"The history of the twentieth century was defined by two global conflicts." "The First World War began with a single bullet fired by young Serb nationalist;" "World War Two was only brought to a close when Adolf Hitler finally shot himself." "Just two bullets, less than thirty-one years apart, gave birth to the modern world." "This is a dramatisation of events as they happened on Two Days That Shook The World." "It's the twenty eighth of June, 1914." "In Germany, the Kaiser has launched fourteen new battleships causing an arms race in Europe." "In Russia, the Tsar is pouring money into the army;" "Britain's King George V has just been to paris, cementing the Anglo French alliance." "Europe is a tinderbox waiting to explode." "The flashpoint is Bosnia." "These seven men are state-sponsored terrorists." "Today they will commit an act of murder that will start a war." "This is The Black Hand Gang." "Gavrilo princip is their leader:" "A trained assassin." "Nedjelko Kokobrinivich is a suicide bomber." "Danilo Ilic is the fixer for the gang." "Trifko Grebez provides the muscle." "Muhamed Mehmedbasic is a veteran of previous attacks." "Popovic and Cubrilovic are schoolboys along for the ride." "This is their target:" "Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austro-Hungarian Empire." "Today he will be assassinated." "This is the spark which will ignite the First World War." "Two hundred miles from Sarajevo in another country, the mastermind behind the plot is having breakfast." "Fifty six year-old Dragutin Dimitrievitch is officially the head of Serbian military intelligence." "Unofficially he is known as 'Apis' or The Bee and is the leader of The Black Hand." "His secret nationalist society has two and a half thousand members with only one aim:" "To recreate Greater Serbia once again." "Seven centuries ago, Greater Serbia included Bosnia." "Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire rules the province even though most of the population still consider themselves Serbian." "Nationalistic feeling amongst Serbs on both sides of the border is running high." "Today is the twenty-eighth of June." "Called 'Vidovdamn", it is the holiest day in the Serb orthodox calendar." "In special church services, the Serbs remember the golden age when Bosnia was part of medieval Greater Serbia." "They lament the fact that they are now ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire." "They commemorate the martyrs who died when Greater Serbia was crushed, seven centuries ago." "Martyrdom is part of the Serbian psyche." "Nineteen year-old Gavrilo princip is dying of tuberculosis." "He is a man with nothing to lose." "A Bosnian Serb, raised by peasants, six of his nine siblings died in infancy." "His parents were so poor that they could not afford to feed princip, yet they still had to pay punitive taxes imposed by the Austro-Hungarians." "Aged thirteen, a starving Gavrilo was sent here to Sarajevo to live with his brother." "While he was at school, the Empire introduced martial law to control the Bosnian Serbs." "Disgusted, princip immersed himself in the new political theories emerging from Russia." "Now princip's hatred of the imperial oppressors has become focussed upon one man:" "Archduke Franz Ferdinand:" "Heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire." "Today, Franz Ferdinand is coming to Sarajevo." ""I am the son of peasants." "And I know what is happening in the villages." "That is why I wanted to take revenge."" "With the knowledge that tuberculosis will kill him eventually and fired up on nationalist rhetoric and Serbian folk legends," "Gavrilo princip is determined to become a martyr." "In fact he will unleash the First World War." "Sixty-one year-old," "Archduke Franz Ferdinand:" "The heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is preparing to tour Sarajevo." "Franz Ferdinand knows that the local Serbs resent being ruled by his uncle, the Emperor." "His family have been the victims of political assassination in the past so today Franz Ferdinand is taking precautions." "Although a devout catholic, the superstitious Archduke puts on seven lucky charms, each of which are supposed to ward off a different kind of evil." "On top of these protective talismans, the Archduke wears a unique jacket:" "Made of a specially woven fibre, it is reputed to be bullet-proof." "Convinced that he will be safe from harm," "Franz Ferdinand is looking forward to winning over the people of Sarajevo." "The Archduke hopes that his public appearance today will inspire loyalty in his restless subjects and dampen the nationalistic feelings of Bosnia's Serbian population." "He also wants to publicise the fact that he is a reformer." "When the Archduke inherits the throne from his uncle, he plans to stop the oppression of the Bosnian Serbs and give