Hitler's Last Day: The Final Hours of the Führer

by Richard Dargie

Have you ever wondered what was going on in Adolf Hitler's mind during his final hours in the Führerbunker?

What were his thoughts as radio contact with the outside world grew faint, Soviet explosions became louder and louder, and he began to feel his unassailable power ebbing away?

Did Hitler repent of his crimes against humanity or was he obsessed with thoughts of his imminent defeat and suicide?

With an inimitable cast of doomed characters, from Hitler himself to his mistress Eva Braun, mass-murderer Heinrich Himmler, cunning chief of Nazi propaganda Joseph Goebbels, and the manipulative Martin Bormann, this book captures all the drama and dread in the bunker as the Red Army remorselessly advanced into the heart of Berlin, and Hitler and his Thousand-Year Reich vanished into history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, World War II

Audible Audio

Published March 15, 2024

Reviews

[Jypsy]

Being interested in all things WWII, I knew I had to read Hitler's Last Day. I learned some things from the story and it kept my interest. This is a fascinating and tragic time period. Even today, some say Hitler did not die, rather, he escaped. This is a good read about a dark subject.

[Josephine Jarman]

I loved the burb for this audiobook however it left me with unrealistic expectations about the content of this audiobook. The majority of this fairly short listen was about rhe background. Very little was about the hours leading up to the death amd a final epilogue which dealt with the myrhs but states we will never know its all hearsay. I love learning about the war etc but this felt like a let down with too much emphasis on setting the scene . I did enjoy it but would recommended this to anyone who wanted to know more about the activity leading up to hitlers death. I felt the burb and the title needed to better teflect the content and for that reason its a 3 stat listen.
Thank yoy netgallery and publisher and author and narrator.

[Mandy]

An excellent, meticulously researched and comprehensive account of Hitler’s last days, and an overview of the events that took him to that final bunker. Clearly and accessibly written, entertaining and informative. Highly recommended.

[Lisa Baillie]

Fantastic read. Lots of interesting facts. Hitler is one of these characters who is hated very much yet we are also interested in the man he was and what he got up to. Really enjoyed the book it’s worth reading. Nothing beats going back in time

[ForenSeek]

Excellent overview of the final days of Hitler and his evil Reich. If you're looking for suspense, look elsewhere; but if you're looking for lively history writing, you will find this satisfying. Recommended for history buffs.

[Alina]

I picked up this book, with hopes to learn a little more of Hitler's actual last day. The story in the book opens up broader to the whole story behind Hitler's history.

I enjoyed the book, and author's writing. It reminded me a lot of the book I've read earlier this year called "Five Days That Shocked the World" by Nicolas Best. Unlike the first book, this story is introduced in a lighter and less bald way. While telling the story of Hitler's last day, the author trails back to the earlier days of Nazi's leader. The book introduced me to a few brand new details, for example, Hitler's relationship with women, a history behind it, his WWI experience and new facts/rumors from that time. And most importantly Stalin's point of view on Hitler's suicide. Many other facts were already known to me, however, it was a nice way to refresh the memory.

"Hitler's Last Day" is a wonderful, short, very informative story of Nazi's leader. Wonderful read and definitely a gift for any history lovers. Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of the book, and Richard Dargie for a fascinating story.

[Brian Hamilton]

I started reading this book with the film 'Downfall' in mind. I thought it would cover gloomy passages with concrete powder falling down as the Russians shelled their way to the heart of the Third Reich. Well, you get this but also something unexpected.

The book freewheels through a history of Hitler's rise, the personalities who rose with him and the inexorable collapse of the regime.

At first I struggle with the format but then went with it, on the way I picked up info about personalities I had never heard of and found myself then going away to do further reading.

This book is a fairly quick read but contains good information and some suprises. The writing style is straightforward and without garnish.

A worthwhile read for those interested in the end of the Third Reich.

[Jeff Gavazzi]

Interesting and concise read. It also covers what was happening with the war leading up to Hitler's last day. Many people who have come to believe that Hitler escaped, have failed to realize his failing physical condition and his mental state. As regards his mental state, he was afraid of being captured by the Russians. On the physical side, his tremors had increased and he had aged dramatically. Most people in Germany, or the rest of the world for that matter, had not seen him in almost three years.
If you are searching for an interesting and concise read, you might consider Gallantry and Resilience: The Chronicles of James B. Thompson. Emma Gavazzi takes the reader on an edge of their seat journey with James B. Thompson. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploits.

[Sally]

Hitler remains a subject of huge curiosity especially around his last days…
Listening to this fascinating audiobook, I was amazed at the amount of information that was known and understood about Hitler’s last days from what he ate to the method of his death. Any reader who wants to know about what was in his will, what messages he left as his legacy and what was going on in the bunker in Berlin will not be disappointed. It is worth noting that this book is not solely restricted to those last days which only form a part of this book. The author draws in events, relationships, and history which has led up to those last days. So for example we see Hitler meeting Eva for the first time - admiring her legs - his previous relationships with other women. The narrative explores questions of Hitler’s sexuality, decisions behind the appointment of his staff. As well as understanding more about Hitler’s last days I learned more about the last days outside the bunker, the horrific violence and rape perpetuated by the occupying forces..
The audiobook narrator is well matched to the topic and narrated clearly. I did find that reading out all the many subtitles felt a bit too much and interrupted the flow of the narrative.

