From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walter Wagner (died 1945) was the notary who married Adolf Hitler to Eva Braun in the Führerbunker on April 29, 1945.

Wagner was a lawyer, and a member of the Nazi party. He was known to Joseph Goebbels, who had previously worked with him in Berlin. As the Allies approached Berlin he had been drafted into the army. When Hitler told Goebbels of his intention to marry, Goebbels had Wagner summoned to the bunker. When he arrived on 28 April he discovered that the proper paperwork was not available. Later that evening he had obtained the documentation and was able to perform the ceremony just after midnight.^[1]

Immediately afterwards Wagner rejoined his unit. He was killed only a few days later during the Battle of Berlin.^[1]

The scene of Hitler's wedding is depicted in the films Hitler: The Last Ten Days and Der Untergang, both of which include the episode in which Wagner, in accordance with Nazi law, asks Hitler to prove that he is of pure "Aryan" descent before the marriage can proceed.

Portrayal in the media

Walter Wagner has been portrayed by the following actors in film and television productions.

• Andrew Sachs in the 1973 British film Hitler: The Last Ten Days.^[2]
• John Ringham in the 1973 British television production The Death of Adolf Hitler.^[3]
• Robert Austin in the 1981 United States television production The Bunker.
• Norbert Heckner in the 2004 German film Downfall (Der Untergang).^[4]

References