Adolf Hitler’s death promised closure, but instead unleashed competing narratives, each of them revealing just how wartime fantasies, propaganda and post-war politics shaped the meaning of his demise.
From 9pm on Tuesday 1 May 1945, the programming on North German radio underwent an abrupt tonal shift. Light, uplifting tunes gave way to sombre music, interspersed with urgent instructions to ‘stand by’ for an important government message. 90 minutes later, three...