When we talk about Adolf Hitler, the image that instantly pops up is that of a man whose name is synonymous with evil and mass murder. Yet, hidden behind the iron curtain of his regime were ten women whose devotion, ambition, and sometimes tragedy added a strange, personal dimension to the Nazi saga. In this look at the 10 women hitler kept close, we’ll uncover the love, intrigue and dark loyalty that bound them to the Fuhrer.
10 Eva Braun
Any list of Hitler’s inner circle would be incomplete without Eva Braun, the young photographer’s assistant who first met the future dictator when she was just 17 and he was already 40. Their relationship was a roller‑coaster of jealousy and obsession, with Eva reportedly attempting suicide at least twice, yet they managed a seemingly ordinary marital life behind closed doors.
Unlike many of the regime’s public faces, Eva remained largely invisible to the German populace. She acted as hostess at Hitler’s secluded Alpine retreat in Obersalzberg, but never stepped onto the national stage, keeping her role strictly private.
When the war’s end loomed, Eva stayed by Hitler’s side in the bunker beneath the Reich Chancellery. On April 29, 1945, they exchanged a brief marriage ceremony, and just hours later the newlyweds took their own lives—Eva crushing a cyanide capsule as Hitler shot himself.
9 Magda Goebbels
Magda Goebbels, wife of the notorious propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, married more for mutual advancement than romance, yet she bore him six children. Their union was riddled with infidelity on both sides—Joseph’s unending affairs and Magda’s own romantic liaisons made the marriage a turbulent affair.
Although long‑viewed as a fervent supporter of the Third Reich, evidence suggests Magda’s confidence began to crack as the war turned against Germany. In one of Hitler’s radio broadcasts she allegedly turned off the set in exasperation, muttering, “What a load of rubbish.”
When Hitler committed suicide, Magda and Joseph followed suit, murdering their six children first with morphine to induce sleep, then crushing cyanide capsules in each mouth. Their deaths could have been avoided, as Magda was offered chances to evacuate the children, but she chose to stay and end it all on that grim day.
8 Geli Raubal
Geli Raubal, Hitler’s half‑niece through his sister Angela, moved into his Munich apartment while studying medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University. Hitler quickly became overprotective, even forcing her to break off a romance with his chauffeur, Emil Maurice, and insisting on a chaperone for all her outings.
In late 1931, after a heated argument over a planned trip to Vienna, Geli allegedly took a pistol and ended her own life. The exact nature of their relationship remains debated—some claim a sexual liaison, others see a purely obsessive, possibly abusive, bond.
Despite the mystery, Hitler later declared Geli the only woman he ever truly loved, preserving her bedroom at the Berghof just as she left it and displaying her portraits in the Chancellery.
7 Unity Mitford
Not all of Hitler’s confidantes were German. The striking English aristocrat Unity Mitford, one of the famed “Mitford girls,” became perhaps the most eccentric of the bunch. Obsessed with meeting the Fuhrer, she journeyed to Germany in 1934, eventually tracking him down in a Munich restaurant.
Hitler offered Unity an apartment in Munich—ironically still occupied by a Jewish couple. Unity reportedly entered the flat to assess it for refurbishment while the displaced family wept in the kitchen, a chilling illustration of her devotion.
When war erupted, Unity attempted suicide by shooting herself in the head. Though she survived, the bullet remained lodged near her brain, causing chronic issues that eventually led to meningitis and her death in 1948.
6 Emmy Goering
Emmy Goering, a German actress turned “First Lady of the Third Reich,” married Luftwaffe commander Hermann Goering as his second wife. She quickly became the public face of many state functions before World War II, sparking jealousy from Eva Braun, who reportedly disliked Emmy.
Emmy’s fame was amplified by German media; she lived a lavish lifestyle, frequently appearing in magazines and newsreels. Together with her husband, she amassed countless artworks confiscated from Jewish owners, filling their numerous mansions.
