Hitler's Will

The amazing true story of the British intelligence officer who helped to track down Hitler’s last will

 

Herman Rothman arrived in Britain from Germany as a Jewish refugee in the early years of World War II. He joined the British Army and in 1945 was posted to Westertimke and Fallingbostel PoW camps to interrogate high-ranking Nazi war criminals. When papers were discovered sewn into the shoulders of a jacket belonging to Heinz Lorenz, who had been Goebbels' press secretary, he and a team of four others were charged with translating them under conditions of the deepest secrecy. The documents turned out to be the originals of Hitler's personal and political wills. Later on, in Rottenburg hospital, Rothman interrogated Hermann Karnau, a police guard in Hitler's bunker, to establish information about the Fuhrer's final moments. Hitler's Will is the amazing true story of Herman Rothman's remarkable life, including how he managed to escape from Nazi Germany before the War began, and his role in bringing to light Hitler's personal and political testaments.

Herman Rothman was born in Berlin in 1924 but fled to Britain in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. He enlisted in the British Forces later in the war and was then seconded to the No.3 Counter-Intelligence Corps. After studying a degree in history he worked as an economist and a trust lawyer before his retirement. Helen Fry has written and edited more than 20 books, specializing in works about World War II.