Johanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Ritschel; 11 November 1901 – 1 May 1945) was the wife of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
's Propaganda Minister
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
. A prominent member of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
, she was a close ally, companion, and political supporter of
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
.
Some historians refer to her as the unofficial "
first lady
First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
" of Nazi Germany, while others give that title to
Emmy Göring
Emma Johanna Henny "Emmy" Göring (; 24 March 1893 – 8 June 1973) was a German actress and the second wife of ''Luftwaffe'' Commander-in-Chief Hermann Göring. She served as Adolf Hitler's hostess at many state functions and thereby staked a ...
.
With defeat imminent during the
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated as the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, and also known as the Fall of Berlin, was one of the last major offensives of the European theatre of World War II.
After the Vistula– ...
at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in Europe, she and her husband murdered their
six children before committing
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
in the
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...
gardens. Her eldest son,
Harald Quandt
Harald Quandt (1 November 1921 – 22 September 1967) was a German industrialist, the son of industrialist Günther Quandt and Magda Behrend Rietschel. His parents divorced and his mother was later married to Joseph Goebbels. After World W ...
, from a previous marriage, survived her.
Early life
Magda was born in 1901 in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to an unwed couple, Auguste Behrend and building contractor and engineer Oskar Ritschel. The couple were married later that year and divorced in either 1904 or 1905.
[Magda Goebbels biography]
at Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin There are some sources that claim the marriage took place before Magda's birth, although there is no evidence to support the occurrence of a prior wedding.
[Arditti, Michael]
goebbels-by-anja-klabunde/ ''Magda Goebbels'' by Anja Klabunde
Literary Review, 22 May 2002. When Magda was five, her mother sent her to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
to stay with her ex-husband. In 1908, her mother married
Richard Friedländer, a wealthy Jewish merchant who worked in Brussels, who adopted Magda and whose surname she adopted. In Brussels, Magda was enrolled at the Ursuline Convent in
Vilvoorde
Vilvoorde (, french: Vilvorde ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo ...
where she was remembered as "an active and intelligent little girl". Further contacts with Ritschel, a member of the Krefeld Masonic Lodge in Duisburg, suggest that Magda may have been introduced there to
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
.
In 2016, it was reported that Friedländer may have been Magda's biological father, as stated in his residency card, found in the Berlin archives by writer and historian
Oliver Hilmes.
[Magda Goebbels' biological father may have been Jewish](_blank)
Jewish Chronicle. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016. Magda's adoption may have been required for her parents' delayed marriage, to update the girl's 'illegitimate child' status.
From 1908 until the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the family remained in Brussels. In 1914, all Germans were forced to leave Belgium as refugees to avoid repercussions from the Belgian people after the German invasion.
The family moved to Berlin where Magda attended the high school Kolmorgen Lycée. Behrend divorced Friedländer in 1914, and in 1919, Magda was enrolled in the prestigious 'Töchternheim Holzhausen' (Ladies' College Holzhausen) near
Goslar
Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...
.
While in Berlin, Magda befriended Lisa Arlosoroff and later became intimate with her brother
Haim
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...
, an ardent Zionist. During her relationship with Haim, she briefly wore a Star of David he had given her and accompanied him to Jewish youth club meetings. The relationship did not last but the two remained in contact during the 1920s until Haim's migration to
(British ruled) Palestine, where he later headed the Political Department of the Jewish Agency. Haim was assassinated in June 1933.
Marriage and son with Günther Quandt
In 1920, while returning to school on a train, she met
Günther Quandt
Günther Quandt (28 July 1881 – 30 December 1954) was a German industrialist who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana, a car and chemical company, respectively. Between, 1921 and 1929 he was married to Magda Ritsche ...
, a rich German industrialist twice her age. Thereafter, he courted her with courtesy and grand gestures. He demanded that she change her surname back to Ritschel (after having for many years borne the surname of Friedländer), when converting from
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
to Quandt's
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. They were married on 4 January 1921, and their first child,
Harald
Harald or Haraldr is the Old Norse form of the given name Harold. It may refer to:
Medieval Kings of Denmark
* Harald Bluetooth (935–985/986)
Kings of Norway
* Harald Fairhair (c. 850–c. 933)
* Harald Greycloak (died 970)
* Harald Hardra ...
, was born on 1 November 1921.
Magda soon grew frustrated in her marriage; Quandt spent little time with her, as his main interest was the expansion of his business empire. The couple had six children – Harald, Quandt's two sons from a prior marriage, and three children of a deceased friend.
