Hitler 'had some sort of orgasm' in cinema watching film of French soldiers being killed

Adolf Hitler was a "lurid pervert" whose desire to commit mass killings was spurned by his sexual desire, a new book has claimed.

The shocking claims form part of a book released in Germany entitled Hitler 1 and Hitler 2. The Sexual No-Man's Land by psychologist Volker Elis Pilgrim. In the book, Pilgrim describes the Nazi leader as a "sexually confused serial killer" whose fantasies were driven by his "lust for killing".

The book alleges that Hitler gained his sexual gratification from killing because of his abstention from physical sexual relationships. Hitler described how he had "overcome the urge to possess a woman physically", and called the German nation his "true bride".

The book also recounts a story told by German actress Marianna Hopper, who described how Hitler committed a sexual act whilst the pair watched a film showing Austrians killing French soldiers.

Hopper and Hitler were watching The Rebel in the Berlin Reich Chancellery, which includes a scene showing French sliders being crushed by boulders pushed by Austrians.

In the book, Hopper says: "And there, I believe, Hitler got some kind of thrill and rubbed his knees at this event, as the stones rolled down on the French, and groaned. I don't know if he was crazy, but he got some kind of orgasm.

"I wanted to leave during the show. The man was creepy."

According to Pilgrim, during his research he developed the "initial suspicion" that there was a connection between sexuality and violence in Hitler and "even more precisely, that it gave him the desire to force men into killing".

Pilgrim added: "However, since the 'lust for killing' is the decisive feature of serial killers, the question inevitably arises: Was Hitler a serial killer who was murdered for the purpose of his gratification?'

"The speciality of serial killing...is the slow, sophisticated, extremely cruel taking of life. That is exactly what Hitler practised-only with the aid of his helpers."

The title of the book, which will be released in four volumes and spans over 900 pages, stems from the argument that there was two sides to the führer. One side was fairly innocent prior to 1918, and the other in which military psychiatrists "ignited Hitler's previously displaced serial killer potential by accident" while treating him when he was wounded by gas.

The next volume of the book will describe the doctors' treatment of Hitler.