05.04.2015
Today we often remember the events of the spring of 1945, because much in that victorious spring was important. But there is still a lot of controversy and a lot of speculation around one episode of the end of the war - the death of Hitler.
It is known that when it became clear that we would take Berlin, the task of finding and arresting Hitler was one of the main ones. In all armies belonging to Germany, special groups were created to search for and capture him. But they didn’t take him alive. He committed suicide on April 30, 1945. He bequeathed to burn his corpse, fearing that his enemies would exhibit him in a panopticon.
A lot has been written over half a century about how the burned corpse of the defeated Fuhrer was found, how the examinations were carried out and where they were buried. But few people know that this was not the end of the story.
In 1970, the head of the KGB, Yuri Andropov, issued an order that was immediately classified as “top secret.” The operation is given the code name "Archive". Only a few people know about its essence, including three direct executors.
One of them is still alive and will give us today, 45 years later, unique evidence. So, how is Andropov connected with the Hitler case?
The details of the secret operation of the State Security Committee were studied by the head of the European Bureau of the Fifth Channel, Vitaly CHASCHUKHIN.
House number 36 on Westend Street in Magdeburg stood alone for several post-war decades among Soviet intelligence officers, and the land on this site was of special importance. Exactly 45 years ago, what was hidden in it could have become a real sensation, but it turned into another mystery of the 20th century.
In 1970, the military camp in Magdeburg - today the University is located here - “based on official expediency,” it was decided to return it to the German authorities. The officers had to leave their houses and apartments, but they could not leave something in this German land, which they reminded the chairman of the USSR State Security Committee, Yuri Andropov. This is how this note of “special importance” appeared - such a secret document that the main thing in it was written by hand.
Only a select few could know about this: here - in Magdeburg - “the remains of Hitler, Eva Braun, Goebbels, his wife and children were buried.” As soon as possible they should have been “confiscated and destroyed,” “by burning.” To carry out a special operation codenamed “Archive”, a task force of three people was created. KGB Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Gumenyuk, who was found in the Ulyanovsk region, is the last of them, the rest have already died.
“You know - a double feeling. They seem to be Christians. It’s somehow not divine to burn your own kind. Not Christian. Well, no, of course, there is no malice, no sadism - you’re such and such a dog. No, that didn't happen. But the attitude is different. For example, I personally did not experience any pity or sympathy.”
As you know, Hitler was ready to die for his “German Reich,” but he still considered his own death more than worthy: he dreamed of being buried at the foot of an Austrian mountain and almost in a golden coffin decorated with gems. In April 1945, the war did not end so majestically for the Fuhrer - in a stuffy bunker and with a bullet in his head.
Nico Rollmann, historian:“It was in this place that his Reich Chancellery and bunker were located, where Adolf Hitler and Evra Braun committed suicide. There are still ruined rooms underground, but here outside, everything has completely changed.”
In April 1945, for the main Nazi criminal - living or dead - the Soviet soldiers who led the attack on Berlin were promised - secretly, of course - a Hero's star. But now everyone knows what Hitler looks like, but back then there was only a tip - “an oval face, bangs hanging over the forehead, a small mustache.” How can one not make a mistake and confuse the real one with a double, especially since, they say, the Fuhrer could have had several of them.
Nico Rollmann, historian:“And at first, the Soviet troops discovered someone who looked very much like Hitler, but he had darned socks on his feet, which did not go well with the figure of the Fuhrer.”
According to the generally accepted version, the bodies of Hitler and Eva Braun were found burned in the courtyard of the Reich Chancellery. Confusedly, but still, the authenticity of these remains was confirmed by those who set up this Nazi crematorium - Hitler's adjutant and his personal valet covered their tracks.
Otto Günsche, SS officer:“Hitler was sitting in a chair, his head hanging over his right shoulder. The arm hung from the armrest. There was a bullet entry hole on the right side.”
It was precisely this way - burnt - that the bodies of Nazi criminals were given to Soviet intelligence officers, who later hid them in different places. It is believed that the last burial site was located on the territory of the military camp of Magdeburg, and it was ordered to be opened and destroyed 45 years ago.
