The flirty, frivolous face of Hitler's mistress

THEY are rare pictures of a playful young woman who happened to be the partner of the leader of the Third Reich.

• Braun blacks up: In Me as Al Jolson, she mimics the American actor and singer Pictures: Getty Images

A remarkable set of photographs from the private albums of Eva Braun were unveiled yesterday, showing a frivolous and carefree side of the woman who was usually seen at the side of Adolf Hitler.

The images depict her dressed in blackface as American entertainer Al Jolson and posing in her bathing suit on a rowing boat on the Worthsee, near Munich.

They also document her burgeoning relationship with the Fhrer, with one picture showing her mingling with guests at the Berghof, Hitler's residence, during his 54th birthday celebrations at the height of the Second World War.

Other snapshots capture parties and holidays at the Nazi leader's retreat in the Bavarian Alps, with some of the most prominent figures in the Third Reich in attendance.

Hitler can be seen elsewhere petting Braun's Scottish terriers, Negus and Katuschka, and holding the child of a friend.

• Calm waters: Braun posing in her bathing suit on the Worthsee

The pictures also show the mischevious side of Braun, who is said to have infuriated Hitler by sunbathing and swimming naked. In one newly released shot, she poses virtually nude behind an umbrella.

The photographs, which were recovered from Braun's home by the US Army, are featured in this month's edition of Life magazine, having been made public by collector Reinhard Schulz.

They also chronicle Braun's earliest years, with images of her as a toddler, a nine-year-old girl at convent school and as a teenage model. It was her modelling career which led her to meet Heinrich Hoffman, the official photographer of the Reich, at his Munich studio. He, in turn, introduced her to Hitler in 1929.

The devoted couple married during the final throes of the war. Less than 40 hours later, they committed suicide in a Berlin bunker.