When most people think about Hitler’s bunker at the end of the war, they only think of the big leaders. But I’ve always been more interested in the regular people that were stuck down there. If you read the books by people who survived like the guard Rochus Misch it sounds like it was a very crowded, messy place and strange to be in.
One who always stands out is Hanna Reitsch. She was a famous woman pilot and very brave even if she was on the wrong side. She actually managed to fly a small plane right into the heart of Berlin while the Soviets were shooting at anything and everything. She landed on a street next to the bunker and begged Hitler to fly away with her but he wouldn’t go. At the last minute, she barely escaped with her life.
The saddest part to me is the Goebbels children. There was six of them living in that dark hole for the last week. The staff said the most chilling was hearing those kids playing and singing songs in the hallways. It’s hard to think children laughing in a location that was generally a tomb.
Then there was the cook, Constanze Manziarly. She was young and was only doing her job. She even prepared food for Hitler’s very last meal of eggs and potatoes. When everyone tried to run away through the dark subway tunnels when it was over she disappeared. Nobody ever saw her again. These people weren’t in control, but their stories do show how truly tragic and weird those last hours were.