In April 1945, Soviet director Yuli Raizman
makes a film about the end of the so-called Third Reich.
He has 38 Red Army cameramen at his disposal.
The title of the film - Berlin.
The liberation of the city by the Red Army is to be documented.
It is due to start on April 16th
at the Oder with the Battle of the Seelow Heights,
70km outside of Berlin.
At the banks of the river, the Red Army has gathered -
2.5 million soldiers, over 6,000 tanks,
7,000 aircraft and 41,000 artillery.
They are confronted by the German Army -
one million soldiers, many among them Hitler Youth and old men,
800 tanks and no air support.
Over two million people are still living in Berlin.
Men and women, young and old, guilty and innocent.
Soon, only diaries and memories, files and pictures,
ashes and dust will tell the tales of their city.
TRANSLATION: Miracle upon miracle, we're allowed to sleep in.
No air raid alert, not in the morning, not in the afternoon.
We fetched water and made preserves,
many glasses,
in case of a long siege.
Sewing and reading in the afternoon.
Nobody who hasn't lived through it will believe
how orderly life goes on, despite everything.
The bread carriage and the grocery truck are ringing their bells
in the streets. People gather outside to chat.
You're aware of the approaching catastrophe...
..but it's not here yet.
RUSSIAN NARRATION
The night between April 15th and 16th felt unusually long.
With nerves strained to the utmost, expecting major events,
time passes very slowly.
The offensive was due to start at 5am.
We watched the final seconds tick by.
ARTILLERY EXPLOSIONS
There has never been a day like today at the front line.
At four in the morning, thousands of Stalin organs opened fire.
Later, the battle cry echoed everywhere -
"To Berlin."
It was cold in the early hours.
Fog rose, the smell of sulphur everywhere.
The ground dins and trembles.
Hell seemed to have broken loose.
Impacts continue. Our ears have been deaf for a while now.
Hardly anyone speaks.
Farms and villages are burning in the distance.
Death stands right next to us.
The city hums like a swarm of bees.
Now it begins.
In Berlin, we hear the Russian cannons.
Everywhere in the streets, one encounters military police
hunting down refugees and deserters, who are convicted on the spot.
A proclamation by the Fuhrer is hanging on each wall.
Everyone ordering retreat is to be arrested and killed on the spot.
Michel saw how a barricade was erected at Alexanderplatz.
He also saw with his own eyes a man hanging from a tree at a crossroads.
He had complained about the Nazis and the war.
Supplies precarious and uncertain.
AIR RAID SIREN SOUNDS
Even though the Russians are well beyond Furstenwalde,
we had to take shelter from English bomber aircraft.
Uncle Fritz, an old party comrade, turned pretty brutal.
"Dieter, you have to return to your battery, it's your duty," he said.
If I didn't go to the Flak tower, I was to be reported.
I am on German territory, where I have seen the tiniest Fritz
and the womenfolk.
I'm trying to destroy them faster
so the German no longer thinks he can invade us.
It will be a reminder and a lesson.
Mum, I have already taken revenge for Father.
I've killed with my own hands.
I don't know how many and yet, still too few.
I will take revenge as long as I shall live.
The higher-ups report that Furstenwalde has been occupied.
I hope it is not just a ruse to lift morale.
Many of our people have been killed.
They're lying in a field or by the side of the road,
falling so close to victory.
Today is the Fuhrer's birthday.
We are already afraid of it.
You can hear the artillery.
Dr Goebbels says we should trust and have no fear.
The Fuhrer will conduct an experiment
and all will turn out well in the end.
The day when usually the flags of ugly malice would be
flapping all over the country, there is not a single flag.
Not even the official departments have flags out,
and that should mean something.
The mood is kaput.
In the afternoon, I reported to our department in the garden
of the Reich Chancellery.
When Hitler appeared from the bunker, I reported to him too.
Then the Fuhrer walked along the length of the delegation.
Together with a local NSDAP group for the borough of Kreuzberg,
I'm lying in the small bunker
of the Ministry for Propaganda,
waiting to be deployed.
I feel awkward among the old party comrades.
It disgusts me that many of them are drunk.
Suddenly, a radio blares with military marches
and we heard Goebbels' speech for Hitler's birthday.
Years back, they screamed "Heil."
Now they hate the man who calls himself the Fuhrer.
They hate him, fear him.
They suffer deprivation and death for him.
But they have neither the strength nor the courage to free themselves
from his demonic possession.
No water, no gas, no electricity either.
It was in Germany when our soldiers began to ask
why the Germans invaded us.
Millions of our men have seen the rich farms in eastern Prussia,
the advanced agriculture,
the two-storey houses fitted with electricity and gas,
the well-paved roads.
They all ask themselves in anger, "But why did they come to us?
"What did they want?"
