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Adolf Hitler — Part 2
Page 82
82 / 179
1
i
z
BERLIN, Nov. 1 (Reuter)—Tie
ext of the sidtement on their
idence of Hitler’s death, relcascd
jronight af the headquarters of the
British
Allied. Control
‘Echelon, follows:
> Available evidence sifted by
British intelligence and based
" largely on eyewltnesses’ accounts
i ghowe—as conclusively as pessi-
i ble without bodies—that Hitter
‘and Eva Eraun died shortly aft-
i er 2:30 en Apri] 39, 1945, in a
’ bunker of the Reich Charcellery,
. their bedies being burned just
Corneil,
I outside the bunker.
Hitler's original intention had
been to fly to Berchtesgaden on
April 20 and from their continue
the «struggle. When that day
came he postponed his departure.
On April 22, at about 4:30
: P.M.,, he held a staff conference,
at which he made it clear to his
advisers that me considered the
war was lost and that he intended
- to rernain in Berlin to the la+t in
defensp of the cayital, If Berlin
fell he|would die there.
Hall Nervous Prosiration
It is clear that Hitier at that
time sfiffered from an attach of
nervous prostration, during which
he blamed everyone but himesit
for the failure of G-rmany to win
the war. His advisers, both mil-
ftary and civil, endeavored to
persuade Hitler to chanzo his
ming and leave Beriir. This was
ef no avail.
Dr. Goebbels tock the same de-
cision and with Slsartin Bormann,
“Dr. Ludwig Stumplegger, at-
‘Jer’s aurgeon, and others of the
‘personai staff remained behind
.to the end, while tlhe gencrals re-
‘ turned to their new headquarters.
| Hitler's breakdown on April 22
was the beginning of his end.
| From that time he never ieft the
bunker, surrounded no longer by
‘soldiers but by his ‘family cir-
‘cle,’ those officers responsible
directly to him for the defense
‘ot Berlin.
: His state of mind was reported
by alf who saw him to have been
‘yery uch calmer afler the crisis
on Agrif’22. He had mide his
docisig¢n.
. He Even gained confidence ns
to the outcome of the
t
|
|
Bertin. Every now and acain, |
however, his calm was inter-
rupted by tantrums when he re-
called oid treacheries and found
new ones.
His physica! health, on the con-
trary, was poor, The nervous
strain, unhealthy ving enndi-
tions and eccentric hours told on
him. Apart from the reported
trembling of the hands, from
which he had suffere; for some
tims, and his genera! decrepitude
he was a8 normal as ever in his |
mind.
On the night of April 23-24 Hit-
ler was Visited by Speer [presum-
ably Albert Speer. Minister of |
Armaments], to whom he dis-
elosed that he had made ail plans
for his suicide and for the com- |
plete destruction cf his hody by |
burning. About the same time
Eimmiler sent Gebhardt, nis per-
sonal doctor, to Hitler in order to.1/ On the
C “y
of April 29 it was reported thet
Russian tanks had broken into
the Potsdamer Platz.
i Orders Air Attack
Hitler then ordered Greim to
return to Rechlin tao mcunt a
Luftwaffe attack in support of
Wenck’s Twelfth German Army,
which was reported also to Ibe
within shelling distance of fhe
Potsdamer Platz. In fact it was -
not, but this was probably got
Known at the time.
Greim, with Reitsch, took off,,
from the Charlotlenburger Chaus-
sée in an Arado 96, which had
been flown jn to collect them.
Later on, April 29, any hope of
effective relief of Berlin by,
Wenck's army had to be aban-
dened. Captured telegrams sent —
to Admiral Doenltz at the time
disclose hysterical recrimination
of despair,
; evening of April 29
persuade iim to leave Berlin be- J, Hittler marriel. Ova Braun, the
fore it was too late, but Hitler |
rejected this.
Visited by yon Greim .
On the evening ef April 26
Field Marshal R:tter von Greim
reported io Tfitle;’s bunker to re-
eeive his commission as Com-
mander in Chief, German Air
Force, in suecession to Goering,
the Jatter having fallen into com-
plete disfavor by his endeavor to
take over contral from Hitler a
few days earlier, Hitler informed
Greim, as he had Speer, that he
had madc all arrangements for
the destruction of his body and
that of Eva Braur., so that they
would not fall into enemy hands
and that ‘nothing recognizable
remains.’
He pave Greim and Reitsch
[nol otherwise identified] poison
capsules which the former has
Since used, Such cavsules had al-
ready been Issued to ali in the
bunker.
On April 28 the inmates of the
bunker heard with a mixture of
incredulity and disgust of Himm-
Ter’s approach to ihe Allies
through Sweden,
During the previews three days
the Baith: of Berlin had been
drawing nearer Lhe center of the
city, Shells were falling round
Ralicat
»
' riage, for she had apparently al-
ceremeny being performed by an
official from the Propaganda
Ministry in a small conference
room in the bunker. Eva Braun
May have sugerst2d the mar-
ways wishcd for the pecullar
giory of dying with Hitler and
had used her infiuence to per-
sugde him to die in Berlin.
Suicide Talk at Marriage Feast
After the ceremony the newly
married pair shock hanés with
all present in the bunker and re-
tired to their sulle with Hitler's :
secretary for a merriage feast. '
According to her, the conversa-
tion, which hed bern confined to
suicide, Was 69 oppressive that
she had to leave. It was about
this time that Hitler had hls
Alsatian dog destroyed.
At about 2:30 A. Mf. on April
30 Hitler said good-by to about
twenty people, about ten of them
women, whom he had sum-
moned from the other mM erein
the old and new PEED Satin)
He shook hands with the women
and spoke to most of them,
On the same day at about ¢:30
P. M., thonch the exact ti is
untertnin, orders were senf to
the transport office requiring# the i
immedinte dispatel: (q sthP -b
Battie of | the bunker and in the enrly hours | ker of 200 livers of By fol, B wm |
ate Boat fw
4
Ytge. omen... users
y Mr. E. A. Tamety ere
‘Mr. Clegy ------0+ .
* Mr, Coffey...
T Mr. Glavin...
{ Mr. Ladd... Mc,
* Mr. Nichols......-.--
I mr. FRomet wo case eeeee
Mr. Troy -neens coer
Mr. Hendog ....-....
Mr. Pennington .....
& Mr. Nan@@ccasrseres
Mise tinny nod aren
Atri
This is a clipping from _
page 3 of the
} —— m
j New York Times for = +
f' :
ae ay) ‘
“Ulipsed at the Seat of
Govecnncnt
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