them a say in how the Empire is run." "Although these planned reforms are actually intended to benefit the local population, the Archduke has inadvertently made himself a target for assassination." "For ten years, Colonel Apis has been agitating for the Bosnian Serbs to revolt against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so their province can be incorporated into Serbia." "But Apis knows that if Franz Ferdinand becomes Emperor the Archduke's planned reforms will pacify the Bosnian Serbs." "If this happens, the armed revolution that Apis craves will never be realised." "This is why The Bee has recruited an armed a gang of young radicals, willing to die for the cause." "The Velga patisserie is a safe-house for Black Hand." "Via the Serb underground, the items in this suitcase have travelled two hundred miles and crossed an international border." "They have been smuggled in a cart and hidden in a cinema." "Without them, today's terrorist attack could not take place." "Twenty-four year-old Danilo Ilic picked up this package yesterday:" "The final link in an underground network connecting Serbia with Bosnia." "Ilic is a childhood friend of princip and a fellow member of The Black Hand." "Nineteen year-old Nedjelko Cabrinovic is the next to arrive." "Last year, he joined an anarchist printing press and began organising strikes until the authorities banished him from Sarajevo." "He then travelled to Belgrade where he and princip formed a special bond." "They joined The Black Hand and were the most eager to assassinate Franz Ferdinand when they realised he was coming to Sarajevo." "Colonel Apis supplied them with weapons and arranged for them to spend two months training in Belgrade's Kosomjack park." "Here, princip soon proved to be the better marksman, while Cabrinovic was more suited to throwing grenades." "Now the men are joined by twenty-two year-old Trifko Grabez, the only assassin with a police record." "While at school with princip, he was sentenced to two weeks in prison for attacking his teacher." "He too then travelled to Belgrade where he met up with the others and joined The Black Hand." "The men returned from Belgrade to Sarajevo by different routes." "Their smuggled weapons were deposited in a village forty miles away until yesterday when llic picked them up." "Now the four assassins and their arms are reunited in preparation for today's attack." "Cabrinovic, never a very accurate shot, takes one of the primitive bombs." "Gavrilo princip takes a twenty-two calibre Browning pistol:" "The same weapon he trained with while in Belgrade." "Trifko Grabez receives a similar gun but has never used one before." "Finally, Danilo Ilic distributes bottles of cyanide to all of the men." "The plan is to kill the Archduke before killing themselves." "Now the men leave the cafe to meet up with the remaining members of their gang." "Yesterday, Danilo Ilic also distributed guns and bombs to three other men." "Two of them were just seventeen year-old schoolboys." "Popovic and Cubrilovic heard about the plot from Danilo and persuaded him to let them take part." "The final member of the gang is twenty-eight year-old Muhamed Mehmedbasic, a member of The Black Hand for the last eight years, he decided at the last moment to join the assassination attempt." "These are the men who will take to kill an archduke and start a war." "Archduke Franz Ferdinand has spent the morning inspecting troops on manoeuvres outside the city and is now about to set off on his tour of Sarajevo." "Although he has been advised he could receive a hostile reception, the Archduke is determined to project a friendly image towards his subjects." "He insists on driving through the town in an open-topped car." "In the same spirit," "Franz Ferdinand has decided against deploying the army onto the streets." "Instead, just a hundred and twenty policemen are on duty." "Yesterday, local newspapers published the Archduke's route." "Now the assassins take up their positions along the Appel Quay:" "The main street which runs alongside the River Miljacka." "First in line is Mehmedbasic." "Two years ago, he tried and failed to assassinate the governor of Sarajevo." "Today, Governor potoirek is travelling in the same car as the Archduke." "Further up the street Nedjelko Kabrinovitich asks an unsuspecting local policeman to point out the Archduke's car." "He learns it will be the third vehicle in the six-car motorcade." "Next, the two schoolboys move into position." "Popovic and Cubrilovic stand opposite each other, one on either side of the street." "They are both armed with a bomb." "Trifko Grabez, armed with a revolver, takes a spot a little further down the road." "In the centre is Gavrilo princip." "Having proved himself a crack-shot with his pistol, he is here to ensure the job is finished if