Martin Bormann

Martin Ludwig Bormann (17 June 1900 – 2 May 1945) was a Nazi German politician and member of the Nazi Party. As Adolf Hitler's personal secretary, he was the second most powerful person in the Third Reich. He was also a member of Hitler's Cabinet.

 Early life 
Bormann was born in Wegeleben, a small town near Halberstadt, Germany, on 17 June 1900.

He was imprisoned in 1924 because he took part in a murder, but spent less than a year in jail. 

 Nazi career 
After he was released from prison, Bormann joined the Nazi Party. In 1937, he joined the Schutzstaffel (SS) and was ranked as SS-Gruppenfuhrer.

In May 1941, Bormann he became a Reichsminister. (This was after Rudolf Hess fled to Scotland.) 

In 1942, he became SS-Obergruppenfuhrer. After that, he became one of Hitler's closet advisors. 

In 1943, he became Hitler's private secretary, which made him the second most powerful person in the Third Reich. 

 Death and conviction 
Bormann was in the Führerbunker when Adolf Hitler killed himself there. Bormann tried to flee, but disappeared. 

An eyewitness reported seeing Bormann die on May 2, 1945. However, his body was not found until 1972. It was identified as Bormann's by DNA analysis.

At the Nuremberg Trials in 1946, Bormann was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia. (This means the conviction happened while Bormann was not there.)

 References 

 Other websites 




Category:1900 births
Category:1945 deaths
Category:German atheists
Category:German war criminals
Category:Government ministers of Nazi Germany
Category:Holocaust perpetrators
Category:Members of the Reichstag (Nazi Germany)
Category:Nazis who committed suicide
Category:Politicians from Saxony-Anhalt
Category:Politicians of the Nazi Party
Category:Politicians who committed suicide
Category:SS officers
Category:Suicides by poison
Category:Suicides in Germany