Hitler’s Blood Sample Offered for Research
A fascinating relic from the pathetic last moments of Adolf Hitler’s life has recently been acquired by the Gettysburg Museum of History and is being made available for study and DNA testing.
GETTYSBURG, PA (PRWEB) APRIL 30, 2014
The announcement was made by Erik L. Dorr, Curator of The Gettysburg Museum of History, on the 69th Anniversary of the Hitler’s death. The artifact is a piece of fabric from the couch that Hitler was sitting on in his Führerbunker when he committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot on April 30, 1945. The fabric is stained with the blood of Adolf Hitler. Dorr explained the rarity of the relic, “as far as we know, this is the only piece of its kind that has blood on it and the only documented source outside of Russian archives.” While samples exist in archival collections in Russia, access to researchers for testing has been strictly limited. The Museum is offering access of the newly acquired artifact for potential testing and historical research. “We would like to offer our sample for testing and study to interested parties, including a possible television documentary,” said Dorr.
The piece of the couch was taken by United States Army Colonel Roswell P. Rosengren, who served during most of the Second World War as Public Information Officer for General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. A few days after Hitler’s suicide, Rosengren and a few fellow American officers were let into the infamous bunker by the Soviet forces, which controlled that portion of Berlin. Rosengren used the opportunity to take a section of the couch, along with a few other items from the bunker.
This year, the Gettysburg Museum of History, a privately owned museum that specializes in United States military and political history, launched a brand new exhibit that focuses on the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944, more commonly known as D-Day. “When the opportunity came to acquire the artifact for the museum collection we welcomed the chance and knew it would make a great addition,” said Dorr, who continued by saying that, “I feel the Hitler blood artifact is a fitting symbol and a testament to the final days of World War Two in Europe, and the end to the suffering that Hitler inflicted on the world.”
“When I heard about the possible existence of this item a few years ago, I made every effort possible to locate it, verify it, and bring it to the Museum in Gettysburg,” said Dorr. In Dorr’s words, blood relics are a “very moving thing to see” for visitors to the Gettysburg Museum of History. They are a “grizzly and tangible connection” to many of the most infamous moments in history. The museum collection includes blood relics from Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and John F. Kennedy.
The newly acquired Hitler blood relic is currently on display at the Gettysburg Museum of History, along with an original X-ray of Hitler’s skull from the same collection. The X-ray shows the extensive dental work that Hitler had done during his life, which was also used to identify Hitler’s body by the Soviet forces. Dorr closed by saying “We hope something can be learned from these artifacts. We welcome any and all proper educational study of these incredible items. We are being careful not to present these items in an improper way. We make it clear that it is not a shrine to Hitler, but a symbol to the ultimate defeat of the evil that Hitler and his supporters espoused.”
About the Gettysburg Museum and Curator, Erik L. Dorr
The Gettysburg Museum of History is a privately owned museum displaying the collections of Curator, Erik L. Dorr. Dorr has been described as a modern day “Indiana Jones” who aggressively hunts down some of the world’s most iconic and fascinating historic objects and “rescues” them from private collections and exhibits them free of charge in his Gettysburg Museum. “Some people call me a ‘treasure hunter,’ because I do sell some artifacts to fund the new acquisitions for the museum, but my motivation is not money, it’s preserving history,” said Dorr. Dorr has made numerous appearances on popular television programs, such as American Pickers and Pawn Stars. “Because of shows like these my job is now considered television worthy,” Dorr laughingly said. “These shows help to make history and collecting, what was once considered ‘nerdy,’ now seem ‘cool’ and interesting,” said Dorr.