Many of my acquaintances, my friends even, will think that I'm touched,
that I feel for the German cities and the German population.
I have to confess, no, I will never, ever pity them
since I have seen for myself the havoc they have caused in Russia.
The exhaustion is overwhelming, but we're going to make it.
We have to make it.
Everyone is on the run.
The Russians are coming to Kaulsdorf.
It's all moving fast.
Digging trenches is useless. There are no soldiers to defend them.
We're in the rectory basement.
In the basement, the minister performs a brief service.
Soon after, two Russians appear. They demand watches.
Mrs F gives them her watch. The Russians leave.
Meanwhile, at home, Mrs Richter and Mrs Kushel
were being raped repeatedly.
It happened around midday.
Unter den Linden took a hit.
Without prior warning, without a bomber aircraft,
one shell impact.
Now it is certain, Berlin WILL see the Red Army.
Mum wouldn't let me go to the shop.
The tank shoots like crazy.
We hauled our most precious possessions to the basement
and set up air shelter beds.
They are burning swastikas in the houses, throwing away the medals.
Me, I clear away the briquettes in the basement
and bury the Fuhrer's images.
Why? I do still believe in National Socialism after all.
10pm. Rumours are spreading in the cellar.
Mrs L says, "Rather a Russian on the belly
"than an American bomb on the head."
Miss B is screaming in the cellar,
"Now, let's face it, none of us is still a virgin."
Nobody answers.
There is no doubt. We're putting the screws on Berlin.
I'm a staff member again
and have to occupy myself with office work.
The only fun part is listening in
on the German and Allied radio shows.
They're coming thick and fast through the airwaves.
The headlines in Sunday's papers state,
"The cruel front line spirit now rules over Berlin."
It's about obtaining a turn in the war by sheer obstinacy.
The order of the day - a fight to the last Berliner.
Already, new emergency measures are introduced.
From now on, death penalty for using electricity for cooking.
Mum has just buried the last pieces of jewellery.
I'm keeping my watch.
The grounds are too wet.
Mum and I have packed a rucksack in case we need a quick start.
We each have our papers, two sets of underwear, soap, shoes,
dress, towel, and so on.
Maybe we'll be kidnapped and brought to Russia.
April 24.
Today we crossed the Spree.
It's a rather narrow and pitiful river.
I spit in the damned water three times.
The Fritzes are cut off.
Now we're supposed to finish them.
In the Flak tower, I reported back to Senior Lieutenant Kuttner.
In our barracks, I met only a few of my old comrades.
But there are still news of victories in the Wehrmacht report.
RADIO CRACKLES
I went to collect water from the big basin in Number 16 Wins Street.
It's very misty, but we don't want to use our preserves yet
in case things get even worse.
We are hearing about new deaths every day,
people who died fetching water.
Around 11am, I got a call from the Reich Chancellery.
I was to go and see General Krebs.
Krebs told me that I had made a good impression on the Fuhrer
and had been appointed Commander of the Berlin Defence.
I was to take over immediately.
At 10pm, I arrived at the Reich Chancellery
to report on the current situation.
The Fuhrer was once again sitting at his desk which was covered in maps.
All his words were directed towards one thought -
if Berlin falls, Germany's defeat would be inevitable.
The troops are moving in all directions. Where is the front line?
The captain is badly injured. He's unlikely to make it.
There are shootings, fire and smoke everywhere.
The Germans are attacking us from their windows and doors.
A grenade explodes in front of the house.
We get a man shot in the arm and leg into the cellar.
He's lying there with an emergency bandage
and a shot of morphine.
Miss Blau has been hit worse.
Splinters in her lungs, losing blood.
I calm her with morphine.
No more beds in Gertraude Hospital.
The injured, Russian and German soldiers alike,
are mixed together in the corridors.
Performed surgery until midnight.
I wanted to go to my room to have a drink
and listen to the BBC news.
Suddenly, the bunker swayed like a boat.
A huge bomb fell right into the clinic.
My room is in ruins.
The janitor and his wife are dead.
Four nurses are buried under debris.
I've been pondering whether I'm scared of dying.
No, I'm not afraid to die,
but I fear serious injury.
I'm carrying cyanide with me.
The battle for Berlin rages on but for Dahlem, it is over.
No more Russian grenades, no more projectiles,
no more Russian bombs.
Around midday, I saw three soldiers coming,
the first Russians.
They were very nice, asked for watches and liquor.
Then they left.
Shortly after, the next group came.
One of them came up to me, took me outside,
led me upstairs to the sofa.
Surprisingly, I wasn't scared.
I had to take off my trousers and then he laid on me and did this.
It hurt.
In any case, it was horrible.
We all had to.
Even little Inge, who was only eight years old.
I kneeled in front of the soldiers but it was no use.
