[Music] you think you know Adolf Hitler you've never seen him like this before Hitler's contemporaries from his birth in browna to his death in the bunker authentically flesh out the picture who was Hitler Hitler neither finished school nor had any vocational training he occasionally lived in homeless shelters or on the street he refused to pursue a regular job to this day it seems inexplicable that he could come to power out of nowhere Hitler became the fura leader of the German Reich one of the most powerful men of the 20th century starting an inferno that engulfed the world and brought death to millions of people the nation woried him and followed him blindly into the abyss but during his lifetime he kept his Origins and his life Secret no one should know how or who he was fascinating and oppressive accounts from companions friends and enemies as well as the most extensive collection of archived material ever shown much of it hither to unpublished reveal who Hitler was and how he could become what he was a notorious liar and an unscrupulous murderer under the protection of the Hitler Stalin pact Hitler invades Poland Great Britain and France immediately declare war on Germany despite all the warnings this comes as a surprise for Hitler he is unsure of himself but the rapid occupation of Poland restores his self-confidence the continuing paity of the western allies encourages him to go further after the occupations of Denmark and Norway he invades the Netherlands Belgium and France Great Britain is stunned the British army is defeated and has to flee Head Over Heels via d cirk Hitler's confidence Rises to immeasurable Heights but his next steps will have fatal consequences [Music] fura spoke at length and in detail about the ongoing incorporation of the former provinces of Posen and West Prussia the social strata thought to be racially valuable could be germanized in principle they would have to look racially pure and have the right hereditary disposition a special cultural heritage group would be created here language would be the most important factor he said he wasn't interested in the Polish intelligencia as they were the supporters of Polish nationalism Gad angle Army agitant to Hitler Memoirs in Diary form Henrich him's pocket diary Berlin office post briefing 13 minutes 11:00 a.m. leaf for PL 1 p.m. land in PL drive to Mawa dinner and overnight stay there Rudolf Brandt SS Colonel the polls are not a people to form a state I traveled back and forth across the country with the re fur SS a country with so little idea of the essence of settlement has no claim to Independent power in the European sphere it is a Colonial Country Hans y Ryder president of the Reich literature chamber if a German passed by a pole had to step off the sidewalk a pole could not travel by automobile or trolley and was even forbidden to own a bicycle he had been placed completely outside protection of the law and all his property movable or immovable was at the disposal of the German authorities yanari Courier of the Polish [Music] underground diary Tuesday April the 9th 1940 nasty weather housework and errands in the morning learn that the Germans have marched into Denmark and Norway God knows what comes next autel blumental Jewish German mathematician in Exile UT Zulan near utr after the war we'll have to ask the English how they could claim on a daily basis to rule the waves when Germany was able to land troops in six different places in Norway friederich Kelner Court employee laach diary Wednesday April the 10th 1940 contradictory news from Norway naval battle at narvi Auto blumental after the surrender of Norway on June the 10th 1940 the German Army Navy and Air Force stationed up up to 400,000 servicemen in this country with less than 3.5 million inhabitants the Norwegians are forced to supply whatever the occupiers need in a race against the British Norway has been occupied for economic reasons and because the German Navy wants to control the Norwegian Coastline to prevent a British blockade from 1942 onwards the German Army divisions are not particularly strong above all they are used to secure the supply of Swedish iron ore via the port of navik against an Allied [Music] invasion from all this wreckage and confusion there emerged one fact of major importance potentially affecting the whole future of the war in their desperate grapple with the British Navy the Germans ruined their own such as it was for the impending climax Winston Churchill the Second World War [Music] [Applause] diary April the 11th 1940 visited sa Bren the heights the bullet ridden Villages of No Man's Land abandoned old French trenches with mattresses and blankets endless bunker construction houses in the village piles of rubble hanging walls full of holes if one day the whole West looked like this it would be horrible Alfred Rosenberg director of the foreign policy Office of the [Music] [Applause] [Music] nsdap I tried to read in the faces of the thousands what was in their minds this Easter day but their face looked blank obviously they do not like the war but they will do what they're told die for instance William shyra reporter for Columbia broadcasting [Music] [Applause] system at lunchtime on May the 9th we left Berlin in great secrecy and traveled at first light towards Hamburg turned the train around and arrived in Aran at 3:00 a.m. under a beautiful Starry Sky we went by car to the command post of the furus headquarters the Felon Nest or rocky Eerie vilhelm kitle Supreme High commander of the Armed Forces [Music] Memoirs Hitler gathered his small executive staff and announced in a firm clear voice that the offensive against France had begun that morning the first birds were chirping in The Dewy bushes and in the distance we could hear the thunder of artillery Christ Shuda Hitler's private secretary on May the 10th 1940 the opponent mounted a big offensive 10 tank and six motorized divisions rolled towards the West in two groups on the downward slope to which we had been mistakenly LED our our army the government and the whole of France now plunged with dizzying speed to its ruin and yet there were 3,000 modern French tanks and 800 machine guns mounted on trucks the Germans didn't have more than that either charl de tank division Commander [Music] Memoirs diary made the 10th 1940 the final battle is beginning and will decide the fate of Germany probably forever definitely for centuries the Dutch have now been agitating against us for seven years and have let in all immigrants they were just interested in doing business and were bosom friends to all the Jews in the world Alfred Rosenberg in the first Armed Forces report Ed noon on May the 10th I had recorded the sentence the fura has personally taken over Supreme command of the German Army operating in the west I wrestled with him for half an hour over the approval of this publication he declared he wanted to remain anonymous and not diminish the glory for the generals I did not let up and in the end he gave in vham kitle [Music] transcript of talks between Admiral Daran and the fura at aalburg the furer emphasized that he didn't have the ambition to become a great Commander but more importantly to protect the cultural and social rise of the German Nation as the fura of its people others had insisted he become commander he was the Revolutionary Spirit and the pulsating element of the German Army and its great organizational Machinery he knew its tendency to exaggerated thoroughness against which he tirelessly fought uto Dietrich head of press of the [Music] nsdap Hitler took the credit for the success of the western campaign Albert [Music] Spear the Western campaign of 1940 revealed another of Hitler's character traits he was very bold in the creation of his plans Norway was a courageous plan the tank break through equally so but when the first difficulties arose in contrast to his unshakable persistence in the face of political difficulties he would vacillate in military questions because he instinctively sensed his lack of ability in this field hin garan leftenant general armad [Music] core diary Friday May the 10th 1940 now the war has really begun Chamberlain has Steed down and Churchill replaced him one bad person has left and a much worse one has come Henrietta Schneider housekeeper East Prussia thus then on the night of the 10th of May at the outset of this Mighty battle I acquired the chief power in the state I cannot conceal that I was conscious of a profound sense of relief I felt as if I were walking with Destiny and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial Winston [Music] Churchill diary Saturday May the 11th 1940 if I had to spend my whole life with a man I would choose Mr Chamberlain but I think if there was a storm and I was Shipwrecked I would sooner have Mr Churchill he has a funny face like a bulldog in our street Nella last Barrow in furnace [Music] Lancashire Winston is a dictator he can not be overruled and his colleagues fear Him the people have set him up as something little less than God and his power is there for terrific Robert menes Prime Minister of Australia from 1939 to [Music] 1941 diary Tuesday May the 21st 1940 our armies are 130 km from p Paris we've reached the channel Henrietta [Applause] Schneider the English are an amazing nation and I think it is true that nothing becomes them like catastrophe when they are really up against it their negative qualities turn positive in a glorious somersault slowness understatement complacency change into endurance and pride the begetter of self dis displine Martha ghorn War correspondent of the US Army the well-trained English army appears to be finished for the most part one would do well to have a small flask of morphine handy one might need it Stefan Spike Austrian writer in Exile bath England May the 23rd 1940 we've done it the Air Force is destroying the English on the beach I was able to persuade Hitler to stop the Army the fura wants this to be a lesson for them Hans yunik chief of the general staff of the Air Force to airut M state Secretary of the aviation [Music] Ministry diary Friday May the 24th 1940 the ring is tightening around the enemy armies in northern France Henrietta Schneider May the 26th 1940 Dunkirk by order of the very highest level the tank and motorized units are standing on the Heights and are not allowed to attack there is an understandable nervousness on the part of the commander-in-chief of the army because waiting for orders from on high when the back of the enemy is open to attack is incomprehensible fala chief of the general staff of the army Memoirs in Diary form May the 27th 1940 the field Marshall landed discussion with the furer guring announced success in Dunkirk Harbor saying only twers are coming across I hope the tommies are good swimmers Gad angle Army agitant to Hitler the mass of the British army got to the other side unharmed they left their weapons behind and escaped ahard mil general of aviators to Herman [Music] guring diary June the 8th 1940 I anticipate that Italy will come in now it is a hard time for all who care for freedom Neville Chamberlain Lord president of the council fascist Italy does not participate in the war against Poland or Western and Northern Europe but musolini wants to benefit from Hitler's victories and get a share of Fame and booty on June the 10th 1940 Benito musolini declares war on France and Britain Italians at that memorable meeting in Berlin I said that if someone has a friend he marches with him to the end according to the laws of fascist morality and that is what we have done with Germany with its people with its Victorious Armed Forces diary Friday June the 11th 1940 and what is the secret of this Victory surely the immense dynamism of the furer Edward Vagner are artillery [Music] General diary Friday June the 14th 1940 news at 1:00 at night Paris occupied by our troops without a fight flag raised for three days Henrietta Schneider letter to William slam Courier Portugal end of June 1940 it was confirmed everywhere that the surrender of Paris had been a demoralizing factor from that day on according to one officer the Germans couldn't Advance as fast as the French fled friedi tber born 1908 as friederick eim canor Berg austr writer Adam shakov head of the Jewish Council of the Warsaw Ghetto diary June the 17th 1940 Jews will be evicted from public housing rumors yesterday that all of France has collapsed France offered a ceasefire on June the 17th I've never seen Hitler as happy as on that day Hines linger valet to Adolf Hitler Francis peace offer was submitted to him while he stood surrounded by his officers he slapped his thigh in a lively gesture we were to one side and observed the scene that Walter France also filmed Christa shudder was my boss Hinrich Hoffman kitle who was carried away by an outburst of emotion coined the Fatal phrase myura you are the greatest military commander of all time part of Hitler's growing self deification after the first military successes involved believing it his himself France harda Charles deal radio broadcast on the BBC to France June the 18th 1940 is defeat final no for France is not alone she is not alone she has a vast Empire behind her she can align with a British Empire that holds the sea and continue the fight she can like England use without limit the immense industry of the United States I say this is not a Franco German war to be decided by a single battle I General deal currently in London invite officers and French soldiers who are located in British territory to put themselves in contact with me whatever happens the flame of the French Resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished in the western campaign 50,000 soldiers of the German Army die more than 1.2 million soldiers from France Great Britain the Netherlands Luxembourg and Belgium are [Applause] captured Memoirs in Diary reform June the 20th 1940 fura insisted that Brea and other artists and town planners come to the fura headquarters even if those concerned don't understand questions of warfare and politics they are still essential for the development of German art Gard angle June the 23rd 1940 Hitler sheds light on my reason for being here I intend to drive to Paris with you Shar and gizel a motorcade is waiting for us Hitler sits next to the chauffer in the first open car I'm behind him next to me Shar and Giza Paris is deserted dead not a soul in sight this morbid impression seems to depress Hitler as well speechless cramped he cowers in his seat until we stop at the steps of the Opera aror Brea sculptor and architect it was my life's dream to see