The film "The Destruction of the Empire", directed by German director Oliver Siesberg, believes that most friends who are interested in the history of World War II and Nazi Germany have seen it, and more people may know about this movie through the ghost animal video on a certain station.
Although it was released in 2004, watching this film more than a decade later is still an excellent work, and the last ten days of the Battle of Berlin have been portrayed with great respect for historical facts, from high-ranking officials to generals, from soldiers to civilians, creating a scene of group portraits, becoming the final epitome of the Third Reich at the end of the crossbow. What is valuable is that the film makes a very objective description of Hitler and other Nazi war criminals, neither beautifying nor ugly, and at the same time conducting a deep reflection, and the pattern is so high that an island country is particularly ugly.
The large number of real historical figures shown in the film is also amazing. The following Xiaobian will take stock of the characters that appear in the movie through several categories.
Senior and civilian officials
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945)
Head of the Third Reich, Prime Minister, Leader of the Nazi Party, Initiator of World War II. Vegetarian, genius orator, cold-blooded, paranoid. He shot himself in the basement of the Prime Minister's Office on 30 April 1945. It is said that in order to play Hitler well, Gantz specially got along with the mentally ill and Parkinson's patients. Personally, I think that Hitler portrayed by Gantz is the most successful in the history of cinema.
Herman Goering (1893–1946)
Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Ace Pilot of World War I, sole Imperial Marshal of the Third Reich and recipient of the Grand Iron Cross. Morphine addiction because of injuries, from handsome guy to greasy fat man. I am obsessed with beautiful uniforms and medals, but the uniforms I designed myself are not as good as normal German uniforms. After being captured by the Allies, he was sentenced to death by hanging at the Nuremberg court and committed suicide by poisoning himself the night before his sentence.
Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945)
SS national leader, Gestapo chief, inspector general of police, minister of the interior, founder of the SS, executioner behind the massacre of millions of Jews and other ethnic groups. At the end of the war, he attempted to make a separate peace with the Allies, but was dismissed from all duties by Hitler, captured on the way to escape, and committed suicide by poisoning.
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945)
Minister of National Education and Propaganda, a first-class orator and a liar, known as the "genius of propaganda" and "the mouthpiece of the Nazis", doctorate in philosophy, humble and gentlemanly in appearance, but in fact iron-fisted and cold-blooded. Always by Hitler's side, Hitler succeeded him as Chancellor of Germany after committing suicide. On May 1, 1945, after poisoning six children with his wife, they both committed suicide.
Albert Speer (1905–1981)
Architect by birth, German Equipment Minister, leading leader of the economic aspects of the Third Reich. At the end of the war, Hitler's scorched-earth policy of destroying everything was passive, and many important factories and facilities were protected. The Nuremberg trial did not shirk responsibility and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released from prison in 1966 and died in London in 1981.
Martin Baumann (1900–1945 or 1959)
The Chief of Staff and Secretary-General of the Nazi Party, Hitler's personal secretary, held the Nazi Party's purse strings, known as the "Führer's Shadow.". One of the most mysterious of the Nazi high-ranking officials. Some say he fled the underground Chancellery after Hitler committed suicide and committed suicide near the train station on May 2, 1945. However, after excavating his skeleton, it was found that it was stained with soil unique to the South American country of Paraguay, so some people believe that he fled to South America and was buried back in Berlin after his death.
Walter Haywell (1904–1945)
Diplomat, subordinate of Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, liaison officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Supreme High Command. He committed suicide in May 1945.
Hans Fritzsche (unknown)
This peaceful life and his own photo can not be found, only that he is a subordinate of Goebbels, an official of the Propaganda Department. In the film, after General Klebs meets with the Soviets, he attempts to establish contact with Marshal Zhukov and surrenders, and is almost killed by Admiral Burgdorff...
