Shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power, he ordered the construction of the New Reich Chancellery just south of the Brandenburg Gate in East Berlin. The Chancellery was a showpiece of the Third Reich and designed to project a sense of power and grandeur. The project also contained an extensive underground complex with a bunker and bomb shelter. On January 16, 1945, with Allied troops closing in, Hitler descended to the bunker where he would spend the last 105 days of his life before committing suicide in April 1945.
In 1933, Hitler decided the current Reich Chancellery was too small for the needs of his government. He wanted to enlarge his headquarters. During construction, crews built a cellar that could serve as an air-raid bunker for Hitler. It was called the Vorbunker and featured a reinforced concrete roof over five feet thick. The concrete walls were sturdy enough to support the weight of a newly built reception hall above. The underground complex contained 12 rooms and was completed in 1936.
In 1943, Hitler ordered the Reich Chancellery to expand again. This time, an additional bunker was built one level below the Vorbunker and connected by a stairway. Called the Führerbunker, the complex was located 50 feet below the garden of the old Reich Chancellery and contained its own heating, water, and electricity. Although dimly lit and damp, fine furnishings and art from the Chancellery above adorned the bunker. It was accessible by a red-carpeted hallway and contained luxuries like a wine cellar.
In January 1945, with the Soviet Army approaching and Berlin under bombardment, Hitler moved his headquarters underground. His aides, bodyguards, servants, and his girlfriend Eva Braun joined him in the bunker. Later, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda moved into the bunker with their six children.
Hitler ran his government from the bunker, strategizing with military leaders as Allies slowly chipped away at his empire. The 3,000 square-foot space was claustrophobic, and the constant airstrikes by British and American bombers brought a sense of doom. On April 19, Russian troops began to encircle the city. During his last Supreme Command conference held in the bunker on April 22, Hitler declared that if Germany fell, he must die in Berlin. On April 29, as Russian troops were fighting street by street and nearing the Chancellery, Hitler and Braun were married in the bunker. The following day, with Russians almost to the gates, both Hitler and Braun committed suicide. Their bodies were brought outside the bunker, placed in a shell hole, and burned. Others living in the bunker also committed suicide. Among them was Magda Goebbels, who poisoned her six children before she and her husband killed themselves. The deaths of Hitler and those in his inner circle signaled a final blow to the Third Reich. Days later, Germany signed an unconditional surrender, and Allied forces declared victory in Europe.
After the war, the Soviets attempted to level the Chancellery buildings and underground complex. Much of the bunker complex remained undisturbed until a reconstruction project in the late 1980s uncovered portions intact. At that time, authorities demolished most of the bunker. Some corridors still exist today but are sealed off from the public.
If you would like to learn more about the final days of WWII or Hitler’s last stand, search Fold3® today.
Well written history. I was 12 years of age when Hitler committed suicide. I can still visualize the Oakland Post Enqirer headlines. “fold3” is an excellent source of history of America. Often I have found the slightist bit of history more informative than a text book. We soon forget how valuable our history lessons are, and how often we repete. Thank you.
An unbelievable mark on history! I still do not understand how the beast was in power for sooo long! To bad his brain could not be examined, for he was the sickest human on the planet! Thank you for your story!
I was 10 no the date Braun and Hitler were married.
Excellent Information.
An unbelievable mark on history! I still do not understand how the beast was in power for sooo long! To bad his brain could not be examined, for he was the sickest human on the planet! Thank you for your story!
The history channel did a series saying he escaped to Argentina!
Unfortunately history is written by the victors.
In this case, who would you choose to write the history???
Good question. I asked the same
And who else would you like to write history. The losers?
As it should be in this case.
Plenty of German historians write about the Nazi period, and they do an excellent and thorough job. Whether it’s an American, British, German or Russian historian, they all agree; Hitler was a racist maniac who destroyed Germany.
Just wondering: Who SHOULD write it?
Fortunately you are not reading this in German.
Well said mate.
It will be interesting to see what the GOP comes up with in the future when describing January 6th.
Are you a Holocaust denier?
This is a short article about Hitler’s bunker. Is there a reliable source that contradicts this article?
I’m unclear; why is that unfortunate? Please clarify
unfortunately?? In this case the written history is fact. Not the case in a lot of history but this one for sure.
Who said ONLY the winners write the history?
Why is that unfortunate? Didn’t Hitler do quite enough?
Very well written. There has been some thought that Ava may not have committed suicide and actually escaped. Any information on that?
It’s Eva, and there is absolutely no truth to that.
Eva died but current thinking says that Hitler did not. The History Channel did a series on it showing how he escaped to South America.
Did unfruitful and multiplying take-over or not; if so, Hitler ascended and Eva married a soldier.
Otherwise, theories are Hitler and Eva have gone into CERN and BAE Systems.
Very interesting and informative! Thoroughly enjoyed the read!
I love as born three months before the start if WWII . My Dad was in the service and was sent to Germany and France at one point during the war.
He did return home safe and sound in 1945.
(He also served during the Korean war.)
Thanks for the good writing!
Yes. All of us who were there in that inglorious period should take notes. I have so many memories. All of the men in my family were there. I was there, in the very early days, no doubt oblivious to the radio announcing the fall of France, but hearing it, perhaps feeling the numbness in my bones. It molded me into a lifetime of remembrance and efforts to duplicate what I witnessed…a lifetime in the military…remembering the heroes, trying to walk in their shoes…especially the fallen, the wounded, those who were too late to share the wounds…but forever wounded with guilt. World War II was the zenith of our glory as a nation of citizens, all for one, one for all. Now we live in a society both ignorant of and repulsed by our country’s history. A visit to military cemeteries across the world can now only beg the question: Why?
What a dynamo your father must mightily be.
My Dad Flew a B-17 during WWII. 8th Air Force based in Deenethorpe, England. He bombed Berlin On at least 1 mission out of the 20 to which he was assigned. He was in active combat from 1943 to April 20, 1944; the date he was shot down and captured. He spent 53 as a POW. Liberated by Patton May 1945
It is regrettable that Hitler was not taken alive, taken to trial, sentenced, and hung in a public venue. More than any other villain in history, this should have been for the greatest display of punishment in history in history.