Vladimir Gumenyuk, retired KGB lieutenant colonel:“We had a building there - an old garage. This burial place is located 25 meters from this building. Somewhere at a depth of about 1.5 meters the shovel hit a tree. We moved all these bones into new boxes. I was entrusted with choosing a place somewhere closer to the river, I prepared a can of gasoline in advance. We arrived, doused everything with gasoline, I made a torch, and asked the boss: “Can I?” - "Let's". I’ll do it, arson, that’s it.”
However, Western historians still categorically refuse to believe in this secret operation.
Thomas Sandkühler, political scientist, historian, author of the book “Adolf Hitler - The Life of a Dictator”:“In the 90s, they began to spread this version about the spraying of Hitler’s ashes. In fact, nothing remained of the bodies except the remains of the jaw and skull bones, and this whole story is rather an invention of the secret services.”
Yes, and rumors about Hitler’s life after death surfaced here and there. Allegedly, he could have been secretly taken to Argentina, Brazil, and even to cold Antarctica: apparently for eternal freezing. However, operations to rescue and evacuate Nazi criminals could indeed be carried out. In the Argentine forests, it seems, they found houses of SS men and swimming pools with a swastika laid out at the bottom.
Rena Gifer, writer, screenwriter, author of the book and film “Rat Path” - the Nazi escape route”:“According to official data, 1,600 high-ranking Nazis were transported along the “rat routes” to South America. And if you also count all the collaborators from the Baltic and Ukraine, then the figure is already almost 100 thousand fascists. The secret documents state that with the consent of the Vatican and the Pope, 11 thousand SS soldiers were redirected through Italy to South America. Of course, if you fantasize, you can imagine that Hitler could have escaped through these lines.”
After the war, in the late 60s, the first methods of DNA identification began to appear. So, maybe this was what they were afraid of in the USSR? So, back in the 90s, researchers had questions about the last piece of evidence - Hitler's skull, which is still kept in Russia.
Nick Bellantoni, archaeologist:“The DNA we extracted was from a small fragment of skull bone that had been damaged by fire. A burnt bone is an absolute horror for a geneticist, but we were easily able to read the sex marker, which clearly showed that the skull belonged to a woman. In principle, this skull would fit Eva Braun's genetic profile. The only way to once again confirm that this skull belongs to Hitler is to compare the DNA with his jaw, which is clearly stored somewhere in the Moscow archives.”
But KGB Lieutenant Colonel Gumenyuk from the Ulyanovsk region also keeps his soldier’s bag, from which he scattered the ashes of the Nazi leader into eternity, of which he is absolutely sure.
Vladimir Gumenyuk, retired KGB lieutenant colonel:“And the place where the ashes were scattered, none of the three of us ever spoke. Because we believe that the Nazis should not organize gatherings, should not cry for Hitler and should not gather there.”
The former grave of the Fuhrer has now turned into a construction pit. And even such a large-scale excavation did not reveal a sensational find. This is what the Soviet intelligence services achieved through the secret operation “Archive”. And the place of his last burial today seems somehow cursed. This is not like the Germans - no, they did not organize a pilgrimage to this land, but they don’t seem to want to live on it either: the new house was supposed to be commissioned last summer, but the construction site was abandoned. Yes, and the number of the site - as if not random - the sum of all integers from 1 to 36 gives “three sixes” - “the number of the beast”, which, according to the official version of the Russian special services, was buried here.
HITLER IS NOT HITLER AT ALL
ON THIS TOPIC
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the small town of Braunau on the border of Austria and Germany. His parents were 52-year-old customs officer Alois Schicklgruber and 20-year-old peasant woman Clara Pelzl. Alois's father (Adolf Hitler's grandfather) is unknown. When Alois was about five years old, a certain Johann Georg Hiedler married his mother Maria Schicklgruber.