one of the less-experienced members of the gang should botch the attack." "Although he supplied the weapons," "Danilo Ilic is unwilling to actually commit murder." "Unarmed, he prepares to watch the action unfold." "As the car proceeds along the Appel Quay, the Archduke's wife, Sophie, is particularly enjoying the procession." "Because of her low-birth status, Sophie has never before been allowed to accompany the Archduke on an official tour." "Today, as a special wedding anniversary gift, the devoted husband has arranged for her to accompany him for the first time." "As the car approaches, Mehmedbasic has the first opportunity to attack." "The car passes directly in front of him but Mehmedbasic does not act." "But there are still six assassins waiting for their chance to strike." "Next on the route is Cabrinovic." "Like princip, he is dying of tuberculosis." "With the knowledge he has a terminal illness," "Cabrinovic is desperate to go down in history as a martyr for the cause." "With the carjust twenty feet away," "Cabrinovic strikes the percussion cap of his grenade and hurls it at his target." "At the last moment, the Archduke sees the bomb coming and raises his arm to protect his beloved wife." "The driver accelerates and the grenade bounces off the back of the car." "Cabrinovic had forgotten the bomb had a ten-second delay." "Without waiting to see if his attempt was successful," "Cabrinovic sticks to the plan." "After swallowing his cyanide, he jumps into the River Miljacka to ensure that he dies." "When the bomb explodes, the car is clear of the blast and the Archduke escapes unharmed." "The remaining assassins are too stunned to react when the car drives straight past them." "Twelve bystanders are injured in the explosion - including Eric Von Merizzi, part of the Archduke's retinue travelling in the car behind." "Despite his suicide bid, Cabrinovic was captured, the cyanide he had taken was very old and only made him vomit." "Although he jumped into the river to be sure that he died, it was only four inches deep." "As he is taken away for interrogation he says:" ""I am a Serb hero."" "But the plan had failed." "The Archduke now arrives at City Hall where the reception party is waiting." "They have not yet heard about the bomb so the Archduke expresses his outrage to the unsuspecting mayor." "The mayor is so nervous that he replies with his pre-prepared speech, which ironically insists that every single citizen of Sarajevo is delighted by the Archduke's visit." "The absurdity of the situation is made clear when the Archduke is handed his reply." "By now it is stained with the blood of the injured Count Merizzi." "Still, he sarcastically continues with the formalities." "Having vented his anger," "Franz Ferdinand now insists that the reception party should continue inside the Town Hall." "The news of the attempted assassination has by now spread across Sarajevo." "But with the Archduke safe and the bomber in custody, it seems as if life will quickly return to normal." "But on the other side of town, the conspirators have gathered in the park." "After the failure of the bombing and Cabrinovic's arrest, they are now in a state of nervous confusion." "Of all of them, Gavrilo princip has the most to consider." "He is the driving force behind the gang and his special bond with Cabrinovic weighs upon his mind." "Although his friend did not succeed in killing the Archduke, at least he made the attempt, while princip simply stood by." "Pondering his fate, and the failed plan, princip wanders off to buy a sandwich." "After attending the official reception," "Franz Ferdinand now insists on visiting the injured in hospital." "As a precaution against further attack, the loyal Count Harrach insists on personally protecting the Archduke." "He now takes a position on the running board of the car in order to shield him with his body." "Across town in the park, the gang are still nervous that, with one of their number in custody, their role in the plot could be revealed at any moment." "At the police station," "Nedjelko Cabrinovic is being brutally interrogated but he maintains The Black Hand's vow of secrecy." ""No one but me in Sarajevo knew about this bomb."" "Gavrilo princip has just eaten a sandwich and is now standing outside Schiller's Delicatessen on the corner of Franz Joseph Street." "The Imperial party now plan to visit the hospital." "This means driving back along the main street:" "The Appel Quay." "But somehow, the chauffer becomes confused and he now takes a wrong turn, which will change the course of history." "Gavrilo princip just happens to be standing outside Schiller's Delicatessen when suddenly the Archduke's car turns into Franz Joseph Street." "Completely by chance, fate has brought the assassin and his target within ten feet of each other." "Potoirek