In October 1927, the couple went on a two-month visit to the United States, to conduct business with the Lloyd Electric Storage Battery Co. of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. In 1929, Quandt discovered that Magda was having an affair, so they separated and divorced later in the year. The terms of the divorce were quite generous to Magda.
Marriage and family with Joseph Goebbels
In 1930, Magda attended a meeting of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
where she was impressed by one of the speakers,
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
, then the
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
of Berlin. She joined the party on 1 September 1930, and did some volunteer work, although she has not been characterized as politically active. From the local branch, Magda moved to the party headquarters in Berlin and for a brief period became secretary to Hans Meinshausen, Goebbels' deputy, before being invited to take charge of Goebbels' own private papers. She and Goebbels became romantically involved while on a short trip with friends to Weimar in February 1931. A relationship began and by April they began making plans for their future together. Goebbels wrote in his diary, "We have made a solemn vow to each other: When we have conquered the
Reich
''Reich'' (; ) is a German language, German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word "realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emp ...
, we will become man and wife. I am very happy." Her flat on
Theodor-Heuss-Platz
Theodor-Heuss-Platz (; colloquially called Theo by locals, ) is a large city square in the Westend district of Berlin, Germany. It is named after Theodor Heuss (1884–1963), the first President of Germany after World War II.
Location
The sq ...
(then named the ''Reichskanzlerplatz'') soon became a favourite meeting place for
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and other NSDAP officials.
By September, the Goebbels relationship was experiencing problems. Goebbels was often jealous, and had some concern over the fact that Hitler had grown fond of Magda. Magda decided to advance their wedding date, and the couple were married on 19 December 1931, with Hitler as a witness.
Otto Wagener claims that Magda's marriage to Goebbels was somewhat arranged; since Hitler intended to remain unmarried, it was suggested that as the wife of a leading and highly visible Nazi official she might eventually act as "first lady of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
". Magda was an ambitious woman with social connections and upper class bearing that may have influenced Goebbels' own enthusiasm.
[Wagener, Otto, ''Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant''] Goebbels biographer
Peter Longerich
Peter Longerich (born 1955) is a German professor of history and German historian. He is regarded by fellow historians, including Ian Kershaw, Richard Evans, Timothy Snyder, Mark Roseman and Richard Overy, as one of the leading German authori ...
concurred with this "plausible" conclusion as well. Meissner contends that Hitler (though undoubtedly impressed by Magda) was an exceptionally close friend of the couple in the early days. Hitler grew very fond of the Goebbels' six children and enjoyed staying at their Berlin apartment, where he could relax and would often arrive there late at night, sitting and talking with Goebbels, with their baby Helga (born 1932) on his lap.
Magda had thus a close relationship with Hitler, and became a member of his small coterie of female friends. She acted as an unofficial representative of the regime, receiving letters from all over Germany from women with questions about domestic matters or child custody issues. After 1933, the Goebbels family became accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle which went with their high social position. Their Berlin home on Göringstrasse was remodeled by
Albert Speer
Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...
and they spent the spring and summers in Kladow. In 1936, they bought a villa on Schwanenwerder island and later another at Bogensee near Wandlitz in Brandenburg.
Joseph and Magda Goebbels had six children: Helga Susanne (1932), Hildegard "Hilde" Traudel (1934), Helmut Christian (1935), Holdine "Holde" Kathrin (1937), Hedwig "Hedda" Johanna (1938), and Heidrun "Heide" Elisabeth (1940).
Joseph Goebbels had many affairs during the marriage. In 1936, Goebbels met the
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
actress
Lída Baarová
Lída Baarová (born Ludmila Babková; 7 September 1914 – 27 October 2000) was a Czech actress who for two years was the mistress of the Nazi propaganda minister of Germany, Joseph Goebbels.
Biography Life and career
Born in Prague, Baarová ...
and by the winter of 1937 began an intense affair with her. Magda had a long conversation with Hitler about the situation on 15 August 1938. Unwilling to put up with a scandal involving one of his top ministers, Hitler demanded that Goebbels break off the relationship. Thereafter, Goebbels and Magda seemed to reach a truce until the end of September. The couple had another falling out at that point, and once again Hitler became involved, insisting the couple stay together. Hitler arranged for publicity photos to be taken of himself with the reconciled couple in October 1938. Magda also had affairs, including relationships with
Kurt Ludecke
Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor.
In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...
in 1933 and
Karl Hanke
Karl August Hanke (24 August 1903 – 8 June 1945) was an official of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) during its rule over Germany and served as the fifth and last '' Reichsführer'' of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). He also served as ''Gauleiter'' of ...
in 1938.