F-FDTL
William Keitel (1882–1946)
Commander-in-Chief of the German High Command and Field Marshal. One of the oldest German generals during World War II, he was unreservedly loyal and admired Hitler. He was sentenced to hanging at the Nuremberg trial, and from the time of sentencing to execution, he was always expressionless and calm.
Alfred Yodel (1890–1946)
Director of the Operations Bureau of the German High Command, Army General, deputy of Keitel, one of Hitler's main military advisers. The main architect of the "Barbarossa" plan to attack the Soviet Union once issued orders to massacre Soviet prisoners of war. He was hanged after the Nuremberg trials, but his verdict remained controversial until 6 years after his death, when the court acquitted him.
Helmut Weidling (1891–1955)
General of the Army specializing in the field of artillery, commander of the 56th Panzer Army, commander of the city defense of Berlin. After committing suicide, Hitler and Goebbels surrendered on May 2, 1945, and died in Soviet prisons in 1955. Hitler had ordered Weidling to be hanged after believing that He had defected to the enemy, but the latter had to go to the Chancellery to defend himself, and was subsequently told to take over as commander of the berlin city defenses. Weidlin said sadly: "Instead of letting me accept this appointment, it is better to hang me." ”
von Graham (1892–1945)
The last German Air Marshal, Air Marshal. At the end of the war, he flew from Munich and landed in Berlin to meet Hitler, but was wounded in the right leg by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery, and accepted the appointment of the commander-in-chief of the air force and the promotion of air marshal in the underground Chancellery. In fact, all this could be conveyed by radio, and Hitler's summoning of Graeme not only made him a cripple, but also kept him away from the only place where he could command the remnants of the Luftwaffe. On May 24, 1945, he committed suicide by poisoning, and before he died, he said sadly: "As the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, I no longer have an Air Force. ”
Carl Kohler (1898–1951)
Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, General of the Air Force. Kohler had always been unhappy with his superior, Goering, who was not enough to be commander-in-chief of the Air Force. Upon learning of Hitler's preparations for suicide, Kohler personally flew to Upper Salzburg to inform Goering, and both were later placed under house arrest by the SS sent by Martin Baumann. After being captured by the Allies, Kohler was released in 1947 and died in 1951.
Hans Klebs (1898–1945)
Chief of Staff of the Army, General of the Army. In his early years, he served as a military attaché at the Embassy in the Soviet Union and spoke fluent Russian. Therefore, after Hitler committed suicide, he went to the Soviet command to negotiate an armistice, but the Soviet side refused. After the Germans announced their surrender, they shot themselves inside the bunker.
William Burgdorff (1895–1945)
He was Hitler's first aide-de-camp and a general in the Army. He carried Hitler's oracle and forced Marshal Rommel to commit suicide. In May 1945, he shot himself in the bunker with Klebs.
Ss
William Munch (1911–2001)
SS Brigade Commander, Major General of the SS, one of the early members of the Guard Flag Corps. During the Battle of Berlin, he was appointed Commander of the Garrison of the Chancellery and Commander of the Defensive Area of the Base Camp, under whose leadership the Germans fought tenacious defensive battles and even organized nine counter-breakout battles. After Committing suicide, Hitler led the guards and secretaries in the Chancellery to break through, and was eventually captured by the Soviets. Although he was an SS soldier, the Soviets were surprisingly friendly to him, even allowing him to keep his guns, but Munch attempted suicide because the bullets were unloaded by Hitler's bodyguard Kynchingshe. After several POW camps and numerous inquiries and testimonies, he was released and returned to China in 1955. Munch is talented, but his rough temperament, alcoholism, morphine addiction, and extreme misfits make him a poor reputation among his peers. Even in the post-war SS veterans' gathering, even as a former general, he had little prestige.
