By David Farrier
Adolf Hitler is one of the most despised men in human history.
Now, it has been revealed a priest may have changed the course of history for rescuing a 4-year-old Hitler from drowning.
A clipping has been found from an old newspaper that describes how the priest, Johann Kuehberger, told another priest that he rescued a young Hitler from almost certain death in an icy river.
Hitler often told his generals how he played on a river bank as a child - but he never mentioned this incident.
The clipping tells of "a young fellow" who fell through the thin ice of a river in January 1894.
The claim has been made before but never with real evidence - until now.
Father Max Tremmel says he is the priest Mr Kueberger told of how he saved the terrified 4-year-old.
Mr Kueberger was around the same age as Hitler at the time, and had seen him struggling in the river so jumped in to help him.
Thanks to the clipping it is a tale historians will now have to take much more seriously.
Hitler went on to kill an estimated six million Jews leading one of today's papers to report the story of how he was saved, as "the most devastating act of mercy in history".
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