He later abandoned his stepson. Alois was taken in by his stepfather's brother, Johann Nepomuk Hidler. He did not have children of his own, but he really wanted to. Having taken up the education of the father of the future Fuhrer, Johann gave him his last name. For some reason, when she was adopted, the letter D changed to T.
Alois Hitler was married three times; his third wife, Clara Pelzl, was 23 years younger than him. She bore him five children, only two of whom reached maturity - Adolf and his younger sister Paula.
NAZI WITH JEWISH ROOTS
Hitler's hatred of many things goes back to his dislike of his own father. It is known that he was partly a Jew - a “mischlinge”, and at the same time, he nurtured the idea of genocide of this nation from his youth. According to one of the letters, he first mentioned his plans to exterminate the Jews in 1919. That is, he had such thoughts long before coming to power.
These thoughts come to his mind, despite the fact that Hitler’s godfather and family doctor were also Jews. Even a childhood friend had the same nationality. By the way, his mistress Eva Braun, according to research, was related to Ashkenazi Jews.
From Walter Langer's book "The Mind of Adolf Hitler": "Hitler was worried that he might be blackmailed because of his Jewish grandfather, and ordered his personal lawyer Hans Frank to check his paternal ancestry. Frank did this and told the Fuhrer that his grandmother became pregnant when worked as a servant in a Jewish home in Graz."
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Unbelievable but true. A pact that Adolf Hitler made with Satan was discovered in Berlin. The contract is dated April 30, 1932, and is sealed in the blood of both parties.
The document says that the devil gives the Fuhrer unlimited power with the condition that he will use it for evil. In exchange for this, Hitler undertakes to give up his soul in exactly 13 years. As you know, it was on April 30, 1945 that the Fuhrer and his mistress Eva Braun committed suicide.
They say that a certain hypnotist played the role of the devil. At the same time, he was a representative of the interests of large industrialists from the military sphere. Germany's war with anyone was the direct and shortest path to obtaining super-income. Scientists have established that Hitler's autograph on the contract is genuine, and the blood type is identical to the Fuhrer's blood type.
MYSTICITY AND OCCULTISM
Adolf Hitler's interest in mysticism and the occult has been repeatedly confirmed by researchers of his biography. Thus, the theory of the mystical origin of the Germans and the exclusivity of the Aryan race is nothing more than a demonic ideology from the point of view of any religion.
Neither religion involves the destruction of entire nations for the glory of one. Even the death of the Fuhrer happened on Walpurgis Night - a time of rampant evil spirits. He and Eva Braun committed suicide between 29 and 30 April.
HITLER'S MUSTACHE
This part of the image of the head of the Third Reich is known to everyone. But not many people know that he originally had a long mustache curled up.
True, during the First World War he cut it, leaving the permanent “toothbrush” on his upper lip. In his own words, a bushier mustache made it difficult to put on and secure the gas mask.
Researchers also believe that Hitler wore a small mustache simply to follow the fashion of the time. However, there are other versions. One of them says that the Fuhrer wore a mustache because he thought it made his nose look smaller.
From the front-line notes of Alexander Moritz Frei, who knew Hitler: “At that time he looked tall because he was very thin. A lush mustache, which later had to be trimmed due to new gas masks, hid the ugly cut of his mouth.”
THE FURER AND DRUGS
Hitler's medical records, kept in US intelligence archives, prove his addiction to cocaine. Moreover, these medical documents indicate that he took several dozen medications and suffered from “uncontrollable flatulence.” The Fuhrer not only took drugs himself, but also massively supplied the troops with them. Pervitin (aka methamphetamine) helped to withstand long marches and battles in difficult conditions.
From archival data it follows that the last weeks of the life of the head of the Third Reich were like hell. One of the worst news for him was that during attacks by Soviet and allied forces, the Merck factory, which produced cocaine, morphine and pervitin, was destroyed. Germany was left without its secret weapon, and Hitler without another dose.
