Hitler’s Life Spared by British Soldier…..
September 28, 1918…..
According to World War I lore, British soldier Private Henry Tandey encounters a wounded German soldier and declines to shoot him. That wounded soldier was 29-year-old corporal and future NAZI leader Adolf Hitler. It was during the final moments of the Third Battle of Ypres and the Germans were retreating when a wounded Hitler entered Tandey’s line of fire. Tandey says he couldn’t shoot a wounded man, so he let him go. Hitler nodded and left. According to the story, a few months later, Hitler recognized Tandy from a photo in a newspaper article and later obtained a copy of a painting of Tandey carrying a wounded soldier. Years later in 1938 after Hitler had become Chancellor of Germany, Hitler showed British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain the painting of Tandey, telling Chamberlain, “That man came so near to killing me that I thought I should never see Germany again”. Tandey claimed he had let a wounded German soldier go during the battle and there’s evidence that Hitler had acquired a copy of the painting of Tandey. A painting of a decorated enemy soldier would be an odd acquisition for Hitler.
Historical evidence, however, seems to dispute the event. Hitler took his second leave from military service on September 10, 1918 for 18 days, which would mean that he was in Germany on the presumed date of the event.