curiousa2z
Be patient till the last.
1945 : Adolf Hitler commits suicide
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in
Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule
and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally
surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a
"1,000-year" Reich.
Since at least 1943, it was becoming increasingly clear that Germany
would fold under the pressure of the Allied forces. In February of
that year, the German 6th Army, lured deep into the Soviet Union, was
annihilated at the Battle of Stalingrad, and German hopes for a
sustained offensive on both fronts evaporated. Then, in June 1944, the
Western Allied armies landed at Normandy, France, and began
systematically to push the Germans back toward Berlin. By July 1944,
several German military commanders acknowledged their imminent defeat
and plotted to remove Hitler from power so as to negotiate a more
favorable peace. Their attempts to assassinate Hitler failed, however,
and in his reprisals, Hitler executed over 4,000 fellow countrymen.
In January 1945, facing a siege of Berlin by the Soviets, Hitler
withdrew to his bunker to live out his final days. Located 55 feet
under the chancellery, the shelter contained 18 rooms and was fully
self-sufficient, with its own water and electrical supply. Though he
was growing increasingly mad, Hitler continued to give orders and meet
with such close subordinates as Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler and
Josef Goebbels. He also married his long-time mistress Eva Braun just
two days before his suicide.
In his last will and testament, Hitler appointed Admiral Karl Donitz
as head of state and Goebbels as chancellor. He then retired to his
private quarters with Braun, where he and Braun poisoned themselves
and their dogs, before Hitler then also shot himself with his service
pistol.
Hitler and Braun's bodies were hastily cremated in the chancellery
garden, as Soviet forces closed in on the building. When the Soviets
reached the chancellery, they removed Hitler's ashes, continually
changing their location so as to prevent Hitler devotees from creating
a memorial at his final resting place. Only eight days later, on May
8, 1945, the German forces issued an unconditional surrender, leaving
Germany to be carved up by the four Allied powers.
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in
Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule
and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally
surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a
"1,000-year" Reich.
Since at least 1943, it was becoming increasingly clear that Germany
would fold under the pressure of the Allied forces. In February of
that year, the German 6th Army, lured deep into the Soviet Union, was
annihilated at the Battle of Stalingrad, and German hopes for a
sustained offensive on both fronts evaporated. Then, in June 1944, the
Western Allied armies landed at Normandy, France, and began
systematically to push the Germans back toward Berlin. By July 1944,
several German military commanders acknowledged their imminent defeat
and plotted to remove Hitler from power so as to negotiate a more
favorable peace. Their attempts to assassinate Hitler failed, however,
and in his reprisals, Hitler executed over 4,000 fellow countrymen.
In January 1945, facing a siege of Berlin by the Soviets, Hitler
withdrew to his bunker to live out his final days. Located 55 feet
under the chancellery, the shelter contained 18 rooms and was fully
self-sufficient, with its own water and electrical supply. Though he
was growing increasingly mad, Hitler continued to give orders and meet
with such close subordinates as Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler and
Josef Goebbels. He also married his long-time mistress Eva Braun just
two days before his suicide.
In his last will and testament, Hitler appointed Admiral Karl Donitz
as head of state and Goebbels as chancellor. He then retired to his
private quarters with Braun, where he and Braun poisoned themselves
and their dogs, before Hitler then also shot himself with his service
pistol.
Hitler and Braun's bodies were hastily cremated in the chancellery
garden, as Soviet forces closed in on the building. When the Soviets
reached the chancellery, they removed Hitler's ashes, continually
changing their location so as to prevent Hitler devotees from creating
a memorial at his final resting place. Only eight days later, on May
8, 1945, the German forces issued an unconditional surrender, leaving
Germany to be carved up by the four Allied powers.
