Secret recording: the only known sample of Hitler's calm voice
In 1942, the only known audio recording of Adolf Hitler speaking in an ordinary voice was secretly made in Finland. It was captured during his visit to Mannerheim.
In historical newsreels and propaganda films, Adolf Hitler almost always appears shrieking hysterically. Yet one audio recording has survived in which the Nazi leader speaks in an ordinary, everyday voice. The recording was secretly made in Finland in 1942.
After the Winter War, Finland was forced to cede part of its territory to the Soviet Union. Helsinki believed that a new Soviet attack was only a matter of time. Western powers could not offer real security guarantees, while Germany had become the dominant military force in Europe after France's defeat. As a result, Finland gradually began to move closer to the Nazi state.
When Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Finland joined the war on its side a few days later. Finland hoped to recover lost territories and strengthen its own security. This made Finland effectively Germany's ally.
On 4 June 1942, Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Army General Carl Gustaf Mannerheim celebrated his 75th birthday. Adolf Hitler unexpectedly arrived in Finland to congratulate him. It was Hitler's only visit outside Germany and its occupied territories during the Second World War.
Mannerheim did not want to receive Hitler at his headquarters. Because recording what was said was not permitted, the audio was captured in secret. To this day, this is the only known recording in which Hitler speaks without his usual propaganda voice.
