Johannes Hentschel
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Johannes Hentschel (10 May 1908 – 27 April 1982) was a master electro-
mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
for German dictator
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
's apartments in the Old Chancellery. He also served in the same capacity in Hitler's '' Führerbunker'' in 1945. He surrendered to Soviet
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
soldiers on 2 May 1945.


Early life

Hentschel was born in Berlin, Germany on 10 May 1908.


Career

Hentschel was hired on 4 July 1934 as a master electro-
mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
for
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
’s personal apartments in the Old Chancellery building. Years later, during the Battle of Berlin, he was responsible for the machine room in the '' Führerbunker''. In the early morning hours of 2 May 1945, telephone operator
Rochus Misch Rochus Misch (29 July 1917 – 5 September 2013) was a German ''Oberscharführer'' (sergeant) in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). He was badly wounded during the Polish campaign during the first month of World ...
and Hentschel were two of the last people remaining in the bunker complex. They exchanged letters to their wives in case anything happened to either of them. Misch then left the bunker to try to break through the Soviet army ring of the central part of the city. Hentschel stayed in the bunker after everyone else had either committed suicide or left, as the
field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...
for the wounded in the
Reich Chancellery The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared ...
above needed power and water. He surrendered to Soviet
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
soldiers as they entered the bunker complex on 2 May and was released from captivity on 4 April 1949. Hentschel died in 1982 in
Achern Achern (; gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Achre) is a town in Western Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located approximately 18 km southwest of Baden-Baden and 19 km northeast of Offenburg. Achern is the fourth largest town in the distric ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
.


In popular culture

*Hentschel plays a significant role in the 1981 film '' The Bunker''. Portrayed by Martin Jarvis, he is shown as an ordinary working man (invariably seen in overalls) who observes the disintegration of the Nazi leaders around him. Eventually he is left all alone and disillusioned in the bunker, after the departure of his friend Rochus Misch. Awaiting the arrival of the Soviets, Hentschel hears the report of Hitler's "heroic" death on the radio, and throws the papers he's been reading at the radio. *
Oliver Stritzel Oliver Stritzel (born 9 March 1957) is a German actor who specializes in dubbing. Roles Acting roles *''Das Boot'' (1981) – Schwalle *' (1982) – Krause *''Bolero'' (1983) *'' Moving Targets'' (1984) – Zorro *''Tango im Bauch'' (1985 ...
was cast as Hentschel in the film '' Downfall'' (''Der Untergang''). However, in the theatrical release most of his scenes were cut and he only briefly appears restoring power to a failing generator, as well as in the epilogue which explains what happened to all the main characters. In the extended version of the film, his performance is expanded. Hentschel tells
Otto Günsche __NOTOC__ Otto Günsche (24 September 1917 – 2 October 2003) was a mid-ranking officer in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a member of the SS Division Leibstandarte before he became Adolf Hitler's personal adjutant. G ...
that he is staying in order to maintain the generators. Later, he goes to the surface and looks at the burnt remains of
Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
and
Magda Goebbels Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (née Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and politic ...
. Returning to the bunker, he finds a group of female Soviet soldiers who ask where Hitler and Braun are, then ask to be taken to Eva's
wardrobe A wardrobe or armoire or almirah is a standing closet used for storing clothes. The earliest wardrobe was a chest, and it was not until some degree of luxury was attained in regal palaces and the castles of powerful nobles that separate accommo ...
. He asks them not to open the door to the Goebbels' room, which they do anyway and find the dead bodies of the
Goebbels children The Goebbels children were the five daughters and one son born to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda Goebbels. The children, born between 1932 and 1940, were murdered by their parents in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day bo ...
.


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hentschel, Johannes 1908 births 1982 deaths German people of Danish descent German people of World War II People from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Personal staff of Adolf Hitler