These rare colour photographs of Adolf Hitler have surfaced after spending a decade hidden underground.
They were taken by his personal photographer Hugo Jaeger, who was allowed to document the Nazi leader's every move between 1936 and 1945.
After the fall of the Nazi regime, Jaeger hid the pictures for fear of being persecuted, but returned to retrieve them in 1955.
Hitler receives the salute of the Columns in Adolf Hitler Platz during the Reichs Party Congress in Nuremburg Germany on Sep. 1, 1938.
Hitler in Wilhelmshaven for the launching of the battleship Tirpitz on Apr. 1, 1939.
LIFE.com has obtained the rare batch of images and collected them in a unique gallery.
Most photos documenting World War II were in black and white, with most photographers only switching to colour after the 1945.
Hitler at the International Auto Exhibition in Berlin Germany on Feb. 17, 1939.
Julius Schaub, Hitler's personal aide, at Party reception; the Fuhrerbau on Feb. 25, 1939.
German Fuhrer and Reichskanzler (essentially Chancellor) Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945) speaks at the Burgerbraukeller in Munich, Germany, November 8 or 9, 1938. The speech was part of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi, NSDAP) rememberance of their attempted 1923 coup d'etat known as the Beer Hall Putsch.
Visit LIFE.com for more of Jaeger's photos.