That may be very true, but we ended up being allied with Joseph Stalin who eclipsed Hitler in evil in many ways. It would have been better off if t he US had remained neutral and allowed Stalin and Hitler to batter themselves until whoever was the victor the US and the UK could have easily defeated what was left. The FDR administration willfully turned a very blind eye to Stalin’s evil. It’s inexcusable and we had to deal with that stupidity until the Soviet Empire collapsed in 1989.
Hitler committed suicide because he knew it the Russians captured him, that’s exactly what would have happened, but he wouldn’t have been hung by the neck and no trial.
I totally agree with you. Hung was too easy for him and his buddies. What a crime against us who had to fight him and those who had to exist in those terrible concentration camps. I cry every time I think of the whole situation. I was 9 years old when the Japs bombed us. Nancy
Because they burned Hitler’s body, there is no proof that this happened. Many believed that he went to South America too. You can’t expect anyone to believe any Nazi.
We have some today & in the recent past that show him to be a minor-league villain (Mao?)
For Mr. Richard Connelly…
The “blind eye” comment about FDR and Stalin is not based on history. FDR supported Russia to create a second front for Hitler. Do you actually think all of Hitler’s forces were focused on Russia? My father, who was in the Battle of the Bulge, would laugh at your implications.
Did you actually expect FDR to ignore Pearl Harbor?
We are still dealing with a Stalin “descendant”, Putin, and it’s long after 1989. There’s no question that Stalin was evil – as is Putin – and as was Hitler.
I don’t think Russia would ever support a 2nd front for Hitler. Hitler committed to much evil against Russia and would have and probably was murdered by Russia.
I believe you are missing a fact. The bodies were burnt beyond recognition, buy the Russians. Who claimed that he killed himself? This man, who was half Jewish himself was a masochistic Murderer.
For Ron Carroll:
Hindsight of course is 20/20. But decisions were made with proper authority to provide Russia with enormous amounts and types of aid albeit to the frustration of many in our own government and military. Many decisions of WWII, both on and off the battlefield did come back to haunt America, i.e.; the Manhatten Project infiltrated by Russian spies, the disastrous post-war division of Europe that was done to appease Russia. Also, it is clear that the FDR administration ignored evidence (turned a blind eye?) of atrocities committed on the Jewish population in the late 30s, even in 1939 turning back a ship with more than 900 Jewish family refugees, refused entry to the US and Canada and forced back to Europe. Yes, we know Hitler was a terrifying evil presence in Europe in the years leading to and including WWII. But so was Stalin, a real monster for millions who were dissidents in his government and territorial control. With respect to Japan, based on recorded military history, it was the American General and Admiral officers (and Truman) who adequately, appropriately, and effectively dealt with the Japanese who in hindsight were also ‘monsters’ who competed with Hitler in terms of the level of atrocities perpetrated on humanity. A short time later, China’s Mao eclipsed the horrors of Hitler and Stalin with his own methods of population control. Say what you will, but the memory of FDR is clouded indeed. By the way, Winston Churchill and Generals George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, and Omar Bradley (and with a nod to a couple sailors in the Pacific) are my most personal favorite players in WWII.
What if Hitler was a weak-brained-guy being manipulated by brain-heart idol-sorcery monster hidden in a neighboring house over and over till the end.
Ah. The blinding certainty of hindsight.
Well said. To paraphrase another American, these were men working with “known unknowns,” and “unknown unknowns,” with little certainty of the outcome. But I have to say that my unmitigated admiration of Winston Churchill was somewhat dimmed by reading of his response to the Bengal famine of ’43 (something Manchester’s 3 volume biography scarcely touches); in contrast, Eric Sevareid’s 1946 autobiography is a wonderful “date-stamped” summary of American ideals during this time. Reading this brought me a perspective about how many in the US were actually quite disgusted by English and French imperialism, and far more understanding of the allure of communism. In particular, section struck me regarding India “The basic economic problems of India, for example, could be largely solved by a ruthless collectivization of the land. Millions of men might be killed; but millions were dying every year under the present conditions, and would continue to die every year until the matter is solved….The truth was that, no matter how ruthless the effort might be, NOTHING COULD BE WORSE than the present condition……Under these circumstances, what had the Western democracies to offer these people in comparison with the Russian? We could offer a ballot box and education in tolerance. This was slow medicine, to be taken voluntarily by the patients, as rapidly as they learned to understand it. Russia offered a forcible surgical operation without anesthesia, but with a quicker, more certain cure.”
to Richard,i agree 100%,FDR was a socialist who thought he could control Stalin,Churchill,who made his share of blunders,tried repeatedly to warn FDR about Stalin but was ignored,you see where that got us today,infected and rotting from the inside out!
My mother had told me, as a child the General Patton had begged FDR to go back into Russia and take out the Russian troops totally. Patton also said “if we don’t do it now, we’ll have to do it at a later date”. Rip old blood and guts!
Let’s get that right. After Russia won the war for the Allies in Europe, America said to England, We must drop atomic bombs on Russia at once. When England refused and Russia declared the atomic bomb was no longer a secret, the American Government backed down.
Yeah, like Big Orange had nothing to do with that.
Richard, If it wasn’t for the Russians, we would have been speaking German now. The Americans sat on the fence until the Japs knocked them off it. In 1940 Hitler was murdering 1,000 English every night in London air raids. Russia was allowed to do the dirty work for our allies. Give the Americans time, and they well may start WW3 to do what Germany wanted to do. Just look at them. All over the world, pussing everyone around.. Look where Russia and China are.
I think you need to learn your history from a neutral party. Ignorance is often a thing seen by you not wanting to know the truth.
