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Gunther biography
I put together this timeline of Gunther's life. A work in progress, as I re-read and read each novel. I am putting it here so that anyone can comment, and add. Possibly, eventually, include in this website?
Bernie Gunther
- 1896 - born
- 1914-8 - soldier, Turkey
- 1919 - FG
Konisberg, honeymoon, 1st wife.
- 1931 - FG - Berlin Detective
Squabbles between Commies and Nazis.
- 1932 aQF - Berlin Detective
Investigates child murders. Forced off case due to political reasons.
- 1933 aQF - Adlon Hotel house detective
Witnessed the destruction of Reichstag.
- 1934 - FG - Berlin Police officer.
? Potsdan, imprisoned briefly for defending a Jewish police officer.
- 1936 - MV
Private detective. Hermann Six, wealthy industrialist client. Berlin Olympics.
- 1936
Agent in Dachau, by Heydrich.
- 1937 Sep - TOFtO
Private detective. Berlin-Palestine. Travels to Palestine with Adolf Eichmann, to facilitate a Jew emigrating. Mixed with German politics.
- late 1938 - aPC - private detective / recalled to Police
Investigation of a murder conspiracy, designed to provide a pretext to launch a pogrom against German Jews. Spiritualism.
- 1940 - June 1941 - FG. France.
Sent to France by Heydrich to find Mielke, communist. Stayed on one year.
- 1941 Jun-Jul - TOftO
The 316th reserve police battalion attached to the 49th Army.
- June 1941 ItDRN
Ukraine, executes NKVD squad.
Gehlen’s Foreign Armies East Intelligence Section
War Crimes Bureau of the German High Command.
- 1941 Sep - PF
suicidal,
- 1942 June 8-9 - PF
death/funeral of Heydrich.
- 1942 Summer - LfZ.
Berlin: insomnia, depressed, suicidal. International Police Conf. Dalia Dresner affair / Goebels. Short visit to Switzerland. Due to his affair with Dalia, exiled to the Russian Front.
- 1942 January - 1944 February ItDRN
Wehrmact War Crimes Bureau
- 1943 March - aMWB
Katyn Forest investigation.
- 1943 July - TOftO
Investigation of Army corruption.
- 1943 Sep - TOftO
Transferred to Russian front, by Gestapo, as he refused to drop investigation.
- 1944 Feb - FG
Transferred to Russian front. Northern army, intelligence officer.
- 1944 June - 1945 March - FG
Intelligence office, Konigsberg. Fought, until captured.
Russian labor camp. PoW. 2 years.
- 1946 - FG
Miner in uranium mine. Escaped, return to West Germany/Berlin.
- 1947 - aGR
Berlin, private detective. Russian intelligence.
- 1947 Winter, ItDRN
Gambling, Vienna.
- 1949 Munich, - TOFtO
Hotelier, private detective. Wife, Kirsten, dies. Finger cut off. Deceived into masquerading as war criminal.
- 1950, early - TOFtO
Boat to Argentina with false identity.
- 1950 - Buenos Aires - aQF
Investigating Nazi exiles. Meets Peron and Evita. He discovers Argentinian death camps for Jews, constructed by Nazi exiles. Forced to fell the country.
- 1954 - FG
Living in Cuba, captured by Americans. Imprisoned in New York.
- 1954 - FG
Transported to Germany. Interrogated by CIA for communist info. Mielke
- 1954 - FG
France, interrogated by French for communist info.
Betrayed CIA, escaped with help of Mielke, with Elisabeth.
- 1956 — French Riviera — LfZ:
Mooning over actress Dalia Dresner. B came to the French Riviera from Berlin. New job as hotel concierge with Leuthard.
Bernie Gunther
- 1896 - born
- 1914-8 - soldier, Turkey
- 1919 - FG
Konisberg, honeymoon, 1st wife.
- 1931 - FG - Berlin Detective
Squabbles between Commies and Nazis.
- 1932 aQF - Berlin Detective
Investigates child murders. Forced off case due to political reasons.
- 1933 aQF - Adlon Hotel house detective
Witnessed the destruction of Reichstag.
- 1934 - FG - Berlin Police officer.
? Potsdan, imprisoned briefly for defending a Jewish police officer.
- 1936 - MV
Private detective. Hermann Six, wealthy industrialist client. Berlin Olympics.
- 1936
Agent in Dachau, by Heydrich.
- 1937 Sep - TOFtO
Private detective. Berlin-Palestine. Travels to Palestine with Adolf Eichmann, to facilitate a Jew emigrating. Mixed with German politics.
- late 1938 - aPC - private detective / recalled to Police
Investigation of a murder conspiracy, designed to provide a pretext to launch a pogrom against German Jews. Spiritualism.
- 1940 - June 1941 - FG. France.
Sent to France by Heydrich to find Mielke, communist. Stayed on one year.