After the war, Emmy was convicted as a Nazi and sentenced to a year in prison. Released, she was barred from returning to the stage and spent her remaining years in a modest Munich apartment, passing away in 1973.
5 Margarete Himmler
Margarete, a nurse by training, met Heinrich Himmler after divorcing her first husband. She was seven years his senior and, notably, a Protestant—both factors that initially raised eyebrows among Himmler’s family.
Described by in‑laws as a cold‑fish who preferred domestic duties, Margarete dutifully fulfilled the social obligations expected of an SS officer’s wife. Yet she clashed with other SS spouses, most notably Lina Heydrich, with whom she shared a mutual loathing.
Following the war, Margarete and her daughter Gudrun were detained in several internment camps. Interrogations revealed she knew little about Himmler’s atrocities, leading to her eventual release. She resumed a quiet life in Munich, steadfastly maintaining her National Socialist beliefs despite claims of ignorance about the Holocaust.
4 Lina Heydrich
Lina, the wife of Reinhard Heydrich—the chief architect of the Gestapo, Kripo, and SD—proved herself a force behind the scenes. When Reinhard was dismissed from the navy for breaking an engagement promise, Lina took matters into her own hands, urging him to apply for a counter‑intelligence post.
Although Heinrich Himmler initially cancelled their interview, Lina ignored the message and sent Reinhard anyway. The gamble paid off; Heydrich was hired on the spot, propelling his rise to one of the regime’s most feared figures. He was later assassinated by British‑trained Czech and Slovak operatives in 1942.
After the war, Lina controversially secured a German pension, classified as a war‑dead colonel’s widow. She defended her husband’s legacy until her death in 1985.
3 Eleonore Baur
Eleonore Baur, a nurse‑turned mother of two illegitimate children, led a peripatetic life that saw her marry, divorce, and eventually settle in Munich in 1920. A close confidante of Hitler, she was a founding member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and took part in the infamous Beer Hall Putsch—the only woman to do so.
She played a pivotal role in establishing and managing the Dachau concentration camp, allegedly using prisoners to renovate a villa Hitler gifted her. Within the camp, she earned a reputation as a harsh bully, with inmates recounting beatings and other abuses.
After the war, Eleonore was arrested but never convicted due to insufficient evidence. She received a ten‑year sentence from the denazification court, later securing a pension. She never renounced National Socialism and died in 1981.
2 Elsa Bruckmann
Born Princess Cantacuzene of Romania, Elsa Bruckmann married German publisher Hugo Bruckmann. Both became ardent supporters of Hitler, financing his early political career before and after his 1923 failed coup.
Elsa cultivated a high‑society salon that introduced Hitler to influential industrialists and financiers. She also published the philosophical treatises of Houston Stewart Chamberlain, whose seminal work, The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, heavily influenced Nazi anti‑Semitic ideology.
Elsa passed away in 1946, leaving behind a legacy intertwined with the early financial and intellectual scaffolding of the Nazi movement.
1 Winifred Wagner
Winifred, an English‑born daughter‑in‑law of famed composer Richard Wagner, ran the Bayreuth Festival after her husband’s death. Her friendship with Hitler began in the early 1920s, and she famously supplied the paper on which Mein Kampf was penned during his incarceration after the Beer Hall Putsch.
Rumors swirled in 1933 that she might marry Hitler—a union that never materialized—but the two maintained a close bond. While some family members claim she was disgusted by Hitler’s anti‑Jewish policies, she remained unwaveringly loyal to him even after the war, entertaining former high‑ranking Nazis and refusing to renounce her association.
Forbidden from directing the Bayreuth Festival post‑war, Winifred continued to host political gatherings until her death in 1980.
10 Women Hitler: A Glimpse Into Their Lives
This roundup of the 10 women hitler kept close reveals a spectrum of devotion, ambition, and tragedy that shaped the private world of one of history’s most infamous figures.