Newly released documents from the former Soviet Union have cast fresh light on the final moments of Adolf Hitler’s life. Facing defeat and the imminent capture by Soviet forces, the fascist dictator met his end on 30 April 1945 by taking his own life with a gunshot to the head inside his Führerbunker. His death occurred just days before Berlin was overtaken by the Red Army, effectively marking the fall of Nazi Germany.
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According to the records, loyal members of the Nazi regime swiftly burned Hitler’s body alongside that of his wife, Eva Braun, who had died by ingesting cyanide. Their remains were buried near the bunker, only to be later unearthed and destroyed completely by Soviet forces. This act has remained contentious, fuelling conspiracy theories due to the lack of physical remains. In recent years, supposed photographic evidence allegedly showing Hitler alive in Argentina in 1955 circulated online, though it has since been debunked.
Now, documents declassified by the Russian FSB (formerly KGB) have further debunked such myths. The files include interrogations of Heinz Linge, Hitler’s valet, and Otto Günsche, his adjutant—both captured by Soviet forces. Shared via the Russian broadcaster Zvezda TV, Linge’s testimony described Hitler’s belief that resistance was futile and that capture was inevitable. He was reportedly too proud to negotiate with the Allies, and feared being taken while fleeing Berlin. Linge also claimed to be one of the first to enter the room after the couple’s suicide and described the incineration of their bodies using canisters of petrol prepared in advance by Martin Bormann.
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Linge refuted the widely circulated claim that a body double had died in Hitler’s place, insisting that such an escape was impossible. Although Linge and Günsche later amended their testimonies before their 1955 release, key aspects were verified through physical evidence. Notably, forensic analysis in 2017 confirmed the authenticity of dental remains believed to belong to Hitler, matching a 1944 X-ray of his skull. Additionally, a CIA-archived autopsy report corroborates the conclusion that Hitler died from a self-inflicted gunshot, finally putting to rest many of the myths surrounding his demise.
