The Last Days of Hitler [Paperback]

Hugh Trevor-Roper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002 | ISBN-10: 0330490605 | ISBN-13: 978-0330490603

In September 1945 the fate of Adolf Hitler was a complete mystery. He had simply disappeared, and had been missing for four months. Hugh Trevor-Roper, an intelligence officer, was given the task of solving the mystery. His brilliant piece of detective work not only proved finally that Hitler had killed himself in Berlin, but also produced one of the most fascinating history books ever written. The Last Days of Hitler tells the extraordinary story of those last days of the Thousand Year Reich in the Berlin Bunker. Besieged in the shattered capital, but still dominating the remains of his court, Hitler reiterated the original alternative of Nazism: either total victory or annihilation. This book is the record of that carefully prepared, ceremonious finale to a terrible chapter of history. 'This is an incomparable book, by far the best written on any aspect of the second German war: a book sound in scholarship, brilliant in its presentation ...No words of praise are too strong' A. J. P. Taylor, New Statesman 'A masterpiece' The Times 'A brilliant study' Guardian

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A masterpiece.” -- THE TIMES

“Brilliantly written and researched, it remains the most vivid account of the final Wagnerian chapter of Hitler’s tyranny.” -- Max Hastings, author of Overlord: D–Day and the Battle for Normandy

From the Publisher

In September 1945, the fate of Adolf Hitler was a complete mystery. Missing for four months, he had simply disappeared. Hugh Trevor–Roper, a British intelligence officer, was given the task of solving the mystery. His brilliant piece of detective work proved finally that Hitler had killed himself in Berlin. It also produced one of the most fascinating history books ever written. Originally published in 1947 and now revised, The Last Days of Hitler tells the extraordinary story of those final days of the Thousand Year Reich—a dramatic, carefully planned finale to a terrible chapter of history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books (UK) (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330490605
• ISBN-13: 978-0330490603
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Albeit Dated Overview Of Hitler's Last Days, November 19, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Days of Hitler (Paperback)

The chief impediment to this literate and interesting overview of the last few weeks of life in the bunker with the surrounded, embattled, and doomed denizens of the Third Reich is the fact that it was written so soon after the end of the war itself, and therefore had no access to the vast array of material that has since come to light regarding Hitler's last days. Thus, unlike either John Toland's "The Last Hundred Days" or Cornelius Ryan's "The Last Battle", it does not take advantage of the incredible store of archives that became available in the decades that have followed its publication in the late 1940s.

Moreover, it cannot use the kinds of secret data now coming to light within the former Soviet Union which contemporary authors like Ian Kershaw use so effectively in retelling the story in books like "Hitler: Nemesis". Still, this is a wonderful book, one that is both immensely readable and marvelously entertaining. At times it is almost comical, with the nazi High Command being so estranged and cut off from the outside world that their conversations seem bizarre and surreal. Even at the end Hitler hoped for rescue from armies long since defeated and destroyed by the marauding Russians, who were angrily raping, pillaging, and murdering their way across the cityscapes above.

In the end we see just how perverted, committed, and maniacal the embattled Nazis are, with few of them even opting for survival in a post-Nazi world. Not only Hitler but also several of his closest associates chose suicide over capture or escape. Only Bormann and some of his underlings seem to have a realistic notion of what surrounds them, and only they seem willing to risk capture and death to escape to safety in the chaos that was raging all around the bunker in the streets and buildings of besieged Berlin.

This is a terrific book, one that in spite of its shortcomings should be read by all serious students of the Second World War. Given the fact that it was written so soon after the end of the war itself, the author was able to interview many of the surviving principles before they disappeared into the dustbin of obscurity, and to take advantage of the times in effectively using contemporary memories and archives before they were forgotten or misplaced. In reading it one becomes much more aware of the ways in which time is of the essence in historical study, both in terms of how the author was both given an advantage based on his rapid response to the event in question, but also in terms of how he was hampered by not having access to materials and archives that have since come to light. I strongly recommend this book. Enjoy.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Classic, October 16, 2000

By 

G. Snead (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Days of Hitler (Paperback)

A very good book for those interested in the end of Hitler and the collapse of the Third Reich. This book is generally regarded as the definitive history of that period and deservedly so.

The political intrigue that was going on in the "FueherBunker" was almost humorous. Even at the end Hitler was continually questioning his aides about a German relief army that was coming to rescue Berlin from the clutches of the Russians. This army in fact had long since surrendered! Hitler's and Goebbels response to Roosevelt's death was bizarre to say the least-with the end of the war rapidly approaching they took FDR's death to be an omen that Germany would soon gain the upper hand and eventually win the war! All this with the noose of the Soviet army closing around Berlin! Himmler's deluded attempt to negotiate a peace with the western allies and have himself be the new fuerher showed how out of touch with reality he was. In fact most of the major players in this book were seriously deficient in the reality department. One of the few rational people in the bunker (Fegelin, Hitler's brother in law) saw a bad situation and left the bunker and went back to his own house. Unfortunately, he was found by members of Hitlers guard and was brought back to the bunker where he was eventually shot.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the death of Hitler and the fall of the Third Reich. Others may disagree but I found the book to be well researched and well written. This book remains a classic more than fifty years after it was written.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Trevor-Roper's intimate memoir opens the door to Hitler., January 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Days of Hitler (Paperback)

This small book (and an interesting one at that) deals with two things. The first is Trevor-Roper's naturalistic account, who discusses for the first half of the book how the Nazi regime came to power, and it looks at the various personalities of people within the Third Reich, such as Adolf Hitler himself, Heinrich Himmler and Albert Speer. The second half is an intimate account of the last ten days of Hitler, beginning with his fifty-sixth birthday in an underground bunker below the ruins of the Reich Chancellery. Here we see the Fuehrer's birthday reception, his rejection of Goering and Himmler, his last testament, his marriage to Eva Braun, and his suicide and cremation. The book is a terrific source for anyone who wants insight into the fall of the Third Reich, which survived the death of its founder by just one week. This refers to the original edition of H. R. Trevor-Roper's "The Last Days of Hitler," published by Macmillan in 1947: the original edition I was happy to find. Read it and above all, enjoy it!