Hitler's 'suicide note' up for auction, could fetch up to $90,000
Nazi leader's last memo, written to his favorite commander as the Russians were closing in on Berlin, appears to be the only evidence of the dictator's refusal to leave the besieged German capital in April 1945
The telegraph message - thought to be written as the Russian Army was surrounding the German capital - was sent to Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner (the last commander-in-chief of the German Army during the Nazi regime) on April 24, some four days after the dictator’s 56th birthday.
“I shall remain in Berlin, so as to take part, in honourable fashion, in the decisive battle for Germany, and to set a good example to all those remaining,” Hitler wrote. “I believe that in this way I shall be rendering Germany the best service.
“For the rest of you, every effort must be made to win the struggle for Berlin. You can there help decisively, by pushing northwards as early as possible.”
The president of the company that’s auctioning the item, Bill Panagopulos of Alexander Historical Auctions in the United States, said: "This is essentially Hitler's ‘suicide note’”
“In it, he tries to portray himself as a valiant leader of his men until the end, when in actuality he shuffled into his bedroom and fired a bullet into his head,” Panagopulos added.
The auction will also feature Schörner’s response letter, where he’s pleading with the German dictator to leave his Berlin bunker and escape. “I should like… to ask you, at this grave hour, to leave Berlin and to assume command… If you fell, Germany would also," he wrote.
Panagopulos said Schörner's letter appears to be genuine since he was aware of being Hitler’s “favorite” commander. “He was a devoted underling, and most certainly wanted Hitler to get out of Berlin."
Schörner managed to escape Germany and fled to Austria where he was captured by US troops, while Hitler and his partner, Eva Braun, committed suicide in the Nazi leader’s bunker on April 30, 1945.
