Hitler’s Globe: The mysterious fate of the Nazi Relic that witnessed his darkest ambitions

What happened to the famous Globe of Adolf Hitler, which was in his office in the Chancellery during the Second World War and was used as a visual aid to amuse the pride of the great dictator, who celebrated his military victories on it? Historians have been interested in this issue for over eighty years, although there are several versions and even multiple copies of this historical relic, each claiming to be authentic. But which one is the real one?

What was Hitler’s Globe?

The huge Globe, located in Hitler’s Reich Chancellery, was specially made for him in 1937 at the Columbus factory and was a valuable property of the Nazi dictator. It is said that in the moments of his military triumph, Hitler could stop by him for a long time and think about something. He also used it to explain his plans for world domination when high-ranking guests gathered in his office.

Hitler’s Globe was mounted on a wooden base with a metal half-meridian attached to the north and south poles, had a height of about two meters, a diameter of 1.2 meters at the equator, and a scale of 1:30,000,000. It was entirely in German, with well-defined borders of states, main shipping routes, and deposits of raw materials.

Hitler’s Globe became famous thanks to Charlie Chaplin’s film The Great Dictator, which used an inflatable replica of it. However, according to some historians, Hitler’s iconic Globe disappeared after the war, and its location remains unknown; the globes that later appeared at auctions or in museums are believed to be fakes or duplicates. Others claim that Hitler had two expensive globes made at the Columbus factory; one was in the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, and the other was in his residence, “Eagle’s Nest,” in the Bavarian Alps.

Which of the globes is the real one?

It is known that representatives of the Soviet troops were the first to enter Hitler’s Reich Chancellery after the Berlin offensive, which ended on May 2, 1945, after they completely occupied the city, including the government quarter. Officers of special groups and SMERSH conducted an inspection of Hitler’s Reich Chancellery in search of his tracks and essential documents.

Numerous pieces of evidence of the Nazi regime’s activities, including Hitler’s personal belongings, portraits, orders, and elements of Nazi symbols, were found in the Reich Chancellery, which was transferred to Soviet archives to study or document Nazi crimes, which were subsequently used during the Nuremberg trials. The Reich Chancellery was not only the administrative center of Nazi Germany but also a symbol of Hitler’s power.

According to the second version, Hitler’s personal Globe was left in the Reich Chancellery, later transferred to the state library’s vault, and finally ended up in the German Historical Museum in Berlin. There is indeed a globe made at the Columbus factory, with a bullet hole received during the battles for Berlin. It is noteworthy that the hole is located precisely where Germany is marked on the Globe. However, according to the historian and globe specialist Wolfram Pobanz, this Globe did not belong to Hitler. It could have belonged to Nazi Germany’s Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop.

Additionally, several other globes from the Second World War are preserved, and some are sometimes attributed to Hitler. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. One of them is located in the Geographical Institute of Berlin, the second is in the Brandenburg Museum of History and Culture, and two globes are part of the public collections in Munich. Still, Wolfram Pobanz believes that none of them is authentic.

The story of a globe sold at auction for 100 thousand dollars

In 2008, the story of another globe became known, which was found by a young American officer, John Barsamyan, among the ruins of the Eagle’s Nest in May 1945. According to Barsamyan, when he and two colleagues entered Hitler’s house, he saw a globe standing on a small table by the door among the destroyed furniture. He took the Globe with him, issued legal documents for its export as a war trophy, and since then, he has kept it at his home in California as a reminder of that terrible war.

This Globe is small in size – about 46 centimeters high and 33 centimeters in diameter; it has several blue, green, and red marine signs written in German, possibly indicating the routes of submarines. The Globe is marked Columbus, and the date of manufacture is 1.10.1941.

When John Barsamian turned 90, he decided to put the Globe up for auction and tell his story. The Globe was sold for $100,000 to American entrepreneur Bob Pritikin. Although its authenticity has been confirmed, it is considered too small to be the iconic Globe of the Fuhrer. According to Bob Pritikin, this Globe could have been one of two ordered for the Fuhrer at the Columbus factory in the 1930s, but it is not the Globe that Hitler constantly used in his Reich Chancellery.

Thus, the location of Hitler’s personal Globe is currently unknown. It may be in a private collection, inaccessible to the public, gathering dust in an attic, basement, or storage space among other unnecessary old things, or it could have been destroyed during the fierce battles for Berlin.