1 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,320 In April 1945, Soviet director Yuli Raizman 2 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,120 makes a film about the end of the so-called Third Reich. 3 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:24,080 He has 38 Red Army cameramen at his disposal. 4 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,120 The title of the film - Berlin. 5 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,720 The liberation of the city by the Red Army is to be documented. 6 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,000 It is due to start on April 16th 7 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,520 at the Oder with the Battle of the Seelow Heights, 8 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,680 70km outside of Berlin. 9 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,560 At the banks of the river, the Red Army has gathered - 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,240 2.5 million soldiers, over 6,000 tanks, 11 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,200 7,000 aircraft and 41,000 artillery. 12 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,160 They are confronted by the German Army - 13 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:03,400 one million soldiers, many among them Hitler Youth and old men, 14 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,920 800 tanks and no air support. 15 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:11,320 Over two million people are still living in Berlin. 16 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,880 Men and women, young and old, guilty and innocent. 17 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,960 Soon, only diaries and memories, files and pictures, 18 00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:23,920 ashes and dust will tell the tales of their city. 19 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:46,480 TRANSLATION: Miracle upon miracle, we're allowed to sleep in. 20 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,840 No air raid alert, not in the morning, not in the afternoon. 21 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,400 We fetched water and made preserves, 22 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:58,480 many glasses, 23 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,040 in case of a long siege. 24 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,280 Sewing and reading in the afternoon. 25 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,920 Nobody who hasn't lived through it will believe 26 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:20,440 how orderly life goes on, despite everything. 27 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,800 The bread carriage and the grocery truck are ringing their bells 28 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,320 in the streets. People gather outside to chat. 29 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,960 You're aware of the approaching catastrophe... 30 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:31,560 ..but it's not here yet. 31 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,120 RUSSIAN NARRATION 32 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:56,160 The night between April 15th and 16th felt unusually long. 33 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,840 With nerves strained to the utmost, expecting major events, 34 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:03,440 time passes very slowly. 35 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:09,200 The offensive was due to start at 5am. 36 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,200 We watched the final seconds tick by. 37 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:24,000 ARTILLERY EXPLOSIONS 38 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,680 There has never been a day like today at the front line. 39 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,520 At four in the morning, thousands of Stalin organs opened fire. 40 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,440 Later, the battle cry echoed everywhere - 41 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:00,520 "To Berlin." 42 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:24,680 It was cold in the early hours. 43 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,360 Fog rose, the smell of sulphur everywhere. 44 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,240 The ground dins and trembles. 45 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,000 Hell seemed to have broken loose. 46 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,880 Impacts continue. Our ears have been deaf for a while now. 47 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:40,360 Hardly anyone speaks. 48 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,000 Farms and villages are burning in the distance. 49 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,080 Death stands right next to us. 50 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,360 The city hums like a swarm of bees. 51 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,000 Now it begins. 52 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,960 In Berlin, we hear the Russian cannons. 53 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,920 Everywhere in the streets, one encounters military police 54 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,640 hunting down refugees and deserters, who are convicted on the spot. 55 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,160 A proclamation by the Fuhrer is hanging on each wall. 56 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,640 Everyone ordering retreat is to be arrested and killed on the spot. 57 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,320 Michel saw how a barricade was erected at Alexanderplatz. 58 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,760 He also saw with his own eyes a man hanging from a tree at a crossroads. 59 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,000 He had complained about the Nazis and the war. 60 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,080 Supplies precarious and uncertain. 61 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,920 AIR RAID SIREN SOUNDS 62 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,920 Even though the Russians are well beyond Furstenwalde, 63 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,600 we had to take shelter from English bomber aircraft. 64 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,360 Uncle Fritz, an old party comrade, turned pretty brutal. 65 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,920 "Dieter, you have to return to your battery, it's your duty," he said. 66 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,600 If I didn't go to the Flak tower, I was to be reported. 67 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,720 I am on German territory, where I have seen the tiniest Fritz 68 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,040 and the womenfolk. 