A new book by German historian Harald Sandner is challenging the long-standing official account of the 1931 death of Geli Raubal, Adolf Hitler’s niece, arguing that she may have been murdered rather than having taken her own life.
Raubal, 23, was found dead in Hitler’s Munich apartment on Prinzregentenplatz on September 19, 1931. She had been shot in the chest and a Walther pistol was found beside her body. Police concluded within days that she had died several hours earlier and that her death was a suicide.
Sandner, however, argues that the official investigation was manipulated to protect Hitler, who was already emerging as one of Germany’s most powerful political figures.
Conflicting records
Sandner’s forthcoming book, The Death of Angela “Geli” Raubal, is due to be published in November. According to Der Spiegel, the historian claims to have found two death notices in Munich’s civil registry indicating that Raubal’s body was actually discovered at around 10am on September 18, a full day earlier than stated in the official police report.
The timing is central to Sandner’s argument. Hitler was still in Munich on September 18, whereas he was in Nuremberg for a political event on the date traditionally given for Raubal’s death.
Sandner, who has spent years documenting Hitler’s whereabouts throughout his life, believes Nazi sympathisers within the police and judicial authorities altered the official record to prevent a deeper investigation into Raubal’s death.
He claims to have identified 62 errors, false statements and other alleged manipulations in the police report. Sandner says his book will present additional evidence supporting the murder theory but has not disclosed those details ahead of publication.
Historians remain divided
The circumstances surrounding Raubal’s relationship with Hitler have long been the subject of speculation. She was the daughter of Hitler’s half-sister Angela and had lived in his Munich apartment since 1929. Historians have generally described their relationship as unusually close and controlling, although claims of a sexual relationship have remained disputed.
Thomas Weber, a historian at the University of Aberdeen and a prominent scholar of Nazi Germany, has examined some of Sandner’s documents. Weber said he was initially sceptical of the murder theory but described the documents he had seen as appearing genuine.
He also noted that Raubal’s suicide would itself have been deeply embarrassing for Hitler, who was approaching the height of his political career. A murder allegation, however, would have created an even more serious scandal.
Raubal’s death occurred as the Nazi Party was rapidly gaining political strength. The NSDAP had become Germany’s second-largest party in the 1930 federal election, before emerging as the largest party in the Reichstag two years later and paving the way for Hitler’s appointment as chancellor in 1933.
Sandner’s claims could therefore reopen one of the most enduring mysteries surrounding Hitler’s private life, although the murder theory remains unproven and will likely face further scrutiny when the full body of evidence is published.
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