Raubal, Geli (c. 1908–1931)

Niece of Adolf Hitler. Born around 1908; died of a gunshot wound in Munich, Germany, on September 18, 1931; daughter of Angela Raubal (half-sister of Adolf Hitler).

On September 18, 1931, Geli Raubal, the daughter of Angela Raubal and the 23-year-old niece of Adolf Hitler, was found dead in her bedroom. She had died from a gunshot wound in her chest at the Munich apartment she shared with her uncle. Officially, the death was declared a suicide because the room had been locked from inside, but rumors circulated at the time that Raubal was involved in a passionate affair with Hitler, that he had forced her to model for his pornographic drawings and engage in sadomasochistic sex. There was further speculation that Raubal was pregnant, and that Hitler either murdered her during one of their violent arguments or, fearing a scandal, had the young woman executed. In a 1998 "speculative psychobiography" of Hitler titled Hitler & Geli, author Ronald Hayman uncovers discrepancies in the extant documents and testimonies surrounding the case, and theorizes that Hitler did indeed cover up the truth about Raubal's death, then pressured the authorities to pronounce it a suicide. Hayman further suggests that Hitler's affair with his young niece was symptomatic of his contempt for women and of a personality scarred by his abusive father and subservient mother. Hitler later declared that Geli Raubal was the only woman he had ever loved.

suggested reading:

Hansen, Ron. Hitler's Niece (novel). HarperCollins, 1999.

Hayman, Ronald. Hitler & Geli. Bloomsbury, 1998.