History Daily

Speech Of The Fuhrer In Germany On December 11, 1941 (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

One of the most popular conspiracy theories of our time involves the events of what really happened to Adolf Hitler at the end of World War II. Shortly after the report of Hitler’s death, the Soviet Union was promoting the belief that he was still alive. Ever since then there have been many reports over the years that he had lived to a good old age into the 1980s.

These conspiracy theories are alive and well today for a number of reasons.

*There was never any visual proof that Hitler was in fact dead. Neither his body nor his wife’s body were ever seen in public.

*Hitler would not have been one to allow himself to be captured. If so he would have possibly been tortured and most likely executed for his heinous crimes. Escape would have been the only option.

*He had a history of escaping death. While he was a messenger in the German Army, he was wounded and obviously survived. He was also “Criminal Number One” during World War II and was never apprehended.

The hard evidence surrounding Hitler’s death is that he did indeed commit suicide. His body was carried outside, burned, and then buried by some of his men from the Third Reich.

Let’s move on to the curious, mysterious, and honestly, quite bizarre, conspiracy theories regarding what truly happened to Adolf Hitler.

July 1947 photo of the rear entrance to the FÃ¼hrerbunker in the garden of the Reich Chancellery. Hitler and Eva Braun were cremated in a shell hole in front of the emergency exit at left. (Wikipedia)

A Trip to the Moon

Apparently, Hitler had a secret bunker built for himself on the moon. The story goes that he actually left for the moon before the war ended, when he realized that events were not going to end his way.

Alien Friends

As Hitler was rising to power, supposedly aliens confronted him, asking him to live with them so they could gain control of planet Earth. They offered him technological advances in exchange for the opportunity to live with them in space. When Hitler lost the war, the aliens let him come live with them anyway.

Hitler Cloned Himself

Allegedly, Hitler was able to clone himself with the help of his good friend, Dr. Josef Mengele. This theory is particularly popular due to his interest in biotechnology and the fact that he encouraged his medical researchers to conduct all sorts of experiments on his prisoners of war.

Escaped to Argentina

It’s a well-known fact that many high-profile Nazis fled to South America following the war. In the book, Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler (2011), it’s theorized that Hitler wanted to live off the gold the Nazis had stolen during the war. With his wife, Eva Braun, he lived in a mansion until he was 73 years old.

This picture, taken by William Vandivert, the first Western photographer allowed into the bunker, shows blood on the edge of the sofa in Adolf Hitler's sitting room in his secret bunker (wikipedia)

Went Underground

The “Berlin Bunker” Hitler’s infamous protective venue supposedly had tunnels and bunkers as long as 93 miles underground that led to an airstrip where he flew in an unmarked plane to make his escape.

Died of Parkinson’s Disease

There were reports that Hitler did indeed have this disease but it is highly unlikely that he died because of it. There can be serious complications due to Parkinson’s but the disease in and of itself is not fatal.

Escaped to Antarctica

It was believed that the Nazi’s built a secret base at the South Pole back in the 1930s. German Nazi Grand Admiral Karl Donitz is quoted as saying in 1943: “The German submarine fleet is proud of having built for the Fuhrer in another part of the world a Shangri-la on land, an impregnable fortress”. Apparently the British invaded and destroyed the secret base in the 1950s.

Moved to San Diego

As theories go, this one states that Hitler had a secret base built for himself in San Diego, California. This secret base is a series of connected buildings that form the shape of the swastika.

Undated file photo shows Adolf Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun posing on the terrace of the Berghof, in Berchtesgeden, Germany.

Moved to Spain

In his book Hitler’s Escape, Ron T. Halsing speculated that Hitler escaped to Spain in April 1945, aided by General Franco’s driver, where he later died and was buried in the northwest part of the country. It’s believed by some that the corpse found in his bunker was not his, but a body double, allowing Hitler to escape unharmed.

Moved to Brazil

According to the book, Hitler in Brazil - His Life & His Death, Hitler escaped Germany, moved to Paraguay and eventually settled down in Brazil. He ended up changing his name to Adolf Leipzig, because his favorite composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born there. The locals called him the “Old German” and he had a girlfriend named Cutinga. The book states that he most likely lived there until he was 95, passing away in the 1980s.

If you were to believe one of these conspiracy theories, which would you choose?

10 Most Famous Conspiracy Theories Regarding The Death of Hitler