notices they are going the wrong way and tells the driver to reverse." "But the gears become jammed." "Although two shots have been fired, it seems as if no one is hurt until" "Count Harrach notices the Archduke is bleeding." "As I pulled out my handkerchief to wipe away the blood," "Her Highness cried out, 'For God's sake!" "What happened to you?" "'" "Then she sank down." "I had no idea that she had been hit." "His Royal Highness said," "'Sophie, Sophie, don't die." "Live for our children.'" "Both of princip's shots had found their mark." "Despite Franz Ferdinand's bullet-proofjacket and lucky charms, he had been shot clean through the neck, while his pregnant wife had been hit in the stomach." "This photograph actually captured the moment when Gavrilo princip was apprehended." "The cyanide was again ineffective and he was wrestled to the ground before he could shoot himself." "By eleven thirty, the Archduke and his beloved wife, Sophie were dead." "The world was shocked as the news spread of the double murder." "The funeral was held in Vienna but, even now, Sophie's low birth status was not forgotten by the Royal Family." "Her coffin was deliberately placed on a plinth, eighteen inches lower than her husband's." "Now the Austro-Hungarian Empire wanted revenge." "Princip was violently interrogated but maintained his vow of secrecy." "Although there was a suspicion that Serbia was behind the attack," "Austria had no proof." "That is, until Danilo Ilic, the fixer, was picked up by the police on a tip-off that princip had stayed with him in Sarajevo." "While the investigators considered his arrest to be routine, llic lost his cool and told the police everything, including the fact that the arms he had provided had come from the Serbian government." "This is the smoking gun the Austrians were looking for." "Exactly one month after the shooting, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with the support of their ally, Germany, declared war on Serbia." "The Serbs had a pact with a Russia, who in turn had an alliance with France and Britain." "Just six weeks after a man was killed by a single bullet, the alliances were triggered:" "Germany invaded France and the First World War had begun." "Meanwhile the conspirators were put on trial." "Although Mehmedbasic managed to escape." "Grabez and the two schoolboys, Cubrilovic and popovic, received sentences of between thirteen and twenty years." "The death penalty could only be applied to those over twenty, so twenty-three year-old Danilo Ilic was hanged for his part in the plot." "Colonel Apis was widely blamed for the assassination but was safe in Serbia from any reprisals." "He was eventually executed in 1917 for attempting to organise yet another political murder." "Cabrinovic stated in court:" ""We are not criminals:" "We are honest people." "We wanted to do good and we shall die for our ideals."" "He was sentenced to twenty years but died of tuberculosis afterjust eighteen months in prison." "Gavrilo princip turned twenty just days after his crime and so narrowly escaped the hangman's noose." "He was sentenced to life in prison but always maintained he was a freedom fighter, not a criminal." ""I suggest that you nail me to a cross and burn me alive." "My flaming body will be a torch to light my people on their path to freedom."" "In fact, his act had provided the spark which ignited the Great War." "When he died of tuberculosis in April of 1918 the war was just months from ending." "Twenty million were dead on the battlefield and the whole of Europe was left in political, economic and social turmoil." "Just a single bullet on the 28th June 1914 ushered in an age of conflict on a scale unprecedented in history." "Never again would people celebrate the declaration of war as they had across Europe in 1914." "This footage, recorded in Munich captured the elation at the time." "Butjust four years later," "Germany would be so utterly devastated by the conflict that the conditions were ripe for Fascism to emerge." "Adolf Hitler - captured here, aged twenty-five would rise to power with the promise that he would rectify Germany's post-war problems." "It's the thirtieth of April, 1945." "American forces in Okinawa have just sunk Japan's largest battleship." "In Germany, the concentration camp, Dachau is liberated." "Yesterday, the fascist troops in Italy made an unconditional surrender." "Now, all eyes turn to Berlin." "The capital of Nazi Germany is under siege." "Although completely surrounded by Stalin's Red Army," "Adolf Hitler refuses to surrender." "It's the final, apocalyptic confrontation between two dictators with an equal disregard for human life." "Twenty miles behind the front line," "Marshal Zukhov, Commander in Chief of the Russian forces, is preparing to launch the final push." "Zukhov