69 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:01,760 I'm trying to destroy them faster 70 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,160 so the German no longer thinks he can invade us. 71 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:07,200 It will be a reminder and a lesson. 72 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,160 Mum, I have already taken revenge for Father. 73 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,480 I've killed with my own hands. 74 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,640 I don't know how many and yet, still too few. 75 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,880 I will take revenge as long as I shall live. 76 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,680 The higher-ups report that Furstenwalde has been occupied. 77 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,320 I hope it is not just a ruse to lift morale. 78 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:07,560 Many of our people have been killed. 79 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,600 They're lying in a field or by the side of the road, 80 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:12,920 falling so close to victory. 81 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,000 Today is the Fuhrer's birthday. 82 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,760 We are already afraid of it. 83 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:42,720 You can hear the artillery. 84 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,560 Dr Goebbels says we should trust and have no fear. 85 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,520 The Fuhrer will conduct an experiment 86 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,360 and all will turn out well in the end. 87 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,440 The day when usually the flags of ugly malice would be 88 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,920 flapping all over the country, there is not a single flag. 89 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,320 Not even the official departments have flags out, 90 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,320 and that should mean something. 91 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:08,680 The mood is kaput. 92 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,320 In the afternoon, I reported to our department in the garden 93 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,080 of the Reich Chancellery. 94 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,960 When Hitler appeared from the bunker, I reported to him too. 95 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,760 Then the Fuhrer walked along the length of the delegation. 96 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:29,400 Together with a local NSDAP group for the borough of Kreuzberg, 97 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:30,840 I'm lying in the small bunker 98 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,320 of the Ministry for Propaganda, 99 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:34,200 waiting to be deployed. 100 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,360 I feel awkward among the old party comrades. 101 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:38,440 It disgusts me that many of them are drunk. 102 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,600 Suddenly, a radio blares with military marches 103 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,280 and we heard Goebbels' speech for Hitler's birthday. 104 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:46,120 Years back, they screamed "Heil." 105 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:49,040 Now they hate the man who calls himself the Fuhrer. 106 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:50,840 They hate him, fear him. 107 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,360 They suffer deprivation and death for him. 108 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,120 But they have neither the strength nor the courage to free themselves 109 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,080 from his demonic possession. 110 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,680 No water, no gas, no electricity either. 111 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,440 It was in Germany when our soldiers began to ask 112 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,320 why the Germans invaded us. 113 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:52,520 Millions of our men have seen the rich farms in eastern Prussia, 114 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:54,400 the advanced agriculture, 115 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,840 the two-storey houses fitted with electricity and gas, 116 00:12:57,840 --> 00:12:59,360 the well-paved roads. 117 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:07,960 They all ask themselves in anger, "But why did they come to us? 118 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:09,080 "What did they want?" 119 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,880 Many of my acquaintances, my friends even, will think that I'm touched, 120 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,760 that I feel for the German cities and the German population. 121 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:40,680 I have to confess, no, I will never, ever pity them 122 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:44,840 since I have seen for myself the havoc they have caused in Russia. 123 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,600 The exhaustion is overwhelming, but we're going to make it. 124 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,040 We have to make it. 125 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:16,640 Everyone is on the run. 126 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,640 The Russians are coming to Kaulsdorf. 127 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:20,320 It's all moving fast. 128 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:23,560 Digging trenches is useless. There are no soldiers to defend them. 129 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,320 We're in the rectory basement. 130 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,520 In the basement, the minister performs a brief service. 131 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:44,160 Soon after, two Russians appear. They demand watches. 132 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:47,720 Mrs F gives them her watch. The Russians leave. 133 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,200 Meanwhile, at home, Mrs Richter and Mrs Kushel 134 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,200 were being raped repeatedly. 135 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,000 It happened around midday. 136 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:06,960 Unter den Linden took a hit. 137 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,680 Without prior warning, without a bomber aircraft, 138 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,960 one shell impact. 