[Sarah]

Some interesting reading matter, but there is no bibliography, and I have questions about the source of some of the material in this book that would have been answered had there been a bibliography. As a first general read there is enough to interest the reader but I feel some comments may be at least a little speculative.

I was interested in the fact that, according to this account, Stalin found it hard to accept that Hitler would end his own life, and persisted in listening to rumours about his survival and possible escape to Spain.

[Miranda YEUNG]

Hitler's Last Day: The Final Hours of the Führer by Richard Dargie
(Narrated by Richard Trinder)

Compact, informative and enjoyable audiobook. I did not know lots of the content of the book. It’s about Hitler’s last few hours, but also covers quite lots of his story and background.

The relationship of Hitler and his people also his family are all presented very well by the narrator. Perfect pace and accent!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date: March 15, 2024

[Patrick J. Baier]

Horrors of Berlin

I liked the book because it revealed several aspects of the Battle of Berlin. First, it revealed the greed of Hitler not to surrender Berlin. To stop the unnecessary lost of civilians. Secondly, it revealed the horrors of the Battle of Berlin. Very unnecessary.
What I did not like the book was some places in the book was too long. And unnecessary to dwell on. Lo

[Doug Tabner]

A concise but good retelling of Hitler’s end and the events leading up to it. If you are a serious WWII buff there is probably not much here that you didn’t already know. But if you are unfamiliar with the events and people surrounding Hitler’s demise, this is an excellent place to start.

[Leila]

I expected a more story telling type of book, but it is mostly documented and goes back an forth in the time line from the last 2 days to the earlier days. At the end it discusses the rumours of Hitler being alive and how the rumours started to begin with.

[Randy]

I thought I knew everything about his last day then the author hit me with some new facts. Like how the German people fled Germany after Hitler's demise only to face the same brutality from the Czechs and Slavs the same as the Jews did under the Nazis. A great read.

[Elaine]

What an interesting book
I was fascinated
It was an audiobook from Netgalley
It was beautifully narrated
Very detailed information about Hitlers last days, people with him and general information about the war and the Russians

[Olivia Martin]

I liked it overall, and Dargie does a good job at presenting key information with simple language. It needed to be longer though and with more details regarding most of the topics presented. Still a decent and quick read though I can say.

[Cj Zawacki]

HITLER'S LAST DAY, by Richar Dargie is an in-depth reading of the final hours of one of the world's mass killer.

[Tina Chandler]

Very concise, not confusing and broken down to various topics within the chapters.

[Micky Lee]

Not bad not great

[John Bond]

Good basic summary of the end of Germany and Hitler.

[Tracy]

Interesting look into Hitler's final day on earth.

[Tyler Coulton]

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and feel like I learned a lot from reading it.

[Ian Willey]

The last day took up about 20 pages, the rest is interesting background

[Iola]

Interesting.

[JR]

Not too useful for anyone with a decent level of prior knowledge on the topic.

[Barbara]

Interesting and informative.

[Loredana Bumbea]

Easy to read and interesting information is related.

[Ravenclaw Library Books]

Hitler's Last Day by Richard Dargie was an excellent non-fiction book that had me listening to it in one sitting. The author obviously has done a lot of research for this book and I found myself massively interested. I also love history but especially the World Wars and learnt so much about the final hours of those in the bunker.
Richard Trinder was the narrator and I really enjoyed his style so would definitely be looking out for more of his works in the future.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in History.

[Hellena]

Az értékelés olvasható a blogomon:
https://thedeathgoddess.blogspot.com/...

A könyvben leírtak nagy része ismerős volt már számomra – ahogy mindenkinek, aki látta A bukás című legendás filmet, az lehet. Olvasás közben végig azt éreztem, hogy a film forgatókönyvét tartom a kezemben. Nem csoda hát, hogy még az olvasás ideje alatt meg kellett néznem az említett remekművet. Egy szombat hajnali fél 2-es kezdéssel.

Gyakorlatilag szinte pontosan az utolsó 24 óra eseményeit követjük végig, megtűzdelve természetesen néhány korábbra datálható történéssel, magyarázatokkal, és még némi bulvárral is, egészen meglepő részletekkel. Ki gondolna bele például abba, hogy Hitlernek is volt szexuális élete?

Tanúi lehetünk a fokozatos elzárkózásnak, testi hanyatlásnak, a beszűkülésnek; ahogy a végére, „hűséges Heinrichem” és más magas rangú náci tisztek árulása után már nem bízott senkiben, és ahogy szép lassan feladja a háború megnyerésének reményét. Megismerjük Hitler öngyilkosságának körülményeit is – már amennyi valóban elérhető róla –, illetve az ezzel kapcsolatos mítoszba is bepillantást nyerhetünk.

Könnyed hangvétellel megírt, tárgyilagos, de az érdeklődést fenntartó olvasmány, nincs tele száraz adatokkal. Ha lett volna annyi időm és energiám, egy szuszra végigolvastam volna. Az egyetlen gond az vele, hogy rövid. Írhatna Dargie hosszabb könyveket is, egész nap ellennék velük. Igazából bármit mesélhetne, én olvasnám.

Na jó, van még egy gond: egy kicsit beleragadtam ebbe a témába. Ha nem vigyázok, még a végén nem marad olvasatlan könyv azon a bizonyos polcon.