Unseen pics reveal Hitler’s colourful side

LONDON - Almost 70-year-old pictures of Adolf Hitler reveal a rather fun-filled side of the Nazi leader, which is in complete contrast to his blood-stained dictator image.

Intimate portraits, taken between 1936 and 1941, during the run-up to the Second World War and in its early years, show Hitler laughing with pals at afternoon tea, mingling with adoring girls during a school visit and lounging on the deck of a cruise liner.

They show the German Fuhrer waging charm offensives at Party receptions and showpieces rather than the murderous purges for which he will be forever reviled, reports the Sun.

On seeing the pictures one cannot help but wonder if they belong to the same man, who in 1939 ignited a war which cost 60million lives over six bloody years.

The rarely seen pictures are by his personal photographer Hugo Jaeger, whose skill in colour photography won him a privileged place at Hitler’s side.

Berlin-based Jaeger even captured Hitler’s 50th birthday at his Eagle’s Nest home in the Alps, where the tyrant was presented with a car by German tycoon Ferdinand Porsche.

After the Allied victory in 1945 Jaeger feared for his life so kept his transparencies hidden for years before finally selling them to Life magazine.

They give an incredible technicolor insight into the life of one of history’s darkest figures. (ANI)