I was interested to read that the telephone taken from his room in the command bunker in Berlin will be auctioned soon and is expected to make GBP 400,000. The story is on many news sites across the Web with pictures and stories about how Hitler used the phone to order the killing of millions in concentration camps during WWII. Supposedly the phone was given to a British officer in 1945 by the Russians. He was first offered the phone from Eva Braun's room but rejected it in favour of Hitler's because that one was red. He took the phone back to the UK and hid it in a bank vault so he would not be accused of looting. The phone pictured is a Siemens Model W38 (dating from 1938) or a Model W48 (dating from 1948), has a swastika with 'Adolf Hitler' engraved on it and is painted red. Apparently it comes with a letter of authenticity from Siemens which says that red was a very usual colour.

There were excellent photos with the story but I noticed a few inconsistencies. Firstly the phone has a British GPO No164 handset with a 1950s mouthpiece so I assume that Hitler must have been speaking in English. Secondly historical photos taken in the bunker in 1945 show only W38 phones in black with Siemens handsets and the phone in Eva Braun's room was an earlier W28 model. Lastly the US Army Signals Corps museum have what they claim is Hitler's phone, a W28, on display with a photo of Hitler talking on it. All other published photos that I have seen of Hitler with a phone showed either a W28 or a W38 and they were all black. As far as I know Siemens (Germany) did not paint their phones although Siemens Bros (British) did. The W48 was made in different colours but obviously if the phone is a W48 then it could not have been used by Hitler in 1945.

Those interested may care to search for 'Hitlers Phone' in Google and decide for themselves. If you are convinced then you may like to make a bid. I will give it a miss as I have a W28, a W38 and a W48 in my collection.

Andrew

Why am I reminded of The Hitler Diaries?

Hi,
First it sounds like George Washington's axe with only the handle and the blade changed from the original.........and at least 7 known to exist.
Second, what a GHASTLY object, any body that bid on an object like that is simply SICK.
The people that are selling such a thing are morally bankrupt.
I would advocate just putting such an object In the incinerator and disposing of it.
Sorry but I'm old enough to have seen at first hand the effects that the third Reich had on my parents and their generation.
Some rich idiot will probably buy it and fawn on it and then do what with it?
Fred Lever.

It sounds like a complete fraud and anyone that buys it deserves to lose their money.

I suppose they could verify it by looking for signs of Hitler's DNA inside the mouthpiece. Assuming they can figure out what his DNA would look like. If any relatives would admit to being related... Anyway, something like that should be in a history museum like the Smithsonian in the USA. Not as a collector's item.

Obviously a failed seller of sheet music for air guitars. Would love to see the fine print on the authenticity sheet even if its in German. I doubt by the looks of it all that it would give it a lot of provenance, in respect of date & originality.

I'm waiting for "Hitler stayed at a British Hotel it was damaged & repaired with British parts".

And it sold for US $243,000. Someone did their dough as it was definitely not the real thing. As my old grandmother used to say, " More money than sense!"

Andrew

Yep, Hitler Diaries all over again.

Yuck ! If it is real one can only imagine what horrible conversations and orders were given over that phone to both sides of the war. Why anybody would want that is beyond me. Years ago I spent years travelling in my 20s. I visted one of the camps and it sent me into depression for days. Which is a shame because Germany has some wonderful places to visit and a great history besides the sad war years.

Gosh I would not even touch that phone let alone buy it!

Pete