139 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,120 Now it is certain, Berlin WILL see the Red Army. 140 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:21,040 Mum wouldn't let me go to the shop. 141 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:22,960 The tank shoots like crazy. 142 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,880 We hauled our most precious possessions to the basement 143 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,520 and set up air shelter beds. 144 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,720 They are burning swastikas in the houses, throwing away the medals. 145 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,880 Me, I clear away the briquettes in the basement 146 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,000 and bury the Fuhrer's images. 147 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:48,600 Why? I do still believe in National Socialism after all. 148 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:05,120 10pm. Rumours are spreading in the cellar. 149 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:08,840 Mrs L says, "Rather a Russian on the belly 150 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,280 "than an American bomb on the head." 151 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,440 Miss B is screaming in the cellar, 152 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:17,760 "Now, let's face it, none of us is still a virgin." 153 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:19,320 Nobody answers. 154 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,920 There is no doubt. We're putting the screws on Berlin. 155 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:35,240 I'm a staff member again 156 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,400 and have to occupy myself with office work. 157 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:39,240 The only fun part is listening in 158 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:41,280 on the German and Allied radio shows. 159 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:43,880 They're coming thick and fast through the airwaves. 160 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:22,800 The headlines in Sunday's papers state, 161 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,480 "The cruel front line spirit now rules over Berlin." 162 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,200 It's about obtaining a turn in the war by sheer obstinacy. 163 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,880 The order of the day - a fight to the last Berliner. 164 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,560 Already, new emergency measures are introduced. 165 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:41,560 From now on, death penalty for using electricity for cooking. 166 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,560 Mum has just buried the last pieces of jewellery. 167 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:53,200 I'm keeping my watch. 168 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:54,520 The grounds are too wet. 169 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,400 Mum and I have packed a rucksack in case we need a quick start. 170 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,240 We each have our papers, two sets of underwear, soap, shoes, 171 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,480 dress, towel, and so on. 172 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:15,920 Maybe we'll be kidnapped and brought to Russia. 173 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:31,000 April 24. 174 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,560 Today we crossed the Spree. 175 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,280 It's a rather narrow and pitiful river. 176 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,680 I spit in the damned water three times. 177 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:42,240 The Fritzes are cut off. 178 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:43,920 Now we're supposed to finish them. 179 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,240 In the Flak tower, I reported back to Senior Lieutenant Kuttner. 180 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,120 In our barracks, I met only a few of my old comrades. 181 00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:13,440 But there are still news of victories in the Wehrmacht report. 182 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:16,080 RADIO CRACKLES 183 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:01,760 I went to collect water from the big basin in Number 16 Wins Street. 184 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,000 It's very misty, but we don't want to use our preserves yet 185 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,920 in case things get even worse. 186 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,240 We are hearing about new deaths every day, 187 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,360 people who died fetching water. 188 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:29,640 Around 11am, I got a call from the Reich Chancellery. 189 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,000 I was to go and see General Krebs. 190 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,200 Krebs told me that I had made a good impression on the Fuhrer 191 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,680 and had been appointed Commander of the Berlin Defence. 192 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:40,280 I was to take over immediately. 193 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:48,720 At 10pm, I arrived at the Reich Chancellery 194 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,560 to report on the current situation. 195 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,760 The Fuhrer was once again sitting at his desk which was covered in maps. 196 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,040 All his words were directed towards one thought - 197 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,400 if Berlin falls, Germany's defeat would be inevitable. 198 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,440 The troops are moving in all directions. Where is the front line? 199 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,440 The captain is badly injured. He's unlikely to make it. 200 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,000 There are shootings, fire and smoke everywhere. 201 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,960 The Germans are attacking us from their windows and doors. 202 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,200 A grenade explodes in front of the house. 203 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,920 We get a man shot in the arm and leg into the cellar. 204 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:09,960 He's lying there with an emergency bandage 205 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,560 and a shot of morphine. 206 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,640 Miss Blau has been hit worse. 