Chapter 44. The Wedding
Caution: Reader discretion is advised.
18 February 1945, Berghof, Obersalzberg, Großdeutsches Reich
The religious ceremony was short and simple but, for Adolphine who had never attended a church service before, it seemed majestic and awe inspiring. After its conclusion, Adolphine asked Cardinal Bertram a series of questions about Christianity and, when asked whether she would like to be baptised into the Catholic faith, she promissed to think about it.
The wedding party started early in the afternoon and was quite lively, despite the rather low number of guests. Everybody ate, drank, joked, danced and had fun, with the exception of the groom who seemed to be rather detached or, perhaps, worried about state matters. Adolphine tried to put her own worries apart and largely succeeded, being able to enjoy the party and have a good time. Like a proper maid of honour, she spent a good deal of time with the bride who looked fabulous in her splendid wedding dress. Besides Eva and the Goebbels family, Adolphine socialized with the other participants as well and was acquainted with many people, including three young men who competed for her attention and dances.
Adolphine fancied one of them, Rudolf von Ribbentrop, the 23 years old son of the Reich's Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. Adolphine's signals and body language were unmistakeable and, with their parents engaged in an important conversation, the two youths surreptitiously quit the party and found an empty room with a comfortable couch... About twenty minutes later, a commotion alerted the Berghof staff who promptly informed Hitler about the incident.
When Hitler entered the room, the situation was chaotic and perplexing. A half-naked Adolphine was yelling and cursing while throwing all sort of objects at Rudolf who was attempting to defend himself and restrain her. Seeing Hitler, Adolphine calmed down and attempted to clumsingly cover herself while Rudolf simply stood to attention.
Hitler: "What the... What on Earth is going on here?"
Adolphine: "This bastard tried to rape me!"
Rudolf: "With all due respect, Mein Führer, I did not. She seduced me and took me to this room..."
Adolphine: "Liar! I told you I did not want to and you just wouldn't stop!"
Rudolf: "But..."
Hitler: "Silence! Both of you should be ashamed for ruining my wedding! And I swear to God, this will have consequences! Now, speak up, one at a time. And don't you dare lie to me! Adolphine, you first."
Adolphine (crying): "I drank a glass too many..."
Hitler: "Yes, this drinking of yours has to stop. You are too young for drinking anyway. Continue..."
Adolphine: "I liked Rudolf and I wanted... I wanted to have some fun..."
Rudolf: "She wanted to have sex, she was all over me!"
Hitler: "I swear that if you speak one more time without being asked to, you'll deeply regret it! Adolphine, go on. We'll hear his story afterwards and you are going to keep your mouth shut then."
Adolphine: "Yes, I wanted to fool around a little... If that led to sex, then so be it, but it wasn't my plan, you know. We petted a lot, he got excited and wanted to have sex. I wasn't sure and I asked him to stop. He did not and I started to yell and hit him. That's all. He's a bloody rapist. Well, attempted rapist, cause I fought back."
Hitler: "You are obviously confused. If you go with a man in an empty room with the intention to have sex... sorry, to have fun and then you change your mind, that is not rape or attempted rape. It's just a deceived man and a would-be slut. Shame on you. Both of you. You are older, Herr von Ribbentrop, you should have known better and left this young girl alone. She's barely 15 for God's sake! Now let's hear your story."
Adolphine: "Where I come from, it's rape."
Hitler: "You said you didn't like it there, did you? Now let Herr von Ribbentrop speak."
Rudolf: "I don't know whether she wanted to have sex or not. I only know that all her behaviour and demeanor showed that she did. I was only obliging her. Women should not be refused... She did her best to get me in the mood and then she asked me to... I don't know how to say..."
Hitler: "Say it straight away. I am a grown up man."
Rudolf: "She asked me to... She asked for a demeaning and perverted act..."
Adolphine: "What a prude! I asked him to give me head. Big deal!"
Hitler: "Meaning... Speak plain German, please."
Adolphine: "I asked him to lick me... down there. Is that a crime now?"
Hitler: "Well, it's certainly neither usual nor appropriate... In fact, I can't understand where did you get such a crazy idea. It's very unhygienic and plain wrong."
Adolphine: "Everybody does it."
Hitler: "Not in our Reich, no. So, what happened next?"
