Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary (Paperback)

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• This item: Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary by Traudl Junge

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• Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim C. Fest

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• Downfall (2 Disc Edition) [2005] [DVD] [2004] DVD ~ Bruno Ganz

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Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim C. Fest 4.0 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.99

Downfall (2 Disc Edition) [2005] [DVD] [2004] DVD ~ Bruno Ganz 4.8 out of 5 stars (120)  £4.98

Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary [DVD] [2002] [NTSC] DVD ~ Andre Heller 3.9 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.98

Inside The Third Reich by Albert Speer 4.7 out of 5 stars (14)

The Last Days of Hitler by Hugh Trevor-Roper 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)  £7.19

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JACK (December '03)
'...a moving story of one woman's gradual realisation of her own complicity in the crimes of the Nazis.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'To have such an uncomplicated, unaffected witness present at some of the key, defining moments of the 20th century was fortunate for historians. Frau Junge's book has sold 100,000 copies in Germany, and it is easy to see why: her testimony rings absolutely true, when other politically motivated accounts of the last days of Hitler do not.' (Andrew Roberts THE EVENING STANDARD (13.10.03) )

'Traudl Junge's memoir is a very unusual, and useful, addition to the canon of literature that seeks to explain Hitler. Junge was at her 'Fuhrer's' side for three years as his trusted secretary, and her fluent account sheds light on what it was like to be a believer in his power.' (Elena Lappin DAILY TELEGRAPH (19.10.03) )

'Junge had a sharp eye for detail and she conveys a good sense of the atmosphere among Hitler's entourage...Junge's memoirs, sandwiched between good editorial insights by Melissa Muller, provide a powerful impression of the deep sense of unreality that envoloped the court of Hitler in its last years.' (Ian Kershaw MAIL ON SUNDAY (2.11.03) )

'Until the Final Hour is a remarkable historical document...But more than this, it is another painful reminder of how it is possible for a person - or even an entire nation - to sleepwalk slowly into sin.' (Rachel Cooke OBSERVER (9.11.03) )

'The unfolding doom, her typing up Luftwaffe losses before skipping off for another Champagne supper with the leader (who preferred mineral water), the claustrophobia within the increasingly fortified bunkers, and eventually the physical and spiritual decline of the Fuhrer as he accepted defeat are grippingly recounted...compelling.' (Jenny Hjul THE SCOTSMAN (11.10.03) )

'There have been countless memoirs of former functionaries of the Nazi regime but this may well be the last, first-hand account from one of Hitler's inner circle, and is possibly the most vivid.' (Simon Eder JEWISH CHRONICLE (14.11.03) )

'Frank and gripping, the book shows another side to the megalomaniacal murderer...A fascinating fly-on-the-wall glimpse at history's most infamous despot, that watches him descend in two and a half years from ultimate power to a feeble, beaten old man.' (Neville Marten INK MAGAZINE (December '03) )

'...a moving story of one woman's gradual realisation of her own complicity in the crimes of the Nazis.' (JACK (December '03) )

'Junge offers fine descriptions...[she] portrays the real character of the Fuhrer's court...a fascinating insight into how ordinary Germans saw Hitler...[she] writes splendidly.' (David Cesarani LITERARY REVIEW (December 2003) )

'...a fascinating, feminine view of Hitler's charm, charisma and awfulness...Compelling.' (Alan Judd SPECTATOR (22.11.03) )

'Her account is valuable and intriguing as it gives a close-up view of the Hitler menage in its final years...The book is greatly enriched by an introduction and afterward, as well as by valuable notes from the editor which put this useful record into an historic contect.' (CONTEMPORARY REVIEW (1.12.03) )