Apologies for any confusion that I have caused, or any display of arrogance, intemperance, flippancy, egoism, or any other inappropriate interruption to the point of this site’s opportunity given to all of us to open, explore, and discuss the issues and events of history. Not to pontificate, but I believe that awareness of History, if not the study of History, is the key to understanding both our failures and victories as visitors to this planet Earth. ///
As a history major, I concur
Seek first to UNDERSTAND, and then to be UNDERSTOOD.
Exactly.
If Stalin had not butchered nearly ten-million of his own, the USSR would not have had such a difficult time fighting Germany. Remember the US and Britian were providing Russia with Lend-Lease supplies, following the collapse of the Soviet-German alliance, a typical falling out between thieves. Typical again of the hate filled anti-U.S. crowd, you understand nothing of this country and probably less of your fellow human beings. Let’s see, China trying to seize Taiwan and Russia trying to seize the Ukraine. When was the last time the U.S. seized an independent country? (Answer: Hawaii back in the 19th Century)
I dont see how any informed people can really defend any of these leaders? “Hitler was better than Stalin”- really? Let their victims testify. I wish commenters (like msmedia) could remember that two things are true. If Hitler was evil incarnate – it doesn’t mean that those who oppose him are necessarily good. They werent. Stalin was not an innocent virtuous benevolent leader. 20 million dead Russians? What do we value in these a-holes.? Americans were not without deep flaws – FDR and the St Louis? Hollywood and its grab for nazi lead German film sales shows unkind mans priority of $$ vs human life. Keep “striving”
Which of these country’s had leaders who were without deep flaws – responsible for significant loss of life – and always showed true care for their fellow human beings/global citizens?
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war
I was in Germany in 1939 at the age of 17… At that time it was suggested that before I l.. that I ask questions of the relatives about Hitler ., the goings-on and news . Many kind of ignored it to a degree and put it on the back burner. Others had
opinions. Some in favor of what Hitler had Accomplish for Germany.
Margare
To this day I am very aware of what the spoken word in terms of “propaganda”. possibly given to us in the media and elsewhere. I analyze everything and try to evaluate what I hear. I try to find the truth. Margaret E
Wow!! Your 100 years old, Congrats Margaret
The roots of German propaganda in WW2 can be found in that which the U.S. produced under Wilson in WW1 [think soldiers in pickle helmets w/ babies on their bayonets]. This has been documented with findings in the writings of influential propagandists on both sides of the Atlantic.
A question to Joel Readl.
What the heck does Unfortunately history is written by the victors meant to say.
It means that the history you learn gives only one perspective, and that is usually the perspective of the “victors.” Sadly, the losers’ perspective holds little interest for later generations; who cares about what was lost? Only what was gained is worthy of being remembered. Who among us are familiar with the “WPA Slave Narratives,” typewritten records prepared by the Federal Writers’ Project 1936-1938? The narratives interviewed formerly enslaved people and archived them. They are still available to the public, both in print and on line. Project Gutenberg ( https://www.gutenberg.org/ ) is an excellent source.
What does the Bible say about war? There will always be wars or rumors of war. The UNO has never prevented a war or resolved one since it is idealistic as a third party interfering with a argument or fight between individuals.
I find it interesting that Hitler felt a need to build a bunker complex for himself with a five foot thick ceiling that was completed in 1936, a full three years before the war began and about two years before Germany, having entered the Spanish civil war, were first to develop and use carpet bombing. Perhaps it was a testament to what Hitler knew was coming and he wasn’t necessarily confident he’d be successful.
I was born in 1933 and was schooled in Sydney and we hid under the dining room table at our home in Rockdale when the Japanese midget submarines shelled Manly and our forces retaliated with depth charges with some success. In the following weeks the wrecked midget subs were recovered from the harbour and were placed on public display in Sydney. I was the youngest in a family with seven children and I remember joining a queue to view the wrecked submarines. Pretty grim really.
Similarly, in the 1930s Stalin had the Moscow Metro system built very deep underground, partly as a bomb shelter. He anticipated what was likely coming. Its escalators are some of the longest in the world; riding them is quite an experience. Many of its stations are beautiful works of architecture.
I think that this one is dead now. Let’s all go gathering nuts in May.
To those who served in WWII… they write as they saw it. No propaganda. The greatest generation didn’t lie or hide the facts. Hitler and SS were brutal killers with no regard for life. What has been written later may be a biased viewpoint. We live today with generations who slant their writings to tell the story having never lived it. Money and fame! Fortunately, history does repeat itself and has, we will never learn!
“At first they came for the communists, and I did not
speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak
out because I was not a Catholic.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me…
and there was no one left to speak for me.
-Martin Niemoller
Marie, The son’s and daughter’s comments of WW2 soldiers are hopefully just as correct. Word of mouth is more correct than written history.
Hi Marie, That pretty well says it all.
I first read that 30 years ago when it was projected on a wall of the underground bunker / hospital on the States of Jersey in the Channel Islands, which had been occupied by the Nazis during WWI. Very moving and very true. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian and other slaves had died under the Nazis when digging out the facilities.
One of my uncles was one of the British soldiers that discovered the concentration camp at Belsen and freed some of the victims that had been abandoned. Even though he had many bloody encounters when fighting the Nazis, his description, many years later, of what he saw there was truly shocking and indicative of the mindset and cruel dismissal of life by Hitler and the Nazis.
I tend to think in committing suicide in the bunker, Hitler did not want to face the reality and consequences of what he had done.
The learning from these historical records and accounts is how cruel some people can be to their fellow man and often for the purposes of personal power. If you want the best historical record of the war and its consequences (including contemporary accounts from all sides), then watch the 26 episodes of the World at War, made in 1970 and narrwted by Sir Lawrence Olivier.
I always enjoy reading the comments after the article. Very eye opening! I only know of this site because I am picking up the torch from my mother where family history is concerned. I often wonder what really happened. My Grandfather was in the Battle Of The Bulge, his brother was awarded the Silver Star and served not too far from where my grandfather was at the time. My aunt says they were able to meet up. As an American today I am horrified seeing everything around me. After seeing how the media has portrayed our epic failure in Afghanistan I am stunned that any one can have faith in our government. Not a proud American these days.
