What followed was one of the most astonishing moments in the history of the Third Reich. Hitler, the man who had brought about the catastrophe completely lost control, hurling accusations against the officer corps who he claimed had failed to carry out his great schemes because of their cowardice, treachery and lies. After this explosion of anger, Hitler collapsed into his chair exhausted. To the astonishment of those present, he then declared that the war was lost. He would remain in the city to meet his death, but those who wished to leave could, because he no longer felt able to lead them. It was left to Jodl to point out that their Fuhrer could not desert the nation in its greatest hour of need, going on to say that there was still hope, in that reserves in the form of General Walther Wenck’s 12th Army were still available. Later that day, Hitler’s mood improved somewhat as he was persuaded by Keitel, Krebs, Burgdorf and Jodl that Schorner’s Army Group was still strong, that Wenck’s 12th Army could be turned around from the Elbe, and that given a few days, Steiner would be able to launch an attack from the north.
Meanwhile, news of Hitler’s collapse had reached Goering who had left Berlin for the comfort of his residence at Obersalzberg. General Koller arrived at noon to confirm the reports and to urge the indolent Reich Marshal to take immediate action. Also present was Philipp Bouhler, a senior government official and Chief of the Chancellery of the Fuhrer. Goering was at first cautious, asking if Hitler had appointed Bormann as his successor. Bormann was regarded by Goering as his enemy, and as such he pondered the possibility that the Machiavellian eminence grise of the Nazi court may have laid a trap for him, stating that, ‘If I act, he will call me a traitor; if I don’t, he will accuse me of having failed at a most critical time’. Goering sent for Hans Lammers, a legal expert and head of the Reich Chancellery to get his opinion. Lammers could only say that as far as he was aware, Goering was still Hitler’s nominated successor.
For Goering, the question of whether Hitler was still able to exercise command remained. Until this question was answered, a legal assumption of power was not possible. Therefore, a carefully worded telegram was sent by Goering to Berlin in order to clarify the position regarding the future leadership of the Reich:
My Fuhrer: General Koller today gave me a briefing on the basis of communications given to him by Colonel General Jodl and General Christian, according to which you had referred certain decisions to me and emphasised that I, in case negotiations would become necessary, would be in an easier position than you in Berlin. These views were so surprising and serious to me that I felt obligated to assume, in case by 22.00 o’clock no answer is forthcoming, that you have lost your freedom of action. I shall then view the conditions of your decree as fulfilled and take action for the well being of Nation and Fatherland. You know what I feel for you in these most difficult hours of my life and I cannot express this in words. God protect you and allow you despite everything to come here as soon as possible. Your faithful Hermann Goering.
Hitler received Goering’s telegram calmly, however, Bormann succeeded in changing his perception of Goering’s motives by presenting the message as a mutinous ultimatum and lustful grab for power. Within moments, Hitler was denouncing Goering as a lazy, corrupt failure. A radio message, written by Bormann stripped Goering of all his offices. No doubt he would have preferred him executed, but Hitler thought that he might still have some role to play stating, ‘Well, all right, let Goering negotiate the surrender. If the war is lost anyhow, it doesn’t matter who does it’. Bormann did however manage to ensure that Goering was kept under house arrest, thus effectively eliminating his rival for the succession.
The day following Hitler’s collapse was marked by the emergence of the General destined by a trick of fate to defend Berlin. During the night, Weidling had been forced to relocate his headquarters to Rudow, a borough located between Neukolln and Schonfeld. His unit was now well within the city limits and in close contact with Soviet forces. It therefore came as some relief when he received orders from General Busse to break through the Soviet forces and link up with the northern flank of 9th Army near Konigs Wusterhausen. As his troops were preparing to disengage from the enemy on the morning of 23 April, Weidling was at last able to re-establish contact with Berlin. His telephone call to the bunker was passed on to General Krebs. Guderian’s successor greeted him with barely concealed contempt, informing Weidling coldly that he had been sentenced to death for pulling his troops back to the Olympic Village at Doberitz, located to the west of the city. To Weidling, this was utter nonsense, as his troops were attempting to disengage from the Soviet forces on the eastern sector of the city. He then made, what was in the circumstances, a brave decision to put his case personally to Hitler.
Weidling arrived at the bunker in the early evening to be met by General Krebs and General Burgdorf who received him coolly. Unfazed, Weidling launched into a spirited defence, stating that the only troops that he had sent to the west were a small number of foreign ‘volunteers’ attached to labour battalions and some sick and wounded. Asked for the present whereabouts and situation of his Corps, Weidling replied that his troops were currently in the process of disengaging from the enemy in order to move south as ordered. Krebs assured Weidling that it had all been a misunderstanding. Before seeing Hitler, the orders for his Corps to move south were cancelled and he was given fresh instructions to concentrate on the defence of the city.
The subsequent meeting with Hitler resembled a one act farce, as the death sentence was rescinded and replaced by an appointment as commandant of the Berlin defence area (replacing Colonel Ernst Kaether who had been in post for less than a day). Weidling later recalled his meeting with Hitler:
Behind a table covered with maps sat the Fuhrer of the German Reich. He turned his head as I entered. I saw a bloated face and delirious eyes. When he tried to stand up, I noticed to my horror that his hands and one of his legs were trembling. He managed to stand up with great difficulty. He offered me his hand. With a distorted smile and in a barely audible voice he asked whether we had met before. When I replied that he had decorated me with the oak leaves to my Knight’s Cross on 13 April 1944, he said: ‘I recall the name, but I can’t remember the face’. His own was like a grinning mask. He then laboriously got back into his armchair. Even while he was sitting down, his left leg kept twitching. His knee moved like the pendulum of a clock, only faster.
After having made Weidling responsible for the defence of Berlin, Hitler issued instructions for his Corps to deploy in the southern and eastern sectors of the city. He then went on to expound his own ideas for the defence of the city which involved pulling in the forces of Wenck, Busse and Steiner. That day, Weidling started to disengage his forces. The reduced 56th Panzer Corps consisting of remnants of the 9th Parachute Division, the badly mauled Muncheberg Panzer Division, the 20th Panzer Grenadier Division, the 11th Panzer Grenadier Division ‘Nordland’ and the 18th Panzer Grenadier Division. His units were used to stiffen the defence sectors held by a miscellany of trained troops and poorly equipped home guard units.
On the morning of 24 April, 20th Panzer Grenadier Division were engaged in hard fighting along the Teltow Canal, successfully eliminating a Soviet bridgehead at Lankwitz. However, they were too thinly spread to prevent the establishment of a small lodgement at Stahnsdorf. Watching the unfolding drama from a rooftop observation post, Marshal Konev surveyed the scene: