A World War II veteran from France, Paul Gerbi, has auctioned four photo albums from Adolf Hitler. He had taken them as loot from Berchtesgaden, the former residence of the Führer on the Obersalzberg, at the end of the Second World War. The albums contain photo’s of the fallen dictator and fan-mail send to him during his reign. The two volumes are bound in red leather and bear the imperial eagle crest. The proceeds from the auction will go to Gerbi’s grandchildren.
The now 92- year-old former sergeant Paul Gerbi had taken the historic pieces in the last days of the Second World War as a ‘souvenir’ from the Obersalzberg. Gerbi arrived as one of the first soldiers on the Berchtesgaden as a member of the armed forces of General Philippe Leclerc early May 1945, four days before the war ended. Gerbi still vividly reminds the arrival at Hitler’s country house. During the two-day stay on the Obersalzberg, he and his colleagues enjoyed ‘the many excellent French wines’ from Hitler’s stocks and took home what they could.
More information on: Die Welt
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