Not many people have a christmas card signed by Adolf Hitler.

"I would've killed him." No you wouldn't. If you grew in that era with those people in these circumstances, you absolutely wouldn't.

She said it was the first time in her life she wasn't hungry. Her experience was significant in so many ways. She was in the middle of history in the making with a point of view of no other, why would she turn her 20 year old self around. Great interview

This woman is/was a historic treasure. I thank her for her truthfulness and brutal honesty. I know it could not have been easy.

She is honest, and that is admirable. She doesn't approve of what Hitler did. But she had a wonderful time working for him, and she is not going to pretend she didn't.

so sad they didn’t translate what she said properly, at one point she called hitler a clown lmao

I admire her honesty. Being young she was isolated and secluded from truth and provided with food and security she had never had previously. It was only when she returned home that she faced the reality outside of the world she had been sanctioned to live in. Blessings to her.

I'm an American, born and raised. My grandmother was born in Munich Germany. I remember coming home from school one day, and telling her how we learned about Hitler, and how horrible of a person he was. She looked at me with a look of anger I had never seen before. I don't remember the conversation word for word, but she told me that before Hitler came to power, the Economy was HORRIBLE. It was after WW1, and just before WW2. She said they had to wait in line 3 hours or longer just to get a loaf of bread! Sometimes, they would get nothing. When Hitler came into power, the economy flourished, and people and their families could eat a good meal. Something most Americans take for granted. I'm not saying Hitler was a good man, but I try to envision living in a world where you can barely feed your family, and then all of a sudden, a new man comes into power, and your family can live a better life and eat good. Now that I'm older, I can understand my grandmother's point of view. Perception is everything, and propaganda is King. R.I.P. Oma. I miss you

This is a woman who was a maid at Hitler's house. So what? I mean, sure it is interesting, she might even have stories of Hitler in a lighter moment. She killed nobody, she cleaned dishes, cleaned the house, brought Hitler his food... She is no criminal. She is not responsible for anyone's death. I guess you can say she didn't try to kill Hitler, but would YOU have had the courage to do it? I wouldn't have. I would have smiled at Hitler, Eva Braun and their guests. Always happy. People generally don't think of happy people as suspicious. This lady is just fine in my book.

Stop making the poor old women like she is evil She only did what she need to survive

This woman has nothing to be ashamed of or regret I admire her for her honesty

All of his secretaries spoke very positively about him. They said that he was polite, warm, and caring. Some of them wrote down their memories ("He Was My Chief" by Christa Schroeder, "Until the Final Hour" by Traudl Junge).

It's so ridiculous this interviewer attempts to shame her at the end. Coming from a poor village with nothing to working for the most powerful person in europe. Anyone would have taken that job! They just used her for the story and threw her to the curb at the end. Poor lady.

We are the last generation that will be able to meet these people in person

My heart breaks for her, being one of the few remaining who were there, finding only after what they had indirectly had a part in.

Big respect on Elizabeth on her honesty , like no one would admit that they had a great time working with Hitler, but she did. She grew up in starve and working with Hitler could make her feel full, it is like this was the only choice for her by that time , Hitler might do a lot of bad things but luckily he hired this historical treasure so that we can see this interview today. Rest in peace legend, we hope you had a better after life.

6:45 "He wouldn't get up before 2 p.m and he wouldn't go to bed before 4 in the morning" for once,I can kinda relate to Hitler

6:24 "It was the first time in my life I wasn´t hungry" - how do you tell a very poor young girl not to work at a mansion, where the most "admired" person , at the time , lived?

I love that she made peace with her past and is sharing her story. Sometimes we can't see big truths until later on, everyone is just doing their best until they know better. Bless her.

She's unforgettable, gone through harder times after the swift from nearly abandoned destination. What must had she faced in all? Admirations for her. True Duties.

"He wouldn't get up before 2pm, and he wouldn't go to bed before 4 in the morning" I didn't know I had so much in common with Hitler

She is more reliable than my history book from school.