- 1941 Jun-Jul - TOftO
The 316th reserve police battalion attached to the 49th Army.
- June 1941 ItDRN
Ukraine, executes NKVD squad.
Gehlen’s Foreign Armies East Intelligence Section
War Crimes Bureau of the German High Command.
- 1941 Sep - PF
suicidal,
- 1942 June 8-9 - PF
death/funeral of Heydrich.
- 1942 Summer - LfZ.
Berlin: insomnia, depressed, suicidal. International Police Conf. Dalia Dresner affair / Goebels. Short visit to Switzerland. Due to his affair with Dalia, exiled to the Russian Front.
- 1942 January - 1944 February ItDRN
Wehrmact War Crimes Bureau
- 1943 March - aMWB
Katyn Forest investigation.
- 1943 July - TOftO
Investigation of Army corruption.
- 1943 Sep - TOftO
Transferred to Russian front, by Gestapo, as he refused to drop investigation.
- 1944 Feb - FG
Transferred to Russian front. Northern army, intelligence officer.
- 1944 June - 1945 March - FG
Intelligence office, Konigsberg. Fought, until captured.
Russian labor camp. PoW. 2 years.
- 1946 - FG
Miner in uranium mine. Escaped, return to West Germany/Berlin.
- 1947 - aGR
Berlin, private detective. Russian intelligence.
- 1947 Winter, ItDRN
Gambling, Vienna.
- 1949 Munich, - TOFtO
Hotelier, private detective. Wife, Kirsten, dies. Finger cut off. Deceived into masquerading as war criminal.
- 1950, early - TOFtO
Boat to Argentina with false identity.
- 1950 - Buenos Aires - aQF
Investigating Nazi exiles. Meets Peron and Evita. He discovers Argentinian death camps for Jews, constructed by Nazi exiles. Forced to fell the country.
- 1954 - FG
Living in Cuba, captured by Americans. Imprisoned in New York.
- 1954 - FG
Transported to Germany. Interrogated by CIA for communist info. Mielke
- 1954 - FG
France, interrogated by French for communist info.
Betrayed CIA, escaped with help of Mielke, with Elisabeth.
- 1956 — French Riviera — LfZ:
Mooning over actress Dalia Dresner. B came to the French Riviera from Berlin. New job as hotel concierge with Leuthard.
Comments
If anyone has anything to add to this timeline, please do.
Biography of Burnhard Gunther
MV: March Violets [1989 / ]
tPC: The Pale Criminal [1990 /
aGR: A German Requiem [1991 / ]
TOftO: The One from the Other [2006 / ]
aQF: A Quiet Flame [2008 / ]
ItDRN: If the Dead Rise Not [2009 / ]
FG: Field Grey [2010 / ]
PF: Prague Fatale [2011 / ]
aMwB: A Man Without Breath [2013 / ]
tLfZ: The Lady from Zagreb [2015 / ]
tOSoS: The Other Side of Silence [2016 / ]
- 1896 - Birth
- 1914-8 (age 18-22)
Soldier, Turkey. Machine gunned Canadian soldiers.
- 1918 (age 22)
FG: Amiens.
- 1919 (age 23)
FG: Konisberg, honeymoon with first wife (who dies from influenza soon after).
- 1920 (age 24)
LfZ: Becomes a police officer.
- 1928 (age 32)
LfZ: Solves Gormann serial killer case. Gains reputation as a master detective.
- 1931 (age 35)
FG - Berlin police detective. Squabbles between Commies and Nazis.
- 1932 (age 36)
aQF - Berlin Police detective.
Investigates child murders. Forced off case due to political reasons.
- 1933 (age 37)
aQR - Forced out of police force due to his support for the Republic. Becomes an Adlon Hotel house detective. Witnessed the destruction of the Reichstag.
- 1934 (age 38)
FG - Berlin Police officer. Potsdam, imprisoned briefly for defending a Jewish police officer.
- 1934 (age 38)
Adlon Hotel detective. Discovers he had a Jewish grandmother. Corruption in Olympic Games preparation, led by the America gangster Max Reles. Falls for, and has an affair with the wealthy, beautiful, Jewish American journalist, Mrs Noreen Charalambides. In return for sparing his life, Charalambides agrees not to publicise her anti-semitic findings, which would derail the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
- 1936 (age 40)
MV - Private detective. Hermann Six, wealthy industrialist client. Berlin Olympics.
- 1936, Summer (age 40)
Infiltrates Dachau concentration camp, at the instigation of Heydrich, to find a criminal.
- 1937 September (age 41)
tOFtO: Private detective. Travels to Palestine with Adolf Eichmann, to facilitate a Jew emigrating. Involved with German/Nazi politics. Helps Jewish groups in the Middle East.
