The BUNKER [Hardcover]

James P. O'Donnell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0395257190 | ISBN-13: 978-0395257197 | Publication Date: November 20, 1978 | Edition: 1ST

Here is an unforgettable, graphic account of the final days in the Führer's headquarters, deep under the shattered city of Berlin as World War II in Europe drew to a close. From James P. O'Donnell's interviews with fifty eyewitnesses to the madness and carnage—everyone from Albert Speer to generals, staff officers, doctors, Hitler's personal pilot, telephone operators, and secretaries—emerges an account that historian Theodore H. White has hailed as "superb . . . quite simply the most accurate and terrifying account of the nightmare and its end I have ever read."

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A powerfully vivid documentary reconstruction of Adolf Hitler's final days." -- New York Times

"A riveting, damned near incredible (but true) story." -- Gerald Green, author of Holocaust

"A spellbinding journey." -- Washington Post --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

James P. O'Donnell served as a captain in the Signal Corps in Europe during World War II and in 1945 became the first bureau chief for Newsweek in Germany. His writing appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and the Washington Post. He died in 1990.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 399 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1ST edition (November 20, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395257190
• ISBN-13: 978-0395257197
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not just a book about Hitler!, September 8, 2001

By 

Scott Swindle (Iraq) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bunker (Paperback)

It is about the Bunker, and ALL those who lived and died there in the final days of the war. O'Donnell was a US Army officer who was released from active duty to be a reporter for Newsweek magazine: "This involved a quick shift from the rank of captain to civilian correspondent, with no time to change uniform." It was in this capacity that he first visited the bunker, when Soviet-US relations had not yet degenerated. Along with Soviet and British sightseers, he entered the bunker on July 4, 1945, and thus got a good look around before the Soviets closed it off to Westerners in September. This evidently haunted O'Donnell, for years later he returned to Berlin, interviewing nearly every surviving member of the bunker experience. What we get here is not a historian's view, but rather that of a good investigative reporter, who uses firsthand sources whenever possible. It is impossible to write this story without some deductive reasoning, however, and O'Donnell shares his theories. He discounts some of the crackpot theories, such as Martin Bormann's survival myth. I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the Third Reich or the end of World War II. It is interesting to note that Hitler's death occurs approximately 2/3 of the way through the book. The rest of the book concerns itself with the attempted breakout of the bunker survivors, the morbid deaths of Joseph and Magda Goebbels and their six children, and the surrender of the bunker (by its coverall-wearing chief engineer to a bunch of female Russian medics--who promptly made off with the late Eva Braun's bras!)

Chapters are as follows:

1. The Caveman--details how Hitler slowly became subterranean, disdaining light and fresh air, and how he preferred to live underground and conduct all business from the bunker.

2. The Thirteenth Bunker--an outline of all the bunkers used (and not used) by Hitler throughout the Reich--in Germany, France, the Ukraine, Poland.

3. The Bunker Brutus--Albert Speer's little-known plot (as related by himself) to assassite Hitler and the Mountain People by using poison gas in the ventilation system.

4. The Mountain People--an overview of Hitler's entourage, so called because they were the court favorites at Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountain retreat. Included are Hans Baur, Hitler's pilot; Eva Braun; Hitler's physicians; Bormann; Erich Kempka, Hitler's chauffeur; Linge, his valet; and more SS men, secretaries, security detail, etc.

5. Farewells--It dawns on all present that Hitler has no intention of leaving the bunker and will die in Berlin.

6. Casualty Station--Dr. Schenk is treating wounded in a nearby casualty station during the Battle of Berlin when he is summoned to the bunker. He was not part of the 'inner circle' and thus his views are that of a 'normal' person on the events in the bunker.

7. The Lady Vanished--account of SS General Fegelein, Eva Braun's brother-in-law, who was seeing a lady on the side who was, in all likelihood, a spy for the Allies. She is here called 'Mata O'Hara', because of her theorized Irish origins, but she disappeared from the scene of world events during this time. Fegelein suffered the ultimate punishment because of this.

8. The Shot Nobody Heard--Details the suicides of Adolph and Eva Hitler, and the disposal of their bodies.

9. Death of the Mythmaker--The suicides of Dr. Goebbels and his family are examined in detail.

10. The Breakout--The remaining survivors attempt to escape the Soviet juggernaut and make it to the Allies or remaining German pockets of resistance.

11. The Flight That Never Was--Lays to rest the myth that Martin Bormann escaped Berlin.

12. The Double Symposium--The suicide of Hewel, Hitler's Foreign Embassy Minister (and second to von Ribbentrop).

13. Last Man Out--The only two men remaining (alive) in the bunker--SS Sergeant Rochus Misch and engineer Hentschel. Henstchel, a civilian, sends Misch packing because he doesn't want any SS around when the Soviets arrive. This chapter is almost comical, with Hentschel puttering around the bunker, making sure everything is still in working order, washing the dishes, etc. Then he is captured by the Russians (several times).

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Must Reads on the Topic, April 6, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bunker (Paperback)

I was a bit concerned when I first picked up this book, thinking that it may be dry with tails of generals looking at maps for days on end. The book is nothing like that, and I was very pleased with this book. It flows very well and is full of very interesting facts (some almost gossip). He also covers all the other major people in the bunker with a good amount of detail. There are very good descriptions of the actual surrounding and very detailed maps and diagrams. I also liked the details of the escape groups after Hitler dies, very interesting. Some details in this book have been stated differently in other books, but all in all a very good effort. I would also recommend "The Last Days of Hitler" by Hugh Trevor-Roper.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Living like a mole with the leader of the Third Reich, December 27, 2001

By 

Mannie Liscum (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bunker (Paperback)

If you've seen the movie version (with Anthony Hopkins as Hitler) you'll have expectations - and like all books I know of you'll be disappointed by the movie! This book is easy reading and provides a lot of insight into the last month of Adolf Hitler as the leader of the "living dead" that rarely if ever left their underground lair. All the major personalities of the Fuhrerbunker are dealt with, as well as their ultimate destinies - some escaping, some being captured and spending years in Russian prisons, and yet others - including Hitler and Goebbles - dying at or in the bunker. I found this book extremely thorough (relative to other sources on the subject) and was not disappointed. All in all a good read.