One of the most cited episodes of World War II is the death of Adolf Hitler the April 30th of [1945. According to the official story, Hitler would have committed suicide along with his wife, Eva Braunwhen the news reached him that the Soviets were meters from the bunker in which he was taking refuge after the incessant advance of the Allies.
Hitler’s suicide
It seems that the impenetrable Russia against Hitler and his Nazi Germany, was decisive for the end of Nazism and above all, for the fuehrer to decide to end his life.
With the end of the Second World War around the corner and the Russians approaching their underground bunker under the Chancellery building in Berlin, Germany, the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head with his pistol, probably after swallowing cyanide, ending his own life just before 3:30 p.m. April 30, 1945.
In the same room, Eva Braun, his new wife, ended her life by swallowing a cyanide capsule.. After his death, members of the SS took their bodies to the courtyard of the Chancellery, covered them with gasoline and they set them on fire.
the fuhrer
Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, beginning the era of German history known as the Third Reich. On August 2, 1934, German President Paul Von Hindenburg died. This allowed Hitler to solidify his position by becoming der Führer, the highest leader of the German people.
In the years after his appointment, Hitler led a reign of terror that involved many millions in World War II and killed about 11 million people during the Holocaust.
Although Hitler promised that the Third Reich would reign for 1,000 years, 1 only lasted 12.
Hitler enters the bunker
As the Allied Forces advanced on all sides, the city of Berlin was partially evacuated to prevent Russian troops from getting close to taking valuable German citizens and assets.
The On January 16, 1945, despite advice to the contrary, Hitler decided to hide in the vast bunker located below his headquarters. (the Chancery) instead of leaving the city. He stayed there for more than 100 days.
The complex consisted of concrete walls about 4 meters thick, and the thirty or so small rooms were spread over two levels with the exits in the main buildings, plus an emergency exit in the gardens. The bunker was built in two phases, the first in 1936 and the other in 1943.
The 1943 construction was entrusted to the Hochtief company, which had been involved in the construction of vast underground complexes in Berlin since 1940. The rooms and lodgings intended for Hitler were located in the Fuhrerbunker.
The structure was officially completed in October 1944. However, it continued to undergo various updates such as reinforcement and the addition of new security features. The bunker had its own power supply and water supply.
Life in the bunker
Despite being underground, life in the bunker had signs of normalcy. The upper rooms of the bunker, where Hitler’s staff lived and workedwere largely simple and functional.
The lower rooms, which contained six rooms reserved specifically for Hitler and Eva BraunThey contained some of the luxuries to which they had become accustomed during his reign.
they brought furniture of the offices of the Chancellery for comfort and decoration. In your personal rooms, Hitler hung a portrait of Frederick the Great . Witnesses report that he looked at it daily to prepare for the ongoing fight against outside forces.
Despite attempts to create a more normal living environment in their underground location, the tension of this situation was palpable.
The electricity in the bunker flickered intermittently and the sounds of war echoed throughout the structure as the Russian advance drew closer. The air was heavy and oppressive.
During the last months of the war, Hitler controlled the German government from this sad lair. The occupants maintained access to the outside world through telephone and telegraph lines.
High-level German officials made regular visits to hold meetings on important issues related to government and military efforts. Visitors included Hermann Göring and SS leader Heinrich Himmler, among others.
From the bunker, Hitler continued to dictate German military movesbut was unsuccessful in stopping the forward march of the Russian troops as they approached Berlin.
Despite the stale, claustrophobic atmosphere of the bunker, Hitler rarely left his protective atmosphere. He made his last public appearance on March 20, 1945, when he surfaced to award the Iron Cross to a group of Hitler Youth and SS men.
hitler’s birthday
Just days before Hitler’s last birthday, the Russians reached the edge of Berlin and were met by resistance from the last remaining German defenders. However, since the defenders consisted mostly of old men, Hitler Youth, and policemen, it didn’t take long for the Russians to outmaneuver them.
On April 20, 1945, Hitler’s 56th and final birthday, Hitler organized a small gathering of German officials to celebrate. The event was dominated by the imminence of defeat, but the attendees tried to put on a brave face for their Führer.
Officials in attendance included Himmler, Göring, Reich Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentrop, Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production Albert Speer, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and Hitler’s personal secretary, Martin Bormann.
