Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945 is usually perceived as the end. From the moment he and his mistress Eva Braun killed themselves, it was clear that Nazi Germany was over. But actually the Germans only surrendered on May 9. What happened in that week and a half?
In his will, Hitler tapped his successors for the cabinet. He appointed the head of the German navy, Admiral Karl Dönitz, as his heir and president of Germany. He passed over party leaders like Heinrich Himmler and Herman Göring, who were seen as traitors for having tested the possibility of surrender to the Americans and the British. Hence the appointment of Dönitz, who had been unflaggingly loyal.
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