has been given an ultimatum by Stalin:" "His troops must hang a red flag from the old German parliament:" "The Reichstag before tomorrow's May Day parade." "What the Russians don't know is that almost directly underneath the Reichstag, the dark heart of the Nazi leadership is still beating." "In a purpose-built concrete shelter, fifty-five feet underground, there are thirty bleak rooms linked by a network of dank corridors." "Here, in the Fuhrerbunker," "Adolf Hitler's inner circle is disintegrating in betrayal and despair." "Five witnesses provide a record of these final, extraordinary hours." "Thirty-two year-old Otto Gunsche, Hitler's adjutant." "Twenty-seven year old Waldo Linge, Hitler's personal valet." "Two army physicians:" "Doctor Ernst Gunter Schenk and professor Werner Hass." "And twenty-four year-old Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary." "Today, they will watch as the man responsible for the bloodiest conflict in history is finally toppled from power." "Although Adolf Hitler has sworn never to surrender, the Red Army noose is closing around the Fuhrerbunker." "It's the thirtieth of April, 1945." "There is no natural light inside Hitler's bunker." "Less than twenty of his most loyal supporters still live here and most of them can no longer tell the difference between day and night." "Traudl Junge accepted a job organizing Hitler's social diary two yeas ago." "At the time, she was delighted to have a privileged position with few duties but, for the last three months, she has been forced to live underground in the nightmarish world of the Fuhrerbunker." "The sound of guns was coming closer and closer but the atmosphere in the bunker remained the same." "We tried to get hold of some news about the outcome of the battle." "It should have been at its height." "Was that the noise of our guns and tanks?" "Nobody knew." "There were no briefing sessions;" "no more fixed schedules;" "no maps spread out on the table." "Doors stood wide open." "Nobody bothered with anything anymore." "Hitler was haggard and absentminded." "Hollow-eyed and paler than ever." "He seemed completely to have given up his role as leader." "Our single obsession was that the moment of Hitler's suicide was approaching." "Hitler announced his decision to take his own life eight days ago at a meeting with his generals." "Traudl Junge was there when it happened." "The army has betrayed me." "My generals are useless;" "my orders are never carried out." "It's all over." "National Socialism is dead and can never be revived - never!" "Gentlemen, the end is approaching." "I shall stay in Berlin and I shall kill myself when the moment comes." "But eight days later, Hitler is still alive." "The battle for Berlin has been going on for almost two weeks." "The Russians attacked with a vastly superior force." "With over one million men, they outnumber their opponents more than ten to one." "Less than half of the eighty thousand German troops are trained soldiers but the urban warfare favours their desperate defence." "The Russians have to take areas street by street, building by building and the casualties are horrendous on both sides." "Hitler's refusal to allow his troops to surrender means that at least twenty-thousand people are dying every day the fighting continues." "Only one radio now links the bunker to the outside world." "For the last week," "Hitler has been sending ever more desperate requests to the Ninth and Twelfth armies:" "Would they be able to link up and liberate Berlin?" "Now, the bunker finally receives a reply." "Twelfth Army cannot continue attack towards Berlin." "Mass of Ninth Army encircled." "Attacks towards Berlin, not advanced anywhere." "Hitler now knew that the armies he had ordered to relieve Berlin would never arrive." "Despite the hopeless situation," "Hitler insists that his troops in the city must fight on." "The city's doctors have to deal with the carnage." "In the cellars underneath the Reich Chancellery, less than one hundred metres from the entrance to Hitler's bunker, there is a makeshift field hospital." "Thirty-three year-old Doctor Walter [Schwenk]" "Has been operating for twenty-two hours without a break." "Only madmen would have called this a military situation." "If there was still what could be called 'a front' in Berlin, few combatants on either side knew just where it was." "From time to time, soldiers told me of their hopeless battle." "The younger ones, many under sixteen were terrified and bawling." "With the regular army almost all dead or captured, the defence of Berlin was now being conducted by old men teenage boys." "Now Doctor [Schwenk] and his colleague, professor Werner [Hass], receive a summons they cannot refuse:" "Adolf Hitler demands their presence in the bunker." "This is how Doctor [Hass] Described Hitler in his