“This is the final act.”
(Erich Kempka, Hitler’s personal chauffeur)
The Russian tanks were now no more than a few kilometres from Berlin. The Soviets threatened the capital on three fronts: to the north, the east, and the south. To the west, on the other hand, the city was still spared. The Anglo-American offensive had slowed down, and their first troops were 500 kilometres away from the outskirts of Berlin. Hitler took advantage of the fact to transfer his units from the western front towards the Russians.
That didn’t make the situation any less catastrophic. The Soviet shells were now reaching the Chancellery gardens. The exploding bombs blew in the windows of Hitler’s palace, dug furrows in the marble walls as if they were made of cardboard, and the noise echoed all the way down to the underground shelters. Once more, the Führer’s entourage begged him to flee. There was still time. Gatow Airport, south-west of Berlin, was accessible. Hans Baur, Hitler’s personal pilot, had moved to the bunker some weeks previously to be ready to evacuate the Führer at any moment. Several aeroplanes had been specially prepared, and were only waiting for a green light to take off. Bormann, the most trusted member of Hitler’s inner circle, was also urging an immediate departure. The previous day he had even taken the initiative of accelerating the transfer of Berlin General Headquarters to Obersalzberg.
Hope faded again with Hitler’s decision to launch a counter-attack. In order to carry it out, he was counting on SS General Felix Steiner, a military man with a strong character and a complexion tanned by two years on the Russian front. He was given the difficult task of preventing the fatal encircling of Berlin. Steiner had certain points in his favour in this respect. Hitler had assembled thousands of well-equipped and battle-hardened men for him, in a new army that he called “Armeeabteilung Steiner” (Steiner Army Detachment). It was clear to the Führer that these shock troops would smash the assault from the Red Army. As in 1940, during the battle for France, Hitler would show these gentlemen of the Wehrmacht how to wage a war. But things had changed in five years. The German units, by virtue of having been killed, now existed only in Hitler’s autocratic ravings. The troops who were supposed to join Steiner’s army were virtual. They had disappeared in the noise of combat, or were obstructed by Soviet troops and unable to move towards Steiner.
Hitler refused to see that. And his entourage didn’t dare to put him right. Whatever the situation, the Führer decided to stay as close as possible to the fighting, in his bunker. There was no question of him leaving Berlin at the height of battle. However, he did agree to his personal belongings and the military archives being transferred to safety in the “alpine fortress.” At the same time he indicated that anyone who wanted to leave was free to do so. The news immediately spread through the two bunkers and at first set off a panic. The candidates for evacuation knew that the few four-propeller Condors and three-engine Junkers still in service wouldn’t be able to take everyone. A list of the lucky elect was drawn up. People were practically fighting to appear on it. “Everyone wanted to leave. New people were constantly turning up who absolutely had to get to Obersalzberg on the pretext that their families were in Bavaria, that they came from the region, that they wanted to defend it on the spot, etc. In fact they only wanted to get away from Berlin as quickly as possible.”*
All the planes would reach their destination. All but one. The one containing Hitler’s personal documents was shot down by the American Air Force.
The chief Nazi’s luck had deserted him once and for all.
* Heinz Linge and Otto Günsche, Le Dossier Hitler, op. cit., p. 306.