The Carbon Copy Myth: Why the Story of Hitler’s Will is Physically Impossible 

By Peter David Orr

If you follow the standard history of the final days in the Führerbunker, the creation of Hitler’s Last Will and Testament is a singular, dramatic event. The story goes that in the early hours of April 29, 1945, Hitler dictated his final wishes to his secretary, Traudl Junge. She supposedly typed it up on a single typewriter—creating one original and two carbon copies—which were then signed and rushed out of Berlin by three couriers.

It is a tidy narrative. It fits the movies.

It is also forensically impossible.

When we strip away the post-war memoirs and look strictly at the physical evidence—the paper, the ink, and the typefaces—the "midnight dictation" story falls apart. Instead of a spontaneous act of a dying man, the evidence points to a mass-produced bureaucratic operation prepared days in advance.

Here are the four "smoking guns" that dismantle the standard timeline.

The "Original vs. Copy" Physical Paradox

Traudl Junge claimed she typed the documents in a single session: one top copy and two carbon copies. If this were true, all three sets found on the couriers (Heinz Lorenz, Wilhelm Zander, and Wilhelm Johannmeyer) would look identical in terms of typeface and alignment.

They do not.

• The Lorenz Set: This set (often called the "spare") was typed on "parchment" paper in unusually large type (ALL CAPS) and did not feature the Nazi Party Eagle (Parteiadler).

• The Zander & Johannmeyer Sets: These sets were typed on standard bond paper, using standard-sized type, and featured the gold embossed Party Eagle in the corner.

The Smoking Gun: You cannot produce a standard-font carbon copy from a large-font original. It is physically impossible. This proves that there was not one typing session, but multiple sessions using different machines, likely involving different secretaries at different times.

The "Perfect Signature" Anomaly

When three people sign three different documents, there is always natural variation. No human being signs their name in the exact same millimeter-perfect spot relative to the text three times in a row.

Yet, when we compare the Zander and Johannmeyer sets, the signatures of Hitler and the witnesses match perfectly in positioning.

The Smoking Gun: A perfect match across documents suggests mechanical reproduction. It is highly probable that the signatures on these "copies" were not signed in ink during a solemn ceremony, but were created using a mimeograph stencil or tracing technique. This was an assembly line production, designed to create multiple "originals" for the couriers to carry.

The Schörner Timeline: The Will Existed a Week Early

The document is dated April 29, 1945. However, the testimony of Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner (one of the intended recipients) destroys this date.

Schörner told Soviet interrogators that on April 22—a full week before the suicide—Hitler told him personally that he had already compiled his political testament. Furthermore, Schörner was notified by April 25 that the courier (Johannmeyer) was already "entrusted" with the document and ready to fly.

The Smoking Gun: If the will was "compiled" by April 22, the frantic typing session on the night of April 29 is a myth. The document was likely sitting in a safe, waiting for the date to be filled in.

The "Previous Night" Translation Error

Finally, we have the cover letter from Martin Bormann to Admiral Dönitz, dated April 29. For 80 years, historians have translated Bormann's opening sentence as: "The Führer dictated the enclosed political testament last night."

This is a mistranslation. Bormann wrote in der vergangenden Nacht—which translates to "the previous night."

• "Last night" (from the 29th) would mean the night of April 28/29.

• "Previous night" refers to the night of April 27/28.

This aligns perfectly with the moment Hitler received the news of Himmler’s betrayal (April 27), not the wedding night. Bormann’s letter essentially admits the document was drafted 24 hours earlier than the official date suggests.

Conclusion

The "Last Will and Testament" was not a hasty scribble by a leader under siege. It was a paperwork shuffle. The varying typefaces, the mechanical signatures, and the conflicting timelines reveal that the Nazi hierarchy was busy manufacturing "legal" documents in batches, backdating them, and forging registrars to ensure the Party’s assets and political legitimacy survived the collapse.

History isn't just about what people said happened. It's about what the documents prove happened.

For the complete forensic breakdown, including the analysis of the typewriters, the signature overlays, and the full text of the Schörner interrogations, I invite you to read my book: Hitler's Last Will and Testament: A Critical Examination