Alleged doubles of Adolf Hitler

Achromatic close-up of a suited body with a toothbrush moustache, a bloody gunshot wound to the forehead, and a darkened right temple
The corpse of an apparent Hitler body double with a gunshot wound to the forehead, a battered right temple, and sunken vestibules (filmed by the Soviets)

Although there is no evidence that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler used look-alikes as political decoys during his life, some stories propagated as early as 1939 assert his death and replacement with an imposter. Following Hitler's suicide during the Battle of Berlin, the Soviet Union claimed to discover a number of bodies resembling the dictator, bolstering a disinformation campaign asserting Hitler's survival. Only the dictator's dental remains were positively identified.[a][b]

The most prominent evidence of any Hitler double is Soviet footage of a toothbrush moustache-wearing body with a gunshot wound to the forehead, ostensibly found in the Reich Chancellery garden; the Soviets sometimes implied this to be the body of Hitler himself. Conspiracy theorists cite this double as evidence that Hitler faked his death and escaped Germany.

  1. ^ a b Bezymenski 1968, pp. 45–46.
  2. ^ a b Charlier, Philippe; Weil, Raphael; Rainsard, P.; Poupon, Joël; Brisard, J. C. (1 May 2018). "The remains of Adolf Hitler: A biomedical analysis and definitive identification". European Journal of Internal Medicine. 54: e10–e12. doi:10.1016/j.ejim.2018.05.014. PMID 29779904. S2CID 29159362.
  3. ^ Joachimsthaler 2000, pp. 213–214, 252–253.
  4. ^ Musmanno 1950, p. 233.
  5. ^ Thompson, Tim; Gowland, Rebecca. "What Happens to Human Bodies When They Are Burned?". Durham University. Retrieved 9 May 2024 – via FutureLearn.
  6. ^ Castillo, Rafael Fernández; Ubelaker, Douglas H.; Acosta, José Antonio Lorente; Cañadas de la Fuente, Guillermo A. (10 March 2013). "Effects of temperature on bone tissue. Histological study of the changes in the bone matrix". Forensic Science International. 226 (1): 33–37. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.11.012. hdl:10481/91826. ISSN 0379-0738.
  7. ^ Benecke, Mark (12 December 2022) [2003]. "The Hunt for Hitler's Teeth". Bizarre. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Dr. Mark Benecke.


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