final hours:" "Hitler was shaking." "His left arm trembled continually." "His skin was grey." "He looked more like seventy than fifty-six." "His blank stare and the tremors left me certain that he had a degenerative disease most likely parkinson's Disease." "It may have been accelerated by the cocaine drops he had been administering to his eyes every morning." "Doctor [Schwenk] made a similar diagnosis." "Soup slop and mustard spots now stained his once natty and spotless uniform jacket." "He no longer stood erect." "His walk was more of a shuffle." "The broken dictator now thanks the shocked doctors for their work and says 'goodbye' for the final time." "As the doctors make their way out, they pass the chambers of the most peculiar bunker inhabitants of all:" "The Goebbels family." "Josef Goebbels:" "Hitler's oldest and most loyal advisor, insists on living in the bunker with his wife and children." "Traudl Junge is keeping them entertained." "The Goebbels family arrived on April 22nd." "Each of the six children had a first name beginning with 'H' in honour of Hitler." "Helga, Holda, Hilda, Heidi, Hedda and Helmut." "They were adorable children." "All very well behaved and quite unspoilt." "We knew that their parents," "Magda and Josef Goebbels had decided to end the children's lives along with their own." "Obviously, they hadn't the least idea of what was going to happen and I did all I could not to show them how unhappy I was." "The children confided to one of the orderlies that they were all going to have an injection so they didn't get sick." "The promised injection will, in fact, be lethal:" "The poison supplied by Hitler's doctor." "Tomorrow at three p.m. Goebbels and his wife, Magda, will murder their children one by one before killing themselves all in honour of Hitler." "As the doctors head back upstairs to their makeshift hospital, they pass through the larger, underground complex above Hitler's private bunker." ""There was a kind of contagious mass-hysteria seeking a group outlet." "There were many hours of angst:" "Waiting and brooding." "So many took to drink." "Drink, in turn, relaxed inhibitions, releasing animal instincts." "Many wild, red-eyed women had fled their apartments in terror of rape and now threw themselves into the arms of the nearest" "German soldiers they could find." "And the soldiers were not unwilling." "All of this was going on in the Reich Chancellery and, don't forget, some of the bunker people" "Kemkoff, Bulkdorff and Bormann, would cruise out from time to time." "They were in on the binge."" "Martin Bormann, the Nazi party secretary is, like his master, still desperately clinging to power." "After conferring with Hitler, he now sends a message to one of Hitler's generals urging the troops to keep fighting." "It is becoming ever-clearer to us that the divisions in the combat sector of" "Berlin have been marking time for many days instead of blasting the Fuhrer free." "The Fuhrer orders you to take measures against all traitors immediately and ruthlessly." "The Fuhrer lives and leads the defence of Berlin." "This order, to deal with traitors ruthlessly, has been constantly reiterated by the Nazi leadership over the last ten days." "Since the siege of Berlin began, fanatical SS units have been daubing graffiti, urging the German soldiers to fight to the death." "Those that refuse are hanged for desertion." "By now, the streets are littered with the corpses of thousands of Germans:" "Executed by their own side." "But even these, extreme measures, cannot halt the Russian advance." "General Frederick Monk:" "The Commandant of the area around the Reichstag, now arrives for his regular, six a.m. Briefing." "I discovered Hitler sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing a dressing-gown over his pyjamas." "The bed had not been slept in." "Hitler gazed blankly at the wall as I gave my report." "The Russians have reached the Wilhelmstrasse about four blocks away." "On Fosternaplaz, the communists are less than three hundred metres from the Reich Chancellery." "He asked me how much longer I could hold out." "I told Hitler the truth:" "'My Fuhrer, soldier to soldier," "I can no longer guarantee that my troops can hold for more than one day." "I expect a frontal, mass-tank attack tomorrow at dawn:" "May 1st." "You know what May 1st means to the Russians'." "Red Army commander, Marshal Zukhov, knows he has less than twenty-four hours to fulfil Stalin's ultimatum to storm the Reichstag." "The front line troops are just three hundred metres from the old German parliament but the No-Man's Land that separates them is heavily defended." "The Russians decide to soften up the building with an intense, short-range artillery barrage." "And now they open fire with over ninety guns." "Nursing a hangover, Martin Bormann has just