Paris I can't tell you how happy I am that it has been fulfilled today for a moment I felt sorry for him 3 hours in Paris the last and only time made him happy as if he was at the height of his success Albert Spear letter to Elizabeth Vagner June the 29th 1940 yesterday I was in Paris the city is coming alive again if only a little but it's something it really is a magical place the furer was in Paris Incognito the day before yesterday at 5 a.m. with Spar I think he'll tear down Berlin after his impressions of this city Edward Vagner IFA Brown who never appears in public films the arrival of Adolf Hitler and his Entourage in Berlin from a window of the r chancell a large crowd of hundreds of thousands have waited for the furer for 6 hours to give him an overwhelming reception [Music] [Applause] Hitler was at the height of his power he was the master of [Music] Europe Gustaf monheim Field Marshal of Finland resistance to Hitler lost considerable ground in May and June 1940 Hitler's Prestige had risen further and F by sucker state Secretary of the foreign [Applause] Ministry the mood at home also changed the initial anxiety was replaced by radiant self-confidence when the victory fanf fell rang out even old opponents of Hitler could not hide their Joy I also began to believe in the good outcome of the war grain fek Finance [Music] [Applause] Minister the Hitler Mystique was beyond analizing there was magic about the man The Gods zlock Must Have Been totalitarian but they or it loved this man he never lost he was pre destined to win or so it seem Howard K Smith correspondent of CBS in Berlin 1940 to 1941 Valley M school girl hord on mine one evening a week we were allowed to listen to the German Army request program we always looked forward to this and our favorite songs were Lily marene and the lullabi from anal but we also listen to bombam of [Music] angeland the Atlantic coast from the North Cape to the Spanish border was in the hands of the ger Germans the British army Was Defeated and had fled the mainland with no weapons the airspace on the continent was under German control and invasion of Great Britain seemed under preparation eron fun vacker there were frequent visits by Leading dignitaries the Japanese always brought the most wonderful gifts I can remember once there was a really old sea chart on which one could see how to walk from the mainland to Great Britain without getting one's feet wet Rush Mish SS bodyguard regiment a stay of a few days in the English Capital was all that was needed to recognize the difference between London and Paris here no one was considering capitulation Julius Dodge Austrian socialist of Jewish descent in Exile Memoirs it was only after France had been flattened out that Britain thanks to her Island Advantage developed out of the pangs of defeat and the Menace of annihilation a national resolve equal to that of Germany Winston Churchill [Applause] diary Saturday July the 20th 1940 Hitler spoke in the r made an offer of peace to England Henrietta Schneider diary August the 20th 1940 Winston gave a great speech in the House of Commons he speaks excellently he does not brag too much Harold Nicholson Member of Parliament National labor party the Gratitude of every home in our Island in our Empire and indeed throughout the world except in the abodes of the guilty goes out to the British Airmen who undaunted by odds unwearied in their constant Challenge and Mortal danger are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so [Music] few Winston Churchill on August the 24th 1940 the first bombs fall on London despite the fact that German bomber forces are 10 times larger and Allied planes have to fly six times further when Churchill orders the immediate bombing of Berlin on the night of August the 25th 81 English bombers start out 29 of which reach their target more night raids follow the attacks do not fail to have an effect on Hitler on September the 4th he announces his intention to wipe out London as ging's Air Force concentrates its bombing raids on the capital the English aerial defenses have a chance to catch their breath we had our first big air raid of the war last night their biners were stunned they did not think it could happen when this War Began Gering assured them that it couldn't the biners are a naive and simple people William Shyer us journalist basic training for men born in 1923 at The Fighter Squadron of air regiment 2 in Claren fort in Corinthia Corinthia is a row in Austria which is now called ostar in the Greater German Reich more than 1.3 million of the Austrian male population of approximately 7 million are drafted into the vmar and the vaff SS between 1939 and 1945 242,000 a rans are killed in action that is about 8% of the male population while in the old Reich it is more than 30% the governments of Canada Australia New Zealand and South Africa formerly request that the royal family or at least the two young princesses be brought to Safety in order to protect the crown regardless of the fate of the motherland the children won't go without me I won't leave without the king and the King will never leave Queen Elizabeth Queen consort of King George V 6th there is a time to live and a time to die Winston Churchill Memoirs in Diary form November the 4th 1940 R chancell an unpleasant meeting at headquarters attended by guring fich kitel due to English and other press reports fura for the first time doubts the successes of the lva and the strike figures furer visibly depressed have the impression that he doesn't know how to proceed Gad angle the Gent has taken off his clothes and put on his bathing suit but the water is getting colder and there is an Autumn nip in the air Winston Churchill the day after Italy's declaration of war the seventh British tank division was transferred to the Li Frontier we were not exactly the most modern force on Earth some of our armored cars were old Rolls-Royce Silver ghosts used by Lawrence of Arabia in the first world war but we quickly took one border post after another Dennis ay private second rifle Battalion November the 17th 1940 we gathered close to the Libyan Frontier 40 Mi south of the sea in a forbidding but now familiar landscape of sand and gravel at 0600 hours the next morning November the 18th we cut through the wire and set off all around we could see tanks another vehicle streaming across the desert towards T Brook Dennis a on December the 10th the Italians suffered a severe defeat in Africa at CID barani Marshall gani begged for German air support musolini considered asking the Germans to send two tank divisions to Libya German troops under RL got the situation under control h scaran but now a new figure sprang upon the world stage romal took charge of the growing German contingent he strove immediately to enforce an offensive campaign his ardor and daring inflicted Grievous disasters upon us but he deserves the salute which I made him in the House of Commons in January 1942 when I said of him we have a very daring and skillful opponent against us and may I say across the Havoc of War a great General Winston Churchill the next day November the 20th We buried my friend Bill Manley dear old bill it was towards first light when we buried him I got on my knees pulled as much sift sand the way as I could trying to prevent a trickling back into the shallow grave we removed one half of the dock tag from around his neck and dropped him into a shallow dent in the desert I tried not to look at his face as I pushed the sand back over him I left him somewhere in the shifting Sands south of zidi re Denis ay diary Berlin December 1st 1940 for most Germans this is an end in itself for to be strong in their scheme of life is to be all it is the emergence of the Primitive tribal Instinct of the early German pagans of the vast Forest of the north to whom brute strength was not only the means but the end of life it is this primitive racial Instinct of blood and soil which the nais have reawakened in the German [Music] Soul William [Music] shyra Paris in November 1940 the defeat of of France leads to a partition of the country under the Armistice of Ken the German Garrison headquarters on plast Opera under the German occupation the Parisian cityscape changes the German soldiers have their own Cinemas cafes and about 60 brothal the guard regiment marches along the shazi to the Garrison headquarters northern France Paris and the entire Atlantic Coast are subject to a German occupying regime from July 194 40 the south over 40% of France and the colonies are managed by a new French government based in vishi which pursues a course of limited collaboration with the Germans the fura and the supreme commander of the German Army the fura headquarters absolutely top secret for officers only nine copies second copy order number 21 operation Barbarosa even before the end of the war against England the German Army has to be prepared to over throw Soviet Russia in a quick campaign operation barbar Roo the bulk of the Russian army in Western Russia should be destroyed in bold operations via tank pins movements in order to prevent the withdrawal of strong combat units into the expanses of the Russian interior adol Hitler Memoirs in Diary form December the 18th 1940 the order for barbar Rosa has been issued the Army Supreme Commander has ordered us to find out whether the fura wants armed engagement or is just bluffing in my opinion Fury himself still doesn't know how to proceed he hopes the English will capitulate and doesn't believe the USA will enter the war gadel in September 1939 the vimar and the Red Army determined the line of the Border in occupied Eastern Poland on the basis of the Hitler Stalin paack Stalin's Soviet Union strictly adheres to the agreement and supplies raw materials to the German Reich in the next 1 and a half years there will be no conflict along the now 2,000 km long border [Music] [Applause] diary Wednesday January the 1st 1941 we heard the fur's message to the German people on the radio wonderful and full of confidence in [Music] Victory vill Zig also came and we ended up playing a cozy game of Scot Henrietta Schneider on February the 18th 1941 we drove from beus garden to Hitler's house on OB salsburg Hitler greeted Us in the entrance hall with its VI of un's beg here Hitler spoke for one and a quar hours he gave a summary of the development of the armored tank he concluded his talk about tank characteristics by saying was most important armorment second most important and armor a distant third his opinion in a nutshell was the tank is not an insurance policy V Roland industrialist commissioner for tank production and Ministry of armament and war production at the beginning of April 1941 the motorized Flack regiments 19 from kitzingen and six from Hamburg were relocated from France and Belgium to Bulgaria in the foothills of the rela and pirin mountains watched by Bulgarian troops a football match between the regiment's first batteries takes [Music] Place Zar Boris III visits the troops 6 weeks earlier the kingdom of Bulgaria joined the axis packed of Germany Italy and Japan and the vimar was allowed to station its forces in the Balan State Bulgaria will take part in the war against Yugoslavia and Greece but never declares war on the Soviet Union in the second world [Music] war Hitler regards the serbs as the most effective at nation building and thus the most dangerous people in the Balkans Milo van gilas Yugoslavian communist from Montenegro Memoirs diary April the 5th 1941 there early on Saturday morning the attack on Yugoslavia and Greece is to begin in Greece we will try to reach Thessaloniki as quickly as possible Yugoslavia will also be attacked by Bulgaria and Hungary the state will be broken up Italy will be given the coast Bulgaria Macedonia and our Bavarian Eastern March areas are to receive the former Austrian provinces Yosef geras [Music] Germany declares war on Yugoslavia similarities to statements made before the invasions of Poland Norway Belgium and Holland the German troops have been ordered to restore order in the Balkans said Hitler the serbs will offer resistance but for how long at the moment the Vermont is attacking Yugoslavia and Greece details are not known but we should have further news by tonight Michelle Sebastian Romanian Jewish journalist weather as yesterday a little cloudier at lunchtime and so called Thessaloniki occupied by the [Music] Germans Auto blumental diary Easter Monday April the 14th [Music] 1941 the position in Libya becomes worse and Egypt is threatened in the Balkans the yugoslavs are going to collapse and as the Greeks have not withdrawn their Albanian division our Greek position rendered untenable Robert men Prime Minister of Australia diary Monday April the 21st 1941 yesterday the fura celebrated his birthday on the Balkan front henrya [Music] Schneider Hitler's Invasion allowed suppressed Century old Darkness to rise again in a new guise and with new motivation no nation is free of similar phenomena neighbors had lived peacefully next to neighbors and both would have continued their whole lives long like their grandfathers but now they're looting and wiping each other out milangas New Year's Eve 1942 a man in Desa lights the last cigar of Peace unlike in the first world war thanks to the plundering of occupied territories people in the Greater German Reich do not starve during the second world war diary April the 24th 1941 some shortages in Berlin above all tobacco and beer I'll fix this the people have to be kept happy yoseph gabbles gaigher of [Music] Bin radio address on the BBC April the 27th 1941 the peoples of the British Empire and of the United States are determined that the cause of Freedom shall not be trampled down last time I spoke to you I quoted the lines of Longfellow I have some other lines which are less well known but which are appropriate to our fortunes tonight and I believe they will be so judged wherever the English language spoken or the flag of Freedom flies for while the tired waves vainly breaking seem here no painful inch to gain far back through creeks and inlets making comes silent flooding in the main and not by Eastern Windows only only when daylight comes comes in the light in front the sun climbs slow how slowly but westw look the land is bright Winston Churchill diary May the 27th 1941 report I have never believed and cannot see how the British Empire can defeat Germany without the help of God or Uncle Sam perhaps it will take both General Raymond E Lee chief of US military intelligence in Great Britain my nextdoor neighbor says she prays to God to strike Hitler dead cannot