This book, "Hitler's Personal Security: Protecting the Führer 1921-1945" by Peter Hoffmann, deals with the security around Adolf Hitler, from the pre-Putsch days until his suicide in 1945. It covers both the organisational details of the bodyguard organisations, as well as his residences, military headquarters etc.

The book begins with Hitler itinierary during the war (not available in the first edition) and this is an excellent reference when you need to know where Hitler was on a particular day. This is something that I have found myself wanting many times while I have been researching some aspect of WW2 and I am very pleased to finally have found it.

The first chapter of the book deals with the security around Hitler before he came to power, providing info on for example the first bodyguards and the Putsch of 1923.

The is followed by an introduction to the security around the Chancellor before dealing with the development and organisation of the securtiy formations around Hitler, ie ReichsSicherheitsDienst (RSD) and SS-Begleit-Kommando.

The following chapters deals with transportation (with details on the cars, trains and airplanes he used), public appearances (how he acted and how he was protected), international travel, residences (Chancellery, Obersalzberg and his appartment at Prinzregentenplatz in Munich) and finally military headquarters (both those he used and those that were built for him but never actually used).

The numerous attempts on his life is covered through out the book, with particular focus on the ones made by Maurice Bavaud (1938), Georg Elser (1939) and of course Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (1944). The final section of the book provides a listing of these events, but it is not as detailed as I had hoped and expected from the rest of the book.

This is an excellent book on an ofter overlooked area of research, though Hoffmann's knowledge of and passion for details on occation can make the books dull. The fact that the book is not written chronologically can sometimes make it confusing reading when for example an attempt on Hitler's life is referred to in several different sections of the book, but generally Hoffmann mentions in which section the reader can find more info.

I would also have liked to see more details on the regular Wehrmacht units that also protected Hitler, such as the Führer-Begleit-Battaillon, Hermann Göring units and the Wachregiments Berlin & GroßDeutschland.

(Reviewed by Marcus Wendel)