207 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,880 Splinters in her lungs, losing blood. 208 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:17,840 I calm her with morphine. 209 00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:27,240 No more beds in Gertraude Hospital. 210 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,000 The injured, Russian and German soldiers alike, 211 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,120 are mixed together in the corridors. 212 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,120 Performed surgery until midnight. 213 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:45,080 I wanted to go to my room to have a drink 214 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,520 and listen to the BBC news. 215 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,440 Suddenly, the bunker swayed like a boat. 216 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,960 A huge bomb fell right into the clinic. 217 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:55,720 My room is in ruins. 218 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,600 The janitor and his wife are dead. 219 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,080 Four nurses are buried under debris. 220 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:12,240 I've been pondering whether I'm scared of dying. 221 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,080 No, I'm not afraid to die, 222 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,120 but I fear serious injury. 223 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,200 I'm carrying cyanide with me. 224 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:40,280 The battle for Berlin rages on but for Dahlem, it is over. 225 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,720 No more Russian grenades, no more projectiles, 226 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:44,240 no more Russian bombs. 227 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,320 Around midday, I saw three soldiers coming, 228 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,240 the first Russians. 229 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,160 They were very nice, asked for watches and liquor. 230 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,080 Then they left. 231 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,920 Shortly after, the next group came. 232 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,440 One of them came up to me, took me outside, 233 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:12,480 led me upstairs to the sofa. 234 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,200 Surprisingly, I wasn't scared. 235 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:20,160 I had to take off my trousers and then he laid on me and did this. 236 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:23,360 It hurt. 237 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:25,520 In any case, it was horrible. 238 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,160 We all had to. 239 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,360 Even little Inge, who was only eight years old. 240 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,600 I kneeled in front of the soldiers but it was no use. 241 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,600 Later, we had to cook for them. 242 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:58,720 They say that during those first few days, 243 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,280 there were around 100 suicides in Friedrichshain. 244 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,560 The pastor shot himself, his wife and daughter 245 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,760 because the Russians broke into the basement and assaulted the girl. 246 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,600 Mrs Hoffman shot her sons and then cut her veins and her daughter's. 247 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,280 Our teacher, Miss Klinkmoller, hung herself. 248 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:25,240 She was a Nazi. 249 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,320 The local group leader, Schmidt, shot himself 250 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,240 and Mrs Nitschke poisoned herself. 251 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,440 The further we advance into Berlin, 252 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,680 the harder the fighting. 253 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:55,960 The thick, massive stone houses make for perfect fortification. 254 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:58,760 GUNFIRE 255 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,200 Just like in a manoeuvre, our men jumped from door to door 256 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,440 to attack the Red shooters hiding on each floor. 257 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,000 Our attack gained ground. 258 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,520 Our units held their ground at Belle-Alliance-Platz 259 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:31,720 to block the access to the government quarters 260 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:33,600 in the Reich Chancellery. 261 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,680 There are no more defences, right or left of us. 262 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,720 We only have the bazookas, assault rifles and a few machine guns left. 263 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:49,640 ARTILLERY FIRE 264 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,800 EXPLOSIONS 265 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,520 Company Commander Kirchner has received the Knight's Cross 266 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,040 and returned from the Fuhrer's headquarters 267 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:09,560 with Adolf Hitler's best wishes. 268 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,680 The five floors of the Flak tower are scattered with dead bodies. 269 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:15,040 A disgusting, sweetly scent fills the tower. 270 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,840 It stands like an island in the sea, 271 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:20,280 the Russians having already moved past us. 272 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,800 We were slowly moving forward towards the Reichstag. 273 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:46,640 Suddenly, I was hit by a damned fascist explosive device. 274 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,080 I was badly injured 275 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:49,960 and lost consciousness. 276 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:17,480 We are out of morphine. 277 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,440 It is terrible not to be able to give sedatives to the injured. 