Essay, Research Paper: Hitler's Last Days

Hitler's Last Days


By


Paul Becker






















Hitler's final days were filled with anger, sadness and turmoil. Hitler decided he would stay in Berlin and die in the bunker. He felt that his top Generals and aids had betrayed him to his enemies in his final days.
In mid January Hitler descended into the Fuhrerbunker where he would remain until his death. Hitler had been in Berlin since January 16 after the unsuccessful battle at Ardennes. From here Hitler directed his shrinking armies into battle (Shirer 1108).
Hitler had planned to leave Berlin on April 20, 1945. This was his fifty-sixth birthday. He had hoped to go to Obersalzberg, and from there direct Nazi troops. However Hitler decided instead to remain in Berlin. Allied armies were moving in on all fronts. The Russians were advancing up the Danube after their capture of Vienna. Patton's Third Army was quickly moving down the same river to meet up with the Russians a Linz, the birthplace of Hitler. The US Seventh Army had taken Nuremberg, and had begun to advance toward Munich.. The British had started an attack on Hamburg and Bremen. Hitler was surrounded, but decided to remain in Berlin. Most government offices had already moved south with truckloads of papers (Shirer 1107).
On April 20, it was decided two separate commands would be setup in the event American and Russian armies joined at the Elbe. Admiral Doenitz was to head the German command in the North. Hitler was debating about the southern command, but was leaning towards Kesselring (Shirer 1112).
Also on April 20 Hitler ordered an all out counter attack against the Russians in the southern suburbs of Berlin. The attack was to be led be S.S. General Felix Steiner. All available troops were to be committed to battle including the ground forces of the Luftwaffe. What Hitler failed to realize until later was there never was a counterattack. The attack was never attempted. Hitler was beginning to lose touch with reality
(Shirer 1112).
On the evening of the 20th several of the top officials in the bunker who wanted to flee did. Himmler, Goering, and Ribbentrop all fled to safety. Goering had taken with him truckloads of valuables from his estate, Karinhall (Shirer 1112).
April 22 was a day of disaster for Hitler. From the early morning to three in the afternoon Hitler spent the day on the phone attempting to find out how General Steiner's attack was going. None of the command outposts he called knew. General Felix could not be found nor his army. General Koller the air force commander could not locate the army by plane nor could any of the ground commanders. Hitler was forced to realize there was no attack (Shirer 1113).
General Jodl and Keitel informed Hitler in a three hour military meeting that the withdrawal of troops in the north to support General Felix had so weakened the German front that Russian tanks had broken through and were now were in the city. Hitler lost complete control of himself. He shouted that this was the end, and everyone had deserted him. He decided against the advice of his generals that he would stay in Berlin until the end and command the troops. Hitler no longer trusted anyone (Shirer 1113).
After the meeting Frau Junge, Gerda Christian, Constanze Manziarly, and Eva Braun were all summoned to see Hitler. Hitler said, "Get yourselves ready right away. In one hour's time a plane will take you to the south. It's all over. It's the end. There's no hope left." (Galante, Silianhoff 2). After the order there was a long silence, then Eva Braun came over to Hitler and took his hand and said, "You know perfectly well that I'll never leave you. Why are you asking me to go?" (Galante, Silianhoff 2). After this Hitler proceeded to kiss Eva Braun on the lips, the first time he did this in front of anyone. After the kiss the other women refused to leave. Hitler took their hands and said, "If only our generals had been as brave as you!" (Galante, Silianhoff 3).
After the meeting with the women Hitler came out and told his officers that any who wanted to leave could do so now. Most of the officers left the bunker within a short time. Hitler then summoned Schaub a faithful adjutant and ordered him to burn all the documents stored in cupboard of the bunker. Hitler then told him to leave the bunker and burn all the documents in Munich and at Bertesgaden. Schaub left the same day (Galante, Silianhoff 3). There were however some who elected to remain with Hitler:
Martin Bormann, Ambassador Walter Hewel, General Hans Krebs, General Bergdorf, Admiral Voss, General Hermann Fegelein (who was married to Gretl Broun, Eva's sister), and the aides-de-camp Nikolaus von Below and Otto Gunsche decided not to go, as did one of the valets, Heinz Linge, and three orderlies. Several members of the General Staff, telephonists, drivers and kitchen employees also elected to stay. (Galante, Silianhoff 3).

