Chapter 190 Chapter Thirty-One Five Minutes After Midnight, or "The Captain Sinks with the Ship" (2)

On the morning of April 22, Steiner became the subject of conversation in the bunker.Has his campaign to free Berlin with an attack from the north already begun?If it has started, what is the progress?The Chief of the Army Staff, Guderian's successor, General Hans Krebst, always said that there was nothing certain to report.Hitler's worries grew with each passing day.At the High Command meeting in the afternoon, after hearing the news that Berlin had been besieged on three sides, Hitler asked one last time how the Steiner offensive was going.Krebs had no choice but to tell the truth: the Steiner Corps was still in the organizational stage and there was nothing to report.

Hitler's head shook, and he gasped for breath.He sternly ordered everyone to leave the room—except his general and Bowman.When the others heard this, they hurriedly fled out of the room.They waited in the living room, silent and fearful.As soon as the door closed, Hitler stood up immediately.Leaning forward and backward, flailing his right arm violently, he shouted that traitors and liars were all around him.All men, he cried, were too low and vulgar to comprehend his great purpose.He was a victim of corruption and cowardice, and now everyone has abandoned him.No one who listened to him had ever seen him lose his temper like this.He pointed at the generals and accused them of bringing disaster to the war.The only person who rebutted was Bowman.The officers were amazed, but what Bormann said was more to calm Hitler than to defend the military.

Hitler yelled something about Steiner, and before anyone could hear him, he slumped down on a chair.He said bitterly: "The war has been lost!" Then, in a trembling voice, he said that the Third Reich had ended in defeat, and now he had to die.His face was pale, and his whole body trembled from time to time, as if he had been hit hard.Suddenly he sat still, his jaw loosened, his eyes staring blankly ahead.This frightened others more than his anger.Time passed minute by minute-no one knew how many minutes had passed.Later, the face of the head of state slowly recovered, and he twitched—maybe it was a coronary heart attack.Bowman, Keitel, and Gardolph, the Army Personnel Secretary, all begged him to show confidence, and if even he lost confidence, it would be the end of it.They advised him to go to Berchtesgaden immediately.Shaking his head slowly, he said in a tired and terrible voice, if they want to leave, please feel free, he himself wants to end his life in the capital.He sent for Goebbels.

The people standing outside heard almost everything.Fegelein grabbed the phone and told Himmler everything that happened here.Shocked, Himmler called Hitler, told him not to be disappointed, and promised to send SS troops immediately.Meanwhile, Hitler sent for Traudl Mig, Gerda Christian and his new cook, Constanze Manziari.They went together to his drawing room - where he and Eva Braun were waiting.His face was expressionless, and his eyes were completely absent.In an objective and bossy tone, he made the four women prepare to fly south within an hour. "It's all over and hopeless," he said.

Shocked, the four women stood motionless.The first to go was Eva.She walked up to Hitler and took his hands.She smiled slightly, as if speaking to a child: "You know, I want to be with you. I won't allow you to tell me to go." This brought life to his eyes again, and made something close to him. Something he hasn't seen done: He kissed Eva on the lips. Traudl couldn't help saying: "I'll stay too." Gerda and the cook joined the ranks.Himmler told them to go again, but they didn't listen.Hitler grabbed their hands one by one, and said with mixed feelings: "If only my generals were as brave as you!" The officer was waiting there. "Gentlemen," he said, "this is the end of the matter. I will stay in Berlin, and when the time comes, I will shoot myself. It is up to you, everyone, to leave."

I heard that Goebbels was still at home when the Führer was looking for him. Just as he was about to leave, Hitler heard that he also wanted to see Magda and the children. At five, Frau Goebbels calmly told the nurse to get the children ready, for they were going to see the Führer.The children are very happy.Will Uncle Addie still give them chocolate candies and treats like before?The mother had guessed that they might all be going to die, so she forced a smile: "You are only allowed to take one toy, and you are not allowed to take more." After Keitel sent everyone away, only he and Hitler were left in the conference room.He told the Führer to go straight to Berchtesgaden, where surrender negotiations would begin.Hitler interrupted him: "I know what you're going to say: 'A decision must be taken immediately!'" His voice became harsh. "I have made a decision. I will never leave Berlin, and I will defend the city to my last breath!" Jodl came; Hitler repeated his decision to commit suicide to him. "My decision, the most important decision of my life, should have been made in November 1944. I should not have left the East Prussian headquarters."

Hitler found Bormann and ordered him to fly to Berchtesgaden with Jodl and Keitel.That headquarters was commanded by Keitel, with Goering as head and personal representative.Keitel disagreed."Anyway, everything is falling apart and there is nothing I can do," Hitler said, adding that Goering would leave the rest. "There is nothing left to fight. If there were negotiations, the Reichsmarshal would do a better job than me. In the defense of Berlin, I either fought to win or died in Berlin." He could not risk falling into enemy hands.He said he would have shot himself at the last moment. "This is my final decision, irrevocable!"

The generals swore that the tide was not all over.Wenck's Twelfth Army should return to rescue Berlin.Hitler's eyes lit up immediately.Incredibly, hope has returned, and so has determination.He started by asking questions, and then worked out how to save Berlin.Keitel got up and went to give Wenk an order.As soon as he left, Hitler became depressed again, telling his valet that hope was over. When someone pointed to the portrait of Frederick the Great and asked him if he still believed in a similar historical miracle, the Führer shook his head wearily. "The Army has betrayed me, and my generals are worthless," he said. "They don't carry out my orders. It's all over. National Socialism is dead too, never to come back!" Maybe in 100 years there will be something like that Thoughts, like religions, spread throughout the world. "But Germany has failed. Seriously, it's not quite ready, nor strong enough, for the mission I've given it."