woken up." "Since he became Hitler's chief administrator two years ago," "Bormann has controlled all access to the Fuhrer." "The devious secretary has used his power to isolate Hitler from even his closest advisors but, despite Bormann's machinations, he has never been able to turn Hitler against his greatest rival:" "Hermann Himmler, the head of the SS." "But, for the last few days," "Roiters has been broadcasting rumours that" "Himmler has been negotiating with the enemy." "Although the Reich is imploding," "Bormann sees this as an opportunity to eliminate his rival." "Herman Himmler had been at Hitler's side since the beginning and Hitler always considered him his most trusted Lieutenant." "Hitler's faith in his loyalty was so great that he affectionately called him 'The True Herman'." "Now Bormann convinces Hitler that Himmler should be arrested." "The paranoid leader authorises his request." "Until yesterday, Hitler was relying on cyanide capsules, supplied by Himmler, to commit suicide." "But the news of Himmler's betrayal prompted Hitler to have the poison tested on his favourite pet." "Hitler's secretary is a war-widow at twenty-four." "The bunker shook with the thundering of the Russian artillery bombardment." "We knew that the enemy would be at the door in a matter of hours." "When Traudl Junge heard the news of Himmler's betrayal, she was with Eva Braun," "Hitler's mistress who is also living in the bunker." "This was the scene two days ago." "Eva Braun was red-eyed with crying because the wayward, her brother in law, had been condemned to death." "He was shot like a dog in the grounds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." "Despite the fact that her brother in law had just been executed an hour earlier, at midnight on the twenty-eighth of April, Eva Braun agreed to marry Adolf Hitler." "When one speaks of the wedding ceremony of Hitler and Eva Braun, one tends to imagine a relatively cheerful occasion." "But the atmosphere in which it took place should be taken into account." "Nothing was done to relieve the sinister decor of the bunker beyond moving into a small map room a table and few seats." "It was a union of two people in extremis." "Both of whom had already made an irrevocable decision to take their own lives." "The service was performed by Walter Wagner who had been brought across Berlin under incessant fire." "The only other people present were Goebbels and Bormann, who acted as witnesses to the marriage." "While she was signing her name," "Eva began to write the letter 'B' for 'Braun'." "When she realised her mistake, she crossed it out and wrote 'Eva Hitler'." "Afterwards there was a muted party attended by Traudl Junge." "The wedding feast consisted of a few bottles of champagne and some sandwiches." "We all stood around the table and raised our glasses to Eva and Adolf." "Not a word was spoken." "How could we toast the future of the bride and groom?" "The overall military commander of Berlin," "General Weilding knows that, with his troops surrounded, their only hope of survival is to abandon their positions around the Reichstag and attempt to break through the Russian lines." "But only Hitler can authorise this action." "I went to the briefing with a heavy heart." "The struggle was devoid of sense or purpose." "Catastrophe was inevitable." "If the Fuhrer did not reverse his decision to defend Berlin to the last man, would he sacrifice all who were still alive and fighting for the sake of a crazy ideal?" "As before, he refused to surrender Berlin." "For two years, Otto Gunsche has been Hitler's adjutant and trusted aid." "He now takes up the story inside the bunker." ""Hitler summoned me to his chambers." "He informed me that his generals had failed him and the Russians were upon us." "He said he did not want his body to be displayed in a freak show." "His use of this expression was because of the shock of what had happened to Mussolini."" "The Italian fascist had been Hitler's inspiration and the two dictators remained friends throughout the war." "But the news reached the bunker last night at ten-thirty p.m." "Hitler's old friend had been shot by partisans and, along with his mistress," "Clara petacci, hung up by his feet so the crowd could spit on him." "Hitler was determined the same thing should not happen to him." ""He instructed me to find as much gasoline as I could as I was to be personally responsible for burning his corpse."" "I agreed and set about my macabre task." "For the last six months in the bunker," "Hitler has eaten lunch with his secretaries every day." "Frau Gerda Christian now attends what will be Hitler's final meal." ""It was around twelve-thirty when my relief, Traudl Junge arrived." "Hitler, for old times' sake, invited both of us secretaries, along with Fraulein Manzaili, to join him for