War years
At the outbreak of war, Magda's son by her first marriage, Harald Quandt, became a
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
pilot and fought at the front, while, at home, she lived up to the image of a patriotic mother by training as a
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
nurse and working with the electronics company
Telefunken
Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ('General electricity company').
The name "Telefunken" app ...
, and travelled to work on a bus, like her colleagues.
She was also involved with entertaining the wives of foreign heads of state, supporting the troops and comforting war widows.
Both Goebbels and Magda derived personal benefits and social status from their close association with Hitler, and the couple remained loyal to Hitler and publicly supported him. Privately, however, Magda expressed doubts, especially after the war began to go badly on the
Eastern Front. On 9 November 1942, during a gathering with friends listening to a speech by Hitler, she switched off the radio exclaiming, "My God, what a lot of rubbish." In 1944, she reportedly said of Hitler, "He no longer listens to voices of reason. Those who tell him what he wants to hear are the only ones he believes." There is no evidence that Magda attempted to intervene to save her Jewish stepfather from the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
. Though his fate has not been established, it is widely assumed that he perished in the camps. Asked about her husband's
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
, she answered: "The Führer wants it thus, and Joseph must obey."
Felix Franks, a German Jew who later became a British soldier, claimed that his grandparents got an
exit visa
A visa (from the Latin ''charta visa'', meaning "paper that has been seen") is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on ...
from Germany with the help of Magda Goebbels:
Afflicted with a weak heart and "delicate health", Magda would have extended periods of illness. Towards the end of the war, she is known to have also suffered from severe depression and
trigeminal neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN or TGN), also called Fothergill disease, tic douloureux, or trifacial neuralgia is a long-term pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as ...
. This condition affects a nerve in the face, and although usually harmless is considered to cause intense pain and can be notoriously hard to treat. This often left her bedridden and led to bouts of hospitalization as late as August 1944.
Death
In late April 1945, the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
entered Berlin, and the Goebbels family moved into the ''
Vorbunker
The ''Vorbunker'' (upper bunker or forward bunker) was an underground concrete structure originally intended to be a temporary air-raid shelter for Adolf Hitler and his guards and servants. It was located behind the large reception hall that wa ...
'', connected to the lower ''
Führerbunker
The ''Führerbunker'' () was an air raid shelter located near the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex constructed in two phases in 1936 and 1944. It was the last of the Führer Headquarters ( ...
'' under the
Reich Chancellery
The Reich Chancellery (german: Reichskanzlei) was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany (then called ''Reichskanzler'') in the period of the German Reich from 1878 to 1945. The Chancellery's seat, selected and prepared s ...
garden. Magda wrote a farewell letter to her son Harald, who was in a
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
camp in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
:
Goebbels added a postscript to Hitler's
last will and testament
A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its final distributio ...
of 29 April stating that he would disobey the order to leave Berlin, "
r reasons of humanity and personal loyalty". Further, he stated that Magda and their children supported his refusal to leave Berlin and his resolution to die in the bunker. He later qualified this by stating that the children would support the decision
o commit suicideif they were old enough to speak for themselves.
Magda was among the last to see both Hitler and
Eva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler (; 6 February 1912 – 30 April 1945) was a German photographer who was the longtime companion and briefly the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun met Hitler in Munich when she was a 17-year-old assistant and model for his ...
before they
committed suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including major depressive disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic f ...
on the afternoon of 30 April. On the following day, 1 May, Magda and Joseph arranged for SS dentist
Helmut Kunz
Helmut Kunz (26 September 1910 – 23 September 1976) was an SS dentist who, after the suicide of Adolf Hitler, was ordered to administer anesthetic to the six children of Joseph Goebbels before they were killed.
Early years
Kunz was born in ...
to inject
their six children with
morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
so that when they were unconscious, an ampule of
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
could be then crushed in each of their mouths. Kunz later stated he gave the children morphine injections, but it was Magda and SS-''
Obersturmbannführer
__NOTOC__
''Obersturmbannführer'' (Senior Assault-unit Leader; ; short: ''Ostubaf'') was a paramilitary rank in the German Nazi Party (NSDAP) which was used by the SA (''Sturmabteilung'') and the SS (''Schutzstaffel''). The rank of ''Obersturm ...
''
Ludwig Stumpfegger
Ludwig Stumpfegger (11 July 1910 – 2 May 1945) was a German doctor who served in the SS of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was Adolf Hitler's personal surgeon from 1944 to 1945, and was present in the ''Führerbunker'' in Berlin in late ...
