| Hitler and his comrade soldiers in Fournes en Weppes, May 1916. Meldegänger (“Messenger”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was assigned to the 1st Company of Bayerisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment.16 and was transferred to Regimental Headquarters as a runner. Other members of this regiment included Meldegänger Hans Mend (March 16, 1888 – February 13, 1942) and Feldwebel Max Amann (November 24, 1891 – March 30, 1957). Meldegänger Balthasar Brandmayer (September 15, 1892 – January 23, 1960), front, from Bad Aibling, was a bricklayer before World War I. Brandmayer wrote a book about his experiences with Hitler in 1932. He joined the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP – “National Socialist German Workers’ Party”) Member Number 916444, in 1932. Brandmayer was given 5,000 Reichsmarks by Hitler in 1937. He returned to bricklaying after 1945. Left to right seated: Johann Franz Wimmer (December 2, 1885 – ????), was a streetcar operator before the war. Celebrated Christmas 1915 in Munich with Hitler. Little information appears to be known about him. Meldegänger Josef Inkofer (1891-1931) met Hitler in October 1914 when they were both in the 1st Company of Bayerisches Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment.16 and were transferred to the regimental staff as messengers on January 2, 1915, where he remained with Hitler until August 28, 1918. After the war, Inkofer worked as a waiter and joined the German Workers’ Party (DAP). He and Hitler socialized in Munich in the 1920s. He died in Munich aged 40. Meldegänger Karl Lanzhammer (1896 – March 15, 1918) joined the Heer as a volunteer; transferred to the regimental staff as a messenger. Lanzhammer met Hitler in September 1914.Lanzhammer watched Foxl while Hitler convalesced in later 1916. Bicycle courier in December 1916. Hitler wrote him on December 19, 1916, about wanting to return to the front. In September 1917, Lanzhammer was assigned to the flight school in Schleissheim, where he was fatally injured during a training flight over Feldmoching. Lanzhammer was buried in his hometown of Dingolfing. The white English Terrier “Foxl,” Hitler’s treasured dog. disappeared on a train in September 1917. Hitler later claimed a train conductor offered him 200 Reichsmarks for the dog, and then Foxl was gone. His regiment had to move on and Hitler couldn’t look for him. 25 years later, Hitler was still angry and complaining about Foxl’s disappearance, calling the train conductor “swine.” Adolf Hitler; On November 1, 1914, he was promoted to Private and on December 2, 1914, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. A shell exploded on October 2, 1916, wounding Schmidt and Hitler. Hitler spent 2 months in Beelitz Hospital, and wrote to Amann to see if he could use his influence to be reassigned to his regiment, his “elective family.” On August 4, 1917, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class upon the recommendation of Hugo Gutmann (November 19, 1880 – June 22, 1962), a Jew, for stringing communications wire under fire. After Hitler was gassed in October 1918, he returned to Munich. Left to right standing: Johann Sperl (1881 – 1962), a lithographer before the war, joined the Regiment on May 22, 1915. He later claimed that Hitler ran messages for him, since he had 5 children. He was demobilized in November 12, 1918. He joined the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in 1933. Hitler got him a job at the Munich State Surveying Office when he was unemployed. He was an unskilled laborer after the war. Meldegänger Max Mund (1893 – 1952), a gilder before the war, joined the Regiment on May 20, 1915. He was gassed on October 5, 1916, and sent to the Gera Reserve Hospital, where he convalesced until November 18, 1916. Due to his poor health, he was subsequently discharged from military service on July 16, 1917. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0817.jpg |
| Image Size | 611.69 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2048 x 1515 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 1, 2016 |
| Location | |
| City | Fournes en Weppes |
| State or Province | Hauts-de-France |
| Country | France |
| Archive | Bundesarchiv |
| Record Number | 146-1974-082-44 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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