278 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:34,480 April 30th. 279 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:39,960 Everyone will remember the air in Berlin - 280 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:43,600 acrid and hazy from the fire and the dust of the stones, 281 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,840 our teeth crunching on sand. 282 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:47,920 The walls were covered in German posters. 283 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,000 I am so scared. We don't have much longer to live. 284 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:03,560 I certainly won't. 285 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:05,800 What will my dearest Kurt do? 286 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,080 Surely I will not see any of my dear soldiers ever again. 287 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:20,880 EXPLOSIONS 288 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,280 Good day, my friends. I am still alive, 289 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:28,240 just a little drunk. 290 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,560 I need it for courage. Three Star cognac never hurts. 291 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,640 I'm 50m from the Reichstag. 292 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,480 It's not easy to take the Reichstag. 293 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,240 What's left of the once awe-inspiring Prussian army 294 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,440 was desperately defending themselves. 295 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,080 The building was transformed into a fortress. 296 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,600 The Reichstag is filled to the brink with Russians. 297 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:20,080 When we shoot ten, 20 more follow. It's dreadful. 298 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,520 Hand grenades and gunfire are raining down on us. 299 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,320 In the underground corridors and vaults, 300 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:26,960 everyone is shooting at everyone. 301 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,480 I climbed onto the roof with the soldiers 302 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,440 and passed the flag to one of them. 303 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,520 Finally, I found the spot 304 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,400 where you could see the burning Reichstag with burning houses 305 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,000 and the Brandenburg Gate in the background. 306 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:56,720 And I knew, that's it. 307 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,400 The fighting got more intense. 308 00:31:57,720 --> 00:32:01,080 Houses collapsed with thunderous noise. 309 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,880 The Fuhrer said goodbye to those still with him. 310 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,280 He shook hands with everyone for one last time. 311 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:14,040 He stood there, hunched over. 312 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,080 I snapped to attention and signed off for the last time. 313 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:19,080 In a seemingly calm manner, he said, 314 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,360 "Linge, I will shoot myself. 315 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:22,720 "You know what to do." 316 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,480 Berlin was still engulfed in battle when the Central Committee 317 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,760 of the Communist Party sent delegates from Moscow to Germany. 318 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:04,440 The First Initiative group landed 70km from Frankfurt Oder. 319 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,360 Nothing to see all around - 320 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,680 no city, no buildings, nothing. 321 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,200 Two young officers approach us and say, 322 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,280 "We are very happy to be able to welcome you here. 323 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,520 "We have heard that you are members of the new German government." 324 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:28,200 I almost choke. 325 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:29,640 What did he just say? 326 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:41,160 May the 1st. 327 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:44,200 I dive from one cellar door to the other 328 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,320 until I reach Number 33 Lindenallee. 329 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:50,160 There is supposed to be a battery radio there. 330 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:53,840 Everything is filled with debris and ash. Furniture is damaged. 331 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,440 The walls and ceilings hanging low. 332 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,160 In the basement, I actually find the radio. 333 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,960 When the message arrives that the Fuhrer has been killed in action, 334 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:47,560 everyone leaves the foxholes 335 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,840 and is very agitated for the next few hours. 336 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:52,880 There are no more clear orders. 337 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:55,080 The leadership has probably lost its head. 338 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,400 We have decided not to leave Berlin but to stay 339 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,040 and end our life at our Fuhrer's side, 340 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,960 because to me, life no longer holds value. 341 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:14,440 I make this decision also on behalf of my children, 342 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,320 who are too young to offer their opinion, 343 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,360 but would surely come to the same conclusion if they were old enough. 344 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:35,160 There is no more help and no more troops to replace us. 345 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:37,320 We long to sleep and eat a full meal for once. 346 00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:02,040 In the second half of the day, the situation became extremely grave. 347 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:06,160 The defenders of Berlin were squeezed into a very small space. 