In the last months of the Second World War, Gerhardt Boldt, a young cavalry officer serving on the Russian Front, found himself seconded to Gehlen's military intelligence staff in Berlin. Summoned to daily briefing session with the Führer, his Generals and closest associates - in particular Bormann, Goering and Goebbels - Boldt has a unique opportunity of observing at close quarters the leading members of the Nazi hierarchy.

His description of the atmosphere, first in the semi-ruined Chancellery and then in the claustrophobic surroundings of the Führerbunker, conveys a chilling impression of destruction - of the collapse of the entire Nazi system no less than the disintegration of its creator's personality. This book was written immediately after the war and expanded for this edition.