Hitler's Table Talk

334 JOKES AGAINST HITLER
Praetorius—Austria had given us the young Roller. Why
didn't Schirach warn me? I saw his Friedenstag. What a lovely
thing!
The young Roller was a brave man. Before the Anschluss he
would have had to leave Austria. I'm convinced he went out as
a volunteer.
I could have sent him anywhere at all, for personal reasons, if
he hadn't insisted on staying in Vienna.
159 Night of 24th-25th February 1942
An exemplary officer—A group of merry fellows.
The death of Under-Secretary of State Hofmann has deeply
grieved me.
In 1919 I harangued his battalion at Passau. What a marvellous
lot of men we had there ! Blazing patriots. To start
with, Hofmann trusted me—and yet at that time I stood for so
little. Hofmann was already convinced that it was I who would
save Germany.
At the time of the Kapp -putsch, Hofmann sent a telegram:
"Putting myself under Kapp's orders. What's regiment
doing?" There were a lot of officers of that sort in Bavaria.
Seeckt got rid of them all. The only ones who were kept were
those who never wavered.
I know three people who, when they're together, never stop
laughing. They're Hoffmann (Hitler'sfriend and "photographer"),
Amann and Göbbels. When Epp joins them, the whole thing
becomes a madhouse. As a matter of fact, Epp is not particularly
quick. When the others are laughing at the third joke,
Epp is beginning to catch on to the first, and starts to let
out a huge laugh, which goes on and on.
Amann, what a jolly chap he is ! Already when we were at
the front, he used to let joy loose amongst us. In my unit, even
at the worst times there was always someone who could find
something to say that would make us laugh.
I'm very fond of Hoffmann. He's a man who always makes
fun of me. He's a "dead-pan" humorist, and he never fails to
find a victim.