348 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:07,960 There was only one way out. 349 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:32,600 "Are you the defender of Berlin?" I asked General Weidling. 350 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,720 "Yes," he answered. 351 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,280 He had given the order of surrender to his troops today. 352 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,200 The war is over for us. My God. 353 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,840 There is no amount of liquor you can possibly drink to celebrate 354 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:03,720 all these occasions. The mood is the jolliest I've ever seen. 355 00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:06,280 Sacha gets a canister filled with spirit 356 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:09,120 and mixes it with juices to create a devilish concoction. 357 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:11,800 He calls it Hitler's Death. 358 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:17,320 MUSIC: En Route by Les Choeurs De L'Armee Rouge Alexandrov 359 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,400 A young Russian soldier collects weapons 360 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,400 and kicks against the discarded helmets lying on the ground. 361 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:53,200 He laughs and brags. 362 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,320 "Vanya, kaput. Hitler, kaput. 363 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,120 "We go home to Babushka." 364 00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,680 I leave our hiding place in the basement. 365 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,400 At once, I am seized by a strange atmosphere. 366 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:41,000 Silence. 367 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,560 A deafening silence after days and nights of explosions, 368 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:46,920 roars and shooting. 369 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,240 When I had finally grasped it, 370 00:38:56,240 --> 00:38:58,880 I could no longer contain myself. 371 00:38:58,880 --> 00:39:01,760 It was impossible to hold back the tears. 372 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,600 The day we'd been yearning for had finally arrived. 373 00:39:17,240 --> 00:39:19,480 The day of Berlin's surrender. 374 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:21,800 It is hard to describe. 375 00:39:21,800 --> 00:39:24,880 Vast masses of German prisoners, 376 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,400 their faces reflecting the drama of the situation. 377 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,320 This cold, cloudy, rainy day, 378 00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:44,720 undoubtedly the day of Germany's ruin. 379 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:51,520 I am so scared. 380 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,720 They are picking up all the men. 381 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:58,320 Our policemen have been collectively taken away. Our old policemen. 382 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:01,400 The women, standing in the street as they were led away, cried. 383 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,520 We might not live much longer. 384 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,520 In the evening, they found Goebbels. 385 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:18,160 He is dragged to the door of Wilhelmstrasse. 386 00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,520 Hitler's right-hand man is dead but still recognisable. 387 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:25,440 Soldiers and civilians gaze at his corpse. 388 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:43,240 Before Goebbels killed himself, 389 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:44,840 he had someone poison his kids. 390 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,600 We were only interested in one thing - 391 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:55,240 where's Hitler? 392 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:14,200 Zoological garden. There was fighting there. Cages destroyed. 393 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:17,560 The bodies of monkeys, tropical birds, bears. 394 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,040 A conversation with an old man. 395 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:32,280 He had cared for the monkeys for 37 years. 396 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:35,360 In one cage was the body of a dead gorilla. 397 00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:38,200 "Had the animal been frightening?" I ask. 398 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,120 "No," he answers. 399 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:41,520 "People are more vicious." 400 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,080 There were rumours of a dead horse across from us 401 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,520 in a street just off Ku'damm. 402 00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:02,640 I went to cut off a piece as well. 403 00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:16,920 The food situation is critical. 404 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:20,160 You have to listen carefully to find out where to get bits and bobs. 405 00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:36,680 I found typhoid pills and warned everyone against drinking the water. 406 00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:39,680 It comes from pumps, and because of all the bodies buried 407 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,960 in the rubble of the city, the ground water could be contaminated. 408 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:58,000 We took off and walked to Heike's. 409 00:42:58,000 --> 00:42:59,240 There are many bodies 410 00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:02,400 and the bloated cadavers of horses lying in the street. 411 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:05,040 It looks terrible. 412 00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:14,280 Luckily, the weather is rather cold. 413 00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:17,640 The body of a man in the next-door garden has turned blue and black 414 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:19,400 and is threatening to decompose. 415 00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:26,360 The Russians refuse to deal with German corpses, 416 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:29,000 but are very thorough when dealing with their own dead. 417 00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:43,840 Our soldiers have been through everything. 