Why did Hitler stay in Berlin?

Baal

Banned
Well, reading a bit about Hitler's personnel, several of them were sent by Hitler to safe places before the Soviets encircled Berlin, and several times Hitler (whether by his personnel, military or pilots) was offered to help him escape. both before and after the siege was completed, Hitler rejected all the proposals and again and again replied that he would stay in Berlin until the end. Now, having the opportunity to escape, having the opportunity to go to Norway or Denmark or some other place and try to hide or something (even to give himself a few more days to live before committing suicide) WHY Hitler decided so hard to stay in Berlin ? why doesn't he live a few more days? why his stubbornness in this situation?
 
Because even he realized he was a dead man walking, better to go down fighting than look weak by fleeing. How much time could he have gained? A week ? A month? He would be the most wanted man on the planet who everyone knew by sight with a huge reward on his head with nowhere to go. In a worst case scenario he would be handed over to the Russians which would have been a fate worse than death.
 
I don't know. Maybe he really believed the nonsense about super weapons that would reverse the tide of war. Maybe he couldn't decide where to go and just kept putting it off, Remember we are talking about a madman.
 
Well, reading a bit about Hitler's personnel, several of them were sent by Hitler to safe places before the Soviets encircled Berlin, and several times Hitler (whether by his personnel, military or pilots) was offered to help him escape. both before and after the siege was completed, Hitler rejected all the proposals and again and again replied that he would stay in Berlin until the end. Now, having the opportunity to escape, having the opportunity to go to Norway or Denmark or some other place and try to hide or something (even to give himself a few more days to live before committing suicide) WHY Hitler decided so hard to stay in Berlin ? why doesn't he live a few more days? why his stubbornness in this situation?
Maybe it was since he failed? I heard that a german military tradition is for someone to kill himself if this person fails
 
It's important to note that 1945 Hitler is not the same as 1940 Hitler. He was but a shell of his former self at that point, due to his insanity and paranoia getting the better of him, and he was doing all kinds of meth that didn't exactly contribute to a clear mind. 1940 Hitler is on the top of his game as the head of the German war machine, but 1945 Hitler is a broken man leading a doomed nation with no hopes of survival.

So it's not like he had a future if he left Berlin. He'd be the most wanted man on Earth and would get captured or killed soon enough.
 
Its not really a mystery, Hitler himself has addressed it I think. There are increasing remarks of him late in the war where he talks about the importance of "managing a good downfall", to avoid a "inglorious" end like that of Napoleon for example.

"Surviving a bit longer" is in contrast hardly much of an appeal. Hitler was never someone to be overly valuing any life, his own very much included, nor was he a coward in regards to physical danger by all indications.
 
Hitler had enough semblance of brain to know it was over.

Also, and more importantly to him, it would be much more "heroic" to go down in your capital city than some Bavarian chalet.
 
Maybe it was since he failed? I heard that a german military tradition is for someone to kill himself if this person fails
That is a 'honourable officer falling on their sword' variant. This event was one of spite and self-interest. A last 'screw you' to all those who wanted to see him punished / on trial / whatever.

I personally think he did it because he felt it was the 'best' way for him to go out - as in, with an eye to future history. He didn't want what happened to Napoleon [and happened to Hess in RL], didn't want what happened to Mussolini [which he'd just heard about], didn't want to sit in some little house in distant locales, fading away [like Wilhelm II] and really didn't want to end up in some Stalinist show-trial as a 'war criminal' [of which he wasn't guilty of, in his head]. I suspect he might have desired to have gone out physically fighting [to increase the 'Hitler mythos'] but realised he was simply too decrepit to achieve this.
 
Yeah. It would be a bit crap [as in, in his opinion] if he went out clutching a K98 to commit 'suicide by Red Army' only to collapse due to over-exertion and be captured by some rando Russian peasant / private.

That's another issue. He didn't want his body to be in a situation where it could be exhibited after his death by his enemies. He only had two 'options' [in his head]; his massive mausoleum complex in Linz, or a situation where his body wasn't found. He tried the latter, though left it a bit too late for it to be done properly.
 
There is also the fact that after railing about the "November criminals" during the interwar years it would hardly look good in his mind to become one himself by "cravenly surrendering". Far better in his mind to go down in flames.
 
That's another issue. He didn't want his body to be in a situation where it could be exhibited after his death by his enemies. He only had two 'options' [in his head]; his massive mausoleum complex in Linz, or a situation where his body wasn't found. He tried the latter, though left it a bit too late for it to be done properly.
I have a feeling SMERSH would have tracked down his remains no matter where they were, though. Perhaps if there was a chance to thoroughly burn, then grind whatever was left, then scatter that over a wide area...

Instead, he got to hang out under a Magdeburg car park. Which is what we all want, I think.
 
Because “Fall of Berlin” has a better ring to it then “Fall of Berchtesgaden”.

That tiny portion of Hitler that wasn’t wallowing in delusion knew he was dead. Him staying in Berlin was thus a more performative act then anything else.
 
I wonder what would have happened if Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels and Bormann all lived to face trial. How different would the Nuremberg trial have been?

I can only imagine what Goebbels and Hitler’s speeches on the stand would have been like.
 
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Im imagining the OSS going crazy trying to deploy reconnaissance teams across this region in a attempt to track down Hitler & the other trappings of nazi leadership. Peresico describes in 'Penetrating the Reich' some of the OSS efforts in support of the US 6th Army Group. or 7th Army. One wonders if they could have doubled or tripled that effort in terms of men and teams.

Wonder what happens if Hitler & his SS guards show up at the Swiss border wanting to enter?
 
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marktaha

Banned
I wonder what would have happened if Hitler, Himmler, Goebbels and Bormann all lived to face trial. How different would the Nuremberg trial have been?

I can only imagine what Goebbels and Hitler’s speeches on the stand would have been like.
Story Hitler at Nuremberg by Barry Malzberg.
 
To be fair to Switzerland they were totally surrounded by the Axis. It would have been very difficult to say no before the Liberation of France.
True, but now the situation's been reversed. There's no way the Swiss, or anyone else for that matter, are giving Hitler sanctuary.
 
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