Hitler relocated to the Führerbunker on January 16, 1945, where he presided over the rapid disintegration of his Third Reich as the Allies advanced from both east and west. By late April, Soviet forces had entered Berlin itself and were battling their way to the centre of the city where the Chancellery was located.
On April 22, 1945, Hitler had an apparent nervous breakdown during one of his military situation conferences and finally admitted defeat was imminent and that Germany would lose the war. He allegedly vowed to commit suicide but Joseph Goebbels convinced him to hold off on this for several days. Allegedly, Hitler began making preparations for his suicide, allegedly speaking with Dr. Werner Haase on a method that would ensure his death. Haase suggested combining a dose of cyanide with a gunshot to the head.
Hitler had a supply of cyanide capsules which he obtained through the SS. Meanwhile on April 28 Hitler learned of Heinrich Himmler's attempt to independently negotiate a peace treaty. Hitler considered this treason and began to show signs of paranoia, expressing worries the cyanide capsules he had received through Himmler's SS were fake. To verify the capsules' potency he ordered Dr. Haase to test them on his dog Blondi and the test was successful.
Hitler, having dictated his last will and testament to secretary Traudl Junge, signed them at 04:00 on April 29. Shortly after midnight on April 29, 1945, Hitler married Eva Braun in a small civil ceremony in a map room within the bunker complex, before finally retiring to bed at around 04:00.
Shortly after noon on April 30 Hitler had a short meeting with Bormann before eating a small lunch consisting of spaghetti with a light sauce. Hitler and Eva Braun then said their personal farewells to members of the Führerbunker staff and fellow occupants, including the Goebbels family, Bormann, the secretaries, and several military officers. At around 14:30, as Soviet forces raised their banner over the neighbouring Reichstag, Adolf and Eva Hitler went into Hitler's personal study.
Some witnesses later reported hearing a loud gunshot at around 15:30 (the Goebbels' young son is said to have declared, "A direct hit!" thinking it was a bomb overhead). After waiting a few minutes, Hitler's valet, Heinz Linge, with Bormann at his side, opened the door to the study. Linge later stated he immediately noted a scent of burned almonds in the small study, a common observation made in the presence of prussic acid, a form of cyanide. The Hitlers were both sitting on a small sofa, Eva on the left, Adolf to the right. Eva's body slumped away from Adolf's. Hitler appeared to have shot himself at right temple, with an exit wound towards the top, left side of his head, with a 7.65 mm pistol which lay at his feet. Blood was dripping from Adolf's temple/chin and had made a large stain on the right arm of the sofa and pool on the floor/carpet. Eva had no visible physical wounds and Linge assumed she had poisoned herself.
Several witnesses stated the two bodies were carried up to ground level and through the bunker's emergency exit to a small, bombed-out garden behind the Chancellery where they were doused with petrol and set alight by Linge and members of Hitler's personal SS bodyguard. The SS guards and Linge later noted the fire did not completely destroy the corpses, but Soviet shelling of the bunker compound made further cremation attempts impossible and the remains were later covered up in a shallow bomb crater after 6.00PM.
2007-03-25 17:11:52
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answer #1
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answered by issa 2
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Hitler was insane and luckily was stupid enough to spread his forces thin while attempting to conquer the entire world. The tough Russian winters strained a large contingent of the wermacht, and the Reich went into a tailspin. Germany was being bombed by the British Air Force, and Allied forces were closing in. Hitler apparently commited suicide in one of his bunkers in order to avoid his inevitable capture and prosecution for war crimes. I'm not certain, but I think this was right after the Italian mobs got their hands on Mussolini and literally played soccer in the streets with his decapitated head. I imagine Hitler's capture might have resulted in a similar scenario and he probably knew it.
2007-03-25 18:13:53
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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Hitler broke his own rule that he wrote about in Mien kemp. He said to never fight a war on more than one front. But he attacked Russia and Europe at the same time.the Germans were spread too thin and unprepared for the harshness of the Russian winters.
Hitler committed suicide, his body along with his wife's was burned.
2007-03-25 19:39:42
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answer #3
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answered by MARK S 2
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Hitler dictated his political testament on April 29th 1945, 4.00 o'clock, later that day married his girlfriend Eva Braun and commited suicide together with her by first taking a poison capsule and then (to be on the safe side) shooting himself the day after.After that, his personal secretary, Martin Borman, set fire to his corpse and then buried the charred corpse.
The events took place in Hitlers Bunker in Berlin around 15.30 on April 30th, while the soviet Red Army had already started its attack on Berlin.Germany surrendered May 8th.
2007-03-25 18:55:49
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answer #4
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answered by eelliko 6
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Hitler killed himself hiding in a bunker. He had gone quite insane in the final days of the war (well he was nuts before the end really). He killed himself because if the Russians found him what happened to Mussolini might very well happen to him.
If your really interested in the final days of Hitler's pitiful life watch the German movie Downfall.
2007-03-25 20:43:45
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answer #5
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answered by scottmbelba 2
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He committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin so that the Russians couldn't take him prisoner. Hitler never fell from power.
2007-03-25 18:34:47
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answer #6
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answered by BethS 6
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He killed himself to escape capture from the Allied troops during World War II.
2007-03-25 18:09:26
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answer #7
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answered by hgherron2 4
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He shot himself in his bunker when it was obvious that he had lost the war and the Allies would soon be there
Until he committed suicide, he was in charge of Germany.
2007-03-25 18:34:05
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answer #8
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answered by Shelly P. Tofu, E.M.T. 6
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he didn't. he was Chancellor of Germany till the day he died. he committed suicide because he would have been torn limb from limb alive, by the Russians.
2007-03-25 18:16:11
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answer #9
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answered by Doctor Pain 4
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He shot himself.
2007-03-25 18:08:48
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answer #10
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answered by some_dude 2
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