Lhw, I believe Americans are like Australians and Britons. All good people. None of us can be responsible for what our Governments do or say. When I comment, being an Australian, I only condemn Governments. My father was one of our famous Aussie “Rats Of Tobruk,” and my great uncle was killed in France in WW1. Dad had a saying, “Good men died for bastards like them.”
New Math is ingenious to come up with 2022-1939 = 100 or 2022-1933 = “this one is dead.” Therefore …”go gather nuts” in May. Perhaps you should not be so certain about your opinions as well???
She said she was 17 in 1939 so she was born in 1922. So she is 100 in 2022.
First you have to only let people see the news that you want them to see. Once that is done you can silence those that speak of ill of the those in charge. When you have silenced them you can decide what to do with those that are disagreeable. History does repeat itself and not the history we have rewritten.
Bjorn, were you referring to the response of William Coleman to the post by Margaret Edmonton? If so, she did not say she was born in 1939. She said she was 17 in 1939, which means she was born in 1922… 100 years ago. I think all of us could be more careful about the certainty our opinions.
Thanks very much Rick for making it clear to Bjorn. I was just trying to congratulate Margaret. Have a good evening.
I have just this week lost my Uncle, the last remaining of my previous generation, at the ripe age of 101 years and 7 weeks.
He won the Military Cross as a Lieutenant, taking out a German Gun Post in Salerno Bay, Italy with just a hand pistol (element of surprise), before sending in his battalion.
He was very sickened by the war, would never speak of it, and refused outright to receive any medals. He did what he was sent to do, but wasn’t proud of it.
“I think all of us could be more careful about the certainty our opinions.” Ha! But then it wouldn’t be the INTERNET!
There is no certainty that Hitler stuck it out in his bomb shelter. MANY high ranking Germans left Germany for South America in 1945. I came across some in Southern Chile in the 1960’s -1990’s. Hitler may not have stayed around either for the bitter end. I would be surprised if he did.
Retired Navy Commander
Interesting comments mostly made by post war armchair historians from across the pool!
We have seen the “truth” written in many different forms. The big lie? The stolen election? Pick a POV and there’s somebody there to confirm it. There is no absolute correct history. Not one truth. There are only various “facets” of what with enough shiny ones makes a diamond. If I were to glorify the past I would falsely believe true history exists. But as we see today There is no agreement on what is actually happening. Per Lennon & McCartney “Help!”
BTW – the pieces of skull that the Russians reported to be Hitler’s were DNA tested – it belonged to a woman. Hitler, the first transgendered dictator?
Could be. Bits of humans were flying everywhere in Berlin in those last days.
I should think that Stalin wanted to be CERTAIN that Hitler was dead.
FDR may have felt that way, but Stalin was a larger egomaniac who probably wanted to have a parade and dangle Hitler from a lamp post in Red Square, just to watch him squirm.
I like what general George S. Patton said to one of his soldiers during ww2, son I don’t want you to die for your country, I want you to make the other SOB die for his country!
My grandmother played Bridge with Patton (before he was a general). She had this to say about him: “He was a son-of-a-bitch and he didn’t like to lose.” I assume she made that observation when she beat him …
What I find most interesting about the majority of comment sections online today is the constant disparagement of America, its people and its actions throughout history. Nevertheless, for the last seventy years, it has been America and its people who have led the charge in coming to the aid of those in need or being oppressed starting with the Marshall Plan for defeated Germany, the Berlin airlift for former West Berlin when Communist dictator Joseph Stalin walled it off. Practically every time there is some natural disaster such as a food shortage from a crop failure, a hurricane, typhoon or earthquake, it is America and its people who donate millions of dollars to alleviate the suffering. Our aircraft carriers are dispatched to provide medical assistance and clean drinking water, our beloved troops are sent to provide security to innocent people caught in the middle of civil wars, etc. These are facts, not “interpretations” of anyone’s political version of history! Yet, no one mentions the millions of Chinese people Communist Mao killed in his Cultural Revolution or Great Leap Forward, or the millions that Communist ogre Stalin killed in his purges of the Russian people or the tens of thousands killed by the Communist Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Indeed, some benighted fools would actually hold these fiends up as heroes today. While neither America, nor its people, are perfect, it is certainly in the top two percent of countries in this world. So to those within America who are constantly finding fault with it, you are more than welcome to sell all your worldly goods here in our country and purchase your plan ticket to the destination of your choice, be it Moscow or Beijing. Best be careful though. If you mouth off too much about your new home, you might wind up being an organ donor to some high-up party official. Best wishes in your new home!
Well said. But as an American I don’t feel our goodness just stands. As a kid I didn’t understand what a “more perfect union” meant. I guess being an American, I don’t feel disloyal being critical on our faults – but absolutely always grateful and proud of all that is good about her. I’ll support your estimate of being in the top 2%! And wish American altruistic exceptionalism could be promised to be assured. It starts at the top – the “best” leaders were good people overall.
I grew up in Asia, central and South America. My dad worked for the US government. I have seen revolutions, poverty and fighting in each place. We barely made it out alive at one point. I don’t think Americans understand the poverty, lack of education and the corrupt governments in many countries. The USA provides many safety nets, public education for its citizens and although our government is far from perfect we have freedoms and a life style that is coveted around the world. I was brought up to be patriotic and believe in the values that our country was based on. So many of our men and women have sacrificed their best for nearly 250 years to defend our freedoms. Why is this subject even a debate? Hitler, Mao, Stalin, the Khmer Rouge and etc. they were all evil. Let’s try not to let history repeat itself. Be proud to be an American!
Thank you Linda – I agree. Two things are true. America is one the best – or greatest countries and has done and can do many great things. As an American, criticizing my country is not unpatriotic – or even unsupportive. George W Bush may have not been the best president – but his corrupt behavior was not evil like the other authoritarians on your list. Trump is. I just am not sure how we can convince those that have already drunk the kool-aid. Being angry with Jim Jones’ followers is one thing – but on another level from the anger directed toward Jim Jones.