Rudolf: "Obviously, I refused to humiliate myself in such a manner and then she decided to punish me by rejecting my further advances. You have to understand that I was already... ahem, ready..."
Hitler: "Yes, I believe I have heard enough. Rudolf von Ribbentrop, you will leave tomorrow for the Untersteiermark. There is still a small partisan issue present there and you will thus be able to fight for the Reich. Adolphine, you are grounded. No more drinking, no more partying with adults and I'll have Eva teach you how a young lady should behave in the company of suitors. Now go to bed. My guests are probably waiting for me... Incredible. I couldn't have imagined to do this on my wedding night! Shame on you!"
Rudolf: "Heil Hitler!"
What the fuck? If I act like I want to have sex then I am not allowed to change my mind? But this is fucking deranged! It seems that in this country I have to learn everything anew! I wonder how many other laws are fucked up as well! Odd! The best country in the whole history... My ass!
19 February 1945, Berghof, Großdeutsches Reich
Poor Adolphine had to listen to hours upon hours of sex advice from Eva and it was quite different from what she had been used to uptime. Life was certainly different in the 20th century!
Adolphine was visibly bored and upset and, in order to cheer her up, Eva took her for a long walk in the scenic countryside around the Berghof. It was there that Adolphine saw fresh ski tracks in the otherwise pristine snow and got excited about it. Eva told her that they had skis at the Berghof and they could go skiing the next day. Adolphine was thrilled but the sight of the primitive ski equipment diminished her initial euphoria.
20 February 1945, Berghof, Großdeutsches Reich
Adolphine had not seen Hitler since that fateful wedding night and, to be fair, she was not looking forward to it. When she and Eva, accompanied by a few guards, were going towards the sky slope, Adolphine saw Hitler on top of a large rock, trying to lure a feral mountain goat which was browsing some foilage nearby.
Adolphine: "Adolf, be careful, that thing is dangerous. It can gore you with its horns!"
Hitler: "Nonsense! Don't be afraid, the animals love me!"
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The wooden skis were heavy and inellastic, the leather ski boots were horribly weak and the bindings looked anything but secure but Adolphine was so eager to ski that she overlooked all those details.
Eva was obviously a better skier but Adolphine did her best to catch up with her while the guards were always nearby. After a few uneventful hours, Adolphine was tired and her legs were already shaky. She let herself slide quicker downslope in order to catch up with Eva and tell her that she wanted to stop for that day. The speed increased dangerously and Adolphine lost control of her skis.
Terrified, she yelled for help and a guard positioned himself downslope in order to catch her. At almost 80 kilometres per hour, the impact was extremely powerful. Adolphine felt a sharp pain in the chest as her ribs broke and punctured her lungs. With her lungs filling with blood, Adolphine started to black out and lost her consciousness.
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When Adolphine regained her consciousness, she was inside and an unknown man was watching her, probably a doctor, judging by his coat. Hitler and Eva entered the room shortly afterwards.
Doctor: "She is going to be just fine, Mein Führer. Her body is remarcably strong."
Adolphine (still in pain): "Yes, isn't that so. I wonder why... What happened to the poor soldier who tried to protect me? I hit him hard..."
Hitler: "He died doing his duty to the Vaterland. He is a hero and his family will receive a medal for his bravery."
Adolphine (shocked): "Oh, no! My God, no! I killed a man!..."
Hitler (whispering in Adolphine's ear): "Yes my dear. You are a killer now, just like me. You'll have to live with that. Or, you know, you can accept that people should die for the good of the Reich. Either because they are potential enemies of the Reich or because they are protecting you and, implicitly, the Reich. It's your choice."
Adolphine (yelling): "Noooo! That's not the same thing!"
Hitler: "Doctor, don't you see that the poor girl is in pain? Surely, a sedative is in order."
Adolphine: "Noooo! Leave me alone! You're..." (falling asleep)
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Hitler: "So, SS-Unterscharführer Witt... No, actually from now on SS-Scharführer Witt, did you understand your orders? You are leaving today for your home city of Graz and you are going to stay there for a while and keep a very low profile. You know, like you were actually dead. No letters to your colleagues, no trips to Berlin, nothing. Understood?"
SS-Scharführer Witt: "Yes, Mein Führer!"
