Every meal is like the last: the story of Margot Welk-Hitler's taster
And great villains have basic needs — the same as other people. For example, sleep and nutrition. At the same time, not all of them can afford to quietly enjoy rest and food.
Adolf Hitler at one time developed paranoia about the fact that he could be poisoned. Therefore, the Fuhrer had a whole team of people who previously checked his food for the presence of foreign additives. One of them was Margot Welk, a woman with a rather sad story.
During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler spent more than two years in the "Wolf's Den". It was a specially equipped Wehrmacht complex in the Goerlitz forest, near the Polish city of Rastenburg. The Wolfsschanze consisted of more than 80 bunkers and fortified buildings. The outside of the complex was blocked with barbed wire, and the entire surrounding area was mined. There were observation towers, machine-gun and anti-aircraft positions everywhere. About 2 thousand people worked in the "Wolfsschantz", there was a garden, greenhouses, a vegetable garden…
It would seem that there was everything here to calmly and safely hide from the outside world. But Hitler continued to fear for his life, and the events of July 20, 1944 showed that it was not in vain. It was in the "Wolfsschanz" that the attempt on the Fuhrer was organized, which ended in failure and numerous executions of those responsible for the conspiracy.
Naturally, Hitler was also wary of the food that was served to him on the table. Therefore, he decided to hire a whole team of tasters. It consisted only of women. For several years, 15 young German women tried all the "Hitler" food to check if there was poison in it. Any plate for a taster could be the last in his life… But they had no choice.
The "poison brigade" first became known in 2013. The only survivor of the tasters, Margot Welk, gave an interview to the German magazine Spiegel, where she told how she had to work.
In 1941, the Allies destroyed her parents ' apartment in Berlin. Together with her family, Margot was forced to flee to Poland. Ironically, the refugees settled near the "Wolf's Lair", and soon the girl was recruited into the SS as a food taster.
According to Margot, the Nazis took her and the other girls every morning and took them to the "Wolf's Den". There, from 11 to 12 o'clock, it was necessary to taste food. After that, the Nazis waited for another hour – in case the poison took effect later. And only then did the Fuhrer calmly sit down at the dining table.
The dishes on Hitler's table were always fresh and delicious. Lots of vegetables, sweets, milk, cakes adored by Hitler. But the tasters had no appetite at all, since every breakfast, lunch or dinner could be their last. During the meal, many people cried with fear, and later-with joy that they were alive.
After the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on July 20, the girls were forbidden to leave the Wolfsschanze . They were placed in the old school building on the territory of the shelter. There they were closely watched by the Nazis. However, this did not prevent one of the SS officers from sneaking into the school one day and raping Margot.
On November 20, 1944, the Red Army approached the "Wolf's Lair", and Hitler was forced to return to Germany. One of the officers put Margot on a train to Berlin, the other girls-tasters could not escape.
In 1946, in Germany, Margot finally met her husband after many years of separation. He joined the German army in 1939, but then went missing. The girl was sure that her husband had died, but it turned out that he had been held captive for a long time. They lived together for 36 years, in 1980 Karl died.
And only after decades, Margot decided to tell her story. She admitted that for many years she could not eat properly and even look at food. And she called Hitler a "pig" and a really terrible person.
Keywords: War | History | Nazis | Tasting | Hitler | Life history | Fascism | Food and drinks | Fascists | Nazi germany