| In 1 of his last public appearances, Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) emerged from his small Führerbunker in Berlin to meet a group of Hitlerjugend members in the garden of the Alte Reichskanzlei (“Old Reich Chancellery”) located on Voßstraße, Berlin. Frail and visibly shaking, he awarded Iron Crosses to boys who had demonstrated bravery in combat. Among them was Alfred Czech (October 12, 1932 – June 13, 2011), who had rescued a dozen wounded Nazi German soldaten during fighting against Soviet forces in East Prussia. Photographs of the event show a stooped and exhausted Hitler walking to the ceremony. This photo was taken on March 19, 1945, and is Hitler’s last public appearance. Accompanying him were, from left to right: Reichsjugendführer (Reich Youth Leader”) Artur Axmann (February 13, 1913 – October 24, 1996); SS-Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS Hermann Fegelein (October 30, 1906 – April 28, 1945), Verbindungsoffizier zwischen dem Reichsführer SS und dem Führerhauptquartier (“Liaison officer between the Reichsführer SS and the Führer Headquarters”); SS-Sturmbannführer Otto Günsche (September 24, 1917 – October 2, 2003), persönlicher Adjutant Führer und Reichskanzler (“Personal Adjutant to the Leader and Reich Chancellor”), face partially obscured; General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf (February 15, 1895 – May 2, 1945), Chef Heerespersonalamt (“Chief of the Army Personnel Office”); and SS-Obersturmbannführer Heinz Linge (March 23, 1913 – March 9, 1980), Persönlicher Ordonnanzoffizier Führer und Reichskanzler (“Personal Orderly Officer Führer and Reich Chancellor”). | |
| Image Filename | wwii0890.jpg |
| Image Size | 289 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2049 x 1357 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | March 20, 1945 |
| Location | Alte Reichskanzlei |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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