The story was never verified by Hitler during his life. But now a small cutting from the Donauzeitung – Danube newspaper – of 1894 has been found in Passau.

It describes how a ‘young fellow’ fell through the thin ice of the river in January of that year…

The programme; ‘If Adi Hitler had drowned. The legend of a fatal lifesaving.’ will feature several elderly Passau residents taking part to confirm that they heard the story of Hitler’s near-brush with death as they grew up in the city.