Hi Reader, welcome back to our weekly coverage of what happened in the skies and on the ground during World War II. This week, we mark the 80th anniversary of Hitler's death and the Battle of Berlin, one of the war's most brutal urban battles. Join us as we delve into the history of one of the most pivotal conflicts ever and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The End of A Tyrant.
This week marks the 80th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s death and the final days of World War II in Europe. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his underground bunker, the Führerbunker, as Soviet forces closed in on central Berlin. The Third Reich was crumbling around him. Despite the death of the Führer, the fighting raged on for two more days. It was not until May 2, 1945, that Soviet troops seized the Reich Chancellery, prompting the final surrender of Berlin and ending the war in Europe.
The Battle of Berlin was the climactic final assault of the European theatre, and one of the most brutal urban battles in modern history. On April 19, 1945, following their victory at Seelow Heights, the last major defensive battle outside Berlin, the Soviet Red Army launched a massive assault on the city. Over one million troops from the 1st Belorussian Front flooded into Berlin’s outskirts, beginning the final push. The next day, April 20, which also marked Hitler’s 56th birthday, Soviet artillery began a nonstop bombardment of the city—a thunderous assault that would not end until Berlin fell.
Inside the capital, roughly 45,000 defenders prepared for a last stand. They included remnants of the German Army and SS units, the Hitler Youth, local police, and civilians, consisting of women, boys, and old men, many armed with little more than rifles or panzerfausts. Hitler, still in the Führerbunker beneath the Reich Chancellery, issued desperate orders for counterattacks and reinforcements that no longer existed. On April 22, he learned that SS General Felix Steiner had refused a direct order to launch a counteroffensive. Steiner, realizing his forces would be annihilated by the Red Army, ordered a retreat instead. That moment marked Hitler’s final collapse of hope.
By April 24, Berlin was completely encircled by Soviet troops from both the 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts. The city was cut off. In the bunker, Hitler’s mental state deteriorated rapidly. As his closest officials betrayed him or attempted to negotiate surrender with the Western Allies, he reacted with fury, ordering arrests and executions. On April 29, just past midnight, Hitler married his long-time companion Eva Braun in a brief ceremony inside the bunker. He then dictated his final will, naming Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as President and Joseph Goebbels as Chancellor.
That same day, news reached Hitler of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s brutal execution and public humiliation. Determined to avoid a similar fate, Hitler finalized his plans to take his own life. On the afternoon of April 30, 1945, with Soviet forces fewer than 500 meters from the bunker and ammunition supplies nearly depleted, Hitler said farewell to his remaining staff and retired to his private quarters with Eva Braun.
By that evening, Hitler’s valet Heinz Linge entered the room to a grim scene. Hitler had taken his own life with a gunshot to the temple; Braun had swallowed cyanide. Their bodies were swiftly carried outside, doused in petrol, and burned in the garden of the Reich Chancellery, according to Hitler’s explicit instructions. Word of the Führer’s death quickly spread, prompting his designated successor, Karl Dönitz, to urge German forces to surrender to the Western Allies and avoid Soviet capture. In the following days, many senior Nazi officials committed suicide rather than face arrest or execution.
Although Hitler was dead, the battle for Berlin was not yet over. On May 2, Soviet troops stormed and secured the Reich Chancellery. The last German defenders surrendered that morning, marking the official end of the Battle of Berlin. But the cost was enormous: over 80,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in the assault. German military deaths were estimated at nearly 50,000, and at least 10,000 Berlin civilians perished amid the fighting.
Within a week, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally. After twelve years in power, Adolf Hitler’s so-called "Thousand-Year Reich" had collapsed in ruins. As we reflect on this 80th anniversary of his death, we remember not only the final days of the war but the immense human cost it inflicted on millions across the world and one of the most brutal urban battles in modern history.
Did You Know?
During the desperate final days of the Battle of Berlin, the Nazi regime deployed poorly trained Hitler Youth and elderly Volkssturm units to the front lines. Despite their lack of adequate training and often inferior weaponry, these civilians were frequently positioned in exposed and heavily contested areas. This strategic deployment, born out of desperation and a refusal to yield ground to the advancing Soviet forces, resulted in disproportionately high casualty rates among these young and elderly defenders compared to more experienced Wehrmacht soldiers.
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Thank you for tuning in to this week's coverage of what happened on the ground and the skies during World War II. We hope to see you again next week for even more incredible true stories. And as always, see you in the skies.
-TJ
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"Every German will defend his capital. We shall stop the Red hordes at the walls of our Berlin.' Just try and stop them!". - Joseph Goebbels
