My mum is German and very old and frail now and resident in the UK (where she's lived since the 1950s). She was born in Bavaria in 1932, and lived as a small girl in Germany in the lead-up to World War II. Her father was the meteorologist at Nuremberg at this time.
The family story goes that in the early 1930s, probably around the time or shortly after he gained power, Hitler often travelled by private plane and that one night he was about to leave Nuremberg to fly to another town but was persuaded against doing so. My grand-father was not a Nazi and disapproved of Hitler. However, he took his job very seriously. He warned Hitler against flying, predicting a severe electrical storm as being imminent. Hitler heeded the advice and drove instead. But he sent the pilot on ahead in the plane; and the plane crashed and the pilot died.
I've always marvelled at the story, but also have always wondered if it's really true. Is it a family tale that has been embellished in its many tellings down the years, gradually unhooking itself from historical fact? Maybe something took place, but not the full extent as has been told.
Do any historians out there who know the period well think that there might be any truth to my mother's family's story?
I'd love to know.
Thanks
EDIT
Hello again. This is amazing stuff coming back from all you people. I'm impressed and grateful.
There's so much to think about here. I need to go through it carefully and then put some questions to my mum, to see if she's able to help. The thing is, she doesn't have any hard facts herself; her memory is pretty patchy; and she loves a good anecdote, with one anecdote leading to another, and so on; making it difficult to keep things linear and focussed. Also, lastly, she's not very well.
I wish I knew more about this period of history so I could pin a few things down myself before proceeding. As I said originally, all I know is that the story goes that this happened around the time - or just before, or just after - Hitler achieved power. My mum said that she once she was with her mother at the airport when Hitler was passing through, and she was in her pram, a tiny little thing, and supposedly Hitler reached in and patted her on the head. Although this wasn't necessarily the same occasion, it gives a sense of the timing, early 1930s...
I've always had my doubts about the veracity of the family story; which may perhaps explain why I never dug deeper before - as we don't always wanted our myths and tales to be 'untruthed'. That said, I'm glad I asked here and it's useful to know that unfortunately the great family story is maybe more story than truth.
Shame.
Thanks
I couldn't find anything to document this specific incident, but I can at least give a little background. In the 1932 Presidential election Hitler had polled 30 percent, and Hindenburg had just missed winning it with 49 percent, requiring a runoff, between Hitler, Hindenburg, and the third place finisher of the first round Ernst Thälmann (The Communist candidate, who had gotten 13 percent in the first round). Hitler went into full campaign mode, and flew by plane to deliver his campaign speeches, with 46 speeches in less than a month (first round was held on March 13th, second round was April 10th). Not only were the speeches part of his campaign, but the image of his darting back and forth was as well, and the NDSAP called it "the Fuhrer over Germany" and "Deutschlandflug" (lit. Germany Flight). He didn't win the presidency, but did boost his share of the vote to 37 percent, and the entire campaign was considered a great success on the whole. Hitler would quickly repeat the feat since Federal elections now loomed, attending over 50 events in the same mannor, including 25 speeches in a week's span in late April. The July elections were another Nazi success, gaining more 123 seats in the Reichstag, and becoming the largest party there (although still far from a majority). The style of electioneering, "American-style" as Kershaw puts it
So the point of this is that, having looked through both Evans' 'Third Reich Trilogy' and Kershaw's biography I can't find any mention of this particular incident. It is a pretty minor one all in all, so that is to be expected. But that isn't to say it isn't true. For that span in 1932, Hitler was flying constantly, often multiple times per day. To find the record of a single canceled flight (or event) would require much more detailed records than most sources are going to provide - assuming those records even exist still. But given the sheer volume of flights he was taking in that period, it is quite believable that one might have been canceled for weather related reasons. So I can say with certainty that this is plausible, but would need to see a proper citation before I say the story is absolutely true.
Hi. I hope this is somewhat helpful. Hitler didn't receive his first private plane until he became Chancellor in 1933. Hans Bauer was his personal pilot during this time in the 1930s.