- Late 1938 [26 August and 10 November 1938] (age 42)
aPC - Private detective, with Bruno Stahlecker, another ex-police officer, as his partner. Investigation of a murder conspiracy, designed to provide a pretext to launch a pogrom against German Jews. Spiritualism.
FG: Recalled to Police by Heydrich.
- 1939 (age 43)
aGR: Kriminalkommissar in Section 5 of the RSHA, the Reich Main Security Office, and automatically ranked as a full lieutenant in the SS.
- 1940-June 1941 (age 44-45)
FG. France. Sent to France by Heydrich to find the communist Erich Mielke. Remained one year.
- 1941 Jun-Jul (age 45)
TOftO: The 316th reserve police battalion (Polish-Russian border. FG) attached to the 49th Army. Minsk.
ItDRN: Stationed in the Ukraine, executes a NKVD squad.
Gehlen’s Foreign Armies East Intelligence Section.
- 1941 Sep (age 45)
PF: Berlin. Police detective. Suicidal. Weekend with Heydrich and associates in Prague. Murder of Heydrich’s adjutant. Gunther deceived by his ladylove, Arianne Tauber, who is an enemy agent.
- 1942 June 8-9 (age 46)
PF: Death and funeral of Heydrich. Gunther discovers that he was poisoned.
- 1942 Summer (age 46)
LfZ: Berlin: insomnia, depressed, suicidal.
International Police Conference (Interpol).
- 1942 January - 1944 February (age 46-48) [September 1942 LfZ]
ItDRN: Wehrmact War Crimes Bureau.
- 1943 March-April (age 47)
aMWB: Katyn Forest investigation. Murder conspiracy. Plots to assassinate Hitler.
- mid 1943 (age 47 [age confirmed from Gunther’s statement to Dalia])
LfZ: Retained by Goebbels to find the father of the actress Dalia Dresner. Second marriage, to school teacher, Kirsten Handlöser. Short visit to Switzerland. Corruption, and solves a murder mystery.
Due to his affair with Dalia, exiled to the Russian Front.
- 1943 July (age 47)
TOftO: Investigation of Army corruption.
?- 1943 Sep (age 47)
TOftO: Transferred to Russian front, by Gestapo, as he refused to drop investigation.
- 1944 Feb (age 48)
FG: Transferred to Russian front. Northern army, intelligence officer.
- 1944 June - 1945 March (age 48-49)
FG: Intelligence officer, Konigsberg. Fought, until captured.
Russian labor camp. PoW. 2 years.
aGR: Converts to Catholicism while a PoW.
- 1946 (age 50)
FG: Miner in uranium mine. Escaped, return to West Germany/Berlin.
Involved in Cold War politics.
- 1947 (age 51)
aGR: Berlin and Vienna, private detective. Involved with Russian intelligence.
- 1947 Winter (age 51)
ItDRN: Gambling, Vienna.
- 1949 Munich (age 53)
TOFtO: Hotelier, private detective. Second Wife, Kirsten, dies, murdered in hospital. Has his left little finger cut off. Deceived into masquerading as a war criminal and falsely accused of murder. As a consequence, must flee to Argentina.
- 1950, early (age 54)
TOFtO: June 17, ship to Argentina with false identity.
- 1950 (age 54)
aQF: Buenos Aires. Gunther investigates Nazi exiles. Meets Peron and Evita. He discovers Argentinian death camps for Jews, constructed by Nazi exiles. Forced to flee the country.
- 1954 (age 58)
iTDRN: Living in Havana. Life is comfortable, as can be expected, but then Gunther becomes re-involved with Noreen Charalambides and Max Reles, who now runs mob casinos in Cuba, and discovers that he has a daughter. Gunther murders Reles to protect his daughter.
- 1954 (age 58)
FG: Living in Cuba, but beholden to the Cuban secret police. Flees, but is captured by the Americans. Involved with Cold War politics. Imprisoned in New York. Transported to Germany. Interrogated by CIA for communist info. Transported to France, interrogated by the French for communist information.
Betrayed CIA, escaped with help of Mielke, with Elisabeth.
- 1956 (age 60)
LfZ: French Riviera from Berlin. Elisabeth left him, and returned to Berlin. Mooning over a lost love, the actress Dalia Dresner. New job as hotel concierge with Leuthard.
- 1956 (age 61)
tOSoS: Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, W. Somerset Maugham.
Arthur Nebe, recurrent character — German police/Nazi official.
Erich Mielke, FG — prominent German communist.
W. Somerset Maugham tOSoS. — author
Heinrich Müller — aGR: Gestapo chief.
aGR: Does not like dogs.
LfZ: “I smoke too much. I drink too much.”
LfZ: “There’s always a woman.”
tOFTO: hat size sixty-eight.
Thanks for your work !
(The latest 'Prussian Blue' is not in the timeline yet. 1939 at the Berghof & 1956 fleeing from the south of France, with in both periods a collegue Friedrich Korsch, once as a friend and once as his executioner) )