Hermann Feglein (1906–1945)
Himmler's aide-de-camp, an SS lieutenant general, was known as the "blonde boy of Himmler". In the Soviet-German War, he was directly or indirectly involved in the massacre of Soviet prisoners of war and civilians. In 1944, he married Eva Braun's sister and became a brother-in-law with Hitler. In the early days of the fall of Berlin, hitler tried to flee to Switzerland with his belongings, but Hitler shot Eva for treason, despite Eva's intercession. Incidentally, his actor, Thomas Kleschumann, is an "old German" on the screen, from the Wehrmacht to the SS, from high-ranking officials to submarine captains.
Ernst-Robert Gravitz (1899–1945)
President of the German Red Cross, renowned medical expert, SS general, attending physician and close friend of Himmler. Passionate about conducting medical experiments with prisoners in concentration camps and massacring millions of Jews in gas chambers. Even Hitler himself was very unkind to him, calling him "a useless piece of fat" behind his back. In the last years of Berlin, he applied to leave Berlin for fear of reprisals, but Hitler refused. Thinking of his unforgivable crime, Gravitz detonated two grenades at the family dinner table, not only killing himself, but also taking his wife and children with him to the funeral.
Wenner Hasser (1900–1950)
A medical specialist, an SS lieutenant colonel, a private doctor whom Hitler trusted very much. At the end of the Battle of Berlin, an emergency rescue station was set up in the basement with Ernst Schenck, a physician, and a large number of German officers and civilians were treated. To test the toxicity of the cyanide capsule, Hasser fed a capsule to Hitler's dog, Burundi, and instructed Hitler on how to kill himself by biting the capsule at the moment of shooting. By the time he was captured by the Soviets, he had undergone more than 370 surgeries in 7 days, and was subsequently taken to the bunker by the Soviets to identify the bodies of Goebbels and their children. Due to severe tuberculosis, Hasser died in a Moscow prison in 1950.
Ernst Gunter Schenck (1904–1998)
Nutrition specialist, SS Lieutenant Colonel. There are many scenes in the film, creating an image of a healer's benevolence. Although Schenck's treatment of the wounded is restored in the film, he does not have such a good reputation in reality. As an SS nutrition inspector, he established a herb plantation in the Dachau concentration camp for research and extraction of vitamins, and in order to develop foods such as high-protein sausages for soldiers and soldiers on the front line, he conducted a series of comparative experiments on prisoners in the concentration camp, resulting in a large number of prisoners dying of starvation and edema. He cared only about the health of the Germans, and the prisoners in the concentration camps were only grassy to him. After being captured by the Soviets, he was not tried and returned to China in 1953. Instead, the West German government at the time learned of his past and revoked his doctor's license and banned him from clinical medicine for life.
Ludwig Stenfeger (?) ~1945）
Doctor, SS Lieutenant Colonel. As one of Hitler's personal doctors, it is ironic that in his final years in Berlin, he went from a doctor who saved lives to a medicine man who guided suicide. On his way through the bunker, he committed suicide by taking poison with Martin Bowman near the train station. (It is doubtful whether Martin Bowman committed suicide at the time.)
Otto Kingsha (1917–2003)
SS flag captain, SS major, Hitler's personal bodyguard and aide-de-camp. The tall and calm Jingshe in the movie is impressive, and in the real history, Jingshe is also a big man with a height of more than 2 meters, which is intimidating. When France signed the armistice, Hitler had Kyoshe stand at the door of the carriage where the agreement was signed with a pistol, "If the French dare to have the slightest disrespect, shoot." After being captured by the Soviet army, Jingshe underwent repeated interrogations and tortures, but always firmly maintained a non-cooperative attitude, and after being sentenced to 25 years in prison, Jingshe continued to propagate anti-Soviet ideas in prison and received countless "special punishments."
Heinz Ringer (1913–1980)
SS Second Commando Brigade Leader, SS Captain, Hitler's personal bodyguard, butler. After being captured by the Soviets, he was interrogated and tortured in turn, very cooperatively confessed all the questions raised by the Soviets, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Kyoshe, who served his sentence with him, constantly encouraged Ringer to be strong. Together, the two were forced to write the Hitler Files.
