The FSB has published the testimony of the last commander of the Berlin defense

The FSB published declassified archival documents with the testimony of the commander of the Berlin defense, General Helmut Weidling, which he gave to Soviet intelligence in May 1945.

The published materials cite Weidling's words about the last days of Adolf Hitler's life, the situation in besieged Berlin and the circumstances under which he learned about the Fuhrer's suicide.

"It was a living corpse. He was bent over, sitting on a chair at a table with cards. His hands were shaking incessantly. In a low, barely audible voice, he explained to me the operational plan of the battles to rescue Berlin," Weidling recalled.

According to the general, on April 23, 1945, Hitler outlined to him a battle plan to rescue Berlin. He counted on the offensive of the 12th army under the command of General Walter Wenck from the southwest, as well as the actions of the 9th army of General Theodor Busse and the Steiner group. These forces, according to the Fuhrer's plan, were supposed to defeat the Soviet troops south and north of Berlin.

Weidling noted that these plans were unrealistic and did not correspond to the situation at the front. According to the general, the defense of Berlin was "doomed to failure in advance."

In addition, the general described the difficult humanitarian situation in Berlin: lack of water, electricity, ammunition and assistance to the wounded.

The general learned about Hitler's suicide on April 30 at the Imperial Chancellery. There, General Hans Krebs informed him that the Fuhrer had committed suicide in the afternoon, and his body had been burned in the chancellery garden. Weidling was also ordered to remain silent until further notice. The rest of the world learned that Hitler was dead from a German radio message on the evening of May 1, 1945.

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