New Details on Hitler's Death: Russia Releases Archival Evidence

The Federal Security Service of Russia has published new archival documents regarding Adolf Hitler's death in anticipation of the anniversary of his suicide alongside Eva Braun in 1945, as well as evidence about the deaths of Hitler's personal secretary Martin Bormann and Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller. This information comes from РИА новости.

According to Hitler's personal pilot, SS Gruppenführer Hans Bauer, in April, Hitler stated he would not leave Berlin despite calls for evacuation from the city. The pilot noted that on April 29, Hitler "forced" his closest associate, Joseph Goebbels, to marry him and Eva Braun so she would not be referred to as his mistress. On April 30, around 18:00-19:00, Hitler summoned Bauer and bid farewell, claiming that his soldiers could no longer resist and he could no longer endure the situation. He also mentioned that he had ordered his body to be burned after death to avoid treatment similar to that of Benito Mussolini.

Bauer further noted that Hitler had aged dramatically and weakened; his hands were shaking. Shortly after this conversation, the pilot learned of Hitler and Braun's suicides.

The bodies of the Führer and his wife were discovered in the garden of the Reich Chancellery on May 13 by officers of the SMERSH counterintelligence agency. Numerous forensic examinations confirmed that they were indeed the remains of Hitler and Braun.

The documents also indicate that SS Gruppenführer Müller confessed to Bauer on April 30 about his intention to commit suicide after Hitler's death, simultaneously urging the pilot to escape, as he "had not been forced to arrest or shoot anyone," while he had "conducted an investigation" into the conspiracy against Hitler on July 20, 1944, and had handled "other cases" he was "not allowed to discuss." Müller’s body was discovered in August 1945 in the area of the German Ministry of Aviation. He was identified through a general's uniform and documents found in his pocket. It was believed he had been buried in a military cemetery, but during a 1963 exhumation, no trace of the Gruppenführer was found. Half a century later, it was revealed that Müller had been reburied in a Jewish cemetery in the Mitte district.

Details regarding the death of Hitler's personal secretary, the "Gray Cardinal" Martin Bormann, are also presented in the documents. It is noted that in early May 1945, he still hoped to escape from besieged Berlin by means of a self-made aircraft, though this attempt was unsuccessful. Years later, it was revealed that he was injured during the escape attempt and subsequently committed suicide.