Hugo Jaeger may have been one of the few people who saw every aspect of Adolf Hitler's life, documenting the Fuhrer's movements exactly the way he perceived them.
Jaeger was one of Hitler's personal photographers and shot thousands of photos between 1936 and 1945, most of them in color. LIFE.com obtained the rare batch of images and collected them in a unique gallery.
As Der Spiegel notes, the majority of the millions of photos documenting World War II were in black and white. While the first mass-produced color film became available in in 1935 in the U.S. and a year later in Europe, most photographers only switched to color after the war years. Jaeger is a rare exception.
After the fall of Berlin, Jaeger hid his color slides in a leather case, afraid they would reveal his connection to the Nazis. Just as he feared, a group of U.S. soldiers stumbled upon the package while searching the house where the photographer was staying in Munich. However, as LIFE.com notes, the soldiers were uninterested in the pack of slides and instead took off with a bottle of brandy. Afraid of persecution, Jaeger buried the slides in metal jars, but decided to retrieve his treasure in 1955.
Jaeger was one of Hitler's personal photographers and shot thousands of photos between 1936 and 1945, most of them in color. LIFE.com obtained the rare batch of images and collected them in a unique gallery.
As Der Spiegel notes, the majority of the millions of photos documenting World War II were in black and white. While the first mass-produced color film became available in in 1935 in the U.S. and a year later in Europe, most photographers only switched to color after the war years. Jaeger is a rare exception.
After the fall of Berlin, Jaeger hid his color slides in a leather case, afraid they would reveal his connection to the Nazis. Just as he feared, a group of U.S. soldiers stumbled upon the package while searching the house where the photographer was staying in Munich. However, as LIFE.com notes, the soldiers were uninterested in the pack of slides and instead took off with a bottle of brandy. Afraid of persecution, Jaeger buried the slides in metal jars, but decided to retrieve his treasure in 1955.
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| Hitler receives the salute of the Columns in Adolf Hitler Platz during the Reichs Party Congress in Nuremburg Germany on Sep. 1, 1938. |
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| Hitler at the International Auto Exhibition in Berlin Germany on Feb. 17, 1939. |
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| Hitler in Wilhelmshaven for the launching of the battleship Tirpitz on Apr. 1, 1939. |
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| Julius Schaub, Hitler's personal aide, at Party reception; the Fuhrerbau on Feb. 25, 1939. |
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| German Fuhrer and Reichskanzler (essentially Chancellor) Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) speaks at the Burgerbraukeller in Munich, Germany, November 8 or 9, 1938. The speech was part of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi, NSDAP) rememberance of their attempted 1923 coup d'etat known as the Beer Hall Putsch. http://life.time.com/history/adolf-hitler-color-photos-by-the-nazi-leaders-personal-photographer/#1click link for more photos from Time Life |
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| From L to R) General Henri Giraud, the commandant in chief of the French Free forces based in the North Africa, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, General Charles de Gaulle, the chief of French Free forces and British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, pose in January 1943 during the Casablanca conference, also named the Anfa Conference, preparing the Normandy and Italy landing. The microphone in front of General de Gaulle was used by the allied leaders to talk with the press. (AFP/Getty Images |
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| General Charles de Gaulle, the future leader of the French Free Forces fighting Allied Axis forces, during his broadcast 18 June 1940 at the BBC radio headquarters in London. The call to his compatriots to oppose the German occupation of France was to become known as 'l'Appel du 18 juin'. (AFP/Getty Images) |
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| The historic conference at Casablanca with General Henri Honore Giraud, General Charles De Gaulle (1890 - 1970), American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1182 - 1945), and British Prime Minister Churchill (1874 - 1965). (Keystone/Getty Images) |
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| U.S. reinforcements wade through the surf from a landing craft in the days following D-Day and the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy in June 1944 during World War II. (AP Photo/Bert Brandt, File) |
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| In this photo provided by the Office of War Information, U.S. landing craft are beached on a Normandy shore to unload troops and supplies to back up Allied advance against the Nazis in France in 1944. (AP Photo/OWI/Richard Boyer) |
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| In this June 6, 1944 file picture, some of the first assault troops to hit the Normandy, France beachhead take cover behind enemy obstacles to fire on German forces as others follow the first tanks plunging through the water towards the German-held shore during World War II. (AP Photo) |
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| Operation Overlord Normandy, Troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division are landing at Juno Beach on the outskirts of Bernieres-sur-Mer on D-Day, 6th June 1944. 14,000 Canadian soldiers were put ashore and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. France. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images) |
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D-Day at the Ministry of Information - 6-June-1944
Pool photograph. (Photo by Planet News Archive/SSPL/Getty Images)
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| Operation Overlord Normandy, Troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division are landing at Juno Beach on the outskirts of Bernieres-sur-Mer on D-Day. 6th June 1944. 14,000 Canadian soldiers were put ashore and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. France. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images) |
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| Second-wave troops of 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, probably Highland Light Infantry of Canada, disembarking with bicycles from LCI(L)s (Landing Craft Infantry Large) onto 'Nan White' Beach, JUNO Area at Bernieres-sur-Mer, shortly before midday on 6 June 1944. (Photo by Canadian Official Photographer/ IWM via Getty Images) |
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Operation Overlord
The Royal Navy During The Second World War: Operation Overlord (The Normandy Landings), June 1944, A lorry disembarks from a landing ship on the Normandy beaches, 7 June 1944. (Photo by Lt. J A Hampton/ IWM via Getty Images)
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| Operation Overlord (The Normandy Landings): D-Day 6 June 1944, Beach casualties being helped to the sick-bay on board HMS FROBISHER. The cruiser had helped bombard the enemy coastal positions during the week before D-Day. (Photo by Lt. E E Allen/ IWM via Getty Images) |
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Juno Beach D-Day Landings
Troops from the 48th Royal Marines at Saint-Aubin-sur-mer on Juno Beach, Normandy, France, during the D-Day landings, 6th June 1944. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Operation Overlord Normandy
Operation Overlord Normandy, Soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division have set up an anti-aircraft Bofors 40 mm/L60 with the British-designed Stiffkey Sight. 6th June 1944. The emplacement is in Bernieres-sur-Mer near Juno Beach. German Luftwaffe war planes are still active in the area. 14,000 Canadian soldiers were put ashore and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. France. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)
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Operation Overlord Normandy
Operation Overlord Normandy, The Saskatchewan Regiment of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division is landing at Juno Beach on the outskirts of Bernieres-sur-Mer on D-Day. 6th June 1944. 14,000 Canadian soldiers were put ashore and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. France. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)
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| Operation Overlord Normandy, A Canadian soldier is directing traffic in Bernieres-sur-Mer. 6th June 1944. The Canadians landed at Juno Beach which is nearby. 14,000 Canadian soldiers were put ashore and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. France. (Photo by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images) |
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