A medal awarded to a fanatical bodyguard who saved Hitler's life by taking five bullets meant for the Nazi leader in the Beer Hall Putsch is set to fetch £4,000 at auction.

Ulrich Graf helped protect the dictator when he tried to seize power in Bavaria in November 1923, resulting in a bloody battle with police that saw with 16 party members and four officers killed.

Graf, a burly former wrestler, threw himself on Hitler and was shot five times but survived. Had he not done this, Hitler could have been killed, the Nazis may never have come to power and the Second World War could have been avoided.

Ulrich Graf (on the far right of the image, wearing a tie) helped protect Hitler when he tried to seize power in Bavaria in November 1923. Pictured on the right is his Blood Order medal

As it was Hitler was arrested, prosecuted for treason and served nine months in jail before being released.

The putsch gave the growing Nazi Party huge exposure and it came to power in 1933, with Hitler becoming Chancellor.

A year later he introduced the Blood Order medal which was awarded to those involved in the putsch 11 years earlier.

Graf's medal was sold off by his shamed family in the 1950s and it has been in the ownership of a British collector for over 40 years.

Following his recent death, his family are selling his archive at auction, with Graf's Blood Order, or Blut Orden, being the most eye-catching decoration.

Despite its connections with the Third Reich, the medal is likely to attract a lot of interest when it goes under the hammer at a British auction house later this week.

Hansons Auctions of Etwall, Derbyshire, have given it a pre-sale estimate of £4,000 although they expect it to go for much more.

Graf, a burly former wrestler, threw himself on Hitler and was shot five times but survived

Adrian Stevenson, head of medals and militaria at Hansons, said: 'It is known that after he died in the 1950s Ulrich Graf's family sold everything of his. They wanted no connection with his Nazi past.

'Our vendor was a British doctor who had a large collection of German Third Reich medals which are one of the most popular genres of medals.

'Some countries like France ban the sale of Third Reich and I think that does a disservice to the victims of the Nazis, it is almost sweeping it under the carpet.'

Mr Stevenson said there was no doubt the Blood Order decoration is was that of Ulrich Graf as it as a serial number on it.

Graf was one of the earliest members of the Nazi Party after it was funded in 1920.

He was a member of the Hitler's personal protection squad and linked arms with the dictator during the Beer Hall Putsch.

Mr Stevenson said: 'The Nazi's were walking to a monument that honoured the Bavarian Army when they met a police cordon across the road.

The rear of the Blood Order medal

'The police opened fire and Graf took a bullet to the shudder. As he was marching with his arms linked with Hitler's, before throwing himself on him and taking five bullets.

'Now Graf was a big, burly wrestler and obviously Hitler was slightly built. Would he have survived those five bullets? Who knows? But what Graf did potentially changed the course of history.

'His name had faded into obscurity since but he is still known in the collectors' market.'

The auctioneer said there was a 'lot of interest' in the medal from collectors 'all over the world'.

'There is interest from Germany too,' he said. 'You are allowed to collect Third Reich material there but it is illegal to show it in public.

'I expect this medal will exceed its top estimated price of £4,000 with ease.'

The silver medal which bears the Nazi eagle on one side and an image of the Munich monument were the action happened, is being sold on Friday.