The day after Hitler’s infamous breakdown saw the Führerbunker’s psychological state shift from despair to fragmentation. Hitler had given up on military victory, but he hadn’t given up on control. April 23 was marked by paranoia, betrayal, and the crumbling of whatever command structure still remained.
One of the most consequential developments was the fallout between Hitler and Hermann Göring. Göring, once Hitler’s designated successor and head of the Luftwaffe, had remained at the Obersalzberg compound in southern Germany. On this day, he sent a carefully worded telegram asking whether, in light of Hitler’s isolation in Berlin and apparent incapacitation, he should assume leadership of the Reich.
The message followed the legal framework of the 1941 decree naming Göring successor should Hitler be unable to act. But Hitler—egged on by Martin Bormann, who loathed Göring—interpreted it as a coup attempt.
Enraged, Hitler ordered Göring’s immediate dismissal and house arrest. This marked the formal end of Göring’s influence and shattered any illusion of unity among the Nazi elite. It also revealed how deeply Hitler’s trust had eroded. His inner circle, once filled with fanatical loyalty, was now reduced to suspicion and self-preservation.
That same day, Hitler reportedly refused to receive further military briefings. He had become indifferent to the battlefield situation. His time was now consumed with revisions to his political testament and personal matters: who would take over what remained of the Reich, how he would be remembered, and what final acts of loyalty he could still demand.
The bunker’s atmosphere grew stranger. Official duties continued in form, if not substance. Secretaries typed nonsense dispatches. Aides updated non-existent battle lines. Orders were still signed. But most in the bunker understood they were enacting a pantomime—going through the motions of a government that no longer existed outside those concrete walls.
Outside, Berlin was collapsing. Soviet shells fell steadily. Buildings crumbled. Fires spread unchecked. Inside, the man who once dictated the fate of Europe sat preparing for his death.
The circle around him continued to shrink—not only in number but in trust. Hitler now suspected everyone: Göring, Himmler, the generals, even longtime allies. Martin Bormann became his primary gatekeeper, controlling access and information. Goebbels remained close, still devoted, still writing speeches for a leader who would never give them.
April 23 was the day Hitler fully turned inward. The war, the state, and even his allies had betrayed him—or so he believed. What remained was not leadership, but ritual. Not strategy, but legacy. And in the hollow quiet of the Führerbunker, legacy meant death.
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