According to this http://books.google.com/books/about/Hitler_s_Personal_Pilot.html?id=egvjz8LHUaUC
Bauer flew Hitler throughout the entire war. So it seems unlikely he would have sent the plane only to have it crash, since Bauer lived until 1993.
Also, Hitler's Personal Plane was a JU-52 named the Immelman II. It was retired in 1939 and replaced with an FW 200. The Immelman II remained as the backup plane throughout the war. The FW 200 was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_52
So because this was Hitler's plane and the only one of two he flew on, and neither one crashed, it seems unlikely that your family story is true, though it is interesting.
Sorry OP.
From my research (I was bored and have semester break at the moment), I have compiled a list of ten plane crashes one of which could be the one we are searching for. (Look at [this] (http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/31qfdi/my_german_meteorologist_grandfather_saved_hitlers/cq5x7kp) for my reasoning) There is still a list of 29 others, which I have deemed, because of place of crash or owner as not as probable.
D-422 Junkers F13 > f1e 699 D-422 A-32 A-45 A-67 'Eidergans' Junkers >DLH >ÖLAG lsd from DLH during Summer seasons 12.06.25 Crashed at Idstein 4.30
ÖLAG was an Austrian airline. Idstein is in Hessia. Crashed in April 1930.
D-534 Junkers F13 694 T-DBOT D-534 Auerhahn' DDL >DLH 00.00.26 Crashed Hamkenrode 03.04.33/ March?
Lufthansa. I cannot find a place called Hamkenrode, Hemkenrode, however is in Lower Saxony. 3.04.33 is a bit late for our purpose, I also found a reference to a crash in March 1933.
D-550 Junkers F13 688 D-550 A-95 'Brachvogel' DLH >ÖLAG 03.10.23 Crashed Weiler(im Allgäu) 8.30 1 dead two injured
ÖLAG again, Weiler im Allgäu would be a long shot, as it's impling that the plane either flew to Austria, or came from Austria.
D-724 Junkers F13 bi 696 D-724 'Kolkrabe' Bayerische LV AG >DLH 00.00.23 Crashed into high ground at Echterpfahl 11.32 five killed
Lufthansa, I couldn't find a place called Echterpfahl. Echterspfahl, however, is a point in the Spessart, which lies 150 km distant from Nürnberg.
D-983 Junkers K16 bi 470 D-983 DLH 'Kissingen' >Sturmvogel Flugverband 00.00.25 Crashed 10.32
I included this plane, because I could not find which ideology this Sturmvogel Flugverband followed, could be right, could be left.
D-1473 Junkers G31 fi 3005 D-1473 DLH 'Rheinland' 00.10.28 Crashed at Letzlingen during snow storm 12.28 !
Lufthansa. A bit early for our purpose.
D-1772 Junkers A50/5 3505 D-1772 Junkers 00.11.29 Crashed 9.30
This is a plane owned by Junkers. Maybe Testflight. Maybe management flight. But given the connections between Hitler and the Industry, maybe they would have lent it.
D-1865 Junkers A50 ce 3526 D-1865 Junkers 00.06.30 Crashed 8.30
As above.
D-1928 BFW M.20 b 442 D-1928 'Rheinpfalz' DLH 00.07.30 Crashed Reitschin(?) 14.04.31 Two crew killed
Lufthansa. I cannot find a place called Reitschin.
D-2209 Junkers A50 ci 3539 D-2209 DLH 00.02.32 Crashed Münster 6.32
Lufthansa again. Münster is in North Germany, 400 kms from Nürnberg.
We see a lot of Lufthansa here. They seem to have quite the monopoly on commercial airtravel in Germany at that time. Also, they supported Hitler.
There is one plane I found, owned by Rudolf Hess.Seemingly, it didn't crash.
D-1890 BFW M.23 c 524 D-1890 BFW AG >Rudolf Hess/Munchen >Akaflieg T.H./Hannover >DLV 00.07.30 Scrapped 9.36
BFW AG later renamed in Messerschmidt, Akaflieg is an academical flight club, DLV is a Nazi front for the education of flight officers, after March 1933.
