Heinz Linge

Heinz Linge (23 March 1913 – 9 March 1980) was an SS officer who served as a valet for German dictator Adolf Hitler. Linge was present in the Führerbunker on 30 April 1945, when Hitler shot himself.

Early life

Linge was born in Bremen, Germany. He was employed as a bricklayer prior to joining the SS in 1933. He served in the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH), Hitler's bodyguard. In 1934 when he was part of No. 1 Guard to Hitler's residence on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Linge was selected to serve at the Reich Chancellery. By the end of the war he had obtained the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant colonel).

Valet to Hitler

On 24 January 1935, Linge was chosen to be a valet for Hitler. He was one of three valets at that time. In September 1939, Linge replaced Karl Wilhelm Krause as chief valet for Hitler. Linge worked as a valet in the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, at Hitler's residence near Berchtesgaden, and at Wolfsschanze in Rastenburg. He stated that his daily routine was to wake Hitler each day at 11.00am and provide morning newspapers and messages. Linge would then keep him stocked with writing materials and spectacles for his morning reading session in bed. Hitler would then dress himself to a stopwatch with Linge acting as a "referee". He would take a light breakfast of tea, biscuits and an apple and a vegetarian lunch at 2.30pm. Dinner with only a few guests present was at 8.00pm. As Hitler's valet, Linge was also a member of the Führerbegleitkommando which provided personal security protection for Hitler. By 1944, he was also head of Hitler's personal service staff. Besides accompanying Hitler on all his travels, he was responsible for the accommodations; all the servants, mess orderlies, cooks, caterers and maids were "subordinate" to Linge.

Heinz

The H. J. Heinz Company, or Heinz, is an American food processing company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. The H. J. Heinz Company manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six continents, and markets these products in more than 200 countries and territories. The company claims to have 150 number-one or number two-brands worldwide. Heinz ranked first in ketchup in the US with a market share in excess of 50%;Ore-Ida label held 46% of the frozen-potato sector in 2003.

Since 1896, the company has used its "57 Varieties" slogan; it was inspired by a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, and Henry Heinz chose the number 57 even though the company manufactured more than 60 products at the time.

On February 14, 2013, Heinz agreed to be purchased by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital for $23 billion. On March 25, 2015, Kraft announced its merger with Heinz, arranged by Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital. The resulting Kraft Heinz Company is the fifth largest food company in the world. Berkshire Hathaway became a majority owner of Heinz on June 18, 2015. After exercising a warrant to acquire 46,195,652 shares of common stock for a total price of $461,956.52, Berkshire increased its stake to 52.5%. The companies completed the merger on July 2, 2015.

Heinz (disambiguation)

Heinz is an American food conglomerate based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Heinz may also refer to:

Business

H. J. Heinz Company

Institutions and organizations

Heinz (given name)

Heinz, is a German given name, a diminutive of Heinrich and cognate of the given name Henry. Notable persons with that given name include:

People with the given name Heinz