The escape of Adolf Hitler from invading Soviet forces is, perhaps, one of the 20th Century’s most intriguing cold cases. It is no secret that Hitler was ruthless, as evidenced by his own judiciary’s complaints of human mistreatment in concentration camps (Graver et al. 854). There are three contending theories as to the exact nature of events when Nazi Germany faced its inevitable collapse. The first proposal is that when defeat was imminent, the German leader sat on a couch and shot himself in the head, instantly ending his life. The second proposal is the idea that the dictator bit a cyanide pill after instructing his loyal bodyguards to incinerate his body in the garden outside the bunker. The third theory asserts the fact that upon realizing that the war was at its conclusion, the Führer implemented a devious plan to escape right under the noses of the advancing Soviet forces. The assertion that Hitler escaped Berlin is plausible given the scientific know-how, wealth, and international connections the German leader had cultivated in the time he had subjugated the surrounding territories.
The escape of Adolf Hitler from Berlin has been shrouded in mystery. After the war and the apparent death of the German dictator, American and British intelligence services received numerous reports that the former German leader was alive. According to an article by Robert Philpot in “The Times of Israel,” the reports indicated that Hitler was seen in Egypt as a Muslim convert, in Ireland dressed as a woman, and in a coffee house in Amsterdam. The most famous of the theories posit that the Führer had been smuggled out of Berlin and flown to a German base in Denmark and hidden on a u-boat (Philpot). The boat made its way across the Atlantic, after which Hitler arrived by horseback on an Argentinian ranch (Philpot). The fact that Hitler escaped Berlin was demonstrated when a 2009 DNA test on a scull in Moscow believed to be the Führer’s turned out to be a woman’s (Philpot). The scientific assessment of the remains further deepened the mystery of Hitler’s whereabouts after the collapse of Nazi Germany.
The evidence suggesting the fact that Hitler escaped death in Berlin is evident in how the matter was addressed after Germany’s defeat. Historical records demonstrate that after the Soviet officers under the command of Marshal Zhukov reported to Western news outlets that the Führer’s body had been retrieved, they were immediately contradicted by Stalin (Philpot). The Soviet leader revealed to president Roosevelt’s close confidant, Harry Hopkins, that the German leader was still alive, an assertion that was later supported by Zhukov, who reversed his earlier claims (Philpot). The aforementioned claims are given credence by the fact that important members of the Soviet government, many of whom participated in the defeat of Nazi Germany are confident that Hitler escaped. Evidence from a 1945 British intelligence report notes that the “only conclusive evidence that Hitler is dead would be in the discovery, and certain identification, of the body” (Robinson). The report further states that in the absence of the aforementioned evidence, one must rely on circumstantial accounts provided by individuals believed to have witnessed the Führer’s fate.
There has been speculation regarding the Soviet leader’s statements concerning Hitler’s whereabouts after the collapse of Nazi Germany. It has been argued that his assertion that the dictator was alive was an attempt to cover up a botched investigation (Philpot). If the latter statement were true, one could consider the possibility that the soldiers sent to investigate were too terrified to admit that they had failed to recover the Führer’s body. They then gathered whatever they could find and claimed it was the body they had sought to identify. Such actions would help explain the DNA result on a piece of skull that was thought to belong to the former German leader.
The reports of Hitler’s apparent death are further compounded by reports made by his successor. The Supreme Commander of the Navy at the time, Admiral Karl Dönitz stated on May 1945, that Hitler had died while leading his troops in Berlin (Robinson). This contradicted the commonly held view proposed by Trevor Roper, a British historian, and intelligence officer, that the dictator had shot himself and committed suicide. The latter proposal was further contradicted by the Soviet regime that claimed that the Führer had died by poisoning. It is evident that Trevor Roper’s services had been procured by the British government in an attempt to dissuade the world from believing the possibility that the German leader was free and residing in a European country. In addition, the Soviet’s response was intended to demonstrate their superiority and the fact that Hitler had chosen a coward’s way out. Any admission that the dictator had escaped would have weakened their political position in the region.
There are some issues with Trevor Roger’s account of Hitler’s death. For instance, the investigator used a few first-hand accounts to string together a tale of the German leader’s apparent suicide. The historian only had access to a small number of witnesses that were incarcerated by British and American authorities (Robinson). In addition, the individuals thought to have executed Hitler’s last wishes were reported missing or thought to be dead. It is also worth considering the fact that Hitler’s inner circle was under the Soviet Union’s custody and was largely unavailable to corroborate the historian’s account of the tale. The conditions under which the witnesses to Hitler’s death were subjected while in custody must also be considered. Is it possible that the people were coerced to narrate a tale that addressed the prevalent political interests at the time? This is another piece of the puzzle that remains unanswered. There is a possibility that the witnesses swore to protect the German leader’s secret at whatever cost, given the fact that they were strong believers in his ideology.
The view that Hitler escaped Berlin is plausible in view of the fact that the German leader had amassed resources and cultivated international connections as he subjugated the surrounding territories. The assertion that an individual as adept at subterfuge and cruelty would have failed to implement a plan to safeguard his life in a war that spanned years is laughable. The lack of concrete forensic evidence and the excessive reliance on eyewitness accounts from individuals subjected to torture deems lessens the credibility of theories asserting that he died in his bunker. In addition, the persistent conflict as to whether he ingested cyanide or shot himself adds to the confusion. The flurry of reports to intelligence agencies indicating that Hitler had been seen in various parts of the world increases the possibility that he escaped. The evidence, or its lack thereof, supports the idea that the Führer was well aware of his circumstances and implemented a plan to escape the Soviets as they brought down the Nazi regime.
Works Cited
Graver, Hans Petter, et al. “Why Adolf Hitler Spared the Judges: Judicial Opposition Against the Nazi State.” German Law Journal, vol. 19, no. 4, 2018, pp. 845–78, Web.
Philpot, Robert. “‘Hitler Lived’: Scholar Explores the Conspiracies That Just Won’t Die.” The Times of Israel, Web.
Robinson, Matt. “Did Hitler Escape to Argentina In 1945? – Mythbusting Berlin.” Berlin Experiences, Web.