Several military leaders also attended the celebration, including Admiral Karl Dönitz, Field General Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, and the recently appointed Chief of the General Staff, Hans Krebs.
The group of officials tried to convince Hitler to evacuate the bunker and flee to his villa in Berchtesgaden; However, Hitler put up great resistance and refused to leave. In the end, the group gave in to his insistence and abandoned their efforts.
Some of his most devoted followers decided to stay with Hitler in the bunker. Bormann remained together with Goebbels. The latter’s wife, Magda, and her six children also chose to remain in the bunker rather than evacuate. Krebs also remained underground.
Betrayal of Göring and Himmler
Others did not share Hitler’s dedication and instead chose to leave the bunker, a fact that reportedly deeply upset Hitler.
Both Himmler and Göring left the bunker shortly after Hitler’s birthday celebration.. This did not help Hitler’s mental state and in a way, this fact made him increasingly irrational and desperate in the days after his birthday.
Three days after the meeting, Göring telegraphed Hitler from the villa in Berchtesgaden. Göring asked Hitler if he should assume leadership of Germany based on Hitler’s fragile state and the decree of June 29, 1941, which placed Göring in the position of Hitler’s successor.
Göring was surprised to receive a written response from Bormann accusing High Treason Göring. Hitler agreed to drop the charges if Göring relinquished all duties from him. Göring agreed and was placed under house arrest the following day. He would later stand trial at Nuremberg.
Leaving the bunker, Himmler took a step that was even more daring than Göring’s attempt to seize power. On April 23, the same day as Göring’s telegram to Hitler, Himmler began moves to negotiate surrender with US General Dwight Eisenhower.
Himmler’s attempts did not come to fruition, but the news reached Hitler on April 27. According to witnesses, they had never seen the Führer so enraged.
Hitler ordered that Himmler be tracked down and shot; however, when Himmler could not be found, Hitler ordered the execution of SS General Hermann Fegelein, Himmler’s personal liaison who was stationed in the bunker.
Fegelein was already on bad terms with Hitler, having been caught walking out of the bunker the day before.
The Soviets surround Berlin
In this point, the Soviets had begun to bomb Berlin and the attack was relentless. Despite the pressure, Hitler remained in the bunker rather than make a last-minute escape attempt to his hideout in the Alps. Hitler feared that fleeing might mean capture and that was something he was not willing to risk.
By April 24, the Soviets had the city completely surrounded. and it seemed that escape was no longer an option.
April 29 Events
On the day that American forces liberated Dachau, Hitler began the final steps to end his life. According to witnesses in the bunker, Shortly after midnight on April 29, 1945, Hitler married Eva Braun. The couple had been romantically involved since 1932, although Hitler was determined to keep their relationship fairly private in its early years.
Braun, a young and attractive photo assistant when they met, adored Hitler. Although he reportedly encouraged her to leave the bunker, she promised to stay with him until the end.
Shortly after Hitler married Braun, he dictated his last will and political declaration to his secretary, Traudl Junge.
Later, that day, Hitler learned that Benito Mussolini had died at the hands of Italian supporters. It is believed that this was the final push towards Hitler’s death the following day.
Shortly after learning of Mussolini’s death, Hitler is reported to have asked his personal physician, Dr. Werner Haase, to test some of the cyanide capsules given to him by the SS. The test subject would be Hitler’s beloved Alsatian dog, Blondi, who had given birth to five puppies earlier that month in the bunker.
The cyanide test was successful and Hitler was reported to have become hysterical over Blondi’s death.
April 30, 1945
The next day he had bad news on the military front. The German command leaders in Berlin reported that they could only delay the final Russian advance for another two or three days, at most. Hitler knew that the end of his Thousand Year Reich was fast approaching.
After a meeting with their staff, Hitler and Braun ate their final meal with their two secretaries and the bunker’s cook. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., they said goodbye to the staff in the bunker and retired to their private chambers.
Although there is some uncertainty surrounding the exact circumstances, historians believe that the couple ended their lives by swallowing cyanide while sitting on a sofa in the living room. As an added measure, Hitler also shot himself in the head with his personal pistol.
After his death, the bodies of…