The women who tasted Hitler's meals lived under constant fear that each meal could be their last. Given the extensive list of enemies eager to poison Hitler, the Nazi dictator was perpetually anxious. Spies among his enemies could easily lace his meals with poison. Should such an endeavor succeed, the lives of the tasters would be at risk.
In 2013, 95-year-old Margot Wölk, a resident of Berlin, broke decades of silence to reveal her chilling experience. Along with 14 other women, she was assigned the task of tasting Hitler's food to ensure its safety. Given Hitler's vegetarianism, Wölk and her associates reportedly savored meals comprising asparagus and bell peppers served with rice or pasta. According to a Daily Mail report, Wölk passed away in 2014 after recounting her tale in an interview.
Hitler's Vegetarian Diet
Wölk claimed she served as a taste tester at the highly secure Wolf's Lair, Hitler's command center in present-day Poland, for two and a half years. Their meals were delectable, featuring the finest vegetables, asparagus, bell peppers, and always accompanied by rice or pasta.
Fear Lurking in Taste
Even though the meals were delicious, fear was a constant companion. Wölk explained that the notorious rumors of assassination attempts on Hitler never allowed them true enjoyment of their meals. Anxiety loomed over every dining experience, fueling the fear that each meal might be their last. Her involvement with Hitler continued until she fled Berlin during the Allied air raids.
Husband Served in the German Army
Her husband served in the German army, prompting Wölk to live with relatives in what was then Rastembork, Germany. She recounted being drafted into the civil service and assigned as a food tester and kitchen manager within the Wolf's Lair complex.
Hitler Never Seen in Person
Wölk asserted she never directly encountered Hitler, only his German Shepherd, Blondi, and interacted with his SS guards. Hitler’s paranoia about safety, exacerbated by multiple assassination attempts, fueled these precautions.
A Close Call with Death
Wölk detailed an assassination attempt on Hitler that nearly succeeded, now known as the July 20 plot or Operation Valkyrie. Led by German officer Claus von Stauffenberg, the conspirators tried to assassinate Hitler using a bomb hidden in a briefcase. By a stroke of fate, the dictator survived with minor injuries.
Amid Explosions, Hope and Despair
Reflecting on that explosion, Wölk recalled the resounding blast while they sat on wooden benches, knocking them to the ground, with someone shouting that Hitler was dead. Yet, he had survived. Following the assassination attempt, Wölk claimed the Nazis instructed her to leave her relatives' home, relocating her to an abandoned school near the complex.
Fleeing Soviet Forces
As Soviet forces bore down, worsening Germany's war situation, a friend advised Wölk to depart the Wolf’s Lair. She recalled returning to Berlin via train and going into hiding. Meanwhile, her fellow food tasters chose to remain in Rastembork, cherishing close-knit ties to their families and homes.
A Grim End for Fellow Tasters
Reportedly, the remaining 14 women did not escape tragedy, as Wölk later discovered that the Russians executed them. Soviet records of interrogations with Hitler's close aides Heinz Linge and Otto Günsche revealed that as paranoia escalated, the dictator insisted even on testing the water for poison, used for his toilets and boiling his eggs.
A Tragic Assault
After Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945, in Berlin and the fall of the city to Soviet hands, Wölk alleged that Russian soldiers repeatedly assaulted her. Taken from Berlin, she endured an ordeal in a doctor's apartment for a consecutive 14 days, which left her unable to have children. Reunited with her presumed-dead husband in 1946, they stayed together until his death in 1990.
Wölk spent her final years in her German flat. Her poignant narrative garnered attention in German media before resonating internationally. Historians documented how Hitler’s meals at the Wolf’s Lair regularly included beans, with alcohol being strictly excluded.
