At Hitler's Side: The Memoirs of Hitler's Luftwaffe Adjutant Book

List of Illustrations 7

List of Abbreviations 9

Introduction 11

My Career Prior to Appointment

The Daily Routine of the Luftwaffe Adjutant

Hitler's Staff

The Führer's Residences

Hitler and the Luftwaffe

The Polish Question and the Path to War

Chapter 1 1939 35

The FHQ

The Polish Campaign

The Battle for Warsaw

Hitler's Style of Leadership

Hitler, Halder and Brauchitsch

Decision for a Campaign in the West

Assassination at the Bürgerbräukeller

Hitler's Thought on the Operational Plan

Developments at the End of the Year

Chapter 2 1940 49

Preparing for 'Weserübung'

Discussing the Operational Plan

Fritz Todt

The Visit of Sumner Welles

'Weserübung'

Attack in the West

Dunkirk

Victory and Armistice

Continuation of the War Against Britain

Planning 'Seelöwe'

Promotions

Reichstag Sitting, 19 July

Air War over Britain

The Question of 'Seelöwe'

Domestic Dramas

Meetings with Pétain, Laval, Franco

Russia, Britain, the Balkans, Gibraltar

Molotov in Berlin

'Barbarossa'

Priorities in Armaments

Critical Voices

Chapter 3 1941 83

Decisions

The Mediterranean and North Africa

Planning for 'Barbarossa'

Before the Balkan Campaign

Operation 'Marita'

Matsuoka

Hitler's Attitude to the Russian Enemy

The Balkan Campaign

The Flight of Rudolf Hess

Crete

Battleship Bismarck

Final Preparations for 22 June

Wolfschanze

First Successes

Mölders and Galland

Discussions Concerning the Attack

Mussolini and Horthy at the Front

Private Arguments

The 'Final Solution'

Autumn 1941: Russia, Bohemia and Moravia, and North Africa

Equipping the Luftwaffe

Cure at Constance

At War with the United States

Winter Crisis

A Separate Peace with Russia?

Stresses and Strains

Hitler and the Army Generals

Udet and Milch

Chapter 4 1942 124

Malta

The 'Channel Dash'

Höpner Relieved of Duty

Speer Succeeds Todt

Stabilisation in Spring

The Air War Intensifies

Planning the Summer Offensive

Reichstag Session, 26 April

Conquest of the Crimea

Flying to See Kesselring and Rommel

Göring's Star Wanes

Summer Offensive

Halder Dismissed

My 35th Birthday

Towns Bombed and Industry Destroyed

Threatening Developments in the East

British Offensive in North Africa

Stalingrad

Chapter 5 1943 162

Raeder Steps Down

Casablanca, North Africa

Manstein and Hitler

Manstein's Offensive

Accusations Against the Luftwaffe

Planning for 'Zitadelle'

Tunis

Visits by Allies

Hitler Demands Stronger AA Defences

Holiday in Prague and Vienna

Hitler Criticises the Luftwaffe

'Zitadelle'

Sperrle's Forty Years

Break with the Italians

The Suffering of Hamburg

Jeschonnek's Suicide

Pressure on the Eastern Front

Code-word 'Achse'

A Separate Peace?

Exit Engel

Landings in Italy

Further Intensification of the Air War

Hitler's Intransigence

Getting Ready for the Invasion

Firmness in Defence

The Me 262 Displayed

Teheran

Situation at the End of 1943

Chapter 6 1944 190

Armaments Conference

The Crimea Lost

Manstein and Kleist Relieved

War in Italy

Air Attacks on Armaments Plants

Rumours of Assassination

Hanna Reitsch

Führerbefehl 11

My Uncle's Funeral

Hungary Occupied

New Moves in Armaments Production

A New FHQ?

The Death of Hube

Speer's Return

Hitler and Göring

Peaceful Days at the Berghof

Anger Over the Me 262

Attacks on Our Hydrogen Works

A New Job

Invasion

The V-1

Allied Advances in the West

The Death of Dietl

A Second Landing?

Army Group Centre Shattered

Final Days at Obersalzberg

The 20 July Bomb Plot

Retribution

My Health Deteriorates

Convalescence and Recovery

Szymonski's Visits

Return to Wolfschanze

Intentions, Reflections, Illusions

The 'Areopag'

A Hopeless Situation

The Ardennes Offensive

No Way Out

Chapter 7 1945 225

Military Command in Crisis

Dresden

Last Speech to the Gauleiters

Hopes for the Me 262

The Noose Tightens

Farewell to My Wife

Last Days in the Bunker

Göring Dismissed; Greim Appointed

The Last Days

Flight from Berlin

Notes 243

Index 247