Later, we had to cook for them.
They say that during those first few days,
there were around 100 suicides in Friedrichshain.
The pastor shot himself, his wife and daughter
because the Russians broke into the basement and assaulted the girl.
Mrs Hoffman shot her sons and then cut her veins and her daughter's.
Our teacher, Miss Klinkmoller, hung herself.
She was a Nazi.
The local group leader, Schmidt, shot himself
and Mrs Nitschke poisoned herself.
The further we advance into Berlin,
the harder the fighting.
The thick, massive stone houses make for perfect fortification.
GUNFIRE
Just like in a manoeuvre, our men jumped from door to door
to attack the Red shooters hiding on each floor.
Our attack gained ground.
Our units held their ground at Belle-Alliance-Platz
to block the access to the government quarters
in the Reich Chancellery.
There are no more defences, right or left of us.
We only have the bazookas, assault rifles and a few machine guns left.
ARTILLERY FIRE
EXPLOSIONS
Company Commander Kirchner has received the Knight's Cross
and returned from the Fuhrer's headquarters
with Adolf Hitler's best wishes.
The five floors of the Flak tower are scattered with dead bodies.
A disgusting, sweetly scent fills the tower.
It stands like an island in the sea,
the Russians having already moved past us.
We were slowly moving forward towards the Reichstag.
Suddenly, I was hit by a damned fascist explosive device.
I was badly injured
and lost consciousness.
We are out of morphine.
It is terrible not to be able to give sedatives to the injured.
April 30th.
Everyone will remember the air in Berlin -
acrid and hazy from the fire and the dust of the stones,
our teeth crunching on sand.
The walls were covered in German posters.
I am so scared. We don't have much longer to live.
I certainly won't.
What will my dearest Kurt do?
Surely I will not see any of my dear soldiers ever again.
EXPLOSIONS
Good day, my friends. I am still alive,
just a little drunk.
I need it for courage. Three Star cognac never hurts.
I'm 50m from the Reichstag.
It's not easy to take the Reichstag.
What's left of the once awe-inspiring Prussian army
was desperately defending themselves.
The building was transformed into a fortress.
The Reichstag is filled to the brink with Russians.
When we shoot ten, 20 more follow. It's dreadful.
Hand grenades and gunfire are raining down on us.
In the underground corridors and vaults,
everyone is shooting at everyone.
I climbed onto the roof with the soldiers
and passed the flag to one of them.
Finally, I found the spot
where you could see the burning Reichstag with burning houses
and the Brandenburg Gate in the background.
And I knew, that's it.
The fighting got more intense.
Houses collapsed with thunderous noise.
The Fuhrer said goodbye to those still with him.
He shook hands with everyone for one last time.
He stood there, hunched over.
I snapped to attention and signed off for the last time.
In a seemingly calm manner, he said,
"Linge, I will shoot myself.
"You know what to do."
Berlin was still engulfed in battle when the Central Committee
of the Communist Party sent delegates from Moscow to Germany.
The First Initiative group landed 70km from Frankfurt Oder.
Nothing to see all around -
no city, no buildings, nothing.
Two young officers approach us and say,
"We are very happy to be able to welcome you here.
"We have heard that you are members of the new German government."
I almost choke.
What did he just say?
May the 1st.
I dive from one cellar door to the other
until I reach Number 33 Lindenallee.
There is supposed to be a battery radio there.
Everything is filled with debris and ash. Furniture is damaged.
The walls and ceilings hanging low.
In the basement, I actually find the radio.
When the message arrives that the Fuhrer has been killed in action,
everyone leaves the foxholes
and is very agitated for the next few hours.
There are no more clear orders.
The leadership has probably lost its head.
We have decided not to leave Berlin but to stay
and end our life at our Fuhrer's side,
because to me, life no longer holds value.
I make this decision also on behalf of my children,
who are too young to offer their opinion,
but would surely come to the same conclusion if they were old enough.
There is no more help and no more troops to replace us.
We long to sleep and eat a full meal for once.
In the second half of the day, the situation became extremely grave.
The defenders of Berlin were squeezed into a very small space.
There was only one way out.
"Are you the defender of Berlin?" I asked General Weidling.
"Yes," he answered.
He had given the order of surrender to his troops today.
The war is over for us. My God.
There is no amount of liquor you can possibly drink to celebrate
all these occasions. The mood is the jolliest I've ever seen.
Sacha gets a canister filled with spirit
and mixes it with juices to create a devilish concoction.
He calls it Hitler's Death.
MUSIC: En Route by Les Choeurs De L'Armee Rouge Alexandrov
A young Russian soldier collects weapons
and kicks against the discarded helmets lying on the ground.
He laughs and brags.
"Vanya, kaput. Hitler, kaput.
"We go home to Babushka."
