--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the years before the war, whenever…" description: "\"In the years before the war, whenever [Adolf] Hitler would be holed up in Bayreuth, Eva [Braun], myself and our mother often went to Italy for a week.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg" --- # In the years before the war, whenever \[Adolf\] Hitler would… ![“In the years before the war, whenever [Adolf] Hitler would be holed up in Bayreuth, Eva [Braun], myself and our mother often went to Italy for a week.” quote by Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg) > “In the years before the war, whenever \[Adolf\] Hitler would be holed up in Bayreuth, Eva \[Braun\], myself and our mother often went to Italy for a week.” [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalls personal trips to Italy during Hitler’s early rise, showing ordinary life continued amidst political turmoil. **In simple terms:** Family trips continued despite political tension. Key Takeaway Remember personal histories beyond politics. Themes family history politics normalcy Mood reflective historical Type memoir personal When to use this quote - Travel diaries - historical research - family storytelling Key Concepts Memory personal narrative historical context Questions to Reflect On - How did daily life persist under looming threat? - What does this reveal about personal agency? A Different Perspective Risk of normalizing oppressive regimes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adolf-hitler/) [Braun Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braun-mother-3146603/) [Eva Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eva-braun-402442/) [Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler/) [Hitler Holed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler-holed-3146604/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ The negatives about \[Adolf\] Hitler were that he was away a lot and couldn't behave towards Eva \[Braun\] as he should. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/the-negatives-about-adolf-hitler-were-that-he-was-away-a-lot-and/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Adolf Hitler\] had stubborn ideas about clothes and didn't care how he looked and this drove \[Eva Braun\] up the wall. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/adolf-hitler-had-stubborn-ideas-about-clothes-and-didn-t-care-how-he/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ The negatives were \[Adolf Hitler\] political philosophies, but neither Eva \[Braun\] or I knew anything that was going on. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/the-negatives-were-adolf-hitler-political-philosophies-but-neither/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ Eva \[Braun\] wanted him \[Adolf Hitler\] to look his absolute best and he just didn't care. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-wanted-him-adolf-hitler-to-look-his-absolute-best-and-he/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ Whatever anybody wants to say about my sister, \[Eva Braun\] was always beautifully dressed with a great flair for fashion. \[Adolf\] Hitler was not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/whatever-anybody-wants-to-say-about-my-sister-eva-braun-was-always/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ Sometimes \[Eva Braun\] would go back to his apartment to "make up." At the Berghof, these arguments didn't last as long, \[Adolf Hitler\] would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/sometimes-eva-braun-would-go-back-to-his-apartment-to-make-up-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Adolf\] Hitler didn't discuss politics or military with Eva \[Braun\]. Not once. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/adolf-hitler-didn-t-discuss-politics-or-military-with-eva-braun-not/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ Eva \[Braun\] and I were never involved in the financial aspects of where \[Adolf\] Hitler put her up. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-and-i-were-never-involved-in-the-financial-aspects-of-where/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [“In spite of photographs taken in beer halls or nightclubs showing her cuddling up to some strapping, smirking youth, it seems that the romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-lambert/in-spite-of-photographs-taken-in-beer-halls-or-nightclubs-showing-her/) [Angela Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-lambert/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] also stayed with \[Adolf Hitler\] at the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, the Hotel Dreesen in Bad Godesberg and a few other places.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-also-stayed-with-adolf-hitler-at-the-hotel-imperial-in/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] would much rather have been at \[Adolf \] Hitler's side. All those excursions were to fill up her time while waiting for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-would-much-rather-have-been-at-adolf-hitler-s-side-all/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ I knew when they \[with Adolf Hitler\] had been fighting because Eva \[Braun\] always reacted the same way. She would lock herself in her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/i-knew-when-they-with-adolf-hitler-had-been-fighting-because-eva/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] was the one who was involved with \[Adolf Hitler\], who was close to him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-was-the-one-who-was-involved-with-adolf-hitler-who-was/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] was careful, she was always careful about what she divulged to me or to anyone about \[Adolf\] Hitler. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-was-careful-she-was-always-careful-about-what-she-divulged/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] went to the Nurnberg party rallies starting in 1935. She was there twice and stayed at the Hotel Deutscher Hof, the hotel… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-went-to-the-nurnberg-party-rallies-starting-in-1935-she-was/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) ## More by Gretl Braun > [ Eva \[Braun\] loved \[Adolf\] Hitler and he was the only man in her life. She flirted and danced with other men but never would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-loved-adolf-hitler-and-he-was-the-only-man-in-her-life-she/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] was the one who was involved with \[Adolf Hitler\], who was close to him. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-was-the-one-who-was-involved-with-adolf-hitler-who-was/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Wilhelm\] Bruckner was one of \[Adolf\] Hitler's adjutants, very close to him and he'd been in the party probably since day one. Personally neither… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/wilhelm-bruckner-was-one-of-adolf-hitler-s-adjutants-very-close-to/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's \[Braun\] choice in a man and the fact \[Adolf\] Hitler had set her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit-he-detested-eva-s-braun/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ For instance, \[Adolf Hitler\] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ If \[Eva Braun\] was crying upstairs, it wouldn't be long before \[Adolf\] Hitler would quietly excuse himself and then make things right. What he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/if-eva-braun-was-crying-upstairs-it-wouldn-t-be-long-before-adolf/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ More or less constantly \[he tease he\]. \[Adolf Hitler\] would tell her, "Oh Evi, you're getting so fat I can't dare be seen with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/more-or-less-constantly-he-tease-he-adolf-hitler-would-tell-her-oh/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [At the Berghof, it was almost like a family atmosphere there. We all ate meals together, watched films together before the war, listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/at-the-berghof-it-was-almost-like-a-family-atmosphere-there-we-all/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] was careful, she was always careful about what she divulged to me or to anyone about \[Adolf\] Hitler. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-was-careful-she-was-always-careful-about-what-she-divulged/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ What \[Adolf Hitler\] felt deep inside he wasn't going to show to outsiders. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/what-adolf-hitler-felt-deep-inside-he-wasn-t-going-to-show-to/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ Hitler was flirting and courting Eva \[Braun\] I would say, but he was not serious about her yet. That took awhile to develop. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/hitler-was-flirting-and-courting-eva-braun-i-would-say-but-he-was-not/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] loved \[Adolf Hitler\]. She would have done that had she been able to spend 10 minutes with him. She endured a lot… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-loved-adolf-hitler-she-would-have-done-that-had-she-been/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ After \[Adolf\] Hitler took power, Hoffmann moved to a grander place on the Ebersbergerstrasse. I never saw the first house, I was never there.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/after-adolf-hitler-took-power-hoffmann-moved-to-a-grander-place-on/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ When \[Adolf\] Hitler was in Munich, their place \[with Eva Braun\] to meet was always his apartment. Before that, it was at Hoffmann's place.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/when-adolf-hitler-was-in-munich-their-place-with-eva-braun-to-meet/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] always called him der Führer to us. It was ridiculous, but she never changed that. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-always-called-him-der-f-hrer-to-us-it-was-ridiculous-but/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) [Explore all 72 Gretl Braun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) ## More Hitler quotes > [ \[Hitler thought\] that Mussolini was no figure of world history, like der Fuehrer or Stalin. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/hitler-thought-that-mussolini-was-no-figure-of-world-history-like-der/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [“I look at my mother, connected by a breath of glimmering hope, her red and shadowed eyes reveal that some element of our whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-look-at-my-mother-connected-by-a-breath-of-glimmering-hope-her-red/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/anyone-who-makes-the-life-of-jewish-people-difficult-or-grievous-as/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [ Eva \[Braun\] loved \[Adolf\] Hitler and he was the only man in her life. She flirted and danced with other men but never would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-loved-adolf-hitler-and-he-was-the-only-man-in-her-life-she/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [I'm not really a practising Jew but I keep a kosher kitchen just to spite Hitler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-m-not-really-a-practising-jew-but-i-keep-a-kosher-kitchen-just-to/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) > [ \[Wilhelm\] Bruckner was one of \[Adolf\] Hitler's adjutants, very close to him and he'd been in the party probably since day one. Personally neither… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/wilhelm-bruckner-was-one-of-adolf-hitler-s-adjutants-very-close-to/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [“Hitler made only one big mistake when he built his Atlantic Wall,” the paratroopers liked to say. “He forgot to put a roof on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/hitler-made-only-one-big-mistake-when-he-built-his-atlantic-wall-the/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [ My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's \[Braun\] choice in a man and the fact \[Adolf\] Hitler had set her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit-he-detested-eva-s-braun/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/superman-punched-out-hitler-so-did-captain-america-that-s-one-of-the/) [Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/) > [“I remember seeing one elderly man look at us, and he held his hand out, and most frightening were his eyes, dark as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-remember-seeing-one-elderly-man-look-at-us-and-he-held-his-hand-out/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [To understand Hitler's power as a speaker, we must consider that he was not just the bellowing tavern demagogue we always picture, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/volker-ullrich/to-understand-hitler-s-power-as-a-speaker-we-must-consider-that-he/) [Volker Ullrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/volker-ullrich/) > [ For instance, \[Adolf Hitler\] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/his-cold-eyes-stared-at-me-at-last-he-said-wearily-i-have-more-faith/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Most people are dead. Hitler. Ray Charles. Some other guys. But mostly those two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-are-dead-hitler-ray-charles-some-other-guys-but-mostly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hitler was no inexorable product of a German 'special path', no logical culmination of long-term trends in specifically German culture and ideology. Nor was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kershaw/hitler-was-no-inexorable-product-of-a-german-special-path-no-logical/) [Ian Kershaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kershaw/) [Browse all 688 Hitler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitler/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the years before the war, whenever [Adolf] Hitler would be holed up in Bayreuth, Eva [Braun], myself and our mother often went to Italy for a week.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gretl Braun" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-adolf-hitler-would-be-holed-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hitler" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-adolf-hitler-would-be-holed-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/902/gretl-braun-9500_mother_in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-ado_1948288.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the years before the war, whenever [Adolf] Hitler would be holed up in Bayreuth, Eva [Braun], myself and…” — Gretl Braun", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gretl Braun", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the years before the war,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-adolf-hitler-would-be-holed-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/in-the-years-before-the-war-whenever-adolf-hitler-would-be-holed-up/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```