A fascinating book has pieced together Adolf Hitler's final 24 hours of life.
'Minute by Minute', written by Jonathan Mayo and Emma Craigie, is an account of Hitler and his wife Eva Braun's last day in the Berlin bunker where he committed suicide.
The revelations made in the book are many and various. It's described how Hitler's closest confidantes spent nights leading up to the end drinking into the early hours; what the Fuhrers final meal was; and even his strict clothing procedure.
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Around the 11am entry of the book, May and Craigie describe Heinz Linge, Hitler's valet, knocking on his bedroom door to help him get dressed - a routine performed for the previous six years.
"The routine's always the same," the write. "Linge holds a stopwatch to time the process, which begins when Hitler shouts 'Los!' ('on your marks'). In the early days, the faster he got dressed, the better the Fuhrer's mood.
"This morning, however, Hitler is lying on his bed fully clothed. Except for his tie. There's a special ritual for the tie. Hitler stands in front of the mirror, with his eyes closed, and counts the seconds as Linge does it up. Then he opens his eyes and checks the tie in the mirror."
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Moments later, Hitler's barber, August Wollenhaupt, arrived to him for his fortnightly hair and moustache trim.
"Hitler's moustache is designed to cover his unusually large nostrils. The style originated in America, where it's known as the toothbrush moustache and sported by Charlie Chaplin and Walt Disney. In Bavaria, it's known as a Rotzbremse - or 'snot brake'," the pair write.
"Linge now administers cocaine drops to Hitler's right eye, which has been causing intense pain for the past few days, and gives him a packet of pastilles to suck through the day. These are the 'anti-gas pills' that his master takes for stomach cramps and flatulence.
"For the first time in nine years, Hitler has no personal doctor. A week ago, he furiously dismissed Dr Theodor Morell, after accusing the doctor of trying to sedate him in order to whisk him out of Berlin."
Image: PA
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It is well-known that Hitler was suffering from Parkinson's disease in the months leading up to his demise, as well as a heart problem.
Mayo and Craigie, write that before Linge left the room that morning, Hitler asked him to get his favourite puppy Wulf, born to his Alsatian, Blondi.
"The Fuhrer is particularly attached to Blondi, who sometimes provides a whole evening's entertainment. She barks on command and howls when he orders her to sing.
"He's most proud of the fact that when he tells her to 'sing like Zarah Leander' - a Swedish singer famed for her deep voice - Blondi gives a deeper howl."
Image: PA
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Five minutes after that scene, General Burgdof, a commander in the army, came round to see if General Krebs wanted a drink. Hitler private secretary, Martin Bormann also caught wind of the potential drinking opportunity, and the three of them went out to the corridor to drink schnapps.
Now and then, the three mooched over to the Reich chancellery, where the endless boozing has led to what Mayo and Craigie call "a relaxing of sexual inhibitions."
"Bormann's philandering has the support of his wife Gerda, the mother of his ten children. Just over a year ago, he wrote to her with the proud news that he'd succeeded in seducing the well-known actress Manja Behrens," they write.
Image: PA
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"Gerda wrote straight back, congratulating him and offering to welcome Manja into their household. They should arrange a system of motherhood by shifts, she said, 'so that you always have a wife who is usable'."
As for his last meal, Hitler ate his usual spaghetti with a raisin and cabbage salad, ignorant to the fact Berliner's living in the real world were starving to death.
You can find out more about the book here.
Featured Image Credit: Wiki Commons