help thinking if God wanted to do that he would not have waited till Mrs Helm asked him to do so Nella last Barrow in furnace Lanier diary [Music] Hitler breaks The Pact with Stalin and invades Russia his aim is to eradicate the entire Russian people and use the territory as a settlement region for the Aryan race the German Army quickly conquers large parts of Russia and besieges Moscow Hitler has reached the Pinnacle of German military power almost the entire European continent is under his control his generals are concerned but unconditionally obedient after these rapid successes the German Army is faced with the unlimited Manpower of the Red Army and above all with the incredible distances and harsh winter in Russia after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the sub subsequent US declaration of war on Japan Hitler declares war on the USA will Hitler recognize that there is a growing imbalance of military power and act accordingly [Music] up until 1942 he needed particular decorum and big rooms to think about important diplomatic activities or to plan offensives Christa Shuda Hitler's private secretary in the living Hall of the beof there was a large Globe an army agitant pointed meaningfully to a pencil Line running from north to south in the URS Hitler had drawn the line to identify the future boundary of the spheres of influence that were agreed with the Japanese Albert Spar Memoirs letter to US President Franklin D Roosevelt describing Hitler in Germany Mr stallin spoke that the Germans were a people who without a second's thought would sign a treaty today break it tomorrow and sign a second one the following [Music] day Harry Hopkins Moscow France Haler Major General War diary devastating verdict on bolshevism is equal to antisocial criminality communism tremendous danger for the future we must distance ourselves from the attitude of soldierly camaraderie the Communist is no comrade beforehand and no comrade afterwards it is a battle of extermination eradication of communist intelligence I had a belief in the foresight and wisdom of the German general staff that was hard to shake and I could not credit that these strategically and tactically trained mines would embark on a two-front war if they thought they were not sure that the blitz Creek technique would lead to Victory I thought it likely that it would lead to the end of Russia as it had come to the end of France I was wrong Carl tuuk German Austrian dramatist in British exile diary Monday June the 9th 1941 there's a big operation here the streets are full of military of every kind on their way to the Border Henry ATA Schneider elk East Prussia when he decided on the easn campaign in the summer of 1941 he told Eva Brown he had to travel to Berlin for a few days Christ shudder when Adolf heard the music of Vagner he was transformed then he lost his fierceness he became quiet flexible manageable the unease disappeared from his face what had moved him during the day vanished August kubit childhood friend Varner's music became second nature to him and Hamer until 1937 head of the nsdap Foreign Press [Music] Bureau he loved the Vagner Opera the most other than that Symphonies by Beethoven and Brookner are songs by Richard Strauss of the light entertainment pieces he appreciated the bat and The Merry Widow Borman proved his musical knowledge just by changing the records Hinrich Hoffman [Music] photographer it was almost always the same repertoire that Hitler had them play the only popular song Hitler allowed was the donkey serenade which often concluded the [Music] concert Hitler's private secretary you'll be hearing that a lot in the near future it'll be the victory Fanfare for our Russian campaign how do you like it Adolf Hitler to Albert Shar after listening to the first bars of Lee prud by France list the Russian Fanfare June the 21st 1941 diary Saturday June the 21st 1941 wild rumors are coming from the border Henri ATA Schneider on the evening of June the 21st the chief of staff of the Kiev military District called and said that a German sergeant had defected to the Border guards he claimed the German troops were moving into their staging areas for an attack that would begin early on June the 22nd I notified Stalin immediately Georgie zukov Chief of Staff of the Red Army it's always a strange feeling before battle the mood is like at a party horse Roo Castle regimental doctor in the 24th tank Regiment of the 24th tank division diary of the army Group North June the 22nd 1941 beginning of the invasion 305 a.m. the entire front of the army group crossed the border Robert frer on griesenbeck major it was June the 22nd 1941 the night was wonderfully warm and full of the scent of flowers the 19 G sang like never before then it struck 1 2 3:00 and it remained deadly quiet in the next few seconds artillery fire erupted and the Earth threatened to explode Anita Fon gmer mishki Mill District around 4 4:10 a.m. the west and Baltic military districts announced the beginning of the German offensive in their territory around 4:30 a.m. all members of the poot Bureau had assembled Stalin looked pale at the table pipe in hand I suggested that all military districts On the Border immediately employ all means against the enemy troops that had broken through and stop their continued Advance not stop them destroy them timoshenko stated more precisely give the order Stalin said Georgie zukov is he mad this Hitler he could have Allied himself with England's Chamberlain against communist Russia or with communist Russia against the Anglo-Saxon capitalist world but he invaded both yes he is mad thank God K Claus man son of Kya and Thomas man a life's report Hitler sends us to Russia to conquer subhumans but now I see Russia the way it is the endless expanses gently Rising Hills occasionally a village with always the same one-story farmhouses then the only building Made of Stone a church with the classical Tower to one side the land of farmers the land of monks OT AA soldier with endless grain and wheat fields and giant sunflower forests as a backdrop I now experience the war in the Precision of its metallic order in the steel lights of its Machinery in the unceasing uniform Roar of a thousand engines CIO mapar author and War correspondent of the Italian newspaper corera deera the vulgar rises in Europe with the exception of falsest in the Eiffel region Hitler's headquarters all had names that appeared with the word vulf vulf shansa ver vulf vulf schl Hinrich Hoffman Christ shudder it All Began so promisingly in the first two days in the Vol shansa we experienced the boss standing in front of a large map of Europe and pointing to Moscow saying in a few weeks we'll be in Moscow there's no doubt about that and then I'll raise Moscow to the ground I'll build a reservoir there the name Moscow has to be erased completely ad fitler quoted by secretary Christa Scher type of warfare completely different than the German plan right from the beginning with the absence of solid fronts and secured flanks at first unpleasant for the Army today it has solid flanks War but without structure thura says you have to read Carm to get inside him no more information about our own and Russian strengths everything uncertain security of the Fur by no means absolute admits he's been terrified at times but always strong when the going gets tough valta shf Captain F's commissioner for military historiography [Music] the request concert broadcast every Sunday afternoon on the radio was popular with young and old when vilem with his wonderful voice sang Homeland your stars you could have heard a pin drop elanora V born 1924 restaurant [Music] owner vilhelm kitle Chief of the Armed Forces is high command to field Marshal fed off on Bach on July the 25th 1941 the Speedy collapse of Russia is vital for German interests since Russia cannot be subjugated the fura was concerned about this situation and asked worriedly how much time do I have left to finish off Russia and how much time do I still need August the 28th 1941 meeting of musolini and Hitler at the front near uman south of Kiev Russia Army group South letter 1941 it is our war not as the enemy propaganda likes to call it Hitler's War they don't know that Hitler's one of us a soldier like us we know that he would do everything in his power for us that gives us unlimited trust the fura leaves no comrade in the Lurch and when he doesn't help it's because there was something more important or Roo regimental doctor from Kasa when musolini visited the Russian front he was really impressed by the contact between the German officers and their soldiers Hitler and he ate together with simple soldiers and they had the same food Raa musolini Memoirs recording of the Le taking from Hitler of the Italian Ambassador Bernardo atolo and his wife the furer replied that he had always advocated German Italian friendship besides there was also a personal element to this in musolini he treasured a great contemporary to whom he was bound through a deep personal affection should anything happened to musolini then the fura would feel really isolated penko September 1941 ever onwards deep into the Russian continent to the B the dppa the donque the dawn the vulga to the Caspian Sea and then winter will come the lovely winter and then Dust and rain again dust and mud until the winter comes again the lovely winter of holy Russia CIO malaparte the vulgar rises in [Music] Europe diary September the 9th 1941 in the evening fur's table fura we Germans like only Finland possibly Sweden and of course England a German English Alliance would be an alliance from People to People the English just have to keep their hands off the continent their empire and the world they can [Music] keep valta havil Ambassador and SS obur representative of the foreign office with the fur I say this here today because I can say it today this enemy is already crushed and will never rise again Adolf Hitler speech on the occasion of the opening of the war winter relief drive on October the 3rd 1941 at the front which was Z Molin I made the acquaintance of what the Russians call General mud we traveled to the front through deep tenacious mud which reminded me of maple syrup turned to glue we drove through battlefields that looked like the end of the world Margaret Burke white documentary photographer of Life magazine diary October the 10th 1941 11:30 p.m. it's snowing in Russia now something we can't deal with well Edward Vagner artillery General there is a winter you know in Russia for a good many months the temperature is apt to fall very low there is snow there is Frost and all that Hitler forgot about this Russian winter he must have been very Loosely educated we all heard about it at school but he forgot it Winston Churchill near the undamaged village a dozen white crosses of our cascia w stand at the roadside I stopped to decipher the names of the Fallen Soldiers all young men between 20 and 25 gy malaparte Shabani in bessarabia Diary Sunday November the 23rd 1941 partly cloudy still mild morning church commemoration of the Dead text I am the resurrection and the life more heavy fighting in Libya Auto blumental Jewish German mathematician utra diary November the 29th 1941 a dark day today fridi brought the sad news that Helmut vman was killed in action on November thei near Petersburg Dr Müller wrote me that his eldest son had fallen in the east on October the 28th Henrietta Schneider lunch with deal at conort hotel deal says he doesn't think the Germans will take Moscow Harold Nicholson diary Journal December the 7th 1941 I lunched with the president today in the Oval Office we were talking about things far removed from War when secretary Knox called to say they had picked up a radio message from Honolulu from the commander-in-chief of our forces there advising all our stations that an aid attack was in progress and that it was no drill I said I thought that surely Japan would not attack in Honolulu at 228 Admiral Stark called the president and confirmed the attack Churchill rang from England the president told him that we were now all in the same boat Harry Hopkins advisor to President Roosevelt Roosevelt has ordered the mobilization of American forces the news makes me feel numb Harold Nicholson diary we cannot lose the war we now have an ally that has not been defeated in 3,000 years ad fitler to VTA h on December the 8th 1941 diary Thursday December the 11th 1941 around 3:00 we listen to the fura from the rice the war with America is also official now the fura will make sure everything turns out well Henrietta Schneider diary urish Fon Hassel Diplomat and member of the German resistance it's no time for jokes anymore but stories from the comic character graph Bobby describe the situation graph Bobby looks at the globe and is told the Big Green region is Russia the red parts are the British Empire the light purple is the USA and the yellow is China all huge areas and the little blue one that's Germany does the fura know how small it [Music] is when Pearl Harbor converted the issue into a struggle for survival the United States produced the fighting machine that played an indispensable role in beating Germany to its knees Dwight D Eisenhower assistant chief of staff US Army I experienced how a democracy created a war machine in a few months overnight Factory directors and bank managers civilian technicians engineers and Tradesmen turned into captains and Majors Colonels and Generals Julio doch Austrian Social Democrat in US Exile memoirs December the 12th I want to join the American army klous man when the German Army surprised by the terrible winter of 1941 42 got stuck in the Russian ice and snow Hitler was frequently depressed but as before he hoped for a quick Victory there is only a very thin veil that we have to penetrate we have to be patient the Russian resistance will not hold Christa on December the 17th I visited the generals commanding the 14th and 47th tank Corp as well as the seventh Army Corp to again learn about the condition of the troops the three generals reported that the troops were beginning to have doubts about the high command black ice making all movement difficult the Russians are prepared and equipped for winter and we have nothing H garan Colonel General France haa War diary December the 17th 1941 midnight summoned to the fura disengaged is out of the question the enemy has only made deep incursions in a few places setting up a rear Echelon is illusory the front is suffering in only one respect the enemy has more soldiers he has no more artillery he is much worse off than we are adol fitler oral