Rohus Miasch (1917–2013)
SS sergeant, Hitler's personal bodyguard. A witness to Hitler's many activities, he was one of the last soldiers to leave the bunker at the Battle of Berlin. After being imprisoned by the Soviet Union for 9 years, he returned to China and wrote the book "The Last Witness", which tells many untold stories of Hitler during the war.
Erich Kempka (1910–1975)
SS Lieutenant Colonel, Hitler's driver. Kempka was one of Hitler's closest and most trusted people, and because he was very talkative, he always made the Führer laugh, and Hitler always liked to sit in the co-pilot's seat to facilitate conversation with him. Kempka, as a driver, was not involved in political events, but was one of those who eventually burned Hitler's body. After the Battle of Berlin, he cleverly evaded the Soviets and was eventually captured by the Americans. As the first to know the truth about Hitler's suicide and the whereabouts of Martin Baumann in the hands of the Allies, he was not only highly regarded, but also not charged in any way. After his release, he wrote a number of memoirs, which became an important source for historians to study Hitler.
female
Eva Braun (1912–1945)
Hitler's wife, who worked in hitler's photo studio with full-time photographer Heinrich Hoffmann, met Hitler. Eva, who was 17 years old at the time, and Hitler, who was 25 years older than him, became long-term partners. From midnight on April 28 to early morning of April 29, 1945, he married Hitler in the bunker of the Chancellery and officially married. On April 30, both committed suicide.
Magda Goebbels (1901–1945)
Wife of Propaganda Minister Goebbels, an important member of the Nazi Party and a fervent supporter of Hitler. Magda is a well-known beauty who came together with Goebbels after a failed marriage. After Hitler committed suicide, she poisoned her 6 young children with her own hands, and then fell outside the bunker under the muzzle of her husband's gun. Goebbels immediately shot himself, and the bodies of the two were immediately burned. She and her ex-husband's son, Harold, who served in the Luftwaffe, became the only survivor of the family.
The Goebbels family, at the top is Harold
Trout Jongar (1920–2002)
The protagonist of the whole film is Hitler's young female secretary. She held the position from 1942 until Hitler's death. During her time as secretary, she married Hans, Hitler's attendant, but Hans was soon killed on the battlefield. The most capable of Hitler's secretaries at the time was Schroeder, and Jongel, because of his young age and little experience, only did some work to record Hitler's dictation and typing, but Hitler always took good care of him like a daughter. At the end of the war, she fled the bunker with General Munch and others, was captured by the Soviets, and lived with a Soviet soldier for several years, after which she lived alone in Munich until her death.
Hannah Lech (1912–1979)
Female pilot, outstanding aviator, honorary air force captain, has set several German and world female flight records. As a test pilot for the Luftwaffe, she flew all German aircraft types during the war as a civilian, including many test models that could not be produced. The owner of the Diamond Air Force Pilot Badge, the first woman to receive the Iron Cross of the Second Class. In April 1945, she and von Graim (the two were said to be lovers, Hannah was never married after Greim's death) and flew through the Soviet air defense net to meet Hitler in Berlin, and then flew to Dönitz Headquarters. He was released quickly after being captured, continued his job, and was still able to take off at the age of 65. But she was also a die-hard Nazi, never repenting of her service to the Nazis, but wearing her Iron Cross in all public.
Gelda Christian (1913–1997)
One of Hilter's private secretaries, he was engaged to Hitler's chauffeur Kempka, but ended up marrying Air Force officer Eckhard Christian. Together with Jingle, she followed General Munch out of the bunker and was captured by the Soviets. He divorced Christian in 1946 and lived in Düsseldorf until his death.
