This Day in History: 30 April 2020
30 April 1945
75 years ago, today, Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, committed suicide in his underground bunker. He consumed a cyanide capsule, then proceeded to shoot himself. Hitler had repaired his bunker 3 months prior, which contained 18 small rooms and was fully self-sufficient, as it had its own water and electrical supply. Down there, he spent most of his time micromanaging the remains of German defences and entertaining guests. His newlywed Eva Braun was at his side, married only one day prior to their suicide, and so was his dog, an Alsatian named Blondi.
A warning had come in from officers that the Soviets were extremely close to overtaking the chancellery, and urged Hitler to escape to Berchtesgaden, in the Bavarian Alps, where he owned a home. Instead, him and his wife chose suicide, both swallowing cyanide capsules, that were first tested for their efficiency on Blondi and her puppies. The bodies of Hitler and Eva were cremated in the chancellery garden by the bunker survivors, as part of the dictator's orders, and later recovered in part by Soviet troops. The Soviets continually changed their location in order to prevent Hitler's supporters creating a memorial at his final resting place. Eight days later, the German forces issued an unconditional surrender.
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