order to Army group Center December the 16th 1941 commanders unit leaders and officers are to take personal steps to force troops to engage in fanatical resistance to hold their position without regard to enemy breakthroughs on the flank or in the rear only with this kind of warfare can we gain the time necessary to get reinforcements from the Homeland and the West that I have ordered the categorical order not to retreat combined with Hitler's enormous Prestige but also the terror of his ruling apparatus have a decisive impact on Military performance with few troops and weapons in stabilizing the German front line and holding the combat effectiveness of the vmat intact Napoleon said in 1812 the cold has been my ruin Hitler's determination mastered the situation his steadfastness warded off [Applause] boom Auto dietr head of press of the nsdap [Applause] diary Monday December the 22nd 1941 the fura announces that he has taken over command of the entire Army what are the grounds for this dear Müller thanked me for my sympathy about the loss of his son in action Henryetta Schneider the Russians have smashed Hitler's greatest army in the world Hitler dismisses his generals and takes command himself Berto bre German writer in Exile diary December the 31st 1941 bad news from the front in the evening saw the fura subdued atmosphere fura said I'm glad to be able to solve large problems May 1942 bring me as much luck as 1941 has the worriors can stay difficult times have always served as preparation for significant events listen to brookner's 7th Symphony bter Haven diary January the 11th 1942 how Meek our military communicat have become Friedrich Kelner labach Adolf Hitler order for retreat to the east Army January the 15th 19 1942 this is the first time in this war that I will give the order to retreat along a large front position I expect this Retreat to take place in a form worthy of the German Army the troops feeling of superiority over the enemy and the fanatical will to inflict the maximum damage must also dominate The Retreat January the 18th and 19th 1942 near urino on the river Tim our permanently cold feet hurt every step is torture but we have to walk and move our limbs every incidence of frost spite could be interpreted as self-mutilation V paza [Music] private Kyle toot stenographer in the fura headquarters diary review of military situation while we were alone with the fura he addressed dressed us it was very cold in the room and in his concern for us he said we must be freezing and he would therefore have a heater put under our seats he said he couldn't tolerate the warmth himself and got a headache when he Lent over the maps on the [Applause] table on the 11th of February 19 1942 marshallan antonescu visits the vul chansa headquarters the Romanian leader takes part in the daily status report insiders refer to these meetings as a show during the journey to Hitler's headquarters I have written the protocols of my discussion in guret forest and recorded my general Impressions the atmosphere is depressing perhaps the atmosphere of The Damp forest and the discomfort of communal living in the barracks are contributing to the bad news the anti rooms are full of people smoking eating and talking away the smell of the kitchen uniforms heavy boots everything is for the most part Superfluous at least for a great number of people who don't need to be here gatu chano foreign minister of the Kingdom of Italy diary but the burden of work and increasing concerns from setbacks in the course of the war eroded Hitler's Health from the winter of 1941 1942 onwards Morel monitored him day and night in the end Hitler began having mysterious injections almost every day Christa Shuda Hitler's private secretary diary Berlin March the 3rd 1942 the Hallmarks of the situation further erosion of the German forces in Russia slow further deterioration of the economic and food situations in Germany urish Fon Hassel Dwight D Eisenhower chief of the war plans division of the US general staff in the late winter of 1941-42 the ubot campaign in the Atlantic was at almost the height of its Effectiveness we were monthly losing ships including valuable tankers by the score a typical month was March 1942 when we lost in the Atlantic and arctic areas 88 Allied and neutral ships simultaneously we needed every type of fighting vessel cargo and Personnel ship particularly when it comes to the ordinary German woman the housewife with whom one speaks on the street and in the shops one gets the feeling that despite all prohibitions she continues to keep her own life pretty well intact Karen blixen reporting for the politican newspaper Copenhagen in 1941 more than 600,000 soldiers from Italy Croatia Slovakia Romania and Hungary march eastwards with the vimar Romania plans to recapture Bess Arabia from the Soviet Union and Hungary wants Hitler's support in the territorial conflicts with its neighbors Slovakia and Croatia are vassel states of the German Reich May the 20th 1942 we met many of our allies some of whom made a very good impression Spaniards slovaks hungarians h rool letter to his wife as the vimar can no longer offset its losses by recruiting in the Greater German Reich Hitler urges his allies to provide larger troop contingents in 1942 troop levels from the Allied States double in the East the 4th of June 1942 Hitler flies to Finland to congratulate a man he thinks highly of on his birthday the fura speaks out in great Praise of manaheim he is a terrific Soldier a shame that this Brave nation is so small Gad angle Army adjutant to Hitler Field Marshal Kurt manaheim who turns 75 years old today is known as the strong man of Finland which as a brother in arms has also been fighting the Soviet Union for 11 months and is supported by German divisions in the country a recording exists of the talks between Hitler and manaheim taped inadvertently by a Finnish radio technician Witnesses remember Hitler's voice in a private setting as pleasantly warm his deep baritone in gutal l Bavarian the environment of his childhood is totally different to the screaming shout of the oror Hitler formed at a time without sound amplification [Music] manaheim Finland will sign a separate ceasefire with the Soviet Union in September [Music] 1944 diary Friday July 4th 1942 few clouds temperature normal slightly overcast at night the Russian front breached along a 300 km Line Auto Blum tal [Music] Ed after the victory over the Red Army at kov on June the 28th 1942 Hitler orders a major summer offensive due to the weakening of the viar in the winter of 1941 42 the attack is limited to an 800 km section in the area of the army group Sou Hitler wants to conquer the Caucasian oil fields reach the Caspian Sea and push across the Caucasus to Persia an encirclement of large formations of the Red Army as during the attacks of 1941 fails the Soviet troops withdraw strategically behind the da vulgar line due to this rapid Advance Hitler gets the impression that the Red Army has lost decisive power the conquest of the Crimea and Advan to the Caucasus Mark the greatest extent of Hitler's territorial [Music] Dominion from rostov on Don several waves of Retreats rolled through our area in the summer of 1942 the oil tanks were opened wheat Fields torched all so that they wouldn't fall into the hands of the enemy on August 3rd 1942 German Scouts surfaced on motorbikes within 3 days German troops moved into prol NOA Soviet troops were scattered but beyond n barrier units work to carry out order n227 from Stalin not one step back mik gorbachov school boy July the 12th 1942 it is becoming increasingly clear that military action will soon take place on the approach to Stalingrad alexe chanov first Secretary of the party's Stalingrad Regional committee War diary July the 30th 19 1942 day 404 in the bow of the river Dawn west of Stalingrad the sixth Army of army Group B is engaged in a fierce battle and the situation is at present unclear France halder chief of the general staff I wanted to come to the vulgar to a specific place and a specific City Adolf Hitler November the 8th [Applause] 1942 damn Hitler who began this war damn all the generals Colonels and Military industrialists everyone who's to blame for this War and who wants it a curse on this era vly PESA corporal [Music] from vores in the East to the vulga the Soviet Retreat had assumed the character of a disorderly flight but an army of workers was waiting by the vulgar CIO malaparte the vulgar rises in Europe 1948 mother says father fell on August the 22nd he volunteered to go to the front he was sent to vne Gite Northwest of Stalingrad he was regimental Commander when a shell fragment struck him in the head he's dead Ena next to me seems to shrink as if becoming even smaller and thinner Peter sobs mother doesn't cry she says this seriously and soberly B from Amaya born 1932 on September the 11th I was ordered to report to the Frontline staff under kof they told me to take over the 62nd Army my orders were defend Stalingrad after I accepted the order Nikita kof asked me how do you see this I said I understand the order very well I try to carry it out I either I defend Stalingrad or I die doing so I got in the car and drove to Stalingrad vasel chuikov leftenant General the Stalingrad protocols the high point of the war had been reached something unimaginable overpowered the wildest dreams the North Cape Pyrenees Sahara and vulga formed the boundaries of a sphere of influence created overnight for sure there were bigger Empires but this one included Europe and its Nations there was no reason for Joy you knew what lay ahead for us because the disproportion of forces was [Applause] obvious buo from Alvin's leban Army Captain [Applause] diary memories in Diary form October the 18th 19 1942 fura is in High Spirits as the Red October tractor plant in vrad has been seized believes in early capture of all Stalingrad Gad angle Army agitant to Hitler [Music] [Music] we knew that Hitler wouldn't stop and would keep throwing military forces at the front but he sensed that it was not a battle for life being fought here but rather a battle to the death V Le chew off the Stalingrad protocol I feel entitled to demand that every German Soldier should sacrifice his life arol Hitler to Hein Garian on December the 20th 1940 I have lost more than 4,000 men here there were people dying but my men didn't budge Alexander RMV Commander 13th guards rifle division of the 62nd Army group on October the 26th 1942 Max is killed he is a 20-year-old Battalion adjutant it looks as if this is too much for mother to deal with she is getting bitter that's noticeable even if she doesn't want to show it we young ones say now father is not alone anymore bear bog Fon vire diary Sunday November the 8th 1942 the furer spoke from the Munich hboy Keller he laid into the war criminals again the Americans landed in alers during the night Monday November the 9th 1942 Landing of the Americans in Morocco Henry Retta Schneider Dr Teo Morel ADF Hitler's personal physician diary December the 15th 1942 patient day sleeping badly because of the military situation profundal through countless channels the news trickles through about the catastrophic winter in the East visitors from every corner of Germany new arrivals from the prisons convicted soldiers government officials on leave all know and tell of the terror of the Russian winter War ruri goel communist prisoner in Hamlin jail up until the very end the soldiers believed Hitler's promise that he would get them out of the encirclement I knew that this was a terrible lie ban FR loing hofen major diary Saturday January the 23rd 1943 no good news from the France Tripoli abandoned Henrietta Schneider from the West the Americans marched to the outskirts of tuna and dug in across from the German positions it was clear that North Africa could not be held for much longer Nicolas fono Air Force agitant to adol Hitler interrogation protocol of prisoner Herman strotman leftenant agitant of the first Battalion of the 79th Panza Grenadier regiment born 1918 in Minster Catholic men reached the limit of their endurance and this limit was reached on February the 2nd we surrendered spontaneously around 6:00 in the morning I was told that Russian tanks had arrived I began to cry walked out of the shelter and laid down my weapon [Music] [Music] diary February the 4 1943 we are now forced to communicate the loss of Stalingrad to the German people we released the news with correspondingly heroic pomp I coordinate all the details with the fura personally who agrees with my suggestions yoseph Gobles this news triggered excitement in me that exceeded everything that I'd gone through until then for me it was quite clear the war is decided the Allies will win World History will retain its sense Marie yovich zimon a German Jew hiding in Berlin Eric Bon manstein general of the army discussion on February the 6th 1943 Hitler opened our meeting with the implicant recognition of his sole responsibility for the tragedy of the sixth Army I had the impression at the time that this tragedy caused more pain because it not only represented a blatant failure in his leadership but that the fate of these soldiers really depressed him in a purely human way later of course doubts prevailed in me as to whether Hitler had ever had a heart for the soldiers at what point is one allowed to view the war as lost as I see it very late Albert the cranberg protocols Hines linger valet to Adolf Hitler [Music] among Hitler's habits which despite our efforts couldn't be remedy was that he kept asking what time it was above all during the war well I principally only ever stop at 5 12 Adolf Hitler in November 1942 the defeats increase Hitler's military decisions often taken against all the advice of his generals are increasingly catastrophic the fronts fall apart after Stalingrad most of the military leadership is aware that the war is lost but dare not say so openly the Western allies defeat the Italian and German troops under roml in North Africa and land in Italy in the East the Russians drive back the German Army finally the Allies land in Normandy but Hitler will not accept defeat and refuses any idea of surrender after a failed assassination attempt he feels invulnerable and orders one absolute measure after another dragging Germany if not the world into the abyss [Music] the muffled drum beats of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony the interval signal of the BBC listened to by half Berlin England accompanied the gradual looming defeat here is England [Applause] order schaer writer Memoirs for all capable