lunch at one o'clock." "We ate at the small table in Hitler's study - the so-called 'Map Room'." "It was a melancholy and rather tasteless repast:" "Spaghetti and a tossed salad." "Very little was said:" "Certainly nothing new." "This was the very last lunch and everybody knew it."" "Traudl Junge is also present at the meal." ""The conversation at table was the same as the day before and the day before that and for days past:" "Hitler's opinions on the proper mating of dogs;" "his conviction that French lipstick was made from grease gathered in the sewers." "With Hitler soon to be gone, the breakout would be our only hope." "This was a harrowing thought for all three of us women." "The Berlin rape stories had given us the shudders."" "The second wave of Russian troops bring perhaps the greatest horror of all for the female population of Berlin." "Intent on revenge after four years of war, ill-disciplined Russian soldiers have embarked on an orgy of rape." "From the youngest girls to the eldest grandmothers, at least one hundred thousand women were violated in these final days in Berlin." "As many as ten thousand of them died as a result, most of them suicides." "Back on the front line, the Russian artillery barrage now ends and the first wave of infantry begin their assault on the Reichstag, just two hundred and fifty metres from Hitler's bunker." "With the Red Army almost at the door," "Hitler summons his last remaining followers." "All of them are now planning how they might escape the bunker." "There are no great, final words:" "Just a muted 'thank you', a handshake and a muttered 'goodbye'." "Everyone present knows that Hitler has in his room two pistols and two cyanide capsules." "Just as they retire, Magda Goebbels rushes up." "And now she suddenly begs Hitler once more to consider leaving Berlin." "But Hitler refuses." "Now Magda is committed to carry out her husband's promise:" "That if Hitler dies, they will poison their children before killing themselves." "Gunsche now takes a position outside Hitler's door to ensure the double suicide they have been waiting for is not interrupted." "As Zukhov's troops charge across the No-Man's Land in front of the old German parliament, they suffer heavy losses." "But by shear weight of numbers, the Red Army soldiers manage to fight their way into the building." "The Russians succeed in capturing a number of German troops who have been holding out in the cellar." "But as the Red Army reach the first floor, they are pinned down by the fanatical SS garrison who still hold the upper levels." "The Russians have less than seven hours to complete their mission." "Otto Gunsche has been waiting for fifteen minutes." ""I did not hear a shot but I saw Linge open the door to Hitler's office and Linge and Bormann go inside." "Things had to happen quickly now because the Russians were at the door." "Eva Braun was lying on the sofa." "The body was completely still;" "the eyes were open:" "Eva Braun was dead." "Hitler himself sat in an armchair." "I saw blood and a dark discolouration." "The Fuhrer was dead."" "With the Russians less than two hundred metres away," "Hitler's valet, Valdo Linge describes the disposal of the corpses." ""The petrol was immediately poured over the bodies." "I twisted a piece of paper which Bormann lit with a match." "When the petrol caught fire, a gigantic flame shot upwards." "All of those present gave Hitler a final salute."" "This was how the thousand year Reich came to an end:" "With Hitler's body burning, unattended in a bombed-out wasteland." "Seven hours after Hitler's suicide, men from the Hundred and Fiftieth Rifle Regiment make a final attempt to reach the roof of the old German parliament." "After a day of brutal fighting and enormous casualties, the standard-bearers finally succeed in reaching their goal." "The Red Flag at last hung, triumphantly, from the Reichstag." "Although these pictures were faked by the Russians two days later, this actually happened at ten-fifty p.m. On the thirtieth of April 1945 the same that Hitler committed suicide." "That bullet meant the German army could at last surrender and peace negotiations began that same evening." "Zukhov had achieved his goal and Stalin would get his triumphant May Day parade." "On May the seventh, 1945, the War in Europe was officially over." "The witnesses to Hitler's last hours were captured by the allies and eventually provided detailed accounts of his death." "At least forty-million people had already died during Hitler's awful reign and in the final apocalyptic days in Berlin," "Hitler had thrown what was left of the German people into the flames." "In 1914, a single bullet started the First World War and it was just a single bullet, less than thirty-one years later, which finally brought the era of global conflict to an end."