Hitler's Rise

Rare glimpses inside Hitler's inner circle. Hitler's Bodyguard tells the fascinating story of jealousy, betrayal and murder and what it was like to protect the biggest villain in history from bombs, snipers, plots, maniacs, poison gas and Allied assassination attempts. This is the detailed story of Hitler's survival from a very new angle. A dramatic and in-depth series analyzes the motives and methodology of the individuals and organizations that planned to kill Hitler.

Created, ordered and led by Hitler, the state apparatus of Nazi Germany rigorously controlled all aspects of life in the Third Reich from cradle to grave. To maintain his iron grip on the German people through the ministries of his dictatorial government, Hitler surrounded himself with a small clique of fanatical, devoted acolytes. Men such as Heinrich Himmler, the much-feared chief of the Waffen-SS and organiser of the Holocaust, and Hermann Goering, the bombastic head of the Luftwaffe, wielded enormous power and held the fate of millions in their corrupt hands.

This unique collection of documentaries from the German archives, which contains authentic film material from World War II.

Very few state organisations in history have instilled fear into citizens like the Gestapo, Adolf Hitler's secret police. During the darkest days of the Third Reich, the most dreaded sound was a knock at the door after dark. Everyone who lived under Nazi rule lived in fear of the secretive agents known colloquially as "V-Men". Hitler called them his "deadliest weapon", and without them the Fuhrer's ambition could never have been realised. Until now, their full story has not been told.

Hitler's Henchmen is the most comprehensive film series ever produced on Nazi Germany and its leaders. In six parts series portrays the men who aided Adolf Hitler in his rise to power and serviced the infernal machinery of the Third Reich. Meticulously researched, it offers an unrivalled insight into the secret lives of the men of the Nazi elite.
More than half a century after Hitler's demise ZDF have successfully recovered what was until now "lost" footage of Hitler's aides. This newly discovered archive material and interviews with surviving family members and Nazi insiders draws historical psychograms of Hitler's closest aides.

History is always written by the victors… this is the other side of the coin. This is the front line perspective on World War II as seen through the eyes of the losing side, the men who fought for Hitler.