Führerbunker

The Führerbunker (it shelter of the Führer ) is the usual name employed to indicate the complex of underground rooms of Berlin (Germany) where Adolf Hitler committed suicide at the time of the Second world war. This Bunker was the thirteenth one and the last of the Führerhauptquartiere ( District-general of Führer ).

There were actually two bunkers connected to each other: Vorbunker ( pre-bunker ) was oldest, and most recent Führerbunker. Führerbunker was located at approximately 8,2 meters under the garden of the Chancellerie of Reich ( Reichskanzlei ), to the 77 Wilhelmstraße, today with approximately 120 meters in the north of the new Chancellery, to old the 6 Voßstraße. Vorbunker was located in lower part of the large hall behind the old Chancellery, which was connected to the new Chancellery. Führerbunker was located a little low than Vorbunker and a little more at the west (or south-western west/). The two bunkers were connected between them by staircases to right angle (and not in spiral, as some believe it).

The complex was protected by a layer from Béton from approximately four meters thickness. It included/understood approximately thirty small parts out of two levels. It had exits leading to the principal buildings and an exit emergency giving on the garden.

The bunkers were built in two phases, one in 1936 and the other in 1943. The additions of 1943 were carried out by the company Hochtief and belonged to a great plan of Berliner underground construction started in 1940.

The parts occupied by Hitler were in the new section, major, and in February 1945 they were furnished with luxurious pieces of furniture plundered or recovered with the Chancellery, as well as several works of Article.

The year 1945

January 16th, 1945, Hitler moves in Führerbunker. It is joined there by most important of its officers or collaborators: initially Martin Bormann, then Eva Braun, Joseph and Magda Goebbels with their children, which occupied Vorbunker. There was also of the personnel auxiliary, approximately two or three dozen people assigned to the medical department or administrative. This manpower includes the secretaries of Hitler, of which Traudl Junge, as well as a nurse, Erna Flegel, and in charge one of the telephone calls, Rochus Misch. The dog of Hitler, Bleached, was there also; Hitler often walked it in the garden of the Chancellery until the beginning of the Soviet bombardments in March 1945.

The bunker had a great reserve of vivres and other needs. According to the accounts, it successfully protected its occupants from the constant bombardments and murderers from at the end of April. In the last days of his life, one says that Hitler drank several cups of The per day (from ten to sixteen), even when there was shortage of the. Many people testified later to the constant noise to the ventilation system to the bunker.

April

See also: Battle of Berlin

The April 16th, the Red Army begins the Bataille of Berlin in attacking the Germans on the rivers Oder and Neisse. Hardly three days later, the Soviet troops start to bore the German lines and to encircle the town of Berlin.

The April 20th, birthday day of Hitler, this one goes up for the last time on the surface to distribute Croix of iron to some children soldiers of the Jeunesses hitlériennes.

The next day, it gives orders which show that it had lost any comprehension of military reality. It ordered with its troops to counter-attack to block both grips Soviet encircling Berlin. The attack in north was to be carried out by the general S Felix Steiner and its unit. This one tried to explain to its superiors whom his offensive capacity was reduced to two battalions of the 4th division of police force, and whom those did not have of weapons of war. Nobody will say it to Hitler. The attack in the south was also not very realistic: the 9th German Army was pushed back until Halbe.

The April 22nd, at the time of the strategic conference that it held every afternoon, Hitler, disappointed, was taken of a violent fit of anger when it knew that its plans of the previous day would not be concretized. He declared the war lost, blamed the generals and announced that it would remain in Berlin until the end before committing suicide. Trying to alleviate his anger, the general Alfred Jodl explained to him that the 12th German Army of the general Walther Wenck who faced the Americans could perhaps enter Berlin because the Americans, already on the Elba, were probably not going to go beyond towards the east. Hitler made an immediate decision: in hardly a few hours, Wenck had the order to be withdrawn to support the troops defending already in the capital. One realized then that if the 9th Army went to the west, it was going to be able to join 12th. The evening even, the general with the head of 9th, Theodor Drank, was summoned to join Wenck and 12th.

In spite of the orders of Führer, at the date of the April 25th the Soviets had consolidated their surrounding of Berlin and their best units had already started to explore and penetrate defenses of S-Bahn. At the end of the day, there was no doubt that German defenses could not do better than to delay the catch of the city by the Soviets. The decisive stages of the battle had already taken place apart from the city.