Minds The Stalingrad catastrophe marked the beginning of the end B frag V Ling Hoven captain [Applause] the heavy defeats of Stalingrad and Tunis that stand as Everlasting Milestones to the beginning of this era are in so far as their reasons their sequence and end are concerned to be blamed above all on the man at the top of Germany's leadership Hitler himself Walter valon deputy chief Supreme command of the vak duka February the 5th 1943 interrogation of prisoner of War Anon RS book captain of the ninth company 24th tank regiment 24th tank division a second front in Europe is impossible the best German troops stand ready in northern France besides the coastline is heavily fortified Germany has enough reserves of men and materials it will be able to fight for as long as necessary up until 199 40 Hitler looked younger than he was in reality after that however he aged rather quickly up to 1943 he looked his age outwardly later his rapid physical deterioration was obvious Professor Dr Hans Carl Von hasselbach Deputy attendant doctor to Adolf Hitler I know that many people perceived Hitler as changed after Stalingrad I wasn't one of them Rush Mish SS bodyguard regiment I was also overcome by concern and doubt after Stalingrad but every time I spoke to adol fitler the worry and doubt fell away thanks to the extraordinary Fascination and Radiance of his personality Herman gesler Hitler's architect diary February the 19th 1943 to justify total warfare Reich Minister Dr gobbles was let loose on the public at the Berlin sport palas on February the 18th 1943 friedi Kel Court employee La at 5:00 in the afternoon the long awaited rally at the sport palast takes place the number of visitors is overwhelming at 4:30 access to the sport palast has to be blocked due to overcrowding yoseph Gobles diary it was one of those party organized rallies with patriotic intellectuals and actors among the tame audience whose positive reactions Were Meant to impress the common folk via the film cameras of the Weekly News reels Alber be Reich minister of armaments and war [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] production [Applause] gek for [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] diary February the 2st 1943 to my pleasure I learned that circles close to the fura listen to my speech in the sport palast and expressed enthusiasm [Music] the fura himself was so overloaded with work that he didn't manage it Yosef geras Stu Sunday in kak in Northern hessia since 1933 the nsdap has propagated a regular simple meal in families every other Sunday from October to March the housekeeping money saved is collected by the party as a donate to the winter relief organization the collective sacrifice is also designed to save food reserves above all for nearly 80 million people in the Greater German Reich stew Sunday is a forced commitment to the National Community after the proclamation of Total War in 1943 the nsdap registers the highest level of membership 7.7 million Total War transformed me too into to a soldier I now wore the ice blue officer's uniform there were 40 Pilots among them five women Bata usza pilot letter to parents in Cologne Gat Lin District of labo East Prussia March the 25th 1943 I was recently with the MA's family one evening he has a building company and is a calm quiet person 2 months ago his only son fell in battle 19 years old a hardworking friendly boy he was drafted in April 1942 I knew him now there are only two daughters left 17 and 6 years old the Fatherland is entitled to every victim the mother said quietly but she and her husband were weeping [Music] Mariana G student teacher addressed to the US Congress Washington May the 19th 1943 I am free to admit that in North Africa we built better than we knew the unexpected came to the aid of the design for this we have to thank the military intuition of Corporal Hitler the same insensate obstinacy which condemned his army to destruction at Stalingrad has brought this new catastrophe upon our enemies in Tunisia Winston Churchill the death of a human being didn't bother him at all he saw people as the links in a long chain and he considered the first link to be himself children were in his eyes only the potential by which the greater or smaller living space of a people was measured Christa Shuda Hitler's private [Music] secretary the soldiers that I met were not followers of Hitler and only served the furer unwillingly but all approved of War as an indispensable phenomenon of Life the war is the ultimate exertion that you cannot Dodge this picture was deeply ingrained in them [Music] Vilma storm journalist and [Music] writer the war as a dangerous child's game these young men trying to overcome their boredom with alcohol are just 17 years old their military title is Loft buffen Haler or Air Force helpers from 19 1943 onwards they replace regular soldiers sent to the front on the anti-aircraft guns in the homelands at the end of 1943 there are 880,000 young Flack helpers as a rule they are deployed near their Hometown high school students have 18 hours of school lessons a week at their [Music] posts diary Monday July the 26th 1943 musolini has resigned he said to be ill last night Hamburg Essen and kill were bombed again Henrietta Schneider housekeeper East Prussia while I endeavored to establish worthwhile targets to Hitler and the general staff of the Air Force our enemies launched five big attacks on only one major city Hamburg although this action contradicted all tactical considerations it had catastrophic consequences Albert Spar the issue that divided the American and the British bombing commands centered on the prickly question of daylight bombing as opposed to nighttime raids the Army Air Forces were convinced not only that higher level skillfully executed daylight raids could work but that night bombing with its notorious imprecision would prevent a catastrophic waste of material and energy Robert Morgan Colonel 8th US Air Force pilot of the bomber Memphis Bell we had known the main answer to the German defenses for a long time strips of Metalized paper were dropped for the first time on the night of July 24th 25th and the target was Hamburg like other Coastal targets Hamburg was particularly easy to identify by H2S radar as the outline of water gave us a clear response on the H2S screen some 700 aircraft attacked and the weather was in every way favorable Arthur Harris Marshal of the royal air force bomber command Diary of fighter pilot Hans arens born 1921 killed in action February the 21st 1944 that first night of Terror on July the 25th will remain Unforgettable for us and the majority of all Hamburg residents personally I'm glad that I experienced it all as a soldier it led to an ultimate Resolute hatred of our enemy letter to gor simmerman soldier in Norway from his mother Hamburg July the 28th 1943 dear gor we are still alive but Hamburg de facto no longer exists no house left standing just mountains of rubble entire streets blocked dead bodies not salvaged impenetrable smoke and fumes and fires still burning everywhere disintegration is in progress no police anymore or nothing Hamburg is lost forever magdalina [Music] siman when I traveled to the bin from bburg I met an acquaintance on the train he'd experienced it all in Hamburg as an anti-aircraft Soldier it smelled so strongly of corpses that you couldn't get the stench out of your nose leaflets were dropped over Hamburg with quotes from the war speeches of Hitler and guring without any comment Eric Kesner writer War diary Hamburg July the 30th 1943 my hanel words can't express what we are going through here a government that cannot protect its women and children is simply criminal my hannaha if I could only hear one word from you and gor your mother Magdalena simmerman when he traveled to Bavaria to the barov or the furer headquarters then he went by train and at night with blacked out windows so that he wasn't faced with the devastation from the bombing raids ban frog from loing hofen captain during the entire War Adam Hitler never once visited a bombed City Albert Spar the toll on those who flew was horrific two out of every three boys who flew missions were killed and by boy I'm talking about an average age of 20 the eth Air Force had more casualties in World War II than the Marine Corps and the Navy combined [Music] Robert [Music] Morgan Bor Fon Shirak came on June the 24th Corpus Christie he had a long and detailed conversation with Hitler the contents of which I learned from Hitler the next evening Shirak said unequivocally to Hitler that the war must be stopped somehow Hitler said to him what is he thinking he knows as well as I that there's no way out now unless I put a bullet through my head that was their last meeting ncas fono Colonel lufer adjutant to had of Hitler on September the 8th 1943 Adolf Hitler attends the briefing at army group South headquarters in zapor Ro in the Ukraine to discuss the alarming situation in the donbass region with its Commander field Marshal erish Von manstein in July with German armored divisions suffering major losses the offensive against the protruding Soviet front at kque fails in March under M Stein's command the viamar has been able to stabilize the Eastern front after Stalingrad with a hard-fought victory in the so-called third battle of kov but subsequently had to vacate the city in August 194 3 The Retreat begins almost everywhere on the Eastern [Music] Front September the 8th 1943 it is a race of Hope with the war a race of death with death what will come first the death of fascism or my death is that only my question oh no tens of thousands of prisoners are asking the same thing and millions of soldiers and dozens of millions of people in all of Europe and the entire world are asking the same Julius fuik Czech journalist and writer imprisoned by the Gustavo executed [Music] 1943 Mass execution at Berlin pluton sea prison September the 7th to 12th 1943 186 died on the first night the men went to The Gallows without shirts their jackets thrown Loosely over their shoulders hands tied behind their backs cluttering wooden clogs on their feet Victor Fon gamsky German prisoner in plon C prison Memoirs diary Friday September the 10th 1943 special announcement we have occupied Italy encountered only little opposition the Army is being disarmed henrieta Schneider Dr Teo Morel ADF Hitler's personal physician diary September the 23rd 1943 8:15 p.m. examination after dinner strong flatulence spasms from agitation stomach shows increased fat formation prescribed a diet he admired Morel and his art and was in a sense dependent on him and his medication albertt New Year's Proclamation 1944 the year 1944 will make hard and heavy demands on all Germans the Monstrous events of the war will come closer to crisis this year we are fully confident that we will [Applause] endure adol Hitler [Music] the foa the punch bowl premiered in two Berlin Cinemas simultaneously the previous night 1,77 English planes had dropped 3,715 tons of bombs on Berlin hin ruman actor and director diary Monday February the 7th 1944 in the East the terrible War rages on Henry ATA Schnider Edgar kopa kovitz prisoner in concentration camp daau April the 20th 1944 today is Hitler's birthday it struck me that of 10 houses only maybe eight of them had flags flying so people are growing weary but it was still more amazing to see that even in the SS housing estate only a few flags were [Applause] flying diary May the 9th 1944 patient a tension headache left side legs trembling due to agitation Invasion imminent but where Dr Teo Morel diary May the 27th 19 44 an impression of an increasingly destroyed Berlin devastating at the same time berliners are sitting in the sunshine on chairs amid the rubble and debris on the Esplanade as if it were peace timeon Hassel Diplomat a member of the resistance The Helpful Mr T firmly believes that Germany will be on its knees by September and until then there's nothing to fear here because there are no wagons to deport the Jews in besides he dares to predict that in one or two weeks the ver Mar will turn its arms on the SS ER noep Budapest Hungarian Jewish writer on June the 3rd 1944 Ava Brown's sister grle married SS section Commander Herman feline they celebrated on the Ober Saltsburg Faline had been a leaon officer in the vafan SS since the beginning of the year he had fought as one heard extremely well at the front above all however Faline was a smoothie whom women fell for in droves AA set him up with her younger sister grle Rush Mish member of Hitler's military escort several hours after the marriage of Hitler EAB Bron on April the 29th 194 4 a ceremony that makes hman figal Hitler's brother-in-law Hitler hasim Court marshal for desertion and shot the plutocratic world of the West can undertake its threatened Landing attempt whenever it wants it will fail adal fitler order of the day to the vermar they told us their astonishing declaration which was that by the following morning a period of relatively good weather here to for completely unexpected would ensue lasting probably 36 hours I quickly announced the decision to go ahead with the attack on June the 6th Dwight D Eisenhower US general Supreme Allied Commander Europe Hitler was told of the landing on the morning of June the 6th he expressed relief when he received the first report and said now it would be possible to beat the enemy Nicholas [Applause] fillo the conviction of the Germans that we would not attack in the weather then prevailing was a definite factor in the degree of surprise we achieved in the Omaha sector an alert enemy division the 352nd which prisoners stated had been in the area on maneuvers and defense exercises accounted for some of the Intensive fighting in that locality Dwight D [Music] Eisenhower when I heard the radio report of the Allied invasion in Normandy on June the 6th 1944 it brought tears to my eyes I have not cried often vly Brandt German Norwegian Refugee in Exile in Sweden actually things are happening now the invasion of Normandy began in the night of the 5th to the 6th of June Rome surrendered long ago and in Russia the Russians are almost at the border it's just terrible but everyone believes so firmly in Victory it doesn't be thinking about if we were to lose gun himla daughter of hinry himla until the end he had a firm grip on everything despite his poor health what waves of faintheartedness would have spread if he had lost his composure just once Albert bear it wasn't so pointless fighting on like some defeatists claimed at the time when at the end of June 1944 the Soviet offensive began