Hitler: The Unknown Soldier 1914-1918 (2004)

Plot Summary

Adolf Hitler the fighting man is the subject of this engrossing feature, chronicling the future dictator’s combat experience as a foot soldier in World War I. Excerpts from Hitler’s letters from the front, recollections of regimental comrades, and evaluations by his officers offer a revealing portrait of a brooding, fearless loner who preferred battlefields to brothels, frontline service to home leave, and kept the men he frequently risked his life to protect at arm’s length. In a world of death, hardship, and discipline, Hitler sought comfort in the companionship of his English terrier, and in sketches and watercolors he rendered during lulls. It speculates on the influence wartime service exercised on his personal and political development, filling a critical gap for any sincere appraisal of Hitler’s psyche, motives, and subsequent actions.

Full Cast & Characters

Tom Wesel

Adolf Hitler

Ilse-Carola Salm

Anna Popp

John Hedges

Self - Narrator

Herbert Döhring

Self (archive footage)

Adolf Hitler

Self (archive footage)

Ian Kershaw

Self

Director & Crew

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