Hitler's hairstyle - combover?

Well, we all know about the mysterious link between being a dictator and having serious hair issues.

My question is, was Hitler’s distinctive hairstyle (hair pulled from the side of the head and across the forehead) a “combover”? That is, was he trying to conceal a bald spot at the back of his head or a receding hairline? Or just a fashion statement? If the former, did the fringe ever get blown out of place by a gust of wind, revealing the thing he was trying to hide?

No. The only difference between Hitler’s hairstyle and a standard side parting was that he preferred the front part to lay down flat across his brow rather than brushing it back, as was more common. If you look at photographs you can see that it wasn’t nearly as pronounced a feature as caricatures would have you believe. Up until late in life he appears to have had a good head of hair.

I think that was just your typical 40s haircut. [link] I don’t know what language that site is in but it’s easy enough to get the pictures. Maybe Hitler just had an unusual head shape, or maybe the moustache made it look different. I’ve seen lots of pictures of guys from then with “Hitler hair” - cropped short at the sides and combed over to one side.

Next on the History Channel: Secret -Dos of the Third Reich and Their Connection to the Da Vinci Code

Combovers are typically parted lower on the side of the head than normal (See: Pat Buchanan, Ted Koppel). Hitler’s part was, if anything, higher than usual.

I just Googled up some photos. His hairline looks like it was pretty high, but not unusually so for a man of his age.

Caligula had a full head of hair, so I’d say there’s no causal relationship between megalomania and receding hairlines.