“Secrets of the Fuhrer’s Family: What Hitler’s Relatives Were Really Doing During WWII”
Earlier, I mentioned how their son William Patrick was born in 1911, and how Alois Jr left England in 1913. What I did not mention was that in between those two dates, much like his father before him, Alois Jr often took to the bottle, subjecting both his wife and son to frequent beatings.
They must have been relieved when he moved to Germany, where he would remain stuck after the start of WWI. As mentioned, he remarried with Hedwig and fathered Heinz. But on account of the whole already being married thing, he had to stand charges of bigamy in 1924. This charge carried a sentence of six months in prison, but it appears that it was revoked or suspended.
At the end of 1927 Alois Jr joined the NSDAP, and seemingly maintained some contact with his half-brother Adolf, and definitely throughout the 1930s during William Patrick’s visits to Germany.
Alois did not hold any government nor party office after his ambitious relative rose to power, but he did enjoy some perks. In 1933, he opened a small restaurant in Berlin called Cafe Alois, which, thanks to his familial connection, was always replete with high-ranking patrons, including Nazi officials and ministers, often given access to private rooms to conduct delicate business.
Moreover, Alois took advantage of racial laws to evict his Jewish neighbours and take over their properties, thus expanding his premises at very little cost.
Ultimately, in 1937, Alois was able to buy a much larger restaurant in a prestigious location within the German capital. Business was thriving, and in no small measure thanks to his blood ties to the Fuehrer! And it appears that during the war, Alois continued to run his restaurant without incidents of note. However, as the Red Army approached Berlin in April of 1945, the restaurateur decided it was closing time and promptly relocated to Hamburg.
