By the spring of 1945, it became obvious that the death of the Third Reich was inevitable. Masses of refugees poured from east to west Germany. Allied bombing turned cities into ruins and ashes, and the number of civilian casualties reached 600,000. The situation inside the country was catastrophic. Communication lines almost completely ceased to operate, cargo transportation fell to a minimum, and three-quarters of industrial capacity was destroyed. Disappointment and despair reigned everywhere. Since the Soviet offensive, no one in Germany could imagine how it was possible to win or even dream of victory in this war... Based on documentary materials, the famous military historian Marlies Steinert analyzes the process of the rapid fall of the Third Reich, the actions, hopes and thoughts of political and military leaders, serving the regime, which so strangely combined ugly idealism and exorbitant imperial ambitions.