Hitler's death

:For fiction about Hitler's death see Hitler in popular culture

Subsequent events

SMERSH finds the body

These badly burned and hastily buried remains were recovered by a SMERSH unit which had been assigned to locate Hitler's body (it was attached to the 79th Rifle Corps of the Soviet Third Shock Army and is frequently referred to as 79th SMERSH).

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Autopsy

An autopsy was performed by this SMERSH unit, led by Chief Forensic Pathologist Dr. Faust Sherovsky. They first identified Hitler using odontological records of removable dental fittings given to Hitler by his dentist Hugo Blaschke. Two of Blaschke's arrested assistants (Fritz Echtmann and Kaethe Hausermann) confirmed the accuracy of the records by first drawing sketches of his bridgework from memory.

Related Topics:
Autopsy - Faust Sherovsky - Odontological - Hugo Blaschke

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Sherovsky noted in his initial report that a piece of Hitler's skull cap was missing. The autopsy also led to the discovery of traces of cyanide in the tissues of both bodies (which had been cremated together) and the official cause of death published by the team was poisoning by cyanide with no mention of a gunshot wound. The findings were released by the USSR on May 16, 1945 and were quickly recognized as lacking by both Soviet and Western authorities.

Related Topics:
May 16 - 1945

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Skull fragment

A skull fragment was later recovered from the Führerbunker and found to contain a single bullet hole, most likely from a 7.65 mm round. This bullet hole, considered together with the cyanide trace elements found in the body tissue and along with witness accounts, ultimately led to the widely circulated story Hitler had shot himself in the right temple with a 7.65 mm pistol while simultaneously biting down on a glass ampule of cyanide. The skull fragment was taken to Moscow in 1946 along with the jaw section used for the dental identification, eventually finding its way to the Moscow Archives.

Related Topics:
Moscow - 1946 - Moscow Archives

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The autopsy report was publicly questioned by both Joseph Stalin and the Allies due to persistent testimony from members of the Führerbunker staff who insisted Hitler had shot himself. Stalin, apparently concerned the Soviet Union had a major embarrassment on its hands, directed Marshal Zhukov to announce on June 9, 1945 that Hitler's remains had not been found after all and that he was probably still alive. This announcement was never retracted.

Related Topics:
Joseph Stalin - Marshal Zhukov - June 9 - 1945

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Rumors of escape

Allied officials were deluged with a flurry of unsubstantiated reports that Hitler had escaped from Berlin and fled to Argentina, Spain or a moated castle in Westphalia. Although such rumors abated somewhat after the war, the lack of public confirmation of the existence of Hitler's remains caused rumors to circulate and re-appear for several decades, including various myths that he had fled to New Swabia in Antarctica (and even descended into a hollow earth). These rumors, often repeated on websites, usually conflated facts regarding the post-war activities of fugitive ex-Nazi officials (including the ODESSA organisation) with fictional storylines from the many popular books, films and television programs that have been produced on the topic but no evidence has ever emerged that either Hitler or Braun were alive after April 30, 1945.

Related Topics:
Berlin - Argentina - Spain - Moated - Castle - Westphalia - New Swabia - Antarctica - Hollow earth - ODESSA

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