This is amazing! Love to see history documented. To hear the thoughts and memories of a person who was actually there and saw it all happen, that's priceless!🙏

Fascinating. Excellent piece. Good journalism. You gave us truth and got out of the way. Great work.

She was simply surviving. It was either live in a mansion with a secure job and home or continue to not know the feeling of being full from eating. I appreciate her honesty and can tell she’s sincere.

If you get a chance to meet with a person from ww2 you really should prepare some intelligent questions...

She lived a very long life. She was lucky. Not many people get to that age❤❤❤

Ignorance is bliss. I understand why she didn't know what to tell her young self because if she had then she could possibly have lived in a constant state of fear whilst choosing the same path. Also, this was amazing. Thank you for sharing this. I thank her for her honesty as well.

According to what I found on an Austrian obituary page, Elisabeth passed away in March 2022 at the age of 97. May she rest in peace and may we continue to thank her for sharing her incredibly insightful story to be preserved for future generations of historians.

Recruter: "So tell me about about your past job experiences?" Her: "I worked for Hitler" Recrtuter: "..."

I am grateful for the posting of a highly valuable video🙏🙏🙏🙏

I'm glad she embraces her experiences there. It's part of what makes you who you are. She had no idea of what the Nazis were up to in those camps. Few did. My grandmother was not even from Germany but when my family fled to Germany during the war, like all children she had to join the Hitler youth. Did not make her a bad person or a nazi - it is just the way it was. I grew up with a lot of German culture as a result of my family's time in Germany during the war. In a way, Hitler's actions made my birth possible - no war, no fleeing the country, my grandparents never meet, and I am never born - so even now, I think of it as something indelibly linked to my existence.

To me when she said , when she started working there . " For the first time in my life I was not hungry " , is very moving . She is an amazing old lady with a clear memory !

14:20 There's a big translation mistake that I want to point out here. I'm German and I understand everything she says. *She's speaking in **_present tense_** about how she felt at the time when she was actually there, at the Berghof!* But the actual English subtitle is in _simple past_ - making it seem like she says that she's proud that she was there. *That's wrong* and I don't know if it's purposefully wrong (to make it look more dramatic) which saddens me. Peace out.

Antonia Yamin and Elizabeth Kalhammer did this interview (it's more than just an interview) extremely well. Both. Two human beings.

Thankyou for posting this. Very good piece of history for anyone to be able to view easily

I respect her honesty. If you put yourself in her shoes, it's kind of hard to blame her. She went from being a poor and hungry young woman to a person with status and a very comfortable life. She also genuinely believed that she was doing a service to her country. Most people today would play down their experiences to avoid the stigma, but I don't know that many people would actually make different choices in her circumstances.

I don't think this woman was involved in the decision making of any of the “final solution” or “what country should we invade next?” questions. I think she was more involved in the, “Which chocolate should I put on the pillow?” and “Should I open the window and let fresh air into the room ?” questions.

What a beautiful woman, with an amazing story! God bless her for her honesty. She's a treasure.

Thank you for sharing this video. God bless 🙏

Why does she have to regret her life, she was a young kid it wasn’t her fault she had a job offer. There is nothing to say, it is terrible what hitler did, it’s not this lady’s fault she was just a maid telling her part of the story.

"It was the first time in my life I wasn't hungry." -- that sentence is difficult to hear also

What a beautiful and respectful interview. Thank you.

"she was very proud that he would come at 4am to eat her cake" 😂😂😂😂

"It was the first time in my life I wasn't hungry"

The interviewer wanted to redirect the ladies opinion to another subject, which it seemed unfair to me, but the old lady answer with truly sincerity.

she still remembers the "fine food" left on the guests plate as her family went hungry

It seems she didn't get to choose to work there; They got her the job Also she was very poor as the rest of her village The first meal she had at the Führer's house was the first time she was full - and not still hungry after she ate. I admire her courage to give an honest interview ❤️ May her soul forever rest in peace ❤

How the interviewer tried to subtlety force a "I regret working for Hitler" is uncanny

That was an answer that wasn’t expected ! What a lovely honest lady who would not be backed into a corner.

