| Original caption: “As the report of Hitler’s death was received in the city yesterday, the headlines brought the city to a standstill.” New Yorkers hold copies of the May 1, 1945, issue of the New York Journal-American, which proclaimed, “Extra! London, May 1 (Associated Press) — The German radio at Hamburg announced tonight [Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945)] is dead.” “There was no confirmation immediately from Allied sources.” “‘At the Führer’s headquarters it is reported that our Führer Adolf Hitler has fallen this afternoon in his command post at the Reichschancellory, fighting up to his last breath against bolshevism,’ said the announcement.” “[Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (September 16, 1891 – December 24, 1980)] Successor” “The broadcast said Admiral Karl Dönitz, commander of the German Fleet, was Hitler’s successor.” “Dönitz announced Hitler’s death, the radio reported.” “The radio broadcast a statement from Dönitz in which he said: ‘My first task will be to save Germany from the advancing Bolsheviks. Only for this do we continue the fight.’” The Nazi German radio report from Hamburg inflated Hitler’s mythos to the end. Rather than falling in battle, he had committed suicide with his wife Eva Braun (February 6, 1912 – April 30, 1945) behind locked doors, alone. He offered no comfort to the suffering civilian population of Berlin; instead 1 of his last orders was to flood the U-Bahn tunnels, then serving as a makeshift hospital, drowning thousands of people. Hitler’s body was burned, and the disarticulated remains were confiscated by the Soviets. Conspiracy theories about Hitler’s survival would persist past the 1990s, when Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing confirmed that body parts in the possession of Russia were that of a woman’s. In Times Square, several celebrations prematurely started as each report of Hitler’s death and the Nazi German surrender circulated, until the formal surrender was officially announced on May 8, 1945. This photo appeared in the May 2, 1945, issue of the New York Times. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0891.jpg |
| Image Size | 394.71 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1994 x 1531 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | New York |
| State or Province | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | Museum of Modern Art |
| Record Number | 1934.2001 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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