Chapter 187 Chapter Thirty "This Time, We Must Not Surrender Five Minutes Before Midnight" (4)

In AD 900 the boundaries of Germany were the Oder and the Rhine.By the beginning of March 1945, Hitler's Greater German Empire had been compressed between the above two rivers, and his thousand-year empire was on the verge of destruction.His enemies had positioned themselves to the east and west for a massive attack.They are convinced that this attack will quickly bring final victory. On the morning of March 3, Montgomery launched an attack across the Rhine.To support the infantry, the Allies dropped two divisions there—one each from the United Kingdom and the United States.At dusk, the German army began to retreat in an all-round way.150 miles upstream, the unpredictable George S. Patton also crossed the Rhine, to the amazement of Montgomery and the Germans alike.This was a beautiful stealth operation, and it was improvised. Not a single shell was fired, and the price paid was only 28 casualties.They built a pontoon bridge over the Rhine; as they crossed, Patton stopped in the middle of the bridge. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time." After speaking, he pissed into the river.

In the weeks that followed, Montgomery and Patton moved eastward at a rapid rate, much to the horror of Supreme Command.What particularly angered Hitler was the behavior of Cardinal Galen - he drove out of the city and dedicated the city of Munster to a unit of the US Army. "If I catch that pig," Hitler cried, "I'll hang him!" He could no longer tolerate his ill-tempered and outspoken Chief of the Army General Staff.Knowing this, Guderian went to Berlin on the morning of March 28, determined to have a showdown with Hitler.He was particularly saddened by the fate of 200,000 German troops in Courland, surrounded by hundreds of miles behind the Russian lines, which they should not have been surrounded in the first place.Once inside the partially destroyed chancellery, he and his aide were led down the steps by a guard to a door reinforced with steel bars and guarded by two SS men.This is the entrance to Hitler's new home: a large bunker buried deep in the gardens of the Chancellery.

They descended steps into a narrow corridor where the water was about a foot deep.They stepped on the wooden boards on the ground, balanced themselves, staggered to a door, and descended a short set of steps to the upper level of the bunker.There were twelve small rooms, all opening onto a common corridor, which also served as a dining room.After Guderian and his adjutant finished walking this section, they walked down a curved step.After that, they went down more than 10 steps before finally reaching the lower level.Here, in the Führer's bunker, there are 18 small rooms separated by an antechamber.The vestibule itself is also divided into two halves, one half serving as a living room and the other half serving as a conference room.At the end of these rooms, there is a small corridor with an emergency exit.There are four steep stairs outside the exit, the steps are all paved with cement, leading directly to the garden of the Prime Minister's Palace.To the left of the meeting room there is a small map room, a lounge for the Führer's guards and a set of 6 for the headless and Eva Braun residences.Despite the ventilation system in the bunker, the air inside was still very closed-the monotonous high-pitched sound of the ventilation system pierced every room.The top of the bunker is protected by a 12-foot-thick reinforced concrete ceiling; another 30-foot-thick concrete is added to the ceiling.This is the tomb of Hitler's future or the bastion of miraculous victories.Perhaps it reminded him of the terrible and heroic trench life during the First World War.

Hitler shuffled out of the adjoining room, and the midday military council began.First it was General Busey who reported his attempted relief of a town on the east bank of the Oder.Hitler criticized Busey, but was interrupted by Guderian's vigorous defense.Hitler was stung and stood up abruptly. The flexibility of his movements amazed the participants.Guderian was not to be outdone.He bravely raised the question of how many weeks he had been arguing with Hitler. "Does the Fuehrer want to withdraw the troops trapped in Courland?" he asked. "No retreat!" Hitler shouted, waving his hand.Immediately a large red blotch appeared on his pale face.Guderian stood still, motionless, and then he walked towards Hitler.Jodl and his deputy quickly pulled Guderian away, but he still spoke loudly.Later, his adjutant told him to "listen to the phone" and tricked him into the hall.When Guderian returned to the meeting room, he had already controlled himself.

Hitler had returned to his seat, his face tensed.Although his hands were still shaking, he also regained his composure.He quietly asked everyone to go out, leaving only Guderian and Keitel.He said, "General Guderian, you are not in good health and need to take sick leave immediately for 6 weeks." When Guderian was about to leave, Hitler told him to leave after a meeting.The meeting continued as if nothing had happened.A few hours later—a long time, Guderian thought—the meeting was over, but he still hadn't left. "Please take care," the head of state pleaded. "The situation will become very serious in six weeks. By then, I will need you urgently." Guderian said that he would find a weekend before the fall place to rest.After speaking, he raised his hand and walked out.

On Easter Sunday, all resistance in the Ruhr area collapsed, and Hitler was then forced to face total defeat—the Reich would be dismembered by the victor, and his people would be ravaged by the Soviet Union and the United States.But, in dictation to Bowman, he predicted that "the laws of history and geography will compel these two great powers to contend, either militarily, or economically and intellectually. These laws, too, will inevitably to make these two great powers the enemies of Europe. It is equally certain that sooner or later the two great powers will find it advisable to seek support from the only surviving peoples of Europe, the Germanic peoples. I will do my best to It may be emphasized that we Germans should at all costs avoid playing the pawn for which of the two camps."

On that day, April 2, Bormann wrote to his wife describing the latest air raid on Berlin and the feeling of desperation gripping the city.He warned her to expect the worst even in Vienna; if the Russians took that fortress, she should flee Upper Salzburg.Days later, the Red Army was pouring into Vienna; armed with stolen passes and fake Volksturm armbands, resistance fighters roamed the streets openly, shooting anyone in German uniform shooting.By evening, people were frantically fleeing Vienna.The number of refugees was growing; firefighters, anti-aircraft pickets and even the police joined the chaotic fleeing ranks.