On this day in 1945, Adolf Hitler, ensconced in a bunker beneath his headquarters in Berlin, took his own life by ingesting a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head.
Shortly afterward, Germany capitulated unconditionally to the Allied forces, marking the end of Hitler’s aspirations for a “1,000-year” Reich.
By at least 1943, it became increasingly apparent that Germany was going to succumb to the pressures imposed by the Allied forces. In that February, during the Battle of Stalingrad, the German 6th Army was decimated after being drawn deep into the Soviet Union, extinguishing any German hopes for a prolonged offensive on both fronts.
Subsequently, in June 1944, the Western Allied forces executed the landings at Normandy, France, initiating a systematic retreat of German forces toward Berlin. By July 1944, numerous German military leaders recognized their impending defeat and conspired to remove Hitler from power in hopes of securing a more favorable peace. However, their assassination attempts on Hitler proved futile, leading him to execute over 4,000 compatriots in retaliation.
As the Soviets laid siege to Berlin in January 1945, Hitler retreated to his bunker to spend his final days.
The bunker was situated 55 feet beneath the chancellery and comprised 18 rooms, fully equipped with its own water and electrical systems. Despite his growing insanity, Hitler continued to issue commands and meet with close associates such as Hermann Goering, Heinrich Himmler, and Josef Goebbels. Just two days prior to his suicide, he wed his long-time mistress, Eva Braun.
In his final will and testament, Hitler designated Admiral Karl Donitz as the head of state and Goebbels as chancellor. He then retreated to his private quarters with Braun, where both poisoned themselves and their dogs, and Hitler subsequently ended his life with his service pistol.
Their bodies were swiftly cremated in the garden of the chancellery as Soviet forces neared the building. Upon reaching the chancellery, the Soviets took possession of Hitler’s ashes, frequently relocating them to thwart any attempts from Hitler’s admirers to establish a memorial at his final resting place.
Merely eight days later, on May 8, 1945, German forces declared an unconditional surrender, resulting in Germany being divided among the four Allied nations.
