Summary

In his final days, Hitler had a grudging recognition of reality. Eva Braun, his mistress, was playful apparently not realizing that the end was near. Most of Hitler’s commanders were on the run. Only a small circle of loyalists remained with the Fuhrer. Although the Soviets were closing in, Hitler had time to escape but he rejected the notion. A miracle was still possible. He was frail and pasty white and had to be helped to bed by Eva. After Eva put Hitler to bed, she called girlfriends over to the bunker. She wanted to forget the impending doom; she wanted to party and dance and laugh. The women played music on a gramophone and did their best to ignore the bombs that shook the room. Stalin was already making plans to divvy up parts of Europe. He ordered maximum suffering for...