Austrian here to report some minor inaccuracies in the translation of her dialect. At 6:17 for example, she's talking about rice with golden chanterelles ("Eierschwammerln"), not rice with eggs and mushrooms ("Eiern und Schwammerln"). Also, she doesn't say it was the first time in her life that she wasn't hungry, but that she never had that meal before.

The fact that they asked her a question she couldn’t answer at the end and still proceeded to make her feel bad for it the woman was nearly crying! Absolutely horrible. Don’t use the poor women just to get a video out of her

The old woman answered the last question in respect of honesty. Well done her. It s true

She is clearly nostalgic for a better time, what a lovely lady. She lived a life richer and more meaningful than we can ever dream of. May she rest in peace together with those she served

What an amazing share. Gave us a glimpse from inside. RIP

I don't blame her at all, clothes, food, pride, admiration. Far more people have done worse than wash dishes for anyone of those things. This prejudice towards her is ridiculous. She was given an opportunity of a lifetime.

Holy shit she's hard to understand. I'm German but that old-timey Austrian dialect left me grateful for those subtitles at times

It becomes impossible not to have a profound respect for this woman's honesty and transparency. She is actually genuine, melding the good and the bad. Her initiation into this realm was wholly innocent. She was sequestered from all 'badness'. And, to this 'dilemma' one could honestly ask why did Hitler choose a Jewish bodyguard (Emil Maurice, who was a member of the SS until 1945) and why were there so many Jews in Hitler's army (thousands of full Jews and more than 100 thousand part-Jews)? We are not supposed to probe so deeply but all this does is further exonerate Elizabeth Kalhammer's image. For political reasons, my post might be deleted, but the truth will never be denied. - David Lyga

She was simply trying to live. It’s either work in a mansion, have all your needs, and work for the most powerful person in Europe or live without food, barely any housing and just nothing. It may have not been the best, but she did what she had to do. In her mind, she was doing it for her country and herself. Edit: Also that she had children to feed and care for, she truly had no choice.

I mean, why does she have to feel guilty for not knowing any better? She had no idea what was really happening and she was just honest

what a wonderful old woman.. very wise... and honest.. i wish i could met her..

God Bless BOTH...the 20 yo Elizabeth Kalhammer inside the 92 yo Elizabeth Kalhammer. She is amazing.

She entered as a naive young girl who'd been given the opportunity of a lifetime to do what she thought served her country, and ensure a better life for herself as well. I can't imagine what she must have felt when she returned home, only to find out what Hitler truly did. You can see it in her eyes, the sadness and disappointment at what the man turned into when all the people had put their faith in him. I can't really blame her for not wanting to change it, either, because she was given a comfortable life when she'd otherwise have been starving. And she came out of it with unique insight that so few would've gotten, and will now be preserved for generations to come to learn more about what Hitler was like in his private life.

I applaud her honesty and courage to admit that she was swept up in the movement like most others. A lot of people in and around the Nazi Party were liars after the war. They swore that they never enjoyed it or they never knew what was really going on. This old lady is fully aware of the attacks she could receive for telling the truth. But she tells it anyway. Which is why I don't condemn her. In fact I respect her and am glad that she came forward to tell us this interesting story.

This woman was a relative innocent at the time and in no way should she be held to account.

She was a very young, poor, and naïve girl. She seemed to be a very nice girl. Let's be honest, what poor girl in any country would not be proud coming from nowhere and the next day end up working directly for her national leader? She must have been shocked. I admire her and her honesty, and I do not fault her or harbor any bad will that she took that job. Under the circumstances, she would be crazy if she didn't. She was not involved in, and I doubt if she was even aware of, what was happening inside or outside of Germany. She was pretty isolated to a kitchen and a bedroom in Hitler's estate for most of those years, periodically visiting the local town. She still seems like a very nice woman who lived an extraordinary life. Good for her.

The interviewer was trying to get her to say she regretted it, but why would she, she had a fanstastic time in a beautiful place, somewhere she felt lucky to work. We try to hold the people of a nation to account for the war crimes of the few. They didn't have any power back then, anymore than we do today. 'Austria was blinded...' the same could be said for the Russian people now. I'm glad she shared her insights, it's fascinating, important and part of our history.

