Bizarre new book claims Hitler DIDN’T die in WW2 but fled to Paraguay and died there in 1973
Historian Abel Basti has made the astounding claims, but he's not the only one to have such a theory
THERE are certain historical figure who invite conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory, and Adolf Hitler is certainly one of them.
Author and historian Abel Basti has once again stirred up claims the evil dictator didn't die in a bunker alongside his wife of one day Eva Braun on April 30 1945.
Hitler died of a gunshot wound to the head while Braun was poisoned by a cyanide pill. They perished when it became clear the Allied forces had won World War Two and their bodies were burned outside the bunker then put in a shallow grave.
Some continue to dispute these facts though.
In his new , Basti suggests the dictator actually escaped from Germany and made his way to Argentina, before settling in Paraguay.
The historian alleges Hitler was helped by dictator Alfredo Stroessner, the President of Paraguay between 1954 to 1989, and eventually died on February 3 1971 - when he would have been 81.
This is a new version of his book and it's been published in Argentina.
Basti insists his story isn't as fanciful as it sounds.
He suggests Hitler and Braun could have escaped the bunker through a tunnel which took him directly to an airport, leaving someone else's body to be discovered.
The historian claims a helicopter would have been waiting for the dictator, which would have taken him to a plane bound for Spain. After that he would have transferred to the Canary Islands, before a submarine took him to Argentina.
"There was an agreement with the US that Hitler would run away and that he shouldn’t fall into the hands of the Soviet Union," he .
"This also applies to many scientists, the military and spies who later took part in the struggle against the Soviet regime."
It's claimed Hitler was in Argentina for a decade before he moved to Paraguay, which is where Basti thinks he died in 1971.
"Wealthy families who helped him over the years were responsible for the organisation of his funeral," he said.
"Hitler was buried in an underground bunker, which is now an elegant hotel in the city of Asuncion. In 1973, the entrance to the bunker was sealed and 40 people came to say goodbye to Hitler."
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The historian claims to have seen declassified FBI documents which back up his theory, and he claims Braun also ended up in South America.
This is far from the first time someone has claimed Hitler did not die in 1945.
A History Channel series called aired in 2015, and investigated the allegations.
It featured Bob Baer, who worked for the CIA for 21 years and was one of the highest ranking intelligence officers in the US.
It came not long after 700 FBI documents were declassified, many dating back to World War II.
As well as including alleged sightings of Hitler, they included details that the American government was apparently 'sceptical' about the official version of his death.
"American Army officials in Germany have not located Hitler's body nor is there any reliable source that will say definitely that Hitler is dead," a memo from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover read.
On top of this, it's claimed there was no DNA evidence of Hitler's death - something Baer said he found strange in the TV show.
Further clouding things is the skull fragment which was said to have been Hitler's.
For years it was displayed in Russia, as it was soldiers from the country who found the dictator dead.
However, found it actually belonged to a woman who was under 40.
"The bone seemed very thin; male bone tends to be more robust," Connecticut archaeologist and bone specialist Nick Bellantoni said.
"And the sutures where the skull plates come together seemed to correspond to someone under 40."
There has also long been connections drawn between Argentina and Nazi leaders.
Last year archaeologists claimed to have found what was once built for the Nazis, in case they ever needed to escape Europe. It was close to the borer with Paraguay.
Argentinian president Juan Peron is also known to have allowed Nazis into the country.
A further theory comes courtesy of Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias, who wrote a book called Hitler in Brazil - His Life and His death.
In it she makes the mind-blowing suggestion that Hitler not only escaped the bunker and made it to Brazil, he lived until he was 95 in 1984.
She claims he put down roots there after living in Argentina and Paraguay - and suggests he covered his identity by having a relationship with a black woman.
The conspiracy theories have long been rubbished by many historians, with Brazilian experts previously dismissing claims Hitler eventually died in Nossa Senhora do Livramento, Brazil.
"There's nothing new in people who claim to be historians coming up with the most far-reaching theories about Hitler supposedly living in south America and subsequently dying in one of the countries in this region," Candido Moreira Rodrigues, a history professor at Mato Grosso's Federal University in Brazil, explained.