What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
In the spring of 1945, the armies of the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom attacked Germany from the east and the west.
In western Germany, in February the U.S. and British Allies crossed the Rhineland towards the Rhine, and by the end of March, the British had crossed the Rhine downstream towards the ports of the North Sea, while the U.S. army crossed the river in the middle and lower reaches to attack the ruhr, an important industrial center.
In eastern Germany, the Soviets had also reached the Oder River, threatening the gates of Berlin. The Great German Division was trapped by the Soviets in East Prussia and could not move, and its fate was irreparable. Once home to 21,000 men, this proud force now has only 4,000 men left. Some fled to the docks and crowded into the retreating ships, but that did not mean that safety was guaranteed. Under the attack of Soviet warplanes and submarines, no more than 800 people actually returned to Germany
At this time, Hitler was still obsessed with the belief that the Third Reich would achieve the final victory, and firmly believed that he was omnipotent and that miracles would surely occur again.
When U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, Hitler's flame of hope burned again. He felt that once Roosevelt died, the "reluctant alliance" between the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union would surely come to an end. When the two sides divide Germany, they will fall into a conflict and turn against each other, at which point the Western powers will cooperate with Germany and turn their guns on the Soviet Union.
Hitler had planned to leave Berlin and prepare to head south to Berchtesgaden and hide in his Upper Salz. In fact, the main branches of government, including the High Command, have begun to relocate there. But now he had decided again to stay in Berlin and continue to command the operations. And he did not know that the Three States, Britain, and the Soviet Union had reached an agreement to divide the occupied zone, and Berlin was left to Stalin.
On April 15, 1945, the Soviets launched their final march to Berlin, and the Germans soon collapsed.
On the afternoon of Hitler's 56th birthday, 20 April, Hitler drilled out of his bunker for the last time and stepped into the room of the Chancellery to attend his birthday celebrations. Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, and others professed their loyalty to the Fuehrer.
On 22 April, Hitler woke up after learning that the Germans were losing ground and that Soviet tanks had entered the city.
On 29 April, hitler and Eva read a simple vow according to the simplified wedding ceremony during the war, and Goebbels signed the marriage register as a witness. Then a reception was held in the Fuehrer's room, and the guests drank champagne and chatted about the happy times of the past.
For the rest of that day, Hitler was preparing for suicide. He reiterated again and again that his entourage was determined to burn his body. "I can't fall into the hands of the enemy, dead or alive." He said. The reason for this order was that the news from Italy the day before had been that his ally Mussolini had been captured by the guerrillas on his way to Switzerland, beaten and shot dead, and his body was hung upside down in the square in front of the rice gas station, allowing the roaring populace to throw stones and spit
Hitler also issued an order to test the efficacy of the poison he intended to take. The dog "Bujiandi" was led into the Fuehrer's bedroom, the veterinarian put potassium cyanide capsules in his mouth, and Hitler saw his beloved dog lying on the ground without the slightest emotion.
At less than 6 a.m. on April 30, Hitler got up earlier than usual. As usual, Hitler had one last simple lunch with his secretary and chef, which consisted of pasta and coleslaw. Eva, who had gladly called herself "Mrs. Hitler," did not want to come to dinner. After the meal, more than 20 people around the Führer were gathered, and Hitler shook hands with them one by one to say goodbye. His personal pilot Bauer reported that his plane was ready to take refuge anywhere abroad, but Hitler ignored it and simply gave Schell a grateful portrait of his beloved sleeping Trier the Great. Eva followed her husband, smiling reluctantly, and she also gave her precious fur to the other staff.
Just after 3:30 p.m., Hitler and his newlywed wife returned to their study, closed the heavy iron door behind them, and prepared to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, I just sat down on the sofa when I was interrupted. Magda Goebbels broke into the room and tried in vain to persuade the Fuehrer to dispel the idea of suicide. A few minutes later, he came out crying. Guards stood guard outside the door, and Hitler calmed down and pulled out a pistol and a deadly potassium cyanide capsule. He aimed the pistol at the right temple and put the poison in his mouth, holding it in the middle of his teeth, biting the capsule while pulling the trigger; As soon as the gun rang out, Eva also bit the poison.