David Irving facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Irving
Irving in 2012
Born	(1938-03-24) 24 March 1938 (age 87) Hutton, Essex, England
Occupation	Author
Language	English German
Education	Brentwood School, Essex
Alma mater	Imperial College London University College London
Years active	1962–present
Notable works	The Destruction of Dresden The Mare's Nest Hitler's War
Spouse	María del Pilar Stuyck ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1981)​
Partner	Bente Hogh (since 1992)
Children	5

David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author. He has written many books about the military and political history of World War II, especially about Nazi Germany. In 2000, a court in the UK found that he denied the Holocaust. This happened after he lost a lawsuit.

Irving's books include The Destruction of Dresden (1963) and Hitler's War (1977). In some of his writings, he claimed that Adolf Hitler did not know about the plan to kill Jewish people. He even suggested Hitler might have been against it.

His 1964 book The Mare's Nest was about Germany's V-weapons during the war. It was praised for its detailed research. However, it was also criticized for downplaying the forced labor programs run by the Nazis.

By the late 1980s, Irving's views became very different from most historians. He began to openly deny the Holocaust. This included saying that Jewish people were not killed by gas at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

In 2000, Irving's reputation as a historian was further damaged. He sued historian Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books for libel and lost. The judge ruled that Irving purposely twisted historical facts. He did this to promote Holocaust denial and make the Nazis look better. The court found Irving was an active Holocaust denier, antisemite, and racist.

Early Life and Views

David Irving and his twin brother Nicholas were born in Hutton, England. They also had a brother, John, and a sister, Jennifer. Their father was a naval officer in the Royal Navy. Their mother was an illustrator and wrote children's books.

During World War II, Irving's father was on a ship called HMS Edinburgh. The ship was badly damaged in 1942. After this, Irving's father left his wife and children.

Irving said his childhood was tough because of the war. He claimed England faced many shortages. His brother Nicholas said David was a troublemaker from a young age. Nicholas recalled David running towards bombed houses shouting "Heil Hitler!" Irving denies this.

Irving stated that his questioning of World War II history started in childhood. He did not like how Adolf Hitler was shown in British newspapers. He doubted the cartoon images of Hitler and other Nazi leaders.

Student Years and Early Career

Irving in 1955

After high school, Irving studied physics at Imperial College London. He left after one year due to money problems. He then studied economics at University College London for two years. He also had to leave this course because of a lack of funds.

During his university time, he took part in a debate about immigration. He supported Oswald Mosley, a controversial political figure. Irving also tried to join the Royal Air Force but was found medically unfit.

In 1959, Irving went to West Germany. He worked as a steelworker and learned German. Then he moved to Spain and worked at an air base.

By 1962, Irving started writing articles about the Allied bombing of German cities. These articles became his first book, The Destruction of Dresden (1963). The book looked at the bombing of Dresden in February 1945. There was a lot of interest in the book, and it became a worldwide best-seller.

Later Books and Controversies

After the success of The Destruction of Dresden, Irving kept writing. His 1964 book The Mare's Nest was about Germany's V-weapons program. This book was widely praised for its detailed research.

Irving once said he works to remove the "slime" applied to the reputation of Adolf Hitler (pictured).

In 1968, Irving published The Destruction of Convoy PQ17. In this book, he blamed a British commander, Jack Broome, for heavy losses of a convoy. Broome sued Irving for libel in 1968. In 1970, Broome won the case. Irving had to pay damages, and the book was removed from sale.

After this, Irving focused on writing biographies. He met former Nazis who gave him diaries and other materials. Irving told a journalist that his historical work was like "stone-cleaning" Hitler. He wanted to remove what he felt was unfair "slime" from Hitler's reputation.

In 1975, Irving wrote an introduction to the German edition of his book Hitler's War. In it, he attacked Anne Frank's diary. He falsely claimed it was a fake.

Views on the Holocaust

In Hitler's War, Irving used a 1942 memo by Hans Lammers (pictured) to claim Hitler did not know about the Holocaust.

In 1977, Irving published Hitler's War. In this book, he tried to show Hitler as a smart politician. He claimed Hitler only wanted to make Germany stronger. Irving also argued that Hitler did not know about the the Holocaust. He said that Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich were the ones who planned it.