from the central section of the front in 14 days a powerful storm tide swept over the German front lines bearing everything in its path and surging 800 km forwards Leon de Belgium commander of the wunan vafan SS by mid July Army group Center had lost 28 divisions and 350,000 men that was an even worse defeat than Stalingrad even if it wasn't reported much in public because it occurred in summer and wasn't accompanied by the same tragic conditions as Stalingrad cold and hunger B fry from loing hofen [Applause] the furer then referred to assassination attempts against him and recounted by what good fortune he had escaped certain death that he had not Fallen victim to the bomb attack in the burger Bry Keller on November the 9th 1939 was only due to the fact that at the last minute his aircraft could not take off due to bad weather and he thus had to leave earlier on his special train Vana kpin agitant to minister Alfred Rosenberg minutes of recollected table talk at the Vol shansa fura headquarters on July the 20th 1944 had received the order to prepare for the move of the operations unit from maal to saen south of Berlin it was a hot East Prussian summers's day maal was located just 20 km away from the wol shansi where stenberg's bomb EXP loaded around 12:45 p.m. B fry Tu from loing hofen I remember Thunder combined with a brightly flashing flame at the same time Thick Smoke after a few seconds of complete silence I heard someone call it was probably field Marshall kitle where is the fura Hines bols stenography in the Vol shanza headquarters there were agitated calls for a doctor a bomb exploded nothing happened to the bars but the Hut was blown Sky High Christ Shuda Hines linger valet to Adolf Hitler when I arrived I saw Hitler who looked at me inquiringly with big eyes and stared at my troubled face with a calm smile he said linger someone tried to kill me I heard about the attack from Professor Morel on the platform in guret his pulse was completely calm and as normal as any day the doctor was about to tell me further details when Hitler appeared on the outside you couldn't see anything when the train with melini arrived I saw Hitler extend his left hand to his guest power Lotto Schmidt interpreter for Adolf Hitler doctor I hear that you're taking care of my friends I didn't really want to bother you but over the past two days since the explosion I have had a sharp pain in my right ear and difficulty hearing my valet says it's because I shout too much adol Hitler to Dr Irvin geesing Hitler's private ear nose and throat doctor diary Friday July the 21st 1944 the radio broadcast details of the attack the bomb was planted by a count V stalen bag around 1:00 the fura spoke to prove that he had survived what would have happened if the fura had died the war would be over and there would be revolution in Germany Henry at Schneider his confidence his faith in Victory and his Assurance but also his power Consciousness and delusions of grandeur now exceeded all boundaries of Reason Tong when ha Hitler escaped his bomb on July the 20th he described his survival as providential I think that from from a purely military point of view we can all agree with him for certainly it would be most unfortunate if the Allies were to be deprived in the closing phases of the struggle of that form of warlike genius by which Corporal Hitler has so notably contributed to our Victory Winston Churchill addressed to the House of Commons diary July the 23rd 194 for the criminal court that now has to be convened must be of historic proportions those with an ambiguous attitude have also earned the death penalty yoseph garbles diary July the 25th 194 44 the enemy is already in Paris Henrietta Schneider Refugee lodging in lesnika East Prussia in the month of August 1944 the defeat of Germany was Within Reach nothing would be able to prevent it any longer but it would not be our Victory like in the year 1918 the victory of France at the height of its power that marched at the front of the Allied Nations [Applause] Paul stah major of the free French [Music] forces we heard about German defeats at the front and that Germans were giving up their homes and heading off back to the re with their worldly possessions this filled us with satisfaction and was a joy for our oppressed Spirits P VAP LaVine Jew from vus stof concentration Camp West Prussia in September 1944 the generals at the front and the district party leaders in the western region expected the armies of the Americans and British to take advantage of their power and overrun our nearly unarmed and battle whey troops in an unceasing offensive in this last phase of the war within 6 months a total of 12,00 , 720 fighter planes were delivered to the Troops who had begun the war in 1939 with only 771 fighter aircraft Albert Spar Reich minister of armaments and war production September 1944 German Luxembourg border I peered at the Town through powerful binoculars to the naked eye the secret line was just a landscape there was a Village on the horizon That was supposed to be Sheltering two divisions of Huns Lee Miller us War photographer Ernest Hemingway writer and War correspondent letter to Mary Welch Hemes Germany September the 13th 1944 yesterday we came into the new Indian Country after a fine wild day of hunting and shooting and settled down in a deserted Farmhouse for the night it was a fine day following tank tracks through the woods have had the place all cleaned up I wish the people would come back and take care for the dog they only had two books one on wild beasts of Germany a nice book and one on the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 have read them both personal War diary October the 7th 19 44 morning briefing beginning of the attack on East Prussia and Budapest long discussion with guring station 12 heavy anti-aircraft batteries immediately to protect the fur's headquarters verer kper general of the aviators Chief of Staff [Music] lwaa Kingsburg October the 18th 1944 speech on radio every block of flats in every town every village every Farm every Forest is being defended by men boys and old men and when necessary by women and girls it is better to have the younger generation die and save the people than to protect the young ones and let an entire nation of 80 to 90 million people die out H him personal War diary October the 22nd 1944 fog situation in East Prussia unchanged kitle for relocating to Berlin Hitler against it Vera [Music] kper October the 24th 1944 penultimate radio message from the 246th fox Grenadier division the last Defenders of akan remember their beloved German Homeland we are firmly confident of our final Victory and donate to the winter relief fund 10,458 rice marks we will fight [Applause] on October the 24th 1944 last radio message after a bitter struggle from house to house man to man The Battle group Aran has fired its last ammunition and used up its water and Food Supplies the remainder of the Defenders of the German Kaiser are in close combat around the command post beforehand a final farewell in unshakable belief in the victory of our beloved German Homeland long live the fura Gad Vil Colonel Combat Commander of [Music] Aran diary Friday October the 20 20th 1944 the Russians are an ID cow around 5:00 there was a report on the radio about heavy fighting between Roma Heath and aan rer one still has hope Henry ATA Schneider we were still stuck in East Prussia it couldn't be much longer before the Russians drove us out on clear Autumn days we could hear the thunder of guns on October the 12th 1944 when the military situation in the west had Consolidated again and there was new talk about a front Hitler took me aside and explained that he would pull all available forces together and launch a major offensive in the west that will be the big strike which must succeed Albert Spar Memoirs diary Sunday October the 28th 1944 we listened to Gerber's last night he spoke openly about the situation which is not hopeless our room is warm Henrietta [Music] Schneider in the first days of November 1944 we moved out of the Vol shansa because the Russians were close by in the Autumn of 1944 fuden in the Black Forest is to all intents and purposes still an idial in this amateur film the absence of men under 45 reveals that here too they have all been drafted less than 100 km away Beyond The Ridges of the black forest and the rine American and free French troops Advance Soviet forces have reached Northeast and East Prussia and the Americans have been at aan on the Zar and the zawa on the territory of the old German Reich since September during the conquest of fenstad by the first French army on April the 15th and 16th 1945 95% of the little town will be destroyed Germany was under intense pressure at the end of 1944 weapons production fell sharply trapped in the east Southeast South and West Germany was strategically encircled and could not break free nevertheless Hitler took one ultimate measure after the other the Nazis suppressed without Mercy the slightest opposition to their regime it was clear to us that Germany was mobilizing its last forces but at the end of 1944 Germany was still able to defend itself and put up serious resistance its military still consisted of around 17.5 million men of whom 5.3 million were fighting troops [Applause] gorgi zukov commander-in-chief first White Russian front at just 19 years old Walter was also killed in action I was sitting on the roof of our house that had been damaged in another bombing when I saw the postman bring the death notice my aunt called through the house Walter has fallen the death of my brother was a a deep shock for me helmet Cole school boy Hitler stayed at his bhor for the last time before the assassination attempt he will not see his residence in the mountains again on November the 20th 1944 he left the Vol shansa forever and traveled to Berlin on December the 11th he travels to the Adler host fura headquarters in hessia speech to division commanders December the 12th 1944 in OST near seberg hessia if we suffer a few more really hard strikes then this artificially maintained common front can suddenly collapse at any moment in a huge clap of Thunder Adolf Hitler Hitler revealed the following to a very limited circle of listeners due to a noticeable weakness of enemy forces in the Eiffel region he had decided to start the attack from there the target had to be anwp zigf Vestal Major General Chief of Staff to the commander-in chief West in a desperate situation perhaps only a desperate decision can help Alfred yodel chief of of the operations staff of the Armed Forces I command on December the 16th 1944 General Bradley came to my headquarters to discuss Ways and Means of overcoming our acute shortages in infantry Replacements just as he entered my office a staff officer came in to report slight penetrations of our line it was through this same region that the Germans launched their great attack of 1940 Dwight D Eisenhower German tanks have been spotted north of the city of Luxembourg runet has ordered the tanks to advance through the Arden in nearly the same place as the Germans penetrated in May 1940 they're heading in the same direction again to the channel Coastline towards antp in order to stop the Allies using the port through which their main supplies come stepan Corporal of the US Army writer it was my opinion that it was necessary to play Hitler's last card to maximum effect as a Gawker I tried to get as close as possible to the front the troops pushing forward were in a good mood because lwh hanging clouds prevented any aerial activity I was worried that the weather would brighten up Albert Spar Memoirs as long as the weather kept our planes on the ground it would be an ally of the enemy worth many additional days Dwight D isenhower report of the Supreme command of the vak December the 18th 1944 at 5:30 a.m. on December the 16th German forces started to attack in strength along a broad front from the zek freed line and overran in the first Advance the front line positions between hen Fen and the northern part of Luxenberg the German attack quickly gained the popular name Battle of the Bulge because of the rapid initial progress made by the heavy assault against our weekly held line with the resulting penetration into our front that reached a maximum depth of some 50 Mi Dwight D Eisenhower December 19th 1944 the weather was so bad that I directed all army chaplain to pray for dry weather I also published a prayer and sent it to all members of the command George ESP Paton Jr commander of the third US Army Almighty and most merciful father we humbly beseech thee of thy great goodness to restrain these immoderate reigns with which we have had to contend grant us fair weather for battle graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon thee that armed with thy power we may advance from Victory to Victory and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish thy justice among men and Nations amen the offensive undertaken between aak and malmi consisting of 24 divisions including 10 tank divisions almost reached the mass River around December the 25th there's a danger that the Germans will overrun the front in Holland from the back via namur and Li Char de [Music] Memoirs our last major offensive in the west with 300,000 men that were so gloriously successful at the start failed in the end thanks to 10 days of radiant Sunshine the anglo-americans were thus able to deploy their overwhelming air superiority Leon de commander of the wonan vafin [Music] SS the Allies had expected to reach the river R by Christmas at the latest they are Den offensive prevented that but how many men lost their lives due to the senseless delay VTA Roland industrialist commissioner for tank production and Ministry of armaments and war [Music] production Rudolph yordon provincial nsdap leader defense commissioner December the 21 1944 when we were sitting together one Sunny morning tears appeared in my wife's eyes where will we be at Christmas next year this was the question asked by the mother of our children the question of the family's fate this question would be asked in the house of the provincial leader and everywhere else in Germany I was frightened because I felt that the answer was no longer convincing but I had to remain the same person Hitler's deputy the spokesman of German hope until the end I know today that it was the belief in a miracle in the days after Christmas it was clear that the expected success would not be achieved at the end of the year the offensive had to be seen as a failure Nicholas fono hello Hitler at the end of December 1944 