New DNA analysis links a long-standing wartime rumour to genetic evidence
Adolf Hitler attempted to ensure his secrets died with him: after his suicide in a Berlin bunker in April 1945, aides doused his body in petrol and burned it. They could not have anticipated that advances in DNA science, discovered eight years later, might one day be used to test traces of material linked to him.
Eight decades on, forensic and ancient-DNA specialist Professor Turi King and a Channel 4 team produced a two-part documentary, Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator, based on genetic analysis of a faded scrap of patterned fabric the Gettysburg Museum of History says is stained with Hitler’s blood. The museum provided the fragment from its private collection; a forensic team confirmed the sample was human blood, male, and consistent with a 1945 origin.
The breakthrough came when Belgian journalist Jean-Paul Mulders and historian Marc Vermeeren obtained saliva from a known male-line relative of Hitler in Austria. King’s profile, independently confirmed by three tests across two laboratories, produced an exact match — the first time material attributed to Hitler has been authenticated genetically.
From that authenticated DNA, the researchers calculated multiple polygenic scores — statistical estimates that compare an individual’s genetic markers with large population datasets to gauge predispositions for certain traits or conditions. The documentary highlights several findings and, importantly, stresses their limits.
Key genetic findings
The most headline-grabbing result is a deletion in the PROK2 gene, a mutation strongly associated with Kallmann syndrome. Kallmann can cause undescended testes (cryptorchidism), lower testosterone, reduced sexual desire and, in some cases, a smaller penis. A 1923 medical note, rediscovered in 2015, claimed Hitler had an undescended right testicle; the PROK2 deletion lends biological weight to that historical report and to the origin of the wartime ditty "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball."
Other polygenic scores reported in the film place Hitler in the top decile for genetic propensity toward antisocial behaviour (a proxy sometimes used for psychopathy), in the top one per cent for autism-related markers, and with elevated scores for ADHD and schizophrenia risk. The producers and experts repeatedly caution that these scores indicate statistical predispositions, not diagnoses, and that genetic risk captures only part of any condition’s overall likelihood.
Historical and ethical context
Historian Dr Alex J. Kay — who contributed to the programme — says one useful result is that the matched DNA supports the male-line family tree and weakens a decades-old rumour that Hitler had recent Jewish ancestry. The allegation dates to the 1920s and was even reiterated by public figures as recently as 2022; the genetic match aligns with the genealogy the Nazis themselves produced to refute the claim.
Both King and Kay stress boundaries and caveats. King says the project underwent ethical review in two countries and that she and the team sought to "put the guard rails in" before testing material associated with Hitler. Kay warns that DNA cannot reveal someone’s thought processes or fully explain historical actions; he highlights the importance of non-genetic influences, noting Hitler’s traumatic childhood losses and other life experiences that shaped him.
The documentary also examines family links to mental illness and discusses Aloisia Veit, presented on-screen as a relative with schizophrenia who was deported and killed in a concentration camp. The programme incorrectly called her "second cousin"; in fact she was a second cousin once removed — a degree of relation that King describes as "relatively distant" for drawing strong genetic inferences.
Caveats and responsible framing
Producers and experts repeatedly underline that genetic variants associated with certain traits are common in the population and overwhelmingly do not predict violent behaviour. King cautions against deterministic interpretations: "Your DNA cannot tell you what somebody's thought process is going to be." The programme places these scientific findings alongside historical evidence and ethical discussion to avoid the very eugenic misuse of genetics that Hitler championed.
"As a non-geneticist, if he was presented with his own DNA, he would probably have sent himself to the gas chamber," King says, underscoring a bitter irony.
Broadcast details
Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator begins on Channel 4 on 15 November at 9pm.