I leave our hiding place in the basement.
At once, I am seized by a strange atmosphere.
Silence.
A deafening silence after days and nights of explosions,
roars and shooting.
When I had finally grasped it,
I could no longer contain myself.
It was impossible to hold back the tears.
The day we'd been yearning for had finally arrived.
The day of Berlin's surrender.
It is hard to describe.
Vast masses of German prisoners,
their faces reflecting the drama of the situation.
This cold, cloudy, rainy day,
undoubtedly the day of Germany's ruin.
I am so scared.
They are picking up all the men.
Our policemen have been collectively taken away. Our old policemen.
The women, standing in the street as they were led away, cried.
We might not live much longer.
In the evening, they found Goebbels.
He is dragged to the door of Wilhelmstrasse.
Hitler's right-hand man is dead but still recognisable.
Soldiers and civilians gaze at his corpse.
Before Goebbels killed himself,
he had someone poison his kids.
We were only interested in one thing -
where's Hitler?
Zoological garden. There was fighting there. Cages destroyed.
The bodies of monkeys, tropical birds, bears.
A conversation with an old man.
He had cared for the monkeys for 37 years.
In one cage was the body of a dead gorilla.
"Had the animal been frightening?" I ask.
"No," he answers.
"People are more vicious."
There were rumours of a dead horse across from us
in a street just off Ku'damm.
I went to cut off a piece as well.
The food situation is critical.
You have to listen carefully to find out where to get bits and bobs.
I found typhoid pills and warned everyone against drinking the water.
It comes from pumps, and because of all the bodies buried
in the rubble of the city, the ground water could be contaminated.
We took off and walked to Heike's.
There are many bodies
and the bloated cadavers of horses lying in the street.
It looks terrible.
Luckily, the weather is rather cold.
The body of a man in the next-door garden has turned blue and black
and is threatening to decompose.
The Russians refuse to deal with German corpses,
but are very thorough when dealing with their own dead.
Our soldiers have been through everything.
Pain and hatred, bitterness and self blame in the face of defeat,
the hopelessness of encirclement,
desperation in detention camps,
the rage of attack,
the euphoria of victory in battles from Volga to Spree.
And all that for some of them to die in these last few minutes
on the streets of Berlin.
The looting of shops has begun.
Yet it's not the Russians who are responsible for looting,
but mostly the German people.
Unbelievable scenes.
Women hit and scratch each other, pour oil on themselves,
and rub their skin with jam.
They're carting things away by the kilo.
It feels strange to no longer be in charge in your own country
but to be exposed to the whims of lawlessness.
Where there was once a forced order, now there is chaos.
We were assigned to Soviet officers with the task of helping
their commander to establish and build administrative bodies.
We were to get in touch with former members of the Communist
and Social Democratic parties,
and with those unions who had
remained true to antifascist ideology during Hitler's regime.
Proclamation by the Russian city commander -
"The population is to remain calm.
"All members of the Wehrmacht, SA and SS have to come forward
"within 72 hours."
So I have to come forward.
I might be taken to Siberia.
Today at noon, there is supposed to be a nationwide ceasefire.
Germany is surrendering.
At two in the afternoon, three Douglas aircrafts
appeared in the sky.
The British Air Marshal Tedder arrived on the first plane,
American General Spaatz on the second,
and the third brought French General de Lattre de Tassigny.
At last, another plane landed with Field Marshal Keitel.
No-one shook his hand.
ARCHIVE: What did open our eyes
was the drive in from the airport to Kaulsdorf
where the meeting was to take place.
It's a fairly long drive but you can take my word for it,
that there was hardly a single habitable house
or usable building within sight along the entire distance.
One can put it in six words -
Berlin has practically ceased to exist.
All eyes were on the door.
Over this threshold, those who have so boastingly proclaimed
to be able to conquer the whole world would enter at any moment.
Keitel entered, arrogant and defiant,
strode to his table and raised the Marshal's baton in greeting.
He eyed up the room as if from the battlefield.
He looks ridiculously Prussian as he bangs his heels together.
No-one gets up.
When he sees me, he says, "Oh, the French. What's next?"
Zhukov asked me if I had read the articles of surrender.
I answered, "Yes."
The second question was if I was prepared to accept by signing.
Again, I replied with a definite "Yes."
At 43 minutes past midnight, the document was signed.
I ordered the German delegation to leave the room.
They stood up, bowed, and left with their heads hung low.
An incredible ruckus broke out in the room.
Many people had tears of joy in their eyes.
I then opened up the banquet and made a toast.
The feast went on way into the morning with songs and dance.
CHEERING
There is nothing to say about the night except that
I was allowed to spend it alone.
For the first time since April the 27th,
there was no-one under my sheets.
No Major, no Uzbek showed up.