"Hitler's Bodyguard" is a documentary about the attempts to kill Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator of Germany from 1934 to 1945, and the multilayered bodyguard, the men and organizations, that tried to make Hitler hard to kill. Several German services dealt with threats to the Fuehrer. Nevertheless, there were about forty attempts on his life, a few of which came close to succeeding. On the other hand, fantasy and paranoia fueled fears of assassination by Hitler and his minions. The series occasionally threatens to go off-topic in its attempt to put its main subject in context. For example, how much does the elimination of Ernst Rohm and his Storm Troopers in 1934 really have to do with protecting Hitler? It was rather an example of Hitler, Hermann Goring and Heinrich Himmler inventing a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and blaming it on Rohm in order to get rid of a troublesome rival leader within the party.There are episodes about the different security situations in which Hitler needed to be protected. He traveled a great deal and had several different residences and headquarters. A whole episode is devoted to how his personal airplane pilot Hans Bauer kept Hitler safe, once taking off in a plane with Hitler seconds ahead of Russian troops. There is another about Hitler's special train. (There is another documentary called "Hitler's Steel Beast" that is entirely about his train.)One quibble I have is that I do not understand why the narration is written so that it is unclear that Hitler was not elected to any office in 1932. He was running for president of Germany, but this is left out. Then it mentioned that he became chancellor, making it sound as if he was running for chancellor and won. Chancellor was an appointed position. Hitler lost the presidential election to incumbent Paul von Hindenburg who appointed Hitler chancellor as a sort of consolation prize.The misleading account of the 1932 election is repeated in the course of the series, and so are other stories such as several about Hitler's favorite bodyguard, Bruno Gesche, who was cross-eyed as well as a belligerent drunk who kept getting into trouble with Himmler. Good stories, but they don't need to be told more than once.

This is not a history series. This is yet another reason to replay as much Hitler footage as possible for the fanboys and fan girls. A shallow, dramatic talk that happens to miss many unpleasant details.So this is actually an exploitation series. With the rise in interest in fascism, why not feed the beast and get a rise in audience?Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Superb documentary series dealing with a seldom explored topic from the era of the Third Reich: the many attempts on Hitler's life. Fascinating footage is incorporated that illustrates such obscure facts as the details regarding Hitler's private train, his aircraft, and those charged with his protection. Well documented and expertly researched, in the process of exploring the dictator's protection against assassination, this series is a very well-done concise history of World War II. Worth the time of the Second World War scholar as well as those with an amateur interest in the time period. Hard to believe a fresh take on Hitler's Germany is still possible but this is a very welcome effort.

This is an enthralling, informative - and sometimes painful to watch - history of Hitler's precarious hold on power. The series makes clear that lots of people hated Hitler, and truly wanted to bump him off. Many people - both inside Germany as well as outside - put together various plots and schemes to do exactly that, but nearly every effort ended in abysmal failure. Only one or two of the plots really came even close. Some of the plots were downright inspired lunacy, like the proposal offered to New Zealand test pilot A.E. Clouston that he fly a British long-range plane all the way from England to Berlin, bomb Hitler as the fuhrer sat in a parade viewing stand, then high-tail it back to Britain - all on one tank of gas! Clouston thoughtfully and respectfully declined, but the series really makes you ponder the "what if?" aspects of such attempts on Hitler's life. Anyway, this is a great series for people who want a refresher course on the dark days of Nazi power consolidation and other events leading up to WWII. In addition to footage from after WWII started, the series contains fantastic amounts of footage from the early to late 1930's; also many clips are shown in well-preserved color film. Plus, the series puts things in a global perspective, and also reveals things that make you scratch your head and say, "Wow, I never knew that before!" I DVR'd the whole series off of the Military Channel. I believe you can go to their website and order the series on DVD. Highly recommended for war and history buffs.