to his adjutant Nicolas fono I know the war is lost their superiority is too great I will prefer to put a bullet in my head now we will never capitulate never we can perish but we'll take the world with us even after the Allied Landing in Normandy and one final failed attempt to fight back in the Battle of the Bulge Hitler will not accept that there is no way out even large parts of the German population still believe in the fura and are waiting for the miraculous promised Turning Point Hitler finally retreats to the bunker under the Reich chancell in Berlin a city day and night under Allied bombardment when the Russians have more or less rounded Berlin in a briefing on April the 22nd Adolf Hitler declares the war lost one week later he marries his longtime secret partner Eva Brown not until April the 30th when the Russians of 500 MERS from the bunker can Hitler accept the finality of his defeat now he has to take a decision and act on it [Music] December the 31st 1944 Luxembourg you sat there with a half empty glass in your hand and listened to the horse voice with the unmistakable accent two or three times the speaker almost lost his voice he also got his words mixed up but that was always the case when he got excited it was significant that his throaty Bellow no longer wanted to work that New Year's Eve Stefan Heim Corporal of the US Army writer for Hitler extending hostilities meant multiplying the losses the destruction the suffering of the German people just to enable his hopeless Pride to live on a few weeks longer undoubtedly having failed Hitler wanted his work to perish in an apocalypse Char de gore [Music] Memoirs diary Sunday January the 13th 1945 FR gasna said today that the Russians were coming but her Lenhart says that they will never make it to Berlin the fur will see to that troud be housewife nsdap member Berlin diary Wednesday January the 24th 1945 the news from East Prussia continues to be really bad the enemy is at elbing and pushing towards Moran inberg occupied after heavy fighting torn poen brag salisia in Flight opern occupied fighting in Breslau henria Schneider vit District c lower Saxony the remainder of the German Army indeed entire armies disappeared they were engulfed by the masses of Tanks storming forward B frog F loing hofen Army agitant to Adolf Hitler I asked the fura do you believe then my fura that we can still win the war at all Hitler answered we must Christ Shuda Hitler's private secretary diary January the 26th 1945 5 now we're advancing we have to March 50 km today we'll reach Germany Vladimir gelfan second Lieutenant 150th rifle Regiment of the Red Army Adolf Hitler last radio addressed to the German people January the 30th 1945 thus I now appeal to the entire German people to G themselves with a yet greater stronger Spirit of resistance until we can again as before put on the Graze of the dead of this Titanic struggle a wreath inscribed with the words and yet you were victorious I therefore expect every German to fulfill his duty to the utmost to make every sacrifice that will and must be [Music] required diary Tuesday January the 30th 1945 big day our fura has spoken the Russians are coming but we will be victorious again and beat back the [Applause] Bolsheviks be Berlin in mid-February 1945 we finally returned to Berlin from the Western Front the close circle around Hitler had taken up its position again Rus Mish sergeant of livestand data SS telephone operator in the furus bunker February the 13th 1945 the model of Lin is finally finished the extensive model of the development of the danub Riverbanks was Now set up in one of the large brightly toned basements of the new chancell when I led Adolf Hitler into this room he stood for a long time just looking as though overwhelmed by the general impression I moved the spotlight to the position of the sun rays in the afternoon now he was presented with the perspective of how his City on the danu would look in his retirement Herman Giza General building inspector for the Redevelopment of the city of [Music] Lind during the last 4 and a half months of the war 471 th000 tons of bombs are dropped on Germany twice as much as in the whole of 1943 in March 1945 Al three times as many bombs fall as in all of [Music] 1942 today the terrible news came that Dresden has been almost completely destroyed by the anglo-americans here hman says that we have a new rocket that flies even as far as to the Ango Americans I certainly hope so trout will be [Music] Berlin not a day went by when the government quarters were not attacked when a bomb exploded nearby the bunker lying in the groundw swayed noticeably the light began to flicker so Hitler raised his voice as if in a dream that was close those bombs could have hit us [Music] he was noticeably fearful and didn't feel [Applause] safe Christa diary March the 13th 1945 although the bridge head is not large 2.5 to 3 km it is difficult to drive the enemy out of there since they're dug in on massive steep fortified Hills Marines are positioned across from us the Battalion with a strength of 400 men serious opposition Vladimir gelfant 1050th rifle regiment it is not necessary to consider the basic things that people need for a primitive further existence what remained after the battle would in any event be inferior since all the good ones would have fallen and Adolf Hitler's answer to a note from Albert Shar quoted by hin Garian March 1945 jokes were still being made someone said that Berlin was really practical as a headquarters you could get the local train from the Eastern front to the Western Front Hitler could still laugh about it gonger Hitler's private secretary in mid-march 1945 Hitler transfers nearly all of his activities to the bunker under the chancell since then he rarely sees daylight sometime in bid March Ava Brown arrived at the rice chancell Hitler tried his best to get her to go back to Munich but she made it clear that her place was at Hitler's side and no one would be able to change her mind Rus Mish Hitler had always emphasized with resignation that there was only one person who would remain faithful to him in his final hour and that was AA Brown here his Instinct did not let him down Albert [Music] Spar April the 20th 1945 was always referred to as the date of the last photos and film segments of Hitler and the delegation of the Hitler Youth this is not true they are in fact from a different reception of a delegation by Hitler this took place on March the 20th 1945 U axan leader of the Hitler Youth that was no longer our Hitler as we knew him but a man marked by Fate an almost Broken Man decaying to death Rudolph yodan District nsdap leader diary March the 23rd 1945 midnight the F said that he could see very little with his right eye his left left hand is slightly swollen due to Tremors also his left ankle and left lower leg show swelling in places the furer does not want to wear an eye patch Dr Teo Morel Hitler's personal physician beyond the SE freed line our forces consolidate and the drive becomes like a great River pushing against a series of decomposing dams one Dam breaks and the torrent lap flashes onward until it hits another obstruction even the most fanatical Nazis must now see that the game is up Audie Murphy leftenant most highly decorated US soldier of World War II diary March the 17th 1945 the German Army is on the run the best army in the world is pouring back where to the river Vasa oh God you fools you could not defend the Atlantic or the zigf freed line or the Rind what do you think you can do inside Germany redich Kelner Court employee laach [Music] hesia diary March the 28th 1945 it really is admirable how the fura with this Dilemma on the front still persistently believes in his luck you sometimes have the impression that he lives in the clouds Yosef [Applause] Gerbers one man climbs out badly [Applause] wounded the cameraman is nearly knocked off his feet by the blast but he keeps his camera focused as best he can as The Hectic Fury of the street fighting sweeps around [Applause] it the villages here along the rine are in pretty good shape in the middle of course is cologne and cologne is one of the great ruins of the world the Germans are nice and fat too and quite clean and orderly and industrious they carry on their normal [Music] lives Martha ghorn US army war [Music] correspondent diary Good Friday March the 30th 1945 the report from the Army was terrifying tank spearheads by Castle fola occupied Dan gingan and half surrendering what is happening Henry at [Music] Schneider diary April the 3rd 1945 navik Holy Week and Easter bring the encirclement of the ruer valley turkey Egypt Syria Argentina Chile Venezuela Peru and Ecuador declare war on us which means the mobilization ation of all neutral remaining Powers outside of Europe on the side of the western allies West FIA hessia Turing Franconia Bon verburg are battlefields Hungary is lost Udo from Alvin's Lim Captain diary the Greater German ra finds itself in a state of war with 52 States among them the former Axis power was Italy Romania Bulgaria and [Applause] Finland during the few weeks of Franklin delanor Roosevelt's fourth Administration I saw what the long years had done to him it was no wonder that the years had left their Mark Harry S Truman Vice President of the United States of America Winston in Fairly good form said that if he were Hitler he would would have himself flown over to this country hand himself to the government stating that he alone was responsible for all the evils of Germany and was prepared to stand the racket according to Winston this would face us with a difficult problem Alan Brooke chief of the Imperial general staff British forces shortly before 5:00 in the afternoon of Thursday April the 12th 1945 after after the Senate adjourned I went to the office of Sam rabburn at the house of speakers as I entered the speaker told me that the president's press secretary had just telephoned requesting me to call the White House I returned the call please come right away he told me in a strained voice I reached the White House about 5:25 p.m. and was immediately taken in the elevator to the second floor and ushered into Mrs Roosevelt's study Mrs Roosevelt seemed calm in her characteristic graceful dignity she placed her arm gently about my shoulder Harry she said quietly the president is dead I had been afraid for many weeks that something might happen to this great leader and now that the worst happened I was unprepared for [Music] it Harry EST Truman Bridge head behind the older River West of kostun Roosevelt is dead I bow my head in deep sorrow for this loss Vladimir [Music] galon April the 12th 1945 there are cities in Germany that make centry and Plymouth appear to be the Damage Done by a petulant child Edward marrow radio correspondent for CBS News diary Thursday April the 12th 1945 ha Hammond says it would be better if the Americans came now I'm really frightened CLE B Berlin it was between 3 and 4 a.m. on April 11th 1945 suddenly cries were heard they grew louder and louder we stumbled outside to discover the cause look the gate somebody shouted the Crooked swaser had disappeared something white fluted on the flag pole the delightfully Victorious minute for which our German comrades had waited a 4,453 days and nights was finally there in the evening an American infantry unit arrived Thomas Geer German Jew prisoner in binval [Applause] [Music] it will not be pleasant listening I propose to tell you of buen vald we reached the main gate the prisoners crowded up behind the wire there surged around me an evil smelling stink men and boys reached out to touch me they were in rags and the remnants of uniforms death had already already marked many of them but they were smiling with their eyes Edward marrow diary Kung gatan Stockholm a hot scent of blood is blowing from Germany and a terrible feeling of Gloom spreading it feels like the decline of the Western World Germans have the opportunity to see the Horrors astred lingren writer and member of the Swedish Secret Service diary for a long time I have been telling myself what's happening in the world now cannot be true and that I am just imagining it that I am hallucinating and at some point I will surely wake up Eros shap Hungarian Jewish writer from Budapest we proceeded to the small courtyard the wall adjoined what had been a stable or garage we entered it was floored with concrete there were two rows of bodies stacked up like cordwood Edward marrow we are not entirely Guiltless we the Allies because it took us 12 years to open the gates of D we were blind and unbelieving and slow and that we can never be again we you must know now that there can never be peace if there is cruelty like this in the world Martha [Applause] ghorn if Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to [Music] death this man is the mainspring of evil Winston Churchill Diary of cabinet secretary s Norman Brook July the 6th [Music] 1942 diary Sunday April the 15th 1945 my God the war seems to be lost why doesn't the fur give up CR be Berlin letter to Marga and gon himla April the 17th 1945 my dear beloved mommy my dear little daughter times are extremely difficult for all of us and yet it will all still turn out well that is my firm belief but it is difficult the ancient spirit will protect us and the good German Nation especially and not allow us to perish H Hitler love Daddy hinr himler last letter to his family on April the 21st I went directly to the map room for my daily briefing on the war situation German resistance was collapsing on all fronts there could be no doubt that the end of the war in Europe was in sight Harry S Truman US president Memoirs on April the 21st our troops reached the Berlin aaban ring this success created favorable conditions to totally enclose the fascist Capital vasel chuikov General commanding Soviet eighth guards Army that day I saw Hitler only briefly the boss could still not believe that the Russians were at the gates Rus Mish sesen meinberg around 11:50 p.m. Hitler calls he gives a short lecture on the situation and concludes with the words you will see the Russians will suffer the biggest defeat the bloodiest defeat in their history before the gates of [Music] Berlin Carl CER chief of the the general staff of the Luft faffer cdor near Berlin April the 22nd 1945 someone said it's over the Russians are here we should come out everyone climbed out of the trench with their hands up I put my hands up only a little because I thought I did not have to surrender formerly I was on the side of the losers but my emotions were on the side of the winners Marie