Hitler’s Personal Pilot: The Life and Times of Hans Baur

Adolf Hitler trusted few men, but his faith in pilot Hans Baur never wavered. Baur, a decorated World War I flyer and one of Germany’s leading commercial aviators of the 1920s, joined the fledgling Nazi Party in 1926. His skill and daring, and his early party membership, catapulted him to the top of the list when Adolf Hitler went in search of a pilot for his political campaign of 1932. Later, Hitler became the first head of state to use air travel extensively, and from 1932 to 1945, Hitler refused to fly with anyone but Baur at the controls. Baur atc meals with Hitler frequently and was one of the Fuehrer’s few true confidants. As the tide of war turned against Germany and relations between Hitler and the Luftwaffe leadership deteriorated, Hitler increasingly relied on Baur for advice about air war policy and technical developments. In the end, Baur paid for his blind loyalty to Hitler. Trapped by the Soviet Red Army in the war-torn city of Berlin, Baur was captured after Hitler’s suicide and imprisoned in the USSR. Aviation historian C. G. Sweeting provides the reader with fresh insight into the inner workings of the Third Reich and the madness of Adolf Hitler. The book details many surprising episodes, such as the time Baur allowed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to take the controls of the Fuehrer’s plane, and an account of Hitler and Baur’s narrow escape from a German air base as Soviet tanks arrived at the perimeter. Aviation buffs will also enjoy the author’s indepth examination of the aircraft used in Hitler’s personal transport squadron. Hitler’s Personal Pilot is a unique book that will fascinate both experts and novices on Nazi Germany with its detail and perspective on Hitler’s infamous inner circle.