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SS-Obersturmbannführer Erich Kempka (16 September 1910–24 January 1975) served as the chauffeur of Adolf Hitler from 1934, while serving as member #2803 of the Allgemeine-SS.
Born in Oberhausen to a miner with ten children, Kempka worked as a mechanic for DKW when he initially joined the Nazi Party on 1 April 1930 and was assigned member #225-639. Two years later, he was one of eight founding members of the SS-Begleit-Kommando.
He served as chauffeur for Josef Terboven until 29 February 1932, when he was tasked as a reserve driver for Hitler's personal entourage based on Terboven's recommendation. In 1934 he replaced Julius Schreck and Emil Maurice in the role of primary chauffeur, valet and bodyguard of Hitler. That same year he was present at the arrest of Ernst Rohm.
On 1 December 1937 he joined the Lebensborn society. He was also awarded a Totenkopfring from Heinrich Himmler. His wife Gerda Daranowsky divorced him and married General Eckard Christian, whom she divorced in 1946.
Kempka followed Hitler to the Reich Chancellery in 1945. He briefly wished the Führer "Happy Birthday" on 20 April, spending about 15 minutes in the bunker with him that day.
On 28 April Kempka answered Martin Bormann's demands to know where Hermann Fegelein had gone, informing him that Fegelein had requisitioned a car from the staff pool to take him to his residence. Bormann sent a detachment to retrieve Fegelein, and he was summarily executed for treason.
Kempka was one of those responsible for burning Hitler's body. He was detailed on the afternoon of 30 April to deliver 200 litres of gasoline to the garden outside the bunker, but was only able to scrounge 180. He left the bunker on the following day. After his escape, he came across Georg Beetz and left him in the care of Kaethe Hausermann. On 20 June 1945 he was captured by U.S. troops at Berchtesgaden.
At the Nuremburg trials, Kempka was called to testify because he claimed to have seen Martin Bormann killed by a Soviet anti-tank rocket. He later referred to Eva Braun as "the unhappiest woman in Germany". He was released on 9 October 1947.
Kempka was the subject of Mauri Sariola's 1972 book Kolmannen valtakunnan kuningatar (Queen of the Third Reich). He died January 24, 1975 at the age of 64 in Freiburg.
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