Berlin - Adolf Hitler may be one of the greatest villains of the last century, but for Austrian-born Mr Johann Schmidt, he remains "Uncle Adolf", writes Derek Scally.
When Mr Schmidt was born in 1925 in the southern Austrian village of Spital, Hitler had already published his manifesto Mein Kampf. When he turned 13 in 1938, "Uncle Adolf" marched into Austria.
Mr Schmidt says in the Der Spiegel magazine how
his father Johann was a cousin of the dictator, making him a "second-nephew".
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Mr Schmidt maintains he never came face to face with Hitler, though he once received a gift from him, a Hitler Youth uniform presented to him by Hitler's sister Paula.