Irving pointed to the lack of a written order from Hitler for the Holocaust. He even offered money to anyone who could find such an order. He used a 1942 memo from Hans Lammers, a Nazi official. The memo said Hitler wanted the "Jewish Question" put off until after the war. Irving used this to argue Hitler was against killing Jews. However, historians say this memo is not simple. They believe it was from late 1941, when Hitler still wanted to expel Jews, not kill them.

Most historians did not like Hitler's War. They found many mistakes and disagreed with his conclusions. For example, historian Charles W. Sydnor Jr. noted that Hitler received a report in 1942. This report mentioned over 360,000 Russian Jews killed by special Nazi units.

A note in Heinrich Himmler's phone log from 1941 was used by Irving to argue Hitler was unaware of the Holocaust.

Irving's views on the Holocaust have changed over time. Since the 1970s, he has questioned or denied Hitler's involvement. He has also questioned if the Nazis had a plan to kill all Jews in Europe. A note in Heinrich Himmler's phone log from 1941, saying "no liquidation," was used by Irving. He used it as a main point to try and prove Hitler did not know about the Holocaust.

Hitler Diaries Hoax

In 1983, a German magazine bought what they thought were Hitler's diaries. Irving played a big part in showing they were fake. He had bought similar documents earlier and realized many were forgeries.

Irving was one of the first to say the diaries were fake. He even interrupted a press conference to announce it. He said he knew the collection they came from was full of fakes. Irving was proud of exposing the hoax.

A week later, Irving changed his mind and said some diary documents seemed real. Some believe he did this because the fake diaries did not mention the Holocaust. This would have supported his claim that Hitler did not know about it. Later, when the diaries were confirmed fake, Irving again claimed he was the first to say so.

Travel Bans and Imprisonment

Irving during his trial in Austria with a copy of his book Hitler's War

After Irving denied the Holocaust in Austria in 1989, the Austrian government issued an arrest warrant. They also banned him from entering the country. In 1992, a German court found him guilty of Holocaust denial. He was fined and banned from Germany.

Other countries also banned him, including Italy and Canada. In November 1992, he was arrested in Canada and sent back to the UK. He was also banned from Australia in 1992. He tried five times to overturn this ban, but failed.

David Irving being deported from Canada, 1992

In 2005, Austrian police arrested Irving based on the 1989 warrant. Irving pleaded guilty to "trivializing, grossly playing down and denying the Holocaust." He said he had changed his mind about the Holocaust. He stated, "The Nazis did murder millions of Jews." Irving was sentenced to three years in prison. He was released in December 2006 and banned from Austria forever.

Later Life

Irving at the National Archives of the United Kingdom, 2003

Since his release, Irving has continued to work as a writer. In 2009, Irving started a website selling Nazi items. He said this was the only way he could make money after losing his fortune in 2002. Items sold included Hitler's walking stick and a lock of his hair.

In an interview, Irving claimed that one of Hitler's doctors told him something. The doctor said Hitler believed an Englishman would write his biography. This Englishman would be objective and know all the German archives. Irving said the doctor identified him as that objective Englishman.

In the same interview, Irving claimed that various Nazis hid what was happening to Jews from Hitler. He said this was because Hitler was "the best friend the Jews had in the Third Reich."

Personal Life

In 1961, Irving married María del Pilar Stuyck in Spain. They had four children and divorced in 1981. In 1992, Irving started a relationship with Bente Hogh, a Danish model. They have a daughter, born in 1994.

Irving's daughter Josephine suffered from schizophrenia. She was in a car crash in 1996 and had both legs removed. She passed away in 1999 at age 32.

In February 2024, Irving's family announced he had been ill since October 2023. He was hospitalized for two months and returned to England. He now needs constant care. His family stated that he can no longer do his life's work.

Works

Books

Translations

• The Memoirs of Field-Marshal Keitel (1965)
• The Memoirs of General Gehlen (1972)

Monographs

• The Night the Dams Burst (1973)
• Von Guernica bis Vietnam (in German only) (1982)
• Die deutsche Ostgrenze (in German only) (1990)
• Banged Up (2008)

Images for kids

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  Irving in 2012

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  Irving in 1955

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  Adolf Hitler

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  Hans Lammers

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  Heinrich Himmler

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  Irving during his trial in Austria

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  David Irving being deported from Canada, 1992

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  Irving at the National Archives of the United Kingdom, 2003

See also

In Spanish: David Irving para niños

• Arthur Butz
• Faurisson affair
• Historical negationism
• Critical responses to David Irving