During the actions of the Soviet Army in 1945 ** Germany, the Germans put up stubborn resistance.
The German soldiers were full of anticipation to turn the tide of the war under the Führer's leadership, but the Führer chose to commit suicide when they needed him most, leaving the soldiers in deep despair.
So, at the time of Hitler's suicide, how many troops did the German army still have, and was it possible to turn defeat into victory? Why did Hitler choose to end his life before the war was over?
In April 1945, the German army was bogged down in a fierce battle with the Allies, and Nazi leader Hitler ordered his soldiers to defend the capital Berlin. The Soviet army sent 2.5 million troops, with more than 6,000 tanks and more than 40,000 artillery pieces, with the intention of completely destroying the German army gathered in Berlin.
Although the German army in Berlin was only 800,000 men, they were all elite soldiers who had undergone long-term military training and were confident that they would win more with less. In the Battle of Berlin, they even managed to turn the tide of the battle.
Hitler ordered Field Marshal Brauchitsch and Field Marshal Keitel to make careful arrangements and lead the 800,000 German troops to defend Berlin to the death.
Hitler's past is full of glory, he was a down-and-out intelligence spy who rose to the pinnacle of German power through speeches, led the Germans to clean up the military and economy, and swept Germany from decline.
However, with the ambition of conquering the world, annexing European countries and occupying most of Europe, he was now deceived by these German generals and soldiers, and his heart was full of panic and despair.
He can't accept the reality that he has gone from glory to loneliness, and he is unwilling to fight against the odds and fall into a dead end.
At the critical moment, Hitler tried his best to keep his composure, and after arranging the military deployment, he quietly went to the underground office. By this time, he had already retreated, and he did not want to continue fighting.
Although the Germans resisted stubbornly after his death, many people saw Hitler's actions as cowardly. In fact, the German army still had more than 2 million troops, of which 800,000 were used to defend Berlin.
Many German generals believed that if Hitler had done well in the Battle of Berlin, there might be a chance to turn the tide of the war. So, is this really the case?
Although the German army still has 2 million troops, these units retain the tradition of high mobility and individual combat ability, and are equipped with advanced **, but the German army is no less disadvantaged.
Although the German soldiers fought valiantly, the commanders had left Germany. Since the defeat of the German army on the Soviet-German battlefield, the myth of the invincibility of the German army has been shattered. As the Germans continued to lose to the Soviets on the front, the confidence of the generals gradually lost, and finally Hitler's suicide became the last straw that broke the camel's back, and greatly damaged the confidence of these officers.
They understood that even Führer Hitler had committed suicide with discouragement, so what was the point of German resistance? In fact, after the myth of German invincibility was shattered at the Battle of Stalingrad, many German generals began to lose confidence in victory.
The German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, who was surrounded in the Battle of Stalingrad, voluntarily surrendered, becoming the first and only marshal in the history of the German army to surrender, and was later scolded by Hitler: "Why didn't he commit suicide." ”
After Paulus's surrender, more and more German generals no longer had the belief that they would win, and although they did not surrender directly, they also hoped that the war would end as soon as possible.
Thus, although the German soldiers still performed well in the Battle of Berlin, the generals were already unwilling to work for Germany anymore, and they secretly looked for a way out.
For the Germans, the absent-mindedness of the generals was not only a huge disadvantage, but the lack of supplies was also a direct cause of their rapid defeat. After Germany entered the strategic defense stage, the industrial base seized by the Anglo-American forces and the Soviet army caused them to lose a large number of rear factories, whether it was **ammunition or living materials, it was difficult to normal**.
Although the German soldiers had strong combat capability, they lacked food and ammunition, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced, and it was difficult to win in the face of the same number of enemies, let alone facing an enemy force several times their size.
This situation is well known, but it is rarely mentioned, and Hitler was well aware of it, so he chose to end his life in order to avoid being captured when the Soviet soldiers pressed the border.
Hitler handed over all the command of the German army to Dönitz on his deathbed, and although there were still more than 2 million German troops left, if they were united, could they really not turn defeat into victory?
Even if the morale of the generals is low and there is a shortage of materials and ammunition, if Hitler had not committed suicide and led these more than 2 million people in a final desperate fight, would there be no hope of turning the tables?
Hitler was convinced that this was possible, but in reality it was very unlikely. The remaining 200,000 German troops, although seemingly large, were in fact difficult to mobilize except for the 800,000 troops in Germany itself.
They were scattered across the occupation outside of Germany proper, with 900,000 troops in Czechoslovakia, but tightly surrounded by Soviet and Anglo-American forces; There were 300,000 troops in Norway, most of them Norwegians, who were forced to join the German army after the country was occupied by the Germans, so they were reluctant to serve the Germans at this last moment.
In addition, there were 450,000 German troops in Yugoslavia, but they were already divided and surrounded by the Allies, and it was difficult for them to cope with themselves, let alone fight in coordination with the German army.
So in total, all the troops that Nazi Germany could call on at that time were only 800,000 soldiers who remained in Berlin. Although these are all German regular troops, the morale of the generals is low, ** and ammunition are very scarce, and there are only 100,000 veterans who have experienced battles, and the rest are forced recruits, and the overall combat effectiveness is far inferior to the Soviet army that came with the hatred of the country and the hatred of the family.
Therefore, judging by the circumstances at the time, it was almost an impossible and unrealistic dream for Hitler to turn the tables with these last forces.
Hitler, under the powerful offensive of the Soviet army, ended his life by suicide, avoiding the possibility of arrest and trial. This is the last stubbornness he left to mankind, and it is also his way of moving towards his final destination in advance.
For the German militants of the time, his suicide was somewhat timid, after all, the war machine he unleashed was still running, but he chose to end his life before the war was over.
For Hitler, he chose suicide because he thought it was the best way to preserve his dignity as Führer.
After Italy was defeated by the Allies and Mussolini was executed, Hitler could not accept that he could also be subjected to the same treatment. In order to avoid such a fate, he decided to end his life and ordered his men to burn the corpses so that they would not be insulted.
Despite Hitler's decision to commit suicide, he still chatted and laughed with his friends at the dinner table. After the meal, he called his secretary to his side and said goodbye to them.
The secretary confirmed the authenticity of the decision in disbelief.
On Hitler's orders, the secretary summoned important **. With a look of despair, everyone shook hands with Hitler one by one and said goodbye. Hitler appeared weak, not because of sickness or hunger, but because of despair deep within.
Immediately afterwards, he took his wife, Aiwa, who had only been married for a day, into the bedroom. In the midst of this nerve-wracking silence, a gunshot suddenly rang out from the bedroom.
The former ** person insisted on going his own way on the road of expansion, igniting the flames of World War II. However, in the final stages of his life, the former strongman chose to end himself on the brink of sin, leaving behind 800,000 soldiers who were out there fighting death.
Hitler's suicide vividly demonstrated the characteristics of fascists, who showed endless courage and audacity at the peak of power, but showed a stronger avoidance of death in the face of righteous trials and questions.
They understood that a just trial would completely destroy their personality and wipe out their so-called "great cause", and that such an outcome would be enough for Hitler to face just imagination, so he chose suicide as a means of escape.