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American administration of Berlin, the corpses would probably have had to be burned in a closed crematory to achieve the condition of almost total disintegration in which they were found.* In The Murder of Adolf Hitler, forensic scientist Hugh Thomas provides support for this conclusion. Thomas points out that "the damage described on the skull [in the Soviet autopsy report, parts of which were not published until 1968] could have been produced only in temperatures over 1000°C—far greater than any that could have “37 been produced in the open garden of the Reichskanzelei" American administration of Berlin, the corpses would probably have — deception which remains unravelled even today. As far as it can had to be burned in a closed crematory to achieve the condition of _ be reconstructed from extant sources, the investigation proceeded almost total disintegration in which they were found.* In The along the following lines. Murder of Adolf Hitler, forensic scientist Hugh Thomas provides On 9 May, a Soviet military officer, a female intelligence support for this conclusion. Thomas points out that "the damage _ officer and a male translator went looking for Hitler's dentist, SS described on the skull [in the Soviet autopsy report, parts of which General Professor Dr Johann Hugo Blaschke, at his surgery at were not published until 1968] could have been produced only in Kurfuerstendamm 213. When they arrived, they found that Prof. temperatures over 1000°C—far greater than any that could have Blaschke was not there and that his practice had been taken over been produced in the open garden of the Reichskanzelei".” by Dr Fedor Bruck, a Jewish dentist who, in order to evade deportation to the east, had spent two and a half years living Creative dentistry underground in Berlin. According to a record Dr Bruck made in On 8 May 1945, the Soviets set out to identify the corpses they 1948, some of Prof. Blaschke's files were still present at the time. suspected to be those of Adolf and Eva Hitler. That day, two But while the visitors were able to take away records for Russians—chief forensic pathologist Himmler, Dr Ley, Goering and Dr Dr Faust Sherovsky and anatomical Goebbels, all of Hitler's had already pathologist Major Anna Marantz— been removed.*' However, the search autopsied the remains at SMERSH .the corpses would probably was not a complete failure, for Dr headguartes inthe Berin suburbor | __RaVe had to be burned in a they could find Prof, Blaschke's Buch. According to their report: closed crematory to achieve assistant, Kaethe Heusemann, and his "The most important anatomical AT dental technician, Fritz Echtmann. finding for identification of the person the condition of almost Or Bruck accompanied the officers are the teeth, with much bridgework, total disintegration in which to Heusemann's apartment a short artificial teeth, crowns and fillings."* distance away in the Pariserstrasse. Indeed, in the pre-DNA-testing era, they were found. Heusemann was then taken to the the only means of obtaining a secure identification of a heavily damaged search for Hitler's dental records was corpse was by examining the teeth and conducted. The next day, 10 May, comparing them with available dental records. she was taken to SMERSH headquarters and ordered to examine Unfortunately, no documents are available that describe the the remains there. By this stage, the jawbones had been removed teeth of the two corpses as they were found on 5 May. The from the alleged Hitler corpse, for Heusemann was shown them in earliest information we have concerning their teeth derives from a cigar box. This would presumably have been done in order to the autopsy report, which was written three days later. If the make them easier to study; however, this raises the problem of the report can be believed, the mouth of the presumptive Hitler corpse chain of evidence, for we have no means of knowing whether the was completely intact: "There are many small cracks in...the jawbones Heusemann was shown really came from the corpse upper jawbones. The tongue is charred, its tip firmly locked autopsied on 8 May. between the teeth of the upper and lower jaws."* The problem Nonetheless, Heusemann affirmed that the teeth were Hitler's.” was therefore locating Hitler's dental charts.*” The Soviets’ A few days later, she told Dr Bruck that she had been able to attempt to find them led them into a mire of intrigue and identify them immediately. A year later, Dr Bruck told a foreign reporter that Heusemann had recognised "..an upper crown which was an anchor for a bridge on Hitler's upper jaw. The bridge had been cut because the other anchor had been extracted. The operation left surgical traces which Frau Heusermann [sic] recognized at once." According to the record of her 19 May interrogation, Heusemann recognised drill marks left behind by Prof. Blaschke in the autumn of 1944 on the fourth tooth in Hitler's left upper jaw when he had extracted two adjacent teeth.** "I was holding a mirror in the mouth and watching the whole procedure with great attention," she declared.* But before we discuss Heusemann's evidence concerning Hitler's teeth, a digression is needed in order to evaluate her evidence in regard to the teeth of the alleged corpse of Eva Hitler. As we shall see, her ar . . evidence is rather problematic and casts Photo taken on 6 July 1945 of the ditch in which the Soviets had allegedly found —.ome doubt on her additional claims to have the corpses of Adolf and Eva Hitler. (Source: Corbis Picture Library) Reich Chancellery, where a fruitless worked on Eva's teeth. ..the corpses would probably have had to be burned in a closed crematory to achieve the condition of almost _ Photo taken on 6 July 1945 of the ditch in which the Soviets had allegedly found the corpses of Adolf and Eva Hitler. (Source: Corbis Picture Library) 40 = NEXUS total disintegration in which they were found. www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2007 — JANUARY 2008