Hitler then invited the Goebbles who were staying in their house in the Wilhelmstrasse to stay in the Fuhrerbunker. (Shirer 1113). Frau Junge told Otto Gunsche to clear out a room and put beds in it for the Goebbles (Galante, Silianhoff 4). After this Hitler informed Generals Keitel and Jodl that they were to leave the bunker and take command of the armies in the South. Hitler also said that Goering was to take over the leadership in the South (Shirer 1114).
There were several repercussions of Hitler's outbursts on the 22nd. Himmler was quite upset at Hitler's decision to stay saying, "Everyone is mad in Berlin! What am I to do?" (Shirer 1114). Obergruppenfuehrer Gottlob Berger the chief of the S.S. office told Himmler, "I am going to Berlin, and it is your duty to go too." (Shirer 1114). Berger was the only one who went. He gave a detailed account of the state of the Fuehrer. "Berger found the Fuehrer a broken man-�finished." (Shirer 1114). Berger also discussed with Hitler what was to be done with some prominent prisoners of war. After the discussion Berger left for Bavaria to take charge of the prisoners. His order was, "Shoot them all." (Shirer 1115).
Speer flew into the capitol on April 23 to say his goodbye to the Fuehrer and tell him that he had not carried out the Fuehrer's wish that Germany practice a scorched earth policy and burn all the factories in Berlin as the Russians advanced. Hitler had remarkably little reaction to the news (Shirer 1118). He then left Berlin that evening (Galante, Silianhoff 8).
On the evening of April 23 Keitel flew to Goering in Obersalzberg to inform him of all the events that took place, and to tell him is was time to negotiate for peace. Upon hearing of Hitler's decision to remain in Berlin, Goering sent a telegram stating:
My Fuehrer!
In view of your decision to remain in the fortress of Berlin, do you agree that I take over at once the total leadership of the Reich, with full freedom of action at home and abroad as you deputy in accordance with you decree of June 29, 1941? If no reply is received by 10 o'clock tonight, I shall take it for granted that you have lost your freedom of action, and shall act for the best interests of our country and our people. You know what I feel for you in this gravest hour of my life. Words fail to express myself. May God protect you, and speed you quickly here in spite of all. (Netscape 1)

Hitler, prompted by Bormann, was enraged by the telegram, and sent a reply stating that he has committed, "high treason." Goering was arrested by the S.S. near Berchtesgaden on Hitler's orders. Goering was taken into custody before dawn on April 24 (Shirer 1118).
The last two visitors to the bunker arrived on April 26. They were Hanna Reitsch, a nazi test pilot, and General Ritter von Greim. Greim was wounded in the foot on the way, and during the surgery to repair the damage Hitler came in and informed him of Goering's plot to take over the Reich, and made Greim the new commander of the Luftwaffe something he could have done by radio. Hanna Reitsch then attempted to persuade the Fuehrer to flee but failed (Shirer 1120). During the evening of April 27 all verbal communications were temporarily lost (Boldt 189).
On April 28 Hitler ordered that Berlin be relived by now nonexistent armies. Hitler called for the ninth army, and General Wenk's army to relive Berlin but they had been liquidated. Hitler also ordered Heinrici's army to relive Berlin, but they were in retreat of the Russians hoping to make it far enough to be captured by the Western Allies. Throughout the day those in the Bunker awaited news of the relief armies; they learned that evening that no armies were coming to relive Berlin (Shirer 1120-1121).
Later on April 28 Hitler received a BBC news report and learned that Himmler had betrayed him and opened peace negotiations with the Western allies. This was a huge blow to Hitler, his face began to turn bright red, and he had a major outburst followed by a stupor (Shirer 1122). Hitler also received news that Russian troops had taken Potsdmaerplatz and were expected to storm the Chancellery in less than thirty hours (Shirer 1122).
Between the hours of one and three in the morning on April 29 Hitler married Eva Braun. There was a brief party attended by only the closest of Hitler's friends. After the party Hitler summoned his secretary Frau Gertrude Junge and began to dictate his last will and testament of which five copies were made (Shirer 1123).
At two thirty in the morning Hitler bade farewell to his secretaries and those who remained in the bunker. Hitler then retired to his room where he said goodbye to the Goebbles. After this the door was closed and a shot rang out. Hitler had shot himself in the mouth and Frau Hitler had taken a cyanide capsule. Their bodies were burned with 180 liters of gasoline (Shirer 1133-1134). The Goebbles informed Admiral Doenitz that Hitler was dead, and he had been appointed the new leader of the Reich. The Goebbles then were killed. The six children were poisoned and S.S. troops were paid to kill Frau and Herr Goebbles. Their bodies were burned with four cans of gasoline, but it was poorly done, and the remains were quickly identified by Russian soldiers. The survivors in the bunker were anxious to join the mass escape. Some made it out others did not such as Martin Bormann. Bormann died at the Berlin railroad station while attempting to flee (Shirer 1136).
The bunker was burned by the Russians (Shirer 1138). Hitler's remains were found by the Russians and taken into Russia where they still remain (Newsweek 1).
After the death of Hitler was announced, Admiral Doenitz and other former top Nazis opened peace negations with the Allies. The Third Reich had ended. The days of Nazi rule were over for Germany. The Allies had succeeded, and the thousand year Reich was completely destroyed.





Bibliography
Boldt, Gerhard. Hitler: The Last Ten Days An Eyewitness Account. New York: Coward, McCann, Geoghegan Inc., 1973

Galante, Pierre, and Eugene Silianoff. Voices From the Bunker the True Account of Hitler's Last Days. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1989

Netscape. The History Place, "The Death of Hitler", http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/death.htm

Petrova, Ada, and Peter Watson. "Tales from the 'myth file'" Newsweek 8 May 1995: 52.

Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1988