You definitely have very valid points.
What about the starving millions in Africa. Is it because they have nothing? Iraq was oil. Vietnam was rubber. Afghanistan, possibly drugs. China goes in to help economies and there is a big scream from the American Government. No one can afford to run a business for nothing so ask your government to help or be quiet.
OK – here goes – what’s your explanation re: the Uyghur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups being put in concentration camps (not to mention the destruction of Christian churches)
Probably the same as what some say about the Twin Towers. Your Ancesters murdered each other. Brothers and fathers. There is no limit to what governments will come at. It’s no good looking at one or the other. Two atomic bombs on civilians? Think about it.
Since we were discussing governments and not humanity (which is inhuman to itself), I thought you might give some ideas on what they hope to achieve.
There are no moral equivalencies. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Think back to the African chiefs who captured other tribes and sold them off to the western slave trade? Basically we must be prepared to call out evil whenever and wherever it exists and hope that people can do better.
AMEN!!
Great what you said LovesAmerica. Do not forget that we sent people, supplies and money over to Europe to help rebuild everything. Italy, France, Germany, Poland, England. We sent FOOD by the ton for the european people because everything was destroyed from the bombing. The European nations were supposed to repay us for this huge expense, however our American government at the time decided to write it off. Because they did not want the countries to go into a depression and have another fascist government come into power. Spain was enough to deal with at that time with their dictator.
Well dwell if you will on the US Morgenthau Plan for Germany.
Luckily he was overruled by less racist politicians.
You need to watch the History Channel and you decide the outcome. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=history+channel%2c+escape+of+hitler+to+south+america&qpvt=history+channel%2c+escape+of+hitler+to+south+america&FORM=VDRE
If FDR was still alive at the end of WW2, NO WAY would the USSR be in Poland, much less an East and West Germany split.
He would have told them to get their butts out of Poland and any other country that they took over enroute to Germany.
He knew the USSR was the devil we knew. The rest of the story falls right into Truman’s lap and his BIG mouth disclosing to Stalin that we had the bomb. And what happened to all of our surplus WW2 equipment? Thank good ole Harry for that one too.
Harry and his Jewish buddy in the White House made sure that was redirected to Palestine to push them into the desert or the sea. FDR would have never allowed any of that to happen.
Bill, it’s been established for quite some time that Stalin already knew about the bomb, mainly due to an effective spy network within the Manhattan Project. Klaus Fuchs, in particular, worked at Los Alamos and was later tried and convicted in England, serving 9 years before being released, stripped of his UK citizenship, and emigrating to East Germany.
Had Hitler survived, he should have been turned iver to the Jews for punishment
Amazingly written, a mesmerising article for those who love and cherish political studies. Hence this article made the perfect start of my day. I wish I could research and write for you guys. Wow!
@ Jaba
I can tell you how this Republican sees it. It is the beginning of the rumblings of something wicked we will not stand for. Covid was used to ensure a win for Biden. It amplifies the corruption and pure evil running the Democrat party that will eventually bring us to a war amongst ourselves. The hatefulness directed at Trump seems strange to me. We’ve had Presidents we didn’t like before but this mean spirited hate campaign fanned by the media is unconscionable. I do not agree with anyone entering the capital and causing any kind of damage. It was enough to stand outside in protest. Even my aunt who hates Trump says you will never convince her Biden won. Biden has never been on the right side of anything. My Democrat friends refuse to talk to me because I voted for Trump. I only voted for him because Hilary was just too corrupt so it was Trump by default. He absolutely did wow me during his presidency. I think he is one of the best Presidents we’ve ever had. History will be the judge of that. My heart is broken and near dead seeing the state we’re in these days. Lawlessness in the streets, murder and thefts while beautiful cities burn before our eyes and nothing is being done but the pursuit of those involved at the capital protest on Jan 6. You tell me how that looks. I believe this marks the beginning of the end of our country. I will never forgive the wickedness of the Democrat party for the four years of hatefulness and impeachment trials, the twisting of innocent events into something used to punish every single person who supported Trump. I see January 6 as a day that America went over the edge and Pelosi used the hotheads to end America as we know it. This country is dead to me if it can’t see it’s way back to reason. We will not survive the next three years under this president. Democrats accuse Republicans of harming the Constitution but I am not seeing them agree with Ballot harvesting and open borders, madates, and foreigners voting in our elections. They are doing away with all the protections our forefathers put into place. That is Democrats not Republicans. We are not a racist country but racism does exist! The anger boiling inside of me makes it difficult to keep a level head but I am trying to keep a connection with those I most disagree with because I believe that we can only survive by talking to each other to understand our differences and come to a compromise to do what is best for our country. Politicians have failed us. We are already at war!
Well said.
Why would you bring up Trump in a discussion about Hitler?
I am aghast at your blindness…just as many Germans were about Hitler. The defeated former President was a dictator in sheep’s clothing.
As was already mentioned; it is unfortunate, regardless of your intent, to mention Trump’s name in the same context as or with Hitler. Seriously.
Amen on every single point!
Humans love to fight and kill each other. We have evolved, as a species but our DNA has not changed. Power and greed continue to control the world. Fortunately, the vast majority of us do not feel the need to control the world. I doubt there will ever be peace on our planet. But wars will come be fought. The tides will rise and fall. The majority who are left will rebuild and than do it over again.
As a young child during WWII–I witnessed my three older brothers join the service. (I also experienced air raids & threat precautions in Minnesota where my dad was a volunteer patrol.) One brother joined the Navy, one joined the Coast Guard–both in the US. My middle brother was sent to join General Patton’s Hell on Wheels 2nd Armored Division. He was only 20 years old and sent to the front lines as their battalion started in Italy leading the way through Europe. He was in the Normandy Invasion and experienced many conflicts. In France, August of 1944, my brother was injured defending his tank from the enemy, and returned on a hospital ship to the US. He was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery. He was shellshock (term used at that time) the remainder of his life. He never talked about the war or his experiences, but the effects of war were seen by all of us family members. My parents always felt his sacrifice was worth the price of stopping Hitler and protecting freedom. After my husband and I visited Dachau Prison Camp years later I understood why. We as Americans should cherish our freedom that so many gave their lives for in WWII. I am proud of my brother and all the Americans that serve this country.