418 00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:49,160 Pain and hatred, bitterness and self blame in the face of defeat, 419 00:43:49,160 --> 00:43:50,960 the hopelessness of encirclement, 420 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,400 desperation in detention camps, 421 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,080 the rage of attack, 422 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:58,680 the euphoria of victory in battles from Volga to Spree. 423 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:10,880 And all that for some of them to die in these last few minutes 424 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:12,480 on the streets of Berlin. 425 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:36,160 The looting of shops has begun. 426 00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:38,800 Yet it's not the Russians who are responsible for looting, 427 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:40,920 but mostly the German people. 428 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:42,960 Unbelievable scenes. 429 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:48,440 Women hit and scratch each other, pour oil on themselves, 430 00:44:48,440 --> 00:44:50,680 and rub their skin with jam. 431 00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:53,000 They're carting things away by the kilo. 432 00:45:15,240 --> 00:45:18,840 It feels strange to no longer be in charge in your own country 433 00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:22,160 but to be exposed to the whims of lawlessness. 434 00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:26,000 Where there was once a forced order, now there is chaos. 435 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:45,080 We were assigned to Soviet officers with the task of helping 436 00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:49,000 their commander to establish and build administrative bodies. 437 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:51,720 We were to get in touch with former members of the Communist 438 00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:53,400 and Social Democratic parties, 439 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:55,160 and with those unions who had 440 00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:58,720 remained true to antifascist ideology during Hitler's regime. 441 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:13,360 Proclamation by the Russian city commander - 442 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:16,040 "The population is to remain calm. 443 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:29,200 "All members of the Wehrmacht, SA and SS have to come forward 444 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:31,320 "within 72 hours." 445 00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:33,560 So I have to come forward. 446 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:35,520 I might be taken to Siberia. 447 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:55,000 Today at noon, there is supposed to be a nationwide ceasefire. 448 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:56,800 Germany is surrendering. 449 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,600 At two in the afternoon, three Douglas aircrafts 450 00:47:09,600 --> 00:47:11,040 appeared in the sky. 451 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,960 The British Air Marshal Tedder arrived on the first plane, 452 00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:20,960 American General Spaatz on the second, 453 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:24,640 and the third brought French General de Lattre de Tassigny. 454 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:31,760 At last, another plane landed with Field Marshal Keitel. 455 00:47:31,760 --> 00:47:34,500 No-one shook his hand. 456 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:44,800 ARCHIVE: What did open our eyes 457 00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:46,960 was the drive in from the airport to Kaulsdorf 458 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:48,680 where the meeting was to take place. 459 00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:52,800 It's a fairly long drive but you can take my word for it, 460 00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:55,040 that there was hardly a single habitable house 461 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:58,440 or usable building within sight along the entire distance. 462 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:03,160 One can put it in six words - 463 00:48:03,160 --> 00:48:06,400 Berlin has practically ceased to exist. 464 00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:26,040 All eyes were on the door. 465 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:30,080 Over this threshold, those who have so boastingly proclaimed 466 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:33,160 to be able to conquer the whole world would enter at any moment. 467 00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:40,960 Keitel entered, arrogant and defiant, 468 00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:44,720 strode to his table and raised the Marshal's baton in greeting. 469 00:48:44,720 --> 00:48:47,520 He eyed up the room as if from the battlefield. 470 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,520 He looks ridiculously Prussian as he bangs his heels together. 471 00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:02,200 No-one gets up. 472 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:05,560 When he sees me, he says, "Oh, the French. What's next?" 473 00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,900 Zhukov asked me if I had read the articles of surrender. 474 00:49:31,900 --> 00:49:34,320 I answered, "Yes." 475 00:49:34,320 --> 00:49:39,000 The second question was if I was prepared to accept by signing. 476 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:41,860 Again, I replied with a definite "Yes." 477 00:49:50,460 --> 00:49:53,900 At 43 minutes past midnight, the document was signed. 478 00:49:53,900 --> 00:49:57,200 I ordered the German delegation to leave the room. 479 00:49:57,200 --> 00:50:00,260 They stood up, bowed, and left with their heads hung low. 480 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:04,620 An incredible ruckus broke out in the room. 481 00:50:04,620 --> 00:50:07,520 Many people had tears of joy in their eyes. 482 00:50:07,520 --> 00:50:11,080 I then opened up the banquet and made a toast. 483 00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:14,440 The feast went on way into the morning with songs and dance. 484 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:16,440 CHEERING 485 00:50:49,840 --> 00:50:52,320 There is nothing to say about the night except that 486 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:54,080 I was allowed to spend it alone. 487 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:56,840 For the first time since April the 27th, 488 00:50:56,840 --> 00:50:58,880 there was no-one under my sheets. 489 00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:01,680 No Major, no Uzbek showed up.