One of Hitler's Cooks

There is an interesting story about one of Hitler's cooks that I only recall from the memoirs of Traudl Junge, one of Hitler's personal secretaries for about the last 2 1/2 years of his life, although I likely saw the name many years ago. The person I'm referring to is, Helene von Exner, who was known to her family, friends and acquaintances as, Marlene. She was a dietician from Vienna, and in 1943, she became Hitler's Diätköchin; that is, his dietary cook.

The general story is, the fanatical, furious Füher had persistent stomach problems, including gas. Now, as you know, gas leaves our bodies by two ways: one, by way of the mouth, when we belch, and secondly, by way of another opening, the word for which is often applied to Hitler himself... quite correctly. I don't believe there has ever truly been a diagnosis of Hitler's gastrointestinal problem, although irritable bowel syndrome has been suggested by some, if I remember right. Well during an early 1943 meeting between Hitler and Rumanian leader, Ion Antonescu, the Rumanian told Hitler about how his own gastrointestinal problems were successfully treated by a cook who had been recommended to him, Marlene von Exner, from Vienna. The fact that she was from Vienna likely gave Hitler more interest, as he had lived there for a few years prior to going Munich, not long before World War One. So Hitler hired von Exner to cook for him and he had a separate kitchen built for her, close to his living area at his heavily guarded military headquarters in northeastern Germany, near Rastenburg.

While some of the stories I've read about Hitler's vegetarianism conflict as to when he took up the practice, and even the extent to which he truly held to not eating meat,* von Exner fixed him frequent dishes of vegetables, mashed potatoes, soups and hard and soft boiled eggs. I distinctly recall Traudl Junge mentioning that Hitler often ate mashed potatoes with a fried egg on top, but whether this was a dish recommended by, and fixed by, von Exner for him, I'm not sure. I do remember reading that the cook put some bone marrow into Hitler's soups, although he supposedly didn't know about it.

Well, by early 1944, von Exner and one of Hitler's adjutants wanted to get married. This required an investigation into her background, as the racial laws of the Nazis were strict. It turned out that part of von Exner's family history was unclear, and that the Nazi investigation determined that she was likely part Jewish. This threw Hitler, who told her he would have to let her go, because he had to follow his own laws. He liked her very much and he gave her several months severance pay and told her he would see to it that she and her family were "aryanized;" that is, essentially having them certified as "aryans;" thus removing any record of their possible Jewish side. ** He told his henchman Martin Bormann to take care of the matter, and to see to it that von Exner and her family were not bothered.

It turned out, Bormann had made a play for von Exner (she was in her mid 20s), but she had rebuffed him, a situation not taken well by the man who was likely the second most powerful man in Germany, after Hitler. He dragged his feet on Hitler's order and von Exner's family suffered the consequences, as her brother, who was a doctor, was fired for being part Jewish, per Nazi law, and she and her sister were also excluded from university work (I "believe" this was at the University of Vienna). Von Exner wrote to her friend Traudl Junge, who saw Hitler on a daily basis. She related all that had happened and about the incident with Bormann likely playing a major role in her family not being cleared. Junge used her special typewriter, with large letters for Hitler to read easily, and wrote everything down for him, then gave him the letter. Indeed he became the furious Füher, and he angrily summoned Bormann, who came out of the meeting red-faced. It wasn't long and von Exner received her certificate. She survived the war, but little is really known about her, although, if my memory is right, Junge did have some postwar contact with her.

Just a couple of things: Hitler had other cooks during his rule, with the last being von Exner's replacement, Constanze Manziarly, who was from Innsbruck. Also, while I'm not sure how much verification has been done on this, Hitler "supposedly" had a group of women, 15 is the number mentioned, all from near his military headquarters, who were used as food testers (Vorkosterinnen). Each day they sampled his food to be certain there had been no poison added. "Supposedly" only one survived the war, but the 14 others didn't die from poisoning, but "supposedly" from Russian execution near the end of the war.

* I've read variously that Hitler took up vegetarianism a year or so before he was appointed chancellor, or right after his appointment, or in the mid 1930s, or in the late 1930s. If my memory is correct, one article or book claimed he didn't become a vegetarian until during the early part of the war.

** There were other such cases, with the most famous being of Luftwaffe Field Marshal Erhard Milch, who was half Jewish, but he was given a special certificate by Hitler.

WORD HISTORY: 
Marrow-This word, for the inside part of bones, goes back to Indo European "mozgho," which meant, "inner matter." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "mazga," meaning, "marrow, pith." This gave Old English "mearg," with the same meaning. This then became "marowe," before the modern version. Forms in the other Germanic languages: German "Mark" (it once was spelled "marg"), Low German Saxon "marg" (no longer used), Dutch "merg," West Frisian "moarch," Danish "marv," Norwegian "marg," Icelandic "mergur," Swedish "märg."