Hitler did not escape to South America or anyplace else. How do I know? His gargantuan ego wouldn’t allow him to remain silent.
Hitler was one man without equal? What it really just his location and ego? ‘Or was the location his ego.’
Well written. I hope that the current governments do not try to change history. My father and his two brothers fought in the war. two in Europe and one was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. My husband’s father and his brothers were in Europe as well in some of the worst battles. All came home, some with injuries physically and all had emotional injuries. Some worse than others. PTSD. Which they didn’t treat back then. Not understood. We are losing them every day. Soon none will be left. Just their stories that they have told their families. God bless them all.
Lost my Dad last April. He was 99. He had been a navigator in B-24’s over the Hump. He went on to be the Chief Physiologist (#8) in the Navy – training pilots/crews in High-Altitude survival. Retired as A Captain.
As a daughter of a veteran who enlisted voluntarily in 1941 and fought the entire length of WWII, I have very little patience with those who badmouth the honorable men who fought in that war. And I have no patience with those who say treasonous things about the US. Why, pray tell, is the US the target for so many deranged people in countries that are not as prosperous? Jealousy, lack of morals, many things. But I count myself lucky to have been born the late forties and in a family that honors the USA. Yes, I know that USA is not perfect, but I would not go anywhere else. We were not wealthy, although I am much aware that we were more prosperous than many people are. My Dad was a hard worker and gave his all to his family. I do care about our own people who are trapped in poverty and did not have the advantage I had. But my life was dedicated to the poor and the ill as a nurse. So, I pity those who are so bent to find all the fault but yet do nothing to intercede for the less fortunate.
Thank you to you and all the rest of our families from Greatest Generation ( mine included) the glass is more than half full. Don’t the crack lead to a shattering of the glass.
I agree with you Priscilla. As an author and researcher specializing in the Third Reich and Wehrmacht, I know a lot of information favorable to the Germans of WWII. All large book publishers have turned down some of my most revelatory books because they challenge the official lies of the Bolshevik US government. Such lies are extremely dangerous to the leftists who have grown in power since FDR’s time.
Regarding your comments about the millions of immigrants being brought into this country against the wishes of the majority, consider these facts:
1. Most of the immigrants come from authoritarian regimes and they want that here. US recruiters travel the globe looking for such people to insure they become new welfare swine here.
2. The US government, a communist regime that fixes all “elections” is a gang of political whores determined to bleed white citizens dry. They understand that by infiltrating millions of leftist foreigners and racist bums, they will be able to reduce white families to peonage. They hate the constant drive of white people to make the USA a noble country that rewards the hardest workers, not the racist bums.
3. The constant hatred directed at a German society that has been dead, killed by the leftist west, for over 70 years enables the oligarchs in charge of this rapidly deteriorating nation to distract the public from the evil reality of communism that has been a threat for over 100 years. Literally thousands of facts regarding WWII are being withheld from the world by the USA and UK. Those facts, sealed in guarded vaults, will only become available in the event of Civil War II.
There is a lot more to be said, enough to fill a hundred thick books. I and other are writing those books. For example the GOP has long been controlled by the leftist democrats. We have had a thinly disguised, authoritarian, one-party system for decades because so few citizens are willing to fight for their rights as whites.
Iam 51% German, what this man did was a massacre. those who didn’t join the 3rd Reich. Them and their families were executed. plus, imprisoned and died the same way.
Somehow comforting to learn the last time Hitler enjoyed the sun and air was the day on which I would be born 5 years later.
I was born in 1938. I have grown up in a country that I love. I have just read what my fellow Americans and others think about what has happened in our past. I had a dear friend who grew up in Germany. She said that people thought that Hitler was wonderful when he first came into power. Germany was in bad times. He was going to save them. They didn’t see what a monster he was until it was to late to stop him. Much of what he was doing wasn’t even known by the ordinary people. We live in a wonderful country. It isn’t perfect by any means; but it’s the best that history has come up with. We are the “Golden Goose”. There are those who want to find where the gold eggs come from. If they kill the goose there will be no more gold. America is where the rest of the world looks when they are in need. If we go down, they will go with us. God save America.
To Jaba – interesting that you are comparing Hitler and his atrocities to the supposed January 6th insurrection. Sounds like you believe what the left puts out there. Hitler was monster that should had been a man of conviction and faced up to what he did. On the other hand, the media, Biden Admn along with the FBI and his comrades are using Hitler tactics with their censuring those that don’t agree with them and promoting another lie! There is no comparison to the 2 events!
I wonder if any of his three nephews in the United States are still living? I’m so happy they decided to end the family line.
They were in upstate NY
I didn’t know this. Thank you.
Fruitful like the color of a tree.
My Father was in the Army fighting in “Europe” during WW II. When my Mother passed away, in 2017, we cleaned out her house, to sell it, and we discovered that she had saved every letter that he wrote to her during the war. Unfortunately, EVERY letter from EVERYONE was opened and inspected before it was mailed. Every envelope was taped up and had the inspector’s stamp on the front. If I remember correctly the postage stamp was $0.02. NO ONE was allowed to say anything about where they were or what they were doing. I read every one of his letters and some of them had various words, sentences or paragraphs cut out. All that was in every letters was “lovey dovey” stuff and “please send me some more cigarettes and other items. When the war was over, he returned home and I was born about nine months later. I also remember that he had his Army footlocker hidden in our basement. as I young boy I found it one day and discovered that it contained maps of Germany and France, keepsakes collected from dead German soldiers, as well as their bayonets and a Luger. He discovered that I found it and everything vanished.
Now that I am 75 and have been reading the Fold 3 articles I really feel bad that I never thought of asking him what he did in the “war”. I was a “terrible” child growing up so I only thought of myself. He passed away in 1997, from inoperable cancer, and he left his family tree going back many years. I joined Ancestry to see what they had and still belong.
