Customer Reviews

Hitler's Death: Russia's Last Great Secret from the Files of the KGB

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I have only two problems with this otherwise excellent book:

First is the sub-title, 'Last Great Secret.' It's really hard to say convincingly that this is the last secret. It seems that all the time more secrets are being found. And I can think of some other things that should be in the KGB files that haven't been reported yet. For instance, what were the Russian code breaking efforts.

The second problem is admitted on page 11 of this book. Much of the information contained in the book comes from the Soviet interrogation of captured Germans who had been close to Hitler in the bunker. It was in their interest to tell their captors what they wanted to hear. And under questioning by the KGB who knows what was done to them. 'The Hitler Book' covers much of this same subject and the diligent reader will want to read both as they present a different slant.

The Russian forces captured Berlin, and immediately began an investigation as to Hitler's last days. They compiled a great deal of forensic evidence, reports of which are included here. In fact, most of the book is in the form of reports of one kind and another. This book appears to be about as close to the original source material as can be found without the ability to read Russian.

Recent history is always the most fresh in any person's mind and the events which led to the rise and fall of Nazi Germany remain as fresh today as they ever were for many people - even for those who were born after the war was finally over and simply grew up in it's aftermath. No other person from that time was ever more hated than Adolph Hitler and, for far too long, specific details and facts about his death have always seemed to raise more questions than answers. Not any more.

Now that the former Soviet Union is gone, the new Russia is slowly opening her doors - and her archives!, to reveal what was formerly the country's most guarded secrets. With Russian troops being the first the storm the Reichstag, it was to Stalin that all papers and diaries recovered from that building were delivered and, until recently, the world's historians had been denied access.

Now, those historians and writers have been allowed sight of the most telling documents about the final days of Nazism. In this book, we are treated to a compilation of evidence about Hitler's death unlike anything which has gone before. Evidence such as that from Hitler's own closest inner circle, reports made by the Russians and Germans who took part in that final battle, detailed accounts from those who were sent to arrest the Fuhrer, records of the interrogation of those who survived Hitler's Bunker, Martin Bormann's entire diary of the time and more besides.

Many people dismiss Adolph Hitler as a madman. Perhaps he was - but maybe that answer is just too simple. One thing is for certain, to read this book is to answer almost every single nagging question that was there before it was published.

An excellent job of research.

NM

V.K. Vinogradov, et.al.'s HITLER'S DEATH: RUSSIA'S LAST GREAT SECRET FROM THE FILES OF THE KGB is a 'must' for any scholarly collection specializing in World War II history. It solves one of the greatest mysteries of the war, using previously unpublished top secret documents and images from KGB archives to present new evidence from Hitler's inner circle, testimony from Germans and Russians who participated in the final battle, and evidence from those sent to arrest Hitler. Verbatim records of the interrogation of survivors blend with internal reports to Stalin and more to penetrate the cloak of secrecy and recreate Hitler's last days.

I never put this book down from the time I picked it up and I read it cover to cover in no time at all. Its one of those books about Hitler that everyone should read. This book details evidence about Hitler, Goebbels and their inner circle of Nazi's in the very last days and hours of the war and Hitlers reaction to those that betrayed him, Himmler and Goring. The book is a series of interviews between Russian investigators and captured Nazi's after the war who were interrogated about what happened leading up to Hitlers death in the Bunker at the close of the war when the Russians were approaching Berlin. How Hitler was barking orders at defeated armies, and ordering the death of those closest to him for either collaberating with the Americans for surrender (Himmler) or threatening to take over power (Goring). The interviews detail the events leading up to Hitler and Eva Braun commiting suicide, the suicide or rather murder of the Goebbels children (all five of them) and of the Doctor and his wife, the evidence of the bodies and the piece of hitlers skull. The detail of the bunker and where the high ranking Nazi's lived during their final hours. Very graphic evidence and great reading.

First off, the book is presented from the bias of the Russian writer's point of view. It does have some great reproduction's of the early SMERSH (Military Counter-Espionage Dept.) interviews, statements, maps, photos and reports of the investigation as to Hitler's last days in the Bunker, his death and burial by SMERSH, re-burial and finally in April 1970, disinterment and destruction of all remains (of Hitler, Eva Braun, the Goebbels family, General Krebs and Hitler's two dogs). Some of the interview/interrogation statements are very detailed (for example: General Weidling & SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Mohnke), while others are not.

However, in the end, the book does not give the whole story. For example, it only has Gunsche's first brief statement as to the last days. The statement is not detailed and does not give a display of his full first hand knowledge of events. For a full picture of his statements of events one has to read other books, such as: "The Last Days of Hitler" by Joachimsthaler and "The Hitler Book" edited by Eberle and Uhl.

Further this book relies too heavily on SS General Rattenhuber's speculation that somehow Hitler only took poison and another shot him. This follows the same old tired Soviet doctrine over the years that his suicide was unworthy; this rumor has been debunked by contemporary historians and even was in the Soviet based work, "The Hitler Book."

"The Hitler Book" (with it's own Soviet bias) was put together from the full compilation file from the subsequent secret investigation (Operation Myth) by the Soviet NKVD (later known as the MVD, the forerunner of the KGB). A dossier put together for Stalin started in Feb. 1946 and was received by Stalin on Dec. 30, 1949. Both Linge and Gunsche being interrogated (and worse), giving info. over several years not included in the book for sale on this page.

Lastly, the photos of the remains of Hitler's skull and how the remains were disposed of was actually first stated in the book: "The Death of Hitler" by Petrova and Watson who gained access to "Operation Myth" files, but not the final dossier, file no. 462a put together for Stalin and now known as "The Hitler Book."

I thought the book was outstanding. Until I got to literally the last page and realized something very, very important was missing. As they say in movie and TV reviews Spoiler Alert!! On that last page she observes that a look at the pieces of Hitler's skull establishes that he could not have shot himself. That is when I realized that missing from the book was even a semi-comprehensive autopsy of Hitler. There is great concentration on the teeth which are used to prove that the bodies are Hitler's and the Mrs. But at no point I could find was there any material to show that the two parts of the skull went together and it is certainly not obvious from the pictures. It is also notable that a cursory autopsy was done on the German Shepard, presumably Blondi. I really can not see the Russians doing a autopsy on an dog and not on Hitler and the rest. I think someone has swept the file a bit before these gentlemen got there. Other than that disappointment, outstanding!

Very interesting, though dry. This book provides some interesting facts for this period of history. Problem area is
the read is a bit dull, and drawn out.