Leopold Poetsch

Leopold Poetsch (or Pötsch) (18 November 1853 – 16 October 1942) was an Austrian history teacher. He was a high school teacher of Adolf Hitler and Adolf Eichmann. He influenced the future leader's later views, specifically German nationalism.

He also took some distance from his former pupil, among other things since considering Hitler had become an enemy of Austria.

Hitler credits the determining factor of the entire rest of his future life to Leopold in his book Mein Kampf.

"I remember with affectionate emotion the old professor who, in the heat of his explanations, made us forget the present, fascinated us with the past and, from the night of time, separated the arid events to transform them into real life. We listened to him many times dominated by the most intense enthusiasm and other times deeply saddened or moved."

Dr. Poetsch was a member of the underground Nazi SS in Austria, which had been outlawed during Austria's independence.