I enlisted in the NAVY, in 1968, and served on two WW II ships. I started on the “deck force” swabbing, scraping and painting. I thankfully transferred to the supply department. However, my ship received orders to transfer three of us to Vietnam. I was number four on the list but the number three guy was the son of a Pennsylvania congressman. So I had to go. It was no big deal because I was stationed on a “barracks barge” the provided berthing and meals for the costal and inland river boat crews when their shift was over.
My wife and I have a 35 year old son who knows that I served in Vietnam but he has never “asked” what I did in the Navy. I think I will start writing my story for when I am no longer alive. It will include the names of all my friends and HS classmates who died over there the friends who returned alive and passed away from “agent orange” complications and my favorite cousin, who I grew up with, has battled “agent orange” for over twenty years now. He has a pacemaker to keep his heard working but has to have it replaced every three years because the battery is low. He was with us over X-mas and New Year’s but he has a hard time living a normal life now. He is 75 and still alive. Thank God for that. Many of our friends are names on the VN Memorial Wall. I have seen the “traveling wall” here in Naperville, IL, and I am on the list for the Veteran’s Honor flight. Maybe next year now.
I LOVE Fold 3 emails as do the vets that I forward them to. I regret that someday they will be stories about Vietnam but I will probably be 6 feet under.
I’m sorry this was sooooooo long. I had something to say and I wanted to say it. Thank you all!
Thank you Don, well written, well done. As one Vietnam vet to another I say, ‘Welcome back’.
Thank you Don!
My husband served in the CG in Vietnam and was in an inland waterway when Agent Organge was sprayed over the area. He got disability compensation for his service but not sure if Agent Orange was part of that. If you want your story told, go to StoryWorth.com and see about writing your story, adding your photos and finally seeing all of your life and your photos in a beautiful book that you receive, and can buy more copies if you want. It is worth it for your children and family; finding out about your service. I was in the AF and later the CG Reserves and worked with many men who had served in the various wars, a wonderful experience and I have great admiration for those who served. I was able to write about those things in the book and now my family knows of my experiences of being in the military and married to a military man. Louise
You said much about yourself when you started a sentence with “I hate…” If that is how you feel, it is you who need to reexamine what is going on in your mind. Hate and those who promote it have nothing in common with what made this country truly great. I have given a lot of thought to that expression: Make America Great Again. Its meaning depends entirely on our definition of the word Great. Here is mine.
G stands for Generous. If the Americans who fought and won World War II (those folks we call our Greatest generation) had not been so generous, they might have repeated their fathers’ mistake at the end of the First World War, and imposed punitive reparations on their enemies, thus sowing the seeds of the next war. Instead, through programs like the Marshall Plan, they sacrificed both time and treasure to help rebuild the societies and economies of Germany, Italy and Japan. As a result, if you ask today which country in Europe is the strongest defender of freedom, the answer is Germany. In the same way, in the far east, the answer is Japan. Generosity of spirit is one of the factors that have made America a Great nation.
R stands for Rational. It is not rational for a nation facing the threat of global climate change (as all nations are) to back out of the Paris agreement that, while imperfect, was the result of difficult and prolonged negotiations by rational people trying their best to make the looming disaster less likely to occur. America under Trump’s administration was not rational! No short term gains that might have seemed to justify that policy decision were worth the harm it did.
E stands for Exemplary. There are countries (Denmark, for example) where they celebrate the Fourth of July – not because of any event in their history on that date but because of what America gave the world on that date. Our Declaration of Independence is the best example ever given of how a people suffering oppression should establish freedom for themselves and their heirs.
A stands for Admirable. The millions who have left their home countries seeking a better life in America did not do so out of envy, but out of hope. They saw in America an opportunity to live free of the limitations imposed by rigid systems favoring only a privileged few in most other countries.
T stands for Trustworthy. America, previous to the Trump years, was seen as a trustworthy partner by most other countries that were not trying to take away from their neighbors. We could be counted on as an honest umpire in efforts to settle disputes peacefully.
In regards to the comments re history being written by the victors. It has long been held that there are three sides to every story, mine, yours and the truth!
People forget that Stalin and Mao each killed almost twice as many people as Hitler. The Holocaust museum in DC has no mention of this. In fact if you suggest it to the museum workers they deny it. Russian and Japanese soldiers raped 5 year old girls. (And boys). It is not the winners who write history but those with the largest voice (Israel). And we forget that WE caused Hitlers rise to power. Thankfully we learned our lesson and rebuilt Japan and Germany after WW2
Let’s not forget the Japs trained their soldiers by having races in seeing who could decapitate the most Chinese civilians in races after they invaded China. The were also told not to think of the Chinese women as humans or you wouldn’t be able to rape them. The great American government now gets in bed with the Japs and say the war is over and now want to wipe out China, and also Russia, our allies From WW2. Please, don’t try and defend the American government by saying it didn’t happen. I’m a 5th generation Australian with family in WW1 and 2, so please keep your sarcasm to yourselves.
Reports are that the English Royals sexually took multiple wives to keep them from bearing children with other men.
This put England way back at Jacob and Essau; the inequality couldn’t be more criminal other than by polfire.
There are other realities; high raising to the groom hitch gone persecuted and then lit by sorcery to commit a technical second plunge, though her nurturing standard sure could become standard if it were allowed to win first. I’ve seen that she is based on the blue and Zeus-line-milestones-history-standards; her unexpected concerned the poor gone freaky-clean.
History is relevant today, especially this story. You don’t have to like my comment or agree with it. I read comments and said nothing. This was for Jaba because he asked.
I was wondering if he committed suicide as has long been told and the bodies burned has there EVER been confirmation that it was, indeed, Adolph Hitler and Braun thru DNA which of course was not available at that time? Many have tried to thwart punishment thru attempting to fake death.
