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Hear The Only Known Recording Of Hitler's Normal Speaking Voice

Hear The Only Known Recording Of Hitler's Normal Speaking Voice

Hitler's public speaking voice is well-documented, but few know what he sounded like when he wasn't addressing crowds

Simon Catling

Simon Catling

Over three quarters of a century after his fall at the climax of World War Two, Adolf Hitler is still considered as one of the most evil men to have ever lived.

Apart from the many atrocities the Nazi leader committed, including the the mass-extermination of six million European Jews between 1941 and 1945, the image of him in many people's minds today is largely taken from footage of his public speaking.

Having spoken at more than 5,000 rallies and other public events, Hitler would use these spectacles to whip up supporters in a frenzy in order to have them follow his hateful propaganda.

Adolf Hitler speaking at a rally.
PA

This was most infamously caught on camera at the Nuremberg rallies that were held yearly in the run-up to the second World War, where Hitler's tone is sharp, angry and menacing, his words almost spat out as he ran through his speeches.

While this is what many people think of when considering Hitler's voice, there is scarce evidence of how he sounded when in normal conversation.

In fact, the only evidence of how Hitler spoke normally was caught by a Finnish engineer in 1942. You can listen below:

The chat is between Hitler and Finland's defence leader, Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, and 11 minutes of it were recorded by the engineer before he was caught by the SS.

What's striking about the conversation is how normal Hitler sounds, at complete odds with the fierce and rage-filled speaker he was known as in public.

It's clear that his delivery as an orator was deeply affected, with Hitler speaking in a manner designed to make him out as a fearful and dominant leader.

In comparison, this clip sees him in far more conversational manner.

The tragedies of World War Two are now around eight decades old, but there remain a few survivors, some of whom feature in Luke Holland's chilling documentary Final Account, out today (21 May).

PA

It took Holland, who passed away in June after the filming was completed, an entire decade to track down his elderly interviewees to speak to them about the Holocaust.

Kurt Sametreiter, who was part of the SS, says in the documentary: "The Waffen-SS had nothing to do with the terrible and brutal treatment of Jews and dissidents and the concentration camp.

"We were front-line soldiers... I have no regrets, and I will never regret being with that unit. Truly not.

"A camaraderie like that... You could rely on every man 100 percent. There was nothing that could go wrong. That was the beauty of it."

Sametreiter goes on in the documentary to refute the number of Jewish people killed at the hands of the Nazis.

Karl Hollander, who worked as a lieutenant and was part of the SS, was also interviewed and said he still 'honours' Hitler.

He said: "I still do. The idea was correct... I don't share the opinion that they should be murdered.

"They should have been driven out to another country where they could rule themselves. This would have saved a great deal of grief."

This commitment to the German dictator so many years on, truly shows the power that Hitler and his words had over his disciples.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World War 2