Ten years earlier, Bormann had been personally responsible for supervising the renovation of the Berghof, the Führer’s beloved holiday home in Berchtesgaden, on a hilltop village in the Bavarian Alps. Hitler insisted the retreat should be totally private and had instructed Bormann to remove any neighbours who lived in the area. Nazi funds were used to purchase all the properties within a five-mile radius and those who refused to sell were shipped off to concentration camps. Two days after the work was completed, Hitler and Braun stayed at the new property for a weekend and the Führer complained that his view across the valley was ruined by a single farmhouse almost eight miles away. The following weekend, Bormann gave instructions for it to be razed to the ground. That episode was an early indicator to the Führer that his private secretary was totally ruthless when it came to carrying out his orders and was therefore an invaluable asset. An attack dog with unquestionable loyalty.

In January 1945, Bormann sent off detailed plans to the team of Argentine architects in charge of the new construction. Like its owners, the residence would conceal a secret of its own. The exterior resembled a traditional local farmhouse, so as not to stand out, but the interior included a few special furnishings and artworks that Bormann had shipped over from Hitler’s beloved Berghof retreat.

The Cadillac pulled up outside the house where four heavily armed men were waiting to create a guard of honour for the Führer. A large name sign, El Blondi, hung directly above two wooden entrance gates at the front of the property. Braun was the first to react to it.

“Martin, you’ve given it the perfect name. It’s a permanent memorial to the Führer’s soulmate.”

Bormann had chosen the name as he knew Hitler had loved his pet Alsatian far more than any human in his life. Bormann had surprised him with the puppy as a birthday present back in 1941 and the pair had become inseparable. Towards the end of the war, Blondi even moved into the bunker and slept in Hitler’s bedroom. The day before the three of them fled Berlin, he gave instructions for his beloved pet to be given a cyanide capsule, rather than fall into the hands of Russian soldiers.

Bormann led them inside and, for the next couple of hours, they inspected their new residence. It had been specifically designed with three distinct living areas, as Bormann knew Hitler and Braun had never actually lived together. Even in the confines of the bunker, the Führer had insisted they have separate rooms and they never shared a bed. Despite the fact she was now Hitler’s wife, Bormann knew the Führer would continue to treat her as a mistress.