Self-declared history experts: "Why didn't she kill him?" People with a rational mind: "That's an interesting interview. It helps to understand Hitler and the Nazi time"

She still preserves the card? Props to her, that is a piece of history with you. Its something people would pay a lot of money for.

Look, I am Jewish and I probably would have felt exactly like she did. She was young, excited, finally around luxury, beauty and bounty. She was around the most powerful person in the country. It must have been glorious and intoxicating. She was a chosen one. Hitler was all about beauty and obsession with beauty. I imagine his house, the food the surroundings were layered with it. It must have been a delight to live there during such an exciting time. Yes, horrible things came from it, but one can be flexible enough to understand her point of view.

Amazing interview and insight into this period of history.

That was probably an unfair question to ask her, "Would you turn away?" She was a young poor girl, not even generals and soldiers told Hitler "no." Also, it's unethical to imply she was a contributor to the war in anyway, even an unwitting one. Thank you for telling your story and for "Delly Fina" for correcting the translations. Propaganda everywhere.

you guys weren't there when this happened, so stop blaming her for what she did.

Great interview.

6:22 She does not say "It was the first time in my life I wasn't hungry" but instead "... das erste mal in meinem leben gegessen gehabt hab" which means something like "It was the first time in my life I ate that food". Her being hungry all her life until eating in that particular cafe would not make sense at all.

When a young interviewer, not even alive at the time, asks the completely unrealistic, inapplicable question, "would you do it differently if you could go back, knowing what you know now," it reveals a total lack of appreciation of the reality of the situation back then, when people were literally just trying to find food so as not to starve. Also, don't forget that even just a mere three years (3!) prior to any military action, Roosevelt, Chamberlain, and the IOC were so charmed with the rebound of Germany and its impressive leader, that they supported his request for the 1936 Olympics and he was awarded it! So, how on earth could anyone ask this lady if she would go back and give up the security of food and shelter, provided by the same man who was given a very public stamp of approval by the leaders of the Western world, and voluntarily return herself to a state of continuous insecurity, hunger and worry of day to day survival? In the 60s we used to reply to such intellectual mumbo jumbo questions: "Hey man, I'm livin in the here and the now! Not in some fantasy world." She was only doing what anyone would have done to survive, and was grateful for the blessing that came her way. To ask if she would go back and not accept the position based on knowledge revealed later, just so that she would never have to admit that she worked for Hitler, is a nonsense question. I wonder if this interviewer would ask the same question of the house servant of Stalin, ie. if she would go back and decline her job offer due to what a monster he turned out to be? What about Hitler's gardener? Should he go back and refuse the work that put food on his children's table? SILLY questions that do not apply.

wow she literally IS History. Amazing.. and good for her being honest.

There are a few things wrong in translation for example she said she will always remember when she ate mushrooms with eggs and rice for the first time. "It was the first time in my life that I eat such things", not "I wasn´t hungry"

Like many who commented, I understand her naiveté and appreciate her honesty. What puzzles me is how she could live through Kristallnacht and not have a clue? My own mother, right now in Canada, just talks nonsense in the face of some of the crazy happenings. She, too, is naive, but this time because she is older and can't keep up with the times. But sometimes, she chooses it because she is comfortable and doesn't want to think too hard. We need to be careful about getting comfortable in dangerous times, don't we? The stakes are very high.

Elizabeth did nothing wrong.

I don't blame her for longing for those days! Since she had such good memories working for Hitler and only discovered the atrocities afterwards, it would be so hard to connect the two experiences to the same man. It wouldn't feel real. Like, can you imagine having the best life for two years with an excellent employer, then learning that they had murdered millions?

i think she didn't went only because of food and secure job, she also went and liked her job because of her ego, and that is completely understandable especially for a young person. you are being admired and get privileges in the society that you personally can't change anyway. but also you get the chance to be around important people of that time which also gives you a feeling of excitement and of being a part of something bigger than yourself, which in reality everybody would want and like. and in the end she is self aware and honest which is the most important thing.

