A memoir by a soldier who served with Adolf Hitler in the First World War sheds light on how Hitler held his extreme views even as a younger man. Above: A photograph of Hitler that was taken during the four-year conflict
A soldier who fought in the trenches with Adolf Hitler was given a chilling warning of the horrors he would later inflict on millions of people.
Hans Mend served with the future Nazi dictator throughout the First World War and, in 1931, penned a memoir in German about his experiences.
Now, I served with Hitler in the Trenches is being released for the first time in English in February by history publishers Pen & Sword.
It reveals how Hitler alienated some of his comrades by airing his far-right opinions during fierce debates between the soldiers whilst they served in France and Belgium.
In one exchange that foretold what was to come, he ranted that, if he were in power, he would 'free the Germanic race of the Jewish parasites'.
In another, the fierce conversation – again about Jews - nearly resulted in a fight breaking out.
After the war, Hitler rose to become dictator of Nazi Germany and his twisted ideology of racial hierarchy resulted in the Holocaust, in which an estimated six million Jewish people were systematically murdered in a network of death camps.
Hitler and Mend served together in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment - which was also known as the List Regiment after its commander Colonel List - in France and Belgium.
Both men were dispatch runners, meaning they performed the dangerous role of carrying messages between units on the German front.
As part of the List Regiment, Hitler – who reached the rank of corporal - and Mend fought in major skirmishes including the First Battle of Ypres in 1914 and the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
Because he was Austrian, Hitler had needed special permission to serve in the German unit.
In the Battle of the Somme, Hitler was wounded in his left thigh when a shell exploded near the entrance to the dugout used by dispatch runners.
He was sent for nearly two months to recover in hospital and then demanded to be sent back to the Front. After his return, he was temporarily blinded in a mustard gas attack.
Hitler was decorated with both the relatively common Iron Cross Second Class and the more prestigious Iron Cross First Class, which was rarely given to a corporal.
The latter award came after Hitler stumbled into a French trench while delivering a message.
This image, taken in northern France shows Hitler (front, far left) with fellow members of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. At least one of the men (back, second from left) appears to be injured
The future Nazi leader pointed his rifle at the French soldiers inside and ordered them to surrender before delivering them as prisoners to his commanding officer.
But Mend's recollections are filled with mention of Hitler's hateful obsession with Jews.
He recalled how, during the Christmas period in 1914, he heard Hitler engaged in a 'verbal battle' with a fellow soldier which led
