Adolf Hitler did not have children, officially. Not with his wife of several hours, Eva Braun, not with anyone else. Up until the 1970s, people thought they could sleep easily. That's when the story of Jean-Marie Loret went from being an urban legend to something closer to reality.
The Nazi leader and one of the most feared dictators in history had a complicated relationship with his family and roots. Many close to him claimed that the Fuhrer had no desire to marry or reproduce. Instead, he put all his efforts into creating a supreme Aryan race.
Though he eventually failed, he is responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of adults and children. Hitler's crimes are well documented, but his private life remains a bit of a puzzle.
Was Jean-Marie Loret Really Hitler's Offspring?
As the story goes, Jean-Marie Loret was a child of a German soldier and French teenager, Charlotte Lobjoie. The two had a fling during WWI, between 1916 and 1917.
Three years after Hitler's suicide in 1945, Loret's mother, who was on her dying bed, told Loret that he was Adolf's child.
Loret grew up with his adopted family and even went to fight against Nazi Germany. As he was a part of the French Resistance, learning about his father was quite tricky.
He wrote:
"In order not to get depressed, I worked non-stop, never took a holiday, and had no hobbies. For twenty years, I didn't even go to the cinema."
Loret's story is immortalized in the book Your Father's Name Was Hitler, published in 1981.
Heinz Linge, an SS officer, wrote in his memoirs With Hitler to the End that in 1940 Hitler gave Heinrich Himmler a secret task to find his son.
Loret also alleged that he found pictures with Hitler's signature among his mom's possessions. He also stated that his mother said that Hitler knew all about him, but since Loret learned the truth three years too late, he never met his alleged father.
Some claim that his wife left him, taking their nine children with her.
Despite many coincidences, there is no genetic proof that Loret and Hitler were related. Some argue that this man only wanted royalties from Mein Kampf.
Loret died in 1985, and it is doubtful we will ever learn the whole story.
There will always be that possibility that Loret's children are Hitler's descendants. However, the historians disagree, standing firmly by their claims that Adolf Hitler never had a child.
Despite somewhat recent conspiracy theories, Angela Merkel is not Adolf Hitler's daughter. For one, Merkel was born nine years after his death, so that is a dead giveaway.
The Hitler Family Is Alive And Well, But The Bloodline Might End Soon
Though it was never confirmed, there is a pact among surviving members of Hitler's family to end the bloodline.
Hitler's closest family member, his sister Paola, did not have children. However, before Adolf's father, Alois, had married Adolf's mother and cousin, Klara, he had been married to Franni.
Franni and Alois had had two children, Alois Jr., and Angela.
Alois Jr. changed his name and had two children, William (Willy) and Heinrich.
Angela had three children, Leo, Geli, and Elfriede.
Geli Raubal was famous for her inappropriate relationship with her half-uncle, Adolf Hitler. She committed suicide in 1931, aged 23.
Leo and Elfriede both married and had boys.
As a child, Willy was called "my loathsome nephew" by Adolf Hitler.
Willy eventually moved to the States and had four sons. One of them died in a car accident. The three boys left allegedly made a pact to end the bloodline, and intentionally or not, they did not have any children.
Hitler's family in Austria also has no intention to procreate.
Out of all five men, the youngest is in his 50s, while the eldest is around 90.
Heiner Hochegger tried to hide his connections to the Fuhrer. Once his identity was discovered, he told Bild am Sonntag:
"Yes, I know the whole story about Hitler's inheritance. But I don't want to have anything to do with it. I will not do anything about it. I only want to be left alone."
The other family members feel the same way.
Why Didn't The Fuhrer Have Children?
The vast majority of tyrants are more than happy to create their heirs. Of course, that raises the question: was Hitler able to have children?
If he was, the reason why Hitler did not have heirs might lie in his complicated relationship with his mother.
Hitler was a notorious bachelor, despite numerous relationships with beautiful women. He only married his long-term partner of 14 years, Eva Braun, 40 hours before they decided to kill themselves in 1945.
Hitler told Braun that he didn't want children, as they would have had "...a very hard time because they're expected to possess the same gifts as their famous parents, and they can't be forgiven for being mediocre."
To say that Hitler was a controlling man is an understatement. He despised his father but was besotted with his mother, Klara. Some suggest that his deep, disturbing connection to his mother is the reason why Hitler was obsessed with finding ideal women to create a whole new Aryan race.
But, none of those women were good enough for the Fuhrer. His sense of grandiosity might be the primary reason Hitler did not want children.
Loret might have been a slip-up. But, as many physiatrists agree, Hitler's Oedipus Complex was above normal.
In fact, many agree that Adolf Hitler's behavior, overall, cannot be considered rational. But, that's another story, and it usually starts with an age-old question, like where did his intense hatred for the Jewish people come from?
Was it because young Adolf contracted a venereal disease from a Jewish prostitute? Or were his Jewish roots the root cause behind Holocaust?
Too many questions, yet not one answer could bring back the lives ruined, destroyed by Adolf Hitler. So, if he indeed did not have any children, perhaps it is for the best.
