Rise through the Nazi bureaucracy
Bormann joined the Nazi Party in 1927 and the SS in 1937. He served as chief of staff in Rudolf Hess's office and assumed Hess's former duties after Hess flew to Britain in May 1941.
Literature
Martin Bormann
Nazi Party Chancellery head, Adolf Hitler's private secretary and convicted war criminal
Martin Bormann was a Nazi Party official and war criminal who gained extensive power as head of the Party Chancellery and Adolf Hitler's private secretary. He controlled access to Hitler and the flow of information, approved civil-service appointments and helped review legislation. He advocated reducing the influence of Christian churches and harsh treatment of Jews and Slavs. Bormann was in Berlin's Führerbunker during the final months of the Second World War and died while attempting to flee the city in May 1945.
Worth knowing
Control of access to Hitler
Appointed Hitler's personal secretary on 12 April 1943, Bormann accompanied him and provided briefings and summaries of events and requests. He had final approval over civil-service appointments and helped review and approve legislation.
Death and identification
Bormann attempted to escape Berlin on 2 May 1945 and likely died by suicide on a bridge near Lehrter station. Tried in absentia at Nuremberg, he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. His remains were found in 1972, identified in 1973 and confirmed by DNA testing in 1998.
Follow the story on foot
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