Martin Bormann

Martin Ludwig Bormann 17 June 1900 2 May 1945 was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery private secretary to Adolf Hitler and a war criminal Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitlers private secretary to control the flow of information and access to Hitler He used his position to create an extensive bureaucracy and involve himself as much as possible in the decisionmaking Bormann joined a paramilitary Freikorps organisation in 1922 while working as manager of a large estate He served nearly a year in prison as an accomplice to his friend Rudolf Höss later commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp in the murder of Walther Kadow Bormann joined the Nazi Party in 1927 and the Schutzstaffel SS in 1937 He initially worked in the partys insurance service and transferred in July 1933 to the office of Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess where he served as chief of staff Bormann gained acceptance into Hitlers inner circle and accompanied him everywhere providing briefings and summaries of events and requests He was appointed as Hitlers personal secretary on 12 April 1943 After Hesss solo flight to Britain on 10 May 1941 to seek peace negotiations with the British government Bormann assumed Hesss former duties with the title of Head of the Parteikanzlei Party Chancellery He had final approval over civil service appointments and helped review and approve legislation He was a leading proponent of reducing the influence of Christian churches and favoured harsh treatment of Jews and Slavs in the areas conquered by Germany during World War II Bormann returned with Hitler to the Führerbunker in Berlin on 16 January 1945 as the Red Army approached the city After Hitler committed suicide Bormann and others attempted to flee Berlin on 2 May to avoid capture by the Soviets Bormann probably committed suicide on a bridge near Lehrter station His body was buried nearby on 8 May 1945 but was not found and confirmed as Bormanns until 1973 the identification was reaffirmed in 1998 by DNA tests The missing Bormann was tried in absentia by the International Military Tribunal in the Nuremberg trials of 1945 and 1946 He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging Description above from the Wikipedia article Martin Bormann licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia