Alwin-Broder Albrecht One of Hitler's personal adjutants Date of Birth: 18.09.1903 Country: Germany

Biography of Alwin-Broder Albrecht

Alwin-Broder Albrecht was born in the city of Sankt Peter in the province of Schleswig-Holstein. At the age of 19, he was called into military service and joined the German Navy. Deciding to dedicate himself to a military career, Alwin remained in the Reichsmarine and in 1926, he attained the rank of lieutenant.

In 1934, Albrecht was promoted to the rank of captain-lieutenant, and on November 1, 1937, he was further promoted to corvette captain. In June 1938, he was appointed as the naval officer of communication for the Army General Staff, replacing Karl-Jesco von Puttkamer who was sent to serve on a destroyer. From then until June 1939, Albrecht served as Hitler's naval adjutant.

However, he lost this position when he chose to marry a woman whose candidacy was not approved by the Reich's leadership. Before getting married, all of Hitler's subordinates, from field marshals to the lowest ranks, including his adjutants, had to obtain Hitler's approval and permission, even up to presenting a photograph of their future spouse. The example of how Hitler dealt with those who did not follow his instructions can be seen in the well-known incident with Blomberg.

Alwin-Broder Albrecht's wife, Grete, was a young teacher from Kiel and was well-known to the local military personnel from the naval garrison. Furthermore, she was living with an influential businessman who supported her financially. Anonymous letters were received by the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, Admiral Erich Raeder, revealing these details. Raeder, who incidentally was a witness at Albrecht's wedding, reported this to Hitler. The wives of naval officers were also against having such a person in their respectable community. Desperate, Albrecht sued one of the letter writers but lost the case.

As a result, Albrecht's authority as a commander declined, and Raeder sent him on leave, supposedly to celebrate his marriage. However, his prolonged absence led to further rumors among his subordinates, which prompted Raeder to personally visit Hitler's residence in the Berghof and strongly argue for Albrecht's dismissal. To Raeder's great disappointment, Hitler refused. Raeder spent two hours passionately arguing his case (loud enough for everyone in the building to hear) and eventually, in frustration, referred to this situation with Albrecht as the "new Blomberg case." However, Hitler demanded evidence and ironically stated that regardless of an officer's wife's past, it should only concern her and not bother anyone else. The situation with Blomberg, as Hitler noted, was significantly different. Blomberg knowingly married a woman who had engaged in prostitution for money and personal gain.

Admiral Raeder refused to give up and eventually dismissed Albrecht as his naval adjutant. However, Hitler retained the final say and appointed Albrecht as his personal adjutant. This incident created a rift between Hitler and Raeder. The latter refused to appoint a new naval adjutant in Albrecht's place, leading to the recall of Karl-Jesco von Puttkamer from destroyer duty. In turn, Hitler refused to attend the ceremony dedicated to the Navy in Bremen. The situation escalated to the point where only Alwin received invitations, not his wife. The situation reached its climax when Grete met one of her previous lovers. Albrecht had no choice but to divorce her, but he never forgot the favor Hitler had done for him. He became a committed National Socialist and believed that the duty to serve the party was above all else.

Alwin-Broder Albrecht died on May 1, 1945. Unfortunately, there is no exact information about the last moments of his life. Some historians claim that he died while fleeing from the Imperial Chancellery, but there are also accounts from eyewitnesses who stated that Albrecht died with a machine gun in his hands, defending the Reich Chancellery until the Russians took it by force.