The DNA from the piece of skull that had a bullet hole in it and was a Russian possession (they said it was Hitler’s) was shown to be female
My Dad, (US Army), had mentioned that he was involved, (along with some Russian soldiers) and they had burned Hitler’s body outside in a pit, in the garden. We don’t know if this was wishful thinking or a touch of dementia. Is there any proof whom did the burning? Was it Hitler’s German soldiers or did the allies have a hand in doing it?
Hi Robert, if you click on the link associated with the word “burned” in the blog, you can find the interrogation report from one of Hitler’s bodyguards that was captured. His testimony was that Hitler and Eva Braun’s bodies were placed in a shell hole (outside pit) and burned.
Last Year I watched a TV series on Freeview UK about the possibility that not only some of his sidekicks but also Hitler himself escaped via pre planned routes to South America (Argentina/Patagonia) in 1945 and set about planning a new regime which thankfully never came to fruition. Some of the evidence seems very plausible.
Has anyone any published online links to this evidence and does anyone know if a follow-up T V series has been made or is planned ?
I think I saw the same program. These speculations seem possible if nothing more than the fact that a few Germans did escape to the refuge of diplomatic protections offered by Argentina or other S. American countries. But it seems Israel’s Mossad and other intelligence networks pretty much ruled out the possibility that Hitler escaped after WWII.
I understand, per a recent Documentary by National Geographic, that there is not any proof that Hitler committed suicide.
But I am still bothered by the fact that Hitler knowing the allies were coming decided to go to that particular bunker when he in the past had made several bunkers all over the Eastern block and had established cities in South America of German populations on the 10302 and before…and had underground highways in East Berlin lined with a 12 lane highway or something like that with cars ready. in case needed. I just do not understand why he would choose to stay in Berlin even though he had expanded the living quarters underground and not leave? I mean think about it.. when the bombing stood and the allies finally entered who did he think was going to be on top? Did he really think he would stay free by being incased below Berlin and that eventually he would be able to surface and be ok? His methods were very methodical it is just hard for me to understand why he chose to stay there in the city in which his headquarters were located when he had pre tonight all beforehand and took measures for her means of escape. Just died NOT Make sense!
Curious where the children are now.
In 1930 when my Mother was born pictures were well on there way to marking things as remembering images, and History. My question is why would no one have marked this day with a picture of the fallen Hitler before burning his body. It sounds like the day we took Asama Bin Laden, his death may 2, 2011, no one had a camera that day either. To bad, it would have been the find of history for those times, what a way of marking this occasion. Kind of what we do with Ancestry, we see the documents, and photos. Maybe going into the future, some one should being caring a camera.
I wonder why cameras and pictures are not used in these situations? Although Heinrich Himmlers dead body was documented. Is there some protocol or reason – or is it just a “respect for death” reason there weren’t or aren’t pictures taken to document things?
I was a child in the 1940’s and 1950’s and remember a lot of articles written about whether Hitler was actually dead or escaped and made it look like he perished.
Many famous, or rather, infamous historical figures, most of whom were immensely wealthy, have seemed to “publicly die” with no real proof of their death. Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden, Ken Lay, Jeffery Epstein, to name a few. All supposedly dead, with no real proof of that death.
Hitler burned beyond recognition and his body sequestered by the Russians for many years. No DNA testing done until years later, and some say, when it was finally done, that it showed the remains were that of a female. Surviving members of Hitler’s relatives have refused to participate in any testing.
Osama bin Laden, shot multiple times in the face, in the darkness of an unlit room, with no real identification, and his body quickly buried at sea with no possibility of DNA testing.
Ken Lay died suddenly with only his wife and one ME saying it was him. Again, no DNA testing done and with immediate cremation.
Jeffery Epstein, dead with no public proof of his death. Just a statement from a public official.
Each of these people had access to millions upon millions of dollars. Could they have made a very large deposit in an offshore bank account in return for a forged death certificate and an official lie to go with it?
Without proof it’s only speculation, but could Hitler have escaped Berlin and gone to South America by U-Boat?
Would America really kill a member of the Saudi Royal family, someone the CIA had recruited, and provided for, to help drive the Russians out of Afghanistan?
Could Ken Lay, a close friend of the Bush family, be living in luxury somewhere in Europe?
Is Jeffery Epstein really alive and well, living on a private island in the Caribbean, as some claim and as some drone footage seems to show?
Again, just speculation, but when it comes to the super rich, I don’t put anything past them.
Again, without proof, only speculation. Can you provide ONE instance where a famous individual was declared dead and then reappeared alive 10 years later?
Hitler was just another starving German that became upset, like a grumpy baby, at the fact that the Jewish leaders at that time thought his paintings was mediocre, at best, and wrote a “poor me boo hoo” book. He was nothing but a puppet to a growing number of officials realizing the only way to get out of the economic downfall is through war. Plus the fact he was shot up with methamphetamines every single day until his death. He was nothing…a drug addicted nobody that, without the German officials, would of never amounted to anything.
Learn some history, you sound uneducated. Hitler made the front of Time magazine in 1938 as Man of the Year. He created a very thriving Germany that was lying prostrate and suffering after WW1 with the one sided Versailles treaty. Hitler founded Volkswagen as an affordable car, affordable vacations for families, no more usury holding Germany down. Hitler also used extensive manpower to create the Autobahn and by doing so put thousands to work. Germany was the envy of Europe and America those Nations still suffering from the Great Depression. Please stick with the facts.
Perhaps. But you leave out one point that overrules every good thing he did by 6 Million (and more) times. He was a mass murderer, only outdone by Stalin.
Thank you Rick. Anyone who ignores the evil created and perpetrated by hitler and the nazi’s is of questionable sanity. Definitely sociopathy and maybe psychopathy.
It reminds me of the the joke “ Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?”
It is silly to think that hitler would have killed himself when he had power and money enough to escape.
Except he didn’t… on both counts.
This is old hat! If he did escape, he would be dead by now, so why are we still debating?
He would have been dead even 50 years ago. The Russians certainly had no motive to create a false narrative of his death. Many thought he had tertiary syphilis, as well. People can finally close the door on this horrible era knowing all the evil participants are dead.