yovich zimon a German Jew hiding in [Applause] Berlin April the 22nd 1945 this date marks the end of the Third Reich for me the German Vermont capitulated on May the 8 1945 but on April the 22nd a Sunday Hitler capitulated Rus Mish on April the 22nd we attended the status report at the usual time in the afternoon I recognized immediately That clouds as heavy as lead were hanging over the room vhan kitle Chief of the Armed Forces high command Memoirs I have already reached my decision I won't leave Berlin again I will defend the city till the end either I lead the fighting around the capital of the Reich or I perish with my soldiers in Berlin and die in the battle for the symbol of the re Adolf Hitler during the status conference which had been loud and turbulent Hitler had finally uttered the magical sent sence and since then repeated it to everybody who crept around the bunker disbelievingly the war is lost Rus misher in the small anti room Hitler stands Motionless in a distant and commanding manner he calls out get changed at once in one hour an aircraft will come and take you to the South everything is lost hopelessly lost if a brown walks up to Hitler takes both of his hands and says smilingly and consolingly but you know that I'm staying here with you I will not be sent away as if talking to a sad child Hitler's eyes begin to light up and he does something that no one has ever witnessed not even his most trusted friends and AIDS he kisses if a brown on the lips on the night of April the 22nd 23rd my first night in the Furious bunker I was witnessed to a strange spectacle the rats abandoned the sinking ship he let anybody go who asked B FR Lo on the evening of April the 22nd a Sunday while the besieging ring closes around Berlin EA Brown writes the first of her farewell letters to her childhood friend ha USTA letter Berlin April the 22nd 1945 my dearest haa these will be the very last lines and thus the last sign of life from me we are fighting to the end but the end is drawing dangerously ever nearer I can't describe how much I am suffering personally on the fur's behalf what else is there to say I can't can't understand how it could all turn out this way but you can't even believe in God anymore regards to all my friends I shall die as I have lived it's no burden you know that warm greetings to all and kisses yours EA diary April the 23rd 1945 Monday early bombing raids over the town of oeld to the east in the afternoon buried a chest full of food radio reports fighting in um Regensburg Berlin is encircled the fielder in Berlin Vera Heisenberg German Nobel laurat in physics on April the 24th our troops attacked along the entire front and pushed the enemy further back in the direction of the city center the Soviet eighth guard's Army joined the first Ukrainian front near Johannes tal airport the same day one more step remained Berlin had to be taken and the war ended vasel chuikov General diary 24th of April 1945 Tuesday radio crossing of the danu river at dingan The Americans at alburg Verna [Music] Heisenberg almost coincidentally with our arrival on the elow the Red Army launched a powerful Westward drive from the positions on the odor the red Drive made Speedy progress everywhere on April the 25th patrols of the 69th division of the vore met elements of the red Army's 58th guards division on the elbow the meeting took place at toow some 75 mil south of Berlin Dwight D Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe the fragmentation of Germany into two parts was completed the German Army dissolve before our eyes Winston Churchill gloom and doom began to spread throughout the bunker our axan April the 27th 1945 letter to Louisa yodel we still have rager contact with Berlin where the enemy has fought its way into the city Center one's heart bleeds during these conversations it's like the battle of the viig Goths at vvus Alfred yodel chief of Armed Forces high command flensborg [Applause] the section of the aaban between Munich and albor had been converted to an air strip in layb along the road were curious looking aircraft sleek and without propellers one wondered if they had been delivered without them they were in fact the first jet fighters and a full technological generation more fearsome than anything we or the British possessed only a Monumental error Hitler's demand that they be redesigned as a light attack bomber had kept them from being used with disastrous effect John Kenneth galra Economist officer in the Strategic bombing command of the US Air Force when the sun came out I worked in the garden with my mother be Tes Garden the mountain Retreat where Hitler met with Chamberlain had been [Music] bombed in London people prepared to celebrate large quantity of liquor were imported but held in reserve for the special day flags were everywhere on sale the Nazis had nowhere left to run meline Albright [Applause] London I had close contact with monka the commander of the Citadel monka was often with the troops on the front line on April the 29th he reported to Hitler that to the north the Russians were a short distance away from vien dmer bridge to the east in L Garden to the South near potd Platz and the air Ministry and to the West in TI Garden that was only a few hundred met from the chancell when Hitler asked him how long can you hold out he answered 20 to 24 hours at the most arur axan [Applause] April the 29th 1945 sometime around 11:00 p.m. a radio dispatch arrived saying that Italian partisans had shot musolini and his mistress claraa Pachi and publicly hanged them by the feet had Hitler needed a final push in order to make his own suicide a reality that was probably it Rus [Applause] Mish the fueler comes up to me shakes my hand and asks have you rested a little my child I'd like to dictate something get the shorthand pad my private will and testament as I did not consider that I could take the responsibility of Contracting a marriage during the years of fighting I have never decided before the closing of my Earthly career to take the girl who after many years of faithful friendship entered the practically besieged city of her own free will in order to share her Destiny with me as my wife at her own desire she goes as my wife with me into death what I possess belongs in as much as it has any value to the party should this no longer exist to the state should the state also be destroyed no further decision of mine is necessary signed Berlin April the 29th 1945 4 a.m. ADF Hitler April the 29th 1945 Hitler only wanted to make AA fra Hitler to preserve convention at the end above all for aa's parents the Browns wouldn't have to live with the shame of their daughter having died as a concubine Ros Mish the 30th of April begins like the previous days the hours crawl by no one knows how IFA Brown should now be addressed the AIDS and orderlies stutter with embarrassment when they have to speak to the young lady just call me Mrs Hitler she says with a smile when I left my observation post on April the 30th to go to the Army staff Marshall Gori zukov called and asked is there hope that we will have fully cleaned up Berlin by May Day I answered that I did not expect an immediate capitulation even though the resistance of the enemy had declined vasel chuikov on the morning of April the 30th 1945 the signs his final fura order to the commander of the Berlin defensive area general of the artillery vling in the event of ammunition and food shortages Among The Defenders of the r capital I give my permission to break out this should be done in small groups who should then establish a connection with the troops still fighting signed Adolf Hitler April the 30th 1945 will remain in the memory of the Soviet people on this day at 225 p.m. the troops of the first shock Army took over most of the Reich building gorgi zukov supreme commander of the first White Russian front around noon on April the 30th 1945 all occupants of the bunker with military training anticipate an immediate assault on the chancellory and the [Applause] bunker lunch on April the 30th also passed without any special occurrences Hitler showed no signs of agitation with this in mind there was no mention of the end now being imminent G Christian Hitler's private secretary on April 30th 1945 around noon bman told me that Hitler's decision was now firm then Hitler said to me that he would now shoot himself and that fine Brown would also take her life the bodies were to be buried he assigned me to make the necessary arrangements Otto guner SS agitant to Hitler I caught a last glimpse of Hitler as he disappeared into his study AA now his wife followed him she looked pretty for me she is the only one who went truly nobly to her death in any case AA was alive up until death she had married a dead man in a Mory Rus [Applause] Mish I went back into the bunker in the afternoon I visited Dr GBL he told me that the furer had already bidden farewell to his closest Circle I went to Hitler's private rooms SS agitant Otto Guna stood in front of the door blocking it with his massive figure he had orders from the fura not to let any more visitors in arur axan my political Testament I die with a happy heart in the face of the immeasurable deeds and achievements of our soldiers at the front our women at home the achievements of our farmers and workers and the efforts unique in history of our youth who bear my name in order to give the German people a government composed of Honorable Men I appoint the following members of the new cabinet as leaders of the nation president of the r dunitz Chancellor of the r Dr Geral above all I oblige the leaders of the nation and those under them to scrupulously observe the race laws and to offer merciless opposition to the poisoner of all people's International jeury is stood in Berlin this 29th day of April 1945 4:00 a.m. Adolf Hitler valet hin linger reports the hour of his death as 3:50 p.m. he says he noted this time from a grandfather clock in the anti room to Hitler's office adjutant Otto Guna cites his final hour as 3:30 p.m. he said he'd looked at his watch there cannot be the slightest doubt that Adolf Hitler took his life in the furo bunker of the r chancell in Berlin on April the 30th 1945 with his own hand namely by a shot in the right Temple cause of death District Court 2 beus Garden December the 8th [Music] 1956 the Red Army found a dental bridge of Hitlers after a painstaking search for his remains a around the bunker [Music] exit on April the 30th and may the 1st 1945 I posted the last radio messages from the Reich chancer to Grand Admiral donits via our Naval signals Brigade Eric fos Vice [Music] admirable Telegram in secret Navy encryption in the place of the current Reich Marshall guring the furer appoints you Grand Admiral as his replacement you should undertake at once all measures that arise from the present situation Borman I only learned that Hitler was no longer alive after the first radio dispatch with my appointment was communicated from Berlin on April 30th at 6:15 p.m. car dunitz Grand admiral commanderin-chief of the Navy announcement Hamburg radio May the 1st 1945 10:26 p.m. it is reported from the furus headquarters that our fura Adolf Hitler has fallen at his Command Post in the r chancell fighting to his last breath against bolshevism and for [Music] Germany May the 1st 1945 a little later in the evening my husband came to my bed and said ad off Hiller is dead is dead there was suddenly an eerie calm Emmy guring actress and wife of Herman during on the evening when Hitler's death was announced I was sleeping in a small room in git's quarters when I unpacked my bag I found the red leather case containing Hitler's portrait when I stood the photograph up I was overcome with a fit of weeping Albert Spar minister in durance's cabinet memoirs [Music] interrogation of Mrs paa Miss paa Hitler my brother's fate affects me very much no matter what happened he was still my brother his end brought Indescribable sorrow to me his sister at this point Miss Hitler burst into tears and the interrogation was ended signed George Allen US Army Counter Intelligence Corp July the 12th [Music] 1945 I was living in Hitler's private apartment in Munich when his death was announced no Germans unless they are underground resistance workers or concentration camp inmates find that Hitler did anything wrong except to lose I'm just like the soldiers here who look at the beautiful countryside use the super modern Comforts of their buildings and wonder why the Germans wanted anything more Lee Miller us War [Music] photographer before I could the event closed on that evening of May the 1st an agency report was handed to me that prompted me to tell the audience dear friends Hitler has evaded responsibility by committing suicide we departed deeply [Applause] moved vly Brandt Stockholm diary May the 1st 1945 history will record forever more that the German people were not able to shake off this National Socialist yoke by their own initiative Friedrich Kelner laach diary Wednesday May the 2nd 1945 Adolf Hitler is no more radio reported his heroic death last night fallen in in battle dut has been appointed as his successor musolini murdered a few days ago now the two friends are united in death Henrietta Schneider H's cell examined Rudolph HSE 46 commandant of the alich concentration camp I asked him whether he didn't think he would hang for murder no never when did it first occur to you then that you would probably be brought to trial and hanged at the time of the collapse when the furer died Gustav Mark Gilbert us prison psychologist nurenberg diary the White House Washington May the 8th 1945 Dear Mama and Mary I am 61 this morning and I slept in the president's Room in the White House last night this will be an historic day at 9:00 this morning I must make a broadcast to the country announcing the German surrender isn't that some birthday present lots and lots and love to you both Harry EST struman president of the United States of America letter to his mother and [Applause] sister it was not disloyalty but rather his suicide that put an end to Hitler's organization he and his organization were one and the same and thus it ended with him this man who rose out of nothing had offered himself to Germany at a time when it was longing for a new magnet he formulated a Doctrine based on a mixture of fascism and race Theory the totalitarian system allowed him to act without restraint the mechanization of the military gave him the Trump cards of lightning attacks and surprise all of this led to repression and that in turn led to these [Music] crimes Char de G memoirs [Music]