Constantzer Mancheli (1920–?) ）
Hitler was a full-time cook and nutritionist, and the last meal before Hitler committed suicide was also written by her. She left the bunker with Jongar and the others to break through with Munch, and after being captured by the Soviets on May 2, Munch commissioned four women to report to Dönitz. Dressed in a Wehrmacht uniform, Mancheli offers to Find Outdress, who is last seen by Jonkelly, who is being taken by two Soviet soldiers to a subway tunnel. Mancheli has not heard from her and her whereabouts are unknown.
Soviet army
Vasily Ivanovich Trikov (1900–1982)
Outstanding general of the Red Army during World War II, with the rank of marshal. He was also an accomplished diplomat after the war, the only Soviet military character with a name and a surname in the film. In his early years, he came to China to study and serve as a military adviser, and he could speak fluently Chinese. He participated in a series of major battles in Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk and so on. Later in the Battle of Berlin, he met with the German Army Chief of Staff, Klebers, and became one of the first Soviet generals to learn of Hitler's death. Because the talks failed to bear fruit, Trikov went to the area within range of German fire to prepare for the negotiations again, despite the danger, and was shot and wounded by German diehards in the process, becoming the last senior general to bleed and be wounded in the fight against Germany.
Unseen characters
Felix Steiner (1896–1966)
Deputy commander-in-chief of the SS, general of the SS, first division commander of the Fifth "Viking" Panzer Division of the Waffen-SS. The general, who had always had high hopes for Hitler in the film, was indeed a professional soldier with outstanding abilities. However, at the end of the war, the troops he commanded were already incomplete, with less than 15,000 troops, unable to reinforce at all, and in the face of Hitler's absurd order to "shoot the disobedients", Steiner chose to disobey. To prevent it from falling into Soviet hands, he led his men in a westward retreat and eventually surrendered to the British.
Walter Wink (1900–1982)
General of the Army, commander of the 12th Army, and former chief of staff of Guderian. In the final days of the Battle of Berlin, he was once called "the fuehrer's savior". When the Allies and the Soviets surrounded Berlin from different directions, he used the limited number of troops in his hands to make exquisite arrangements to firmly contain ten times the Number of Allied troops, and although the Allies had numerical and equipment advantages, they were never able to inflict effective damage on the 12th Army. Eventually he led his army to surrender to the Allies, and although he openly disobeyed and surrendered, no one questioned his loyalty to Germany; because of his strong combat command ability, he and his 12th Army were also respected by the Allies. In 1982, Wink died in a car accident.
Albert Kesselring (1885–1960)
The Air Marshal, one of the most commanding and popular German generals, even the Allies called him the "Smiling Albert.". Out of love for cultural relics, during the Italian war, he protected a large number of historical cities such as Rome and Florence from war, and saved many works of art and cultural relics. After surrendering to the U.S. Military, he was sentenced to death for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials, later commuted to life imprisonment, and released for health reasons in 1952.
Karl Dönitz (1891–1980)
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Navy. He served as a submarine captain in World War I and invented the "wolf pack tactic" in World War II, causing heavy losses to the Allies at sea. Before Hitler committed suicide, he appointed Dönitz in his will as President of the German Empire and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht. On 8 May 1945, he signed the Instrument of Unconditional Surrender on behalf of Germany, was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison by the International Court of Justice at Nuremberg. He died in 1980 at the age of 89, becoming the last marshal of the Third Reich to die. Until his later years, Dönitz continued to preach Nazi ideology and insisted that he was unaware of the Holocaust.
Johannes Henchel (1908–1982)
This role is more special, the editor only saw his introduction at the end of the film, but forgot where he appeared in the movie, everyone knows, please tell the time point. Henchel worked as an electromechanical maintenance worker in Hitler's Chancellery apartment, and he held the same position in the Chancellery bunker during the Battle of Berlin. After Hitler committed suicide, the people in the bunker either committed suicide or fled, and Henchel voluntarily stayed behind to ensure the power supply of the field hospital until the Red Army entered the bunker.