A very good interview. Elisabeth Kalhammer is wonderfully honest, by which we can learn so much about the life of ordinary people under totalitarian regimes. Condamning them is of use, understanding the more. If we want to avoid disasters in the future (and now), we must try to understand why things can evolve in that terrible direction.

Good translation, but a few things were quite wrong. She actually never really said that they had to be quiet, or that it had to be silent around the house. For example during the dinner, tranlation was along the lines of: "We had to stay silent in the kitchen", when she actually said something like "we were having fun in the kitchen". Anoter one was when she talked about him in the end and said he was crazy, and they translated: "How could he be allowed to do such a thing?" she actually said: " How could a country follow such a ´Thing´ ".

9:09 when the reporter read out what was on the board and then started looking and zooming in at the old lady like "do you have to ad anything to that, you murderous fascist?" i felt really bad for the old lady. what the hell was the reporter expecting from her? didnt even ask a question. dumb move...

That signed card by Hitler has to be worth some major money to collectors

Very interesting interview. Some (smaller) translation errors I picked up while watching. 1:25 "I was very excited" should be "I was very delighted" ("excited" is a correct translation but doesn't accurately reflect what she meant as the word excited can have different connotations whereas in German, it only has a purely and innocent/positive connotation) 4:17 "They stopped what they were doing" should be "They had to stop what they were doing" 6:21 "It was the first time in my life I wasn't hungry" is totally wrong. It should be "It was the first time that I ate rice with golden chanterelle (a quite rare/more expensive type of mushroom, in Austrian German literally called 'egg-mushrooms' due to the color, I guess)" 10:34 "that there are many Ni***s" should be "that there are many neg***s" (a word that was used back then without a strongly negative connotation for blacks. It was more neutral but of course the context of the statement implies that they looked down on them and were scared of black people) Nothing really major and I don't believe they were intentional. It's easy to see how the Austrian dialect made it difficult for them to translate everything.

As a german, the subtitles are poorly made and often incorrect.

What I found fascinating was when she said she saw Hitler standing outside in the rain, in a blue rain coat, just standing there..."Poor man". Man...she saw a moment of Hitlers life that no one else would have witnessed. I am glad it was said in this interview. Things like that...those little up close and personal experiences...make me really ponder and think.

Now this was a Honest interview, with real honest answers, thanks for sharing.

Thank you for bringing this interview to us. Tears in my eyes for all the suffering.

This lady should not feel shame or guilt for her good teenage memories no one should either. That reporter made her feel guilty, bullying a 92 year old woman ✌

She was just a young, unexperienced girl who got a fantastic job. How in hell could she know what should happen in the future? She has nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be blamed for! This is a very bad and biased interview. I would have heard her describing the life on Berghof instead of hearing her beeing forced to defending herself .

A very honest answer at the end, it's a very leading question to ask and it would have been very easy to just say "don't take the job" .... but the reality of the situation was what she answered.

A fascinating interview. It’s not difficult to see that she wrestles with the past. On the one hand she was a young women who was thrown in to a position with great prestige, having likely never left her home town to then go and work for Hitler. It must have been thrilling. I have no doubt those early years were great memories for her. On the other hand she came out the other side and was confronted by the criminality and barbarity of the regime in full force, something she had been shielded from before in the inner circle. Trying to come to terms with both must have been a difficult position many of that generation faced.

She is an honest old lady. Like her.

"I would have killed him". Yes, well, nice luck trying such a move. His SS would have destroyed you at the first glance. This isn't like movies or videogames. Such a move would be stupid in her condition (she doesn't has military training), she didn't had access to weapons really, and in general she didn't had a plot-armor protecting her, nor she was something like a "commando". She only could work, obey, and let the course of time flow.

The pain in her voice when she was talking about giving the starving boy milk and bread was so sad. 🥺

This woman is amazing. The honesty and clearness of mind she displays makes this interview a stunning and above all worthy historic testament to a side of what happened during Hitler's reign very rarely told. I can't help but admire her for her honesty.

Interviewer tried to put words into the old lady’s mouth.