Hitler made come to Berlin the Maréchal Robert Ritter von Greim from Munich so that it takes the head of the Luftwaffe (in the place of Hermann Göring). The April 26th, Ritter was seriously wounded by Soviet anti-aircraft shootings by flying over Berlin in the Fieseler Storch of its mistress, controls it Hanna Reitsch. Successful Reitsch has to land on a track improvised in the Tiergarten, close to the Porte of Brandebourg.

The same day, Helmut Weidling, an artillery general, is indicated with the command of the Area of defense of Berlin Bormann was the chief of the Parteikanzlei and the personal secretary of Hitler.

In the evening, von Greim and Reitsch fly away on board a Arado Ar 96. Von Greim accepted for orders to make tackle by Luftwaffe the Soviet forces, which had just arrived at the Potsdamer Platz (with only one street of Führerbunker), and to make sure that Himmler is punished. Fearing that Hitler does not escape on this aircraft, the troops of the 3rd Soviet Army of shock, advancing in Tiergarten and coming from north, tried to destroy Arado. Their attempt failed and the plane took off successfully.

During the night of the April 28th, Wenck informed Keitel that its 12th Army had been pushed back on all the face; the XX Body managed all the same to come temporarily into contact with the garrison of Potsdam. According to Wenck, no reinforcement could from now on help Berlin, neither coming from 12th, neither of 9th, nor of any other. Keitel authorized it to give up its attempt to help Berlin.

Late the evening of April 29th, Krebs contacts the general Alfred Jodl by radio: Ask immediate report/ratio. Firstly position of the avant-garde of Wenck. Secondly, hour planned for the attack. Thirdly, situation of the 9th Army. Four, exact place of the attack of 9th. Five, site of the avant-garde of the general Rudolf Holste. .

In the morning of the April 30th, the Brigadeführer S Wilhelm Mohnke, ordering sector centers of Berlin, informs Hitler that its position will not be able to resist more than two days. Later the same morning, Weidling informs itself Hitler that the defenders would even use their last ammunition the evening and asks for the authorization to him of try to escape from the city. Towards 13:00, Weidling returned to its HQ of the Benderblock receives the downstream of Hitler for its attempt at escape.

The afternoon of the same day, Hitler and Braun committed suicide, the first by drawing a ball and the second by absorbing a capsule from Cyanure. In accordance with the instructions left by Hitler, their bodies were incinerated in the garden of the Chancellery. Also in virtue with the last will of Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Propaganda, became the new chief of the government and Chancelier of Reich ( Reichskanzler ). To 3:15, Goebbels and Bormann sent a radio message to the admiral Karl Dönitz to inform it of dead of Führer, and to name it, like wanted it Hitler, new President of Germany ( Reichspräsident ).

At the end of the day, the Soviets had seized the Reichstag, ultimate symbol of the fall of Berlin and one of the last fulcrums of the German combatants defending the zone around the Chancellery and of Führerbunker.

May

Towards 4:00 of the morning on May 1st, Krebs meets the Tchouikov general, ordering 8th Army of the Soviet Guard. It returns bredouille of this maintenance, after having refused to order a unconditional surrender because only the Reichskanzler Goebbels had such a capacity. Towards the end of the afternoon, Magda Goebbels keep silent their six children from the Cyanide. Magda and Joseph leave the bunker towards 20:00; close to the entry of this one, they bite both of the cyanide capsules and, either commit suicide by ball at the same time, or receive the death-blow by the care of the guard S indicated to incinerate their skins.

Weidling had given the order to the survivors to escape towards the North-East starting from 21:00 on May 1st, but the escape bid intervened a little later that envisaged, with 23:00. The first group, carried out by Mohnke, avoids the Pont Weidendammer and crosses the river on a footbridge. This group is however cut into two (Mohnke itself does not manage to escape and, captured the next day, will be questioned by SMERSH). The Tigre tank which preceded the first attempt to force the passage by the Weidendammer bridge was destroyed. Two other attempts by the same way followed and, at the time of the third towards 1:00 the May 2nd, Bormann managed to cross the Spree but was killed very close to the bridge, according to the testimony of Artur Axmann which saw its body by taking the same way.

With 1:00, the Soviets receive a radio message of LVI German Corps asking for a Cessez-le-feu and announcing that emissary would come under the safeguard from the white flag to the Potsdamer bridge. Early the morning of May 2nd, the Soviets take the Chancellery. Weidling and its collaborators go towards 6:00.

The generals Burgdorf (who had played a central role in the death of Erwin Rommel) and Krebs had preferred the suicide

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