Darkest Hour: Man of the People
Throughout these challenging months, Adolf Hitler was plagued by recommendations from a few of his ministers to accept calls for negotiations from the Leningrad Pact alliance. Although keeping up a public image of a steadfast defender of the nation, he still privately contemplated whether to take such an action. Nevertheless, the Kaiser advised him to organize a campaign of resistance.
“Between you and me, we’re the only ones that never contemplate the possibility of defeat. Go out there and rally the people.”
That line became stuck in his head. If he was to Europe survive, he needed to strengthen his spine.
One day, Hitler’s ride to the Reichstag was taking longer than expected due to heavy traffic. Impatient as he was, the Chancellor decides to get out of his car and head for the nearest U-Bahn station. His driver, who was scanning ahead at the traffic looks back in confusion as to where did Hitler go.
As he walked down the stairs and into the platform, travelers started noticing him but were left speechless. When the doors opened as he entered, people stared in disbelief.
“What are you all staring at? Have you ever seen a Chancellor ride the U-Bahn before?”
Like scared mortals seeing a god, everyone on the train sat back down on their seats and tried minding their own business.
As the train began moving, Hitler too sat down and began looking around the train car. The young man next to him kept glancing at him repeatedly. When Hitler saw him, the man immediately switched seats.
Not surprised with his appearance, he got up and asked “Does anyone have a match?”. Soon enough, a chubby middle-aged man got up shaking his box of matches. Hitler gets up and grabs a cigarette out of his coat pocket. He then pucks it between his lips, lights the cigarette up, and asks a simple question.
“What is your name?” Hitler asked. “Philip Rosenkranz, Herr” the old man replied. “And what do you do, Herr Rosenkranz?”. “Bricklayer, sir” Rosenkranz replied.
“Ah, bricklayer. We shall have great need of bricklayers soon; business will be looking up.” The passengers chuckled at the joke. Soon enough, the train begins moving which rattled the Chancellor. “Ah, progress”. Another chuckle came out.
Hitler then turns his attention towards a woman with a young child. “How old?” he asks. “5 years, sir. He looks almost like you”. “Madame, all little boys look like me” Hitler replied. The trains laughed yet again. “Well, what is your name?”. “Frau Melina Heuser”.
“Ah, Frau Heuser, it’s a pleasure”. Suddenly other passengers got up and introduced themselves.
“Maja. Maja Kruger”.
“Harald Pilz”.
“Therese Bormann”
“Felix Simon”
“Rosi Steinhauser”
“Frau Luisa Pölzl”
“Oh, a Pölzl, my mother was also a Pölzl. I expect close relations”. Everyone chuckled at his joke.
“Please, sit everyone.” At his command, everyone sat as well. “So how are you all bearing up? Good spirits?”
Murmurs of yesses and nodding heads occur all around him.
“Just as we shall need them.”
“Let me ask you something... that’s been weighing on my mind. Perhaps you can provide me with an answer.”
“You, the German people. What is your mood? Is it confidence?”
Nods and yesses were made to Hitler’s question like asking if their house is all right.
“How confident?”.
“Very” Simon replies. “Some people say it’s a lost cause” Rosenkranz adds. Hearing this, Hitler replies “Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for”.
“Too right,” a woman says.
“Yes, now let me ask you this. If the worst came to pass, and the enemy were to appear on those streets above, what would you do?”
“Fight”. “Fight the communists!”. “Fight them with anything we can lay our hands on”. “Broom handles if we must!”. “Street by street”. “They’ll never take Alexanderplatz!”
The last line gave out a dozen laughs across the train that even Hitler chuckled from it. “And what if I put it to you all that we might, if we asked nicely, get very favorable terms from the Leningrad leaders if we enter into negotiations with them right now? What will you say to that?”
There was only one word that came out of everyone’s mouths. “Never!” was the cry sounded by all the civilians on that train, including a little girl.
Hearing her voice, Hitler went over and sat facing in front of the little girl while still murmuring the word ‘never’. “Oh, will you never give up?”. The little girl replied back “No, never”.
He then recited an old poem he had read when he was a child.
“
Then out Spake brave Horatius,
Captain of the Gate:
To every man upon this Earth,
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods.”
Soon after, Hitler was on the verge of tears. The little kid noticed that and asked if he was crying. “Yes, I ramble a lot, you know. And then we all have to get used to it...”. Wiping away his tears, he asked the little girl her name.
“Anne. Anne Frank”.
“Frank, I'll never forget that name”.
Right then, a screeching sound from the train signaled to him that they’ve reached a station somewhere.
"What stop is this?” Hitler asked. The woman with the red jacket replied “Unter den Linden, Herr Chancellor”.
“Ah, Unter den Linden. It’s my stop”. From then on, the mustachioed chancellor made his way to the Reichstag building.
The fate of Europe rested solely on Hitler's shoulders as he made his way to the Reichstag