s view seems to be one-sided and even with so many years after the war still very Hitler-supportive. He also has some contradiction he mentions not to have been aware of the concentration camps but chapters later confirmes that camp inmates were called to rebuild destroyed structures in record time. The lack of reflection and remorse combined with the uncritical view of Hitler is upsetting.

Nicolaus von Below was with Hitler for 8 years as Luftwaffe Adjutant. He was close to Hitler during these years and has first-hand information on many happenings of the period. This book is different from all others I have read in that it portrays Hitler quite favourably. In that sense, would say it is brave, though obviously it overlooks a lot of what the world has come to know of Hitler’s atrocities.

Nicolaus von Below always wanted to be a soldier. He rose through the ranks and when Hitler's Adjutant was killed in an accident, Goering asked to meet him and wanted confirmation of his full loyalty. A fairly detailed account of key incidents and Hitler’s decision making since he started working with him follows in the book. He mentions that Hitler was very hard working, an insomniac who worked till early hours of the morning. He had varied interests – especially music. He could talk on a variety of subjects with others and listened carefully. In contrast to the general assumption, I had made that he would have had a dictatorial style, as per Below, he was polite with others, debated matters on merit and in detail, sought to build consensus and convince others, and issued commands only in the last year of the war. As regards Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Below almost entirely lays the blame on an intransigent Poland & Britian. Hitler’s interest was primarily in Danzig and the Polish corridor which he regards as a legitimate demand (and he says almost all in Germany thought so as well, that the Versailles treaty was grossly unfair in this respect). The press was also reporting the ill treatment of German minorities in Poland, with many fleeing. Hitler offered to negotiate but a belligerent Poland declined, emboldened by a pact they had signed with Britain. He goes on to mention that Hitler received a very popular welcome in Danzig. Below says that Hitler did not want to go to war with Britian and thought negotiations were possible once Germany’s strength was realized – for instance with a swift defeat of France. Though he had entered into a pact with Soviet Union, Hitler considered them unreliable and felt he would have no choice but to go to war at some point of time. There are details of Hitler’s attack on rest of Europe, Britain and the Soviet Union.

By 1942, the doubters on whether Germany would win went up significantly, but Below says most people still believed Hitler, a great man, who had restored Germany's stature would find a way to maintain the Reich. Below was in the room when a bomb went off in the room, plotted by Stauffenberg. He refers to the 13-14 Feb 1945, USAAF and RAF bombing of Dresden as appalling where between 135,000 to 300,000 civilians were killed (a Wikipedia article has a number of 25,000). This was an incident I did not know much about and read up later. Germany’s last hopes were on the V2 bombers and new age aircraft but everyone realized it was too late with the allies having made their landing. Eva Braun arrived at the bunker in Mar 1945, and Below compliments her for her composure and maturity. As Hitler and Eva Braun decide to end their lives, the mood was sombre, and Below carefully refers to Hitler as a great man, not morally, but as a political revolutionary. Below sought permission to leave the bunker and Hitler agreed and wished him luck. The notes at the end mention his imprisonment in 1946, and he was released in 1948.

This book largely reads like a war diary, viewed from a German perspective. It humanizes Hitler, which is brave of the author, but obviously controversial (Below does not attempt to justify all of Hitler’s actions though). In multiple instances he refers to Hitler as a pleasant person, calm and open-minded. At the same time, the question is also how honest Below has been. He denies any knowledge of the concentration camps (though he claims knowledge of all else), which only finds sketchy mention, and says all he knew was Jews being asked to self-identify themselves. There is a detached view he takes of the wars and violence Hitler initiated with no reference to the suffering which ensued.

The interesting part of the book are the personal details the author provides, and his perspective of various matters (such as the Danzig/Polish corridor, Dresden bombing etc) which I suppose might have been typical views in Germany at that time. The moral question of Hitler’s views and actions is largely unexplored and is the most disappointing aspect of the book.