'She [Junge] builds up an impressively detailed picture of Hitler's private lfe, which was a curious combination of Bohemian irregularity and bourgeois monotony.' (Piers Brendon OLDIE (1.2.04) ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
A time between times. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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10 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   16 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars The Devil's Secretary, 3 Sep 2006 By  Thomas Dunskus (Faleyras, France) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Until the Final Hour Film Tie-In (Downfall): Hitler's Last Secretary (Paperback) The Boss This is a good book. It is good because it is honest. It is good because it looks through the eyes of a woman at a world dominated and usually described only by men. And it is good because it spreads a thin veil of pudeur over events that are today often shown in all their crass ugliness - such as the charred corpses of Saddam Hussein`s sons. In her first serious professional position Traudl Junge became one of Hitler`s personal secretaries and stayed with him for 30 months until his death. She tells us about him what she saw. To many of us, this may not be enough, many of us would like to be confirmed in our mental picture of a screaming, violent paranoid, apt at biting his carpet when things got rough - this is, after all, the way he has always been depicted, even long before the Second World War had broken out. The book makes us imagine him, in the presence of Traudl Junge, as a man with a mission and certainly very convincing when it came to that, but otherwise quite commonplace to the point of being somewhat boring, cloth-cap, muffler, and greyhound, quite literally, except that the greyhound would be a German shepherd, not much of a reader, and no longer in a mood to watch movies. He was able to hide his relationship with Eva Braun quite as efficiently as François Mitterand managed to cover his own liaison. Nothing that Traudl Junge tells us about him would have us think that he was anything of an inhibited Dr. Jekyll who would turn into a bloodthirsty Mr. Hide as soon as the padded doors of his office closed behind him. When Traudl Junge met Hitler, the tide of the war was starting to run against him. He was beginning to realize that he might not be able to achieve his aims. In this situation, he behaved as most of us would: he closed his eyes - partly so to avoid having to face the facts, partly in an effort to go against the sea-change and muster up all the forces that the German people could still mobilize. An interesting aspect of Traudl Junge`s book is the fact that it was written down in its entirety within a few years of those momentous events, while her memories were still fresh and unaltered by the post-war political re-education that the Allies brought to bear on the German people. Thus, there was no need to incorporate any belated realizations into her account of what she had seen, no need to imagine behind facets of Hitler`s behaviour events that later might have taken on a particular significance, no need to change her point of view and bend with the remover to remove scenes that she had observed. Even those things that the author does not express sometimes tell a story. We have been told repeatedly that Hitler loved to view in his private theatre the film showing the execution of the men who conspired against him a year before the end of the war. His secretary tells us nothing about that kind of thing, even though it is highly likely that Hitler - if the story were true - would have rounded up his inner circle to share his gloating pleasure. A special praise should go to Melissa Müller who helped Traudl Junge with this book and who wrote an accompanying text that shows a high degree of empathy for the author and the times she describes. This book is not an account of what Hitler really was like", but it does show us what he could, at times, be like - at the hour of his death, for example. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Historically valuable and fascinating story, 14 Nov 2006 By  Tabone Alberto - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Until the Final Hour Film Tie-In (Downfall): Hitler's Last Secretary (Paperback) I am an amateur historian on WWII, particularly as regards the European front and the Axis' side. Over the years I developed much curiosity on WWII from the German perspective, also due to the lack of documents and testimonials from their side. Recently the gap is closing and, with the healing of time, it is now possible to experience how war was just as hard, and ultimately terrible, for those fighting and living "on the wrong side". I read this book over a year ago after watching the film "Downfall" (which is excellent), and, contrarly to tradition, it is a great read even after watching the movie. Although I think the book delves a little too much on the early years of Traudl Junge and her stay in the "Wolf's lair", once you get past that point I guarantee anyone will just rush all the way to the end of the story, even if they already know what happens, as most of us do. Her account is very dry, very matter-of-fact and that helps to enjoy the story for what it is rather than for whom it involves. One gets to see a side of the Nazi regime from right inside it, and for those who like historical accuracy, it is nice to see some facts nicely fitting into the overall picture, as well as some previously unknown details. Extremely interesting is what happens right after the end of the war, to her, the German people and Berlin, things that few of us were made aware of. This powerful real story will stand up to and fascinate even those with little interest in WWII. As they'll turn the last page, they may perhaps send a thought to Traudl, who spent the latter half of her life dealing with shame and died, as it often happens, shortly after the release of her book. A must read, and don't miss the film too. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   36 of 39 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read, 30 Jan 2004 By A Customer This review is from: Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary (Hardcover) I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the WW2 era or the Third Reich. I find it hard to believe that Traudl Junge really didn't know the truth about her employer until after the war. Indeed she hints that a guest once asked Hitler about whether he was aware of the treatment of the Jews so surely some alarm bells must have rung? That said, the author does say in her introduction that she is not asking for understanding and I think this helps to read the book for what it is, a historical account. I found this book impossible to put down once I had entered Traudl Junge's world and her description of life in the bunker in Berlin with the Russians approaching on all sides makes you feel trapped and claustraphobic with her. Read it, you won't be disappointed! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 10 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping historical memoir Hitler comes across as the true wolf in sheeps clothing in this gripping memoir by his young secretary Traudl. Read more Published 14 months ago by Sally Wilton 5.0 out of 5 stars Important This is an important text. Taken from the accounts of Traudl Junge it covers the Reich from a totally different view point. Read this one. Published 18 months ago by I just had to write 4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read. However it left me feeling hollow in my perception of Frau Junge. As a piece of work this dramatically and successfully documents the fatal timeline up to and including the final doom unleashed upon Hitler and the Germanic people... Read more Published on 7 Jul 2007 by M. Mccann 5.0 out of 5 stars The banility of evil is never far away Firstly let's be VERY clear about one thing here, my feelings about Hitler are based on the fact that if he had succeeded and invaded the UK in the 1940s then my wonderful family... Read more Published on 14 May 2006 by Kali 5.0 out of 5 stars A bizarre man A truly fascinating insight from a perspective i've never read before. Here is such a bizarre view of him; it is such a serious subject, yet there are almost elements of... Read more Published on 12 April 2006 by DWM 5.0 out of 5 stars Book and Film of the year 2005 I would consider Downfall as THE book and film of the year for 2005. An absoutely outstanding read and film production of the final days of Adolf Hitler in the Bunker in Berlin... Read more Published on 13 Jan 2006 by B Loughrey 4.0 out of 5 stars Unique insight A unique insight into the personality and life of Hitler, which is very different from how he has previously been portrayed. Read more Published on 19 Jul 2005 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 10 customer reviews...

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