Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, as Allied forces closed in on Berlin. He had retreated to his bunker beneath the city, which had become his headquarters during the final months of the war.
Hitler's suicide was part of a larger plan to avoid capture or surrender. He had been suffering from physical and mental deterioration for some time and was increasingly isolated from his advisors and military commanders.
On the evening of April 30, Hitler had a meal with his staff and then retired to his private quarters with his wife, Eva Braun. There, the couple ingested cyanide capsules, which had been tested on Hitler's dog earlier that day to ensure their effectiveness. Hitler then shot himself in the head with a pistol.
The next day, the bodies of Hitler and Braun were carried outside and burned in the garden of the Reich Chancellery, in accordance with Hitler's orders. The remains were later found by Soviet troops and taken to Moscow for examination. It was confirmed that the remains belonged to Hitler and Braun, although the exact details of their deaths have been debated by historians for many years.
Hitler's death marked the end of the war in Europe and the collapse of Nazi Germany. His legacy remains controversial and divisive, with some regarding him as a symbol of evil and others as a heroic figure.