He had severe withdrawal symptoms, he could not stop his nervous trembling, he refused to eat, his teeth were falling apart, in attacks of paranoia the Fuhrer suspected the generals of treason, and often screamed hysterically. In the last days of the war, when all his associates left the sinking ship, the last narcotic pills, which were the Reich's emergency supply, disappeared.
SUICIDE OR ESCAPE?
According to witness testimony, on April 30, 1945, in Berlin, Hitler committed suicide along with his long-term mistress. First, he gave a capsule of potassium cyanide to Eva Braun, then, according to various sources, he either took exactly the same one or shot himself. There is also a version that, having bitten through the ampoule of poison, he simultaneously shot himself with a pistol. The staff serving him said that the Fuhrer put a bullet in his head.
After the discovery of the corpses, the servants, accompanied by still living representatives of the top of the Reich, wrapped the bodies of Hitler and Braun in blankets and carried them out into the garden of the Reich Chancellery. The bodies were placed near the entrance to the bunker, doused with gasoline and burned.
A few days later, the corpses were found by a piece of blanket sticking out of the ground by Soviet soldiers who entered Berlin. Hitler was identified with the help of the Fuhrer's dentist's assistant, who, however, later retracted her testimony. Later, the remains were buried at one of the NKVD bases in Magdeburg, but then they were dug up, burned, and the ashes were thrown into one of the reservoirs.
However, there is a version that the corpses of Hitler and Brown's doubles were discovered in the Berlin bunker. They themselves were allegedly able to escape to South America, where they lived for quite some time. However, there is no reliable evidence for this theory, although it is popular among ordinary people and even some historians.
Director: Alex Scholes
At the end of World War II, Adolf Hitler faced the reality of defeat and committed suicide. Then his body mysteriously disappeared. The FBI spent years tracking down false leads and opinions about Hitler's death. What happened to the remains of the German leader?
According to the testimony of witnesses interrogated by both Soviet counterintelligence agencies and the corresponding Allied services, on April 30, 1945, in Berlin surrounded by Soviet troops, Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide, having previously killed their beloved dog Blondie.
However, there is a popular urban legend in the world that the corpses of Hitler and his wife’s doubles were found in the bunker, and the Fuhrer himself and his wife allegedly fled to Argentina, where they lived peacefully until the end of their days.
April 1945 The most destructive war in history ends. The defeat of Nazi Germany is obvious, but what will be the fate of the man who started it all - Adolf Hitler. The fact that the continent turned into ruins is the work of his hands and tens of millions of those killed are on his conscience. According to the war-traumatized world, Hitler's destructive and unprecedented company deserves only one punishment - death. But many fear that he will somehow manage to escape. The press is already teeming with stories about a double who will take Hitler's place and thereby allow him to escape. Other stories claim that if Hitler remains alive, he will raise a new generation that will complete what he himself could not - the conquest of Europe.
On May 5, the bodies were found by a piece of blanket sticking out of the ground and fell into the hands of the Soviet SMERSH. The government commission for identifying the remains was headed by General K. F. Telegin. The expert commission for the study of the remains was headed by Colonel of the Medical Service F.I. Shkaravsky.
Hitler's body, in particular, was identified with the help of Käthe Heusermann (Ketty Goiserman), Hitler's dental assistant, who confirmed the similarity of the dentures presented to her at the identification with Hitler's dentures. However, after leaving the Soviet camps, she retracted her testimony. In February 1946, the remains, identified by investigators as the bodies of Hitler, Eva Braun, the Goebbels couple - Joseph, Magda and their six children, as well as two dogs, were buried at one of the NKVD bases in Magdeburg.
In 1970, when the territory of this base was to be transferred to the GDR, at the proposal of Yu. V. Andropov, approved by the Politburo, these remains were dug up, cremated to ashes and then thrown into the Elbe (according to other sources, the remains were burned in a vacant lot in the area town of Schönebeck, 11 km from Magdeburg and thrown into the Biederitz River). Only dentures and part of the skull with a bullet entry hole (found separately from the corpse) were preserved. They are kept in Russian archives, as are the side arms of the sofa with traces of blood on which Hitler shot himself.