Hitler At My Side

Lieutenant General Hans Baur Chief Pilot to Adolf Hitler

"When I made my memoirs public, I did not intend to make a great contribution to world history. My whole life was shaped by my passion for flying. For me happiness lay between earth and sky, and the whine of the propeller was my music. The great and powerful men of the time were my passengers, and their safety was my foremost concern. Great men from the fields of science and art, crowned heads, and powerful politicians from many countries flew with me. Considering how they stand before the inexorable judgement of history is not my task."

"Therefore, this book is intended to be neither accusation nor justification. Nothing more is intended than to let the lights flare in the fullness of my memory and illuminate the episodes and experiences that seem noteworthy. In as far as they reflect the times and reveal the fates of people, then let them be a contribution to the history of the era. It is essentially my task to let my readers participate in the great flights that led me across mountains, valleys, and national boundaries, in fair weather and foul."

"In a book that appeared this month it said: "The people who are expecting information will be put off with dubious sensationalism. In Friedland the editor of a world-renowned newspaper turned to the flight captain, who had flown the man from Braunau in his most brilliant days from one mass rally to another, from political triumph to the inexorable destruction of his country. The man in the duffle coat gave the flight captain his card and said idly, 'Write your memoirs for us. We'll pay any price!' A few days later the flight captain was in London negotiating a deal." I was not in LONDON! I respect the right of the public to correct information. I have tried in hindsight to see the events as they appeared to me at the time and as I lived them. I have tried to remain free of sensationalism and to contribute to general information. What I do not know for a fact, I have not written.

"Like a colorful, exciting film, I see events and figures of years past, which have forever left their impressions on me, pass before me today. It is a long way from the quietness of my birthplace in Upper Bavaria to the Russian prison and back to my native land. In the arc of this endlessly long stretch are spanned the encounters and experiences of my life as a pilot."