(Hitler's personal doctor) who administered the cyanide. Author
James P. O'Donnell concluded that although Stumpfegger was probably involved in drugging the children, Magda killed them herself. He surmises that witnesses blamed the deaths on Stumpfegger because he was a convenient target, having died the following day. Moreover, as O'Donnell states, Stumpfegger may have been too intoxicated at the time of the deaths to have played a reliable role.
Magda appears to have contemplated and talked about killing her children a month in advance. According to her friend and sister-in-law (from her first marriage) Ello Quandt, she told her that they were all going to take poison.
Magda appears to have refused several offers, such as one by
Albert Speer
Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer (; ; 19 March 1905 – 1 September 1981) was a German architect who served as the Minister of Armaments and War Production in Nazi Germany during most of World War II. A close ally of Adolf Hitler, he ...
, to have the children smuggled out of Berlin and insisted that the family must stay at her husband's side. In the ''Führerbunker'' she confided to Hitler's secretary
Traudl Junge
Gertraud "Traudl" Junge (; 16 March 1920 – 10 February 2002) was a German editor who worked as Adolf Hitler's last private secretary from December 1942 to April 1945. After typing Hitler's will, she remained in the Berlin ''Führerbunker'' unt ...
, that "I would rather have my children die, than live in disgrace, jeered at. My children stand no chance in Germany after the war". The last survivor of Hitler's bunker,
Rochus Misch
Rochus Misch (29 July 1917 – 5 September 2013) was a German ''Oberscharführer'' (sergeant) in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH). He was badly wounded during the Polish campaign during the first month of World ...
, gave this account of the events to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
:
Magda helped the girls change into long white nightgowns. She then softly combed their hair. Misch tried to concentrate on his work, but he knew what was going to happen. Magda then went back up to the ''Vorbunker'' with the children. Shortly thereafter,
came down to the ''Führerbunker'' and told Misch that he had seen Hitler's personal physician, Dr Stumpfegger, give the children something "sweetened" to drink. About two hours later, Magda came back down to the ''Führerbunker'', alone. She looked very pale, her eyes very red and her face was "frozen". She sat down at a table and began playing
. Goebbels then came over to her, but did not say a word at that time.
After their children were dead, Magda and Joseph Goebbels walked up to the garden of the Chancellery, where they committed
. There are several different accounts of this event. One account was that they each bit on a cyanide ampule near where Hitler had been buried, and were given a
immediately afterwards. Goebbels' SS adjutant
testified in 1948 that they walked ahead of him up the stairs and out into the Chancellery garden. He waited in the stairwell and heard the shots sound. Schwägermann then walked up the remaining stairs and, once outside, saw their lifeless bodies. Following Goebbels' prior order, Schwägermann had an SS soldier fire several shots into Goebbels' body, which did not move. The bodies were then doused with
, but the remains were only partially burned and not buried.
The charred corpses were found on the afternoon of 2 May 1945 by Soviet troops. Magda's face was unrecognizable compared to that of her husband. According to
, her jawbones and dental remains were found "detached in the oral cavity". The children were found in the ''Vorbunker'' dressed in their nightclothes, with ribbons tied in the girls' hair. The remains of the Goebbels' family, General
were repeatedly buried and exhumed. The last burial was at the
on 21 February 1946. In 1970,
authorised an operation to destroy the remains. On 4 April 1970, a Soviet KGB team used detailed burial charts to exhume five wooden boxes at the Magdeburg facility. The remains from the boxes were burned, crushed, and scattered into the Biederitz river, a tributary of the nearby
.
Magda Goebbels has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions.
* Helga Kennedy-Dohrn in the 1955 West German film ''Der Letzte Akt'' (''Hitler: The Last Ten Days'').
'' (''The Girl of Your Dreams'').
''.
in the 2001 German comedy ''Goebbels und Geduldig''.
.
* Annette Uhlen in the 2004 German television production ''Propaganda''.
*Emma Buckley in the 2005 British television production ''Uncle Adolf''.
*
in the 2016 Czech film ''The Devil's Mistress''
*Katharina Heyer in the 2019 Netflix series ''
No. 35/04 ''Hitlers Ende Spiegels'' (H. 35, 2004)
* E. Ebermayer, Hans Roos: ''Gefährtin des Teufels – Leben und Tod der Magda Goebbels'' (Hamburg, 1952)
*
* Goebbels, Joseph: ''Tagebücher 1945 – Die letzten Aufzeichnungen'' (Hamburg, 1977)
(Munich, 1999)
*
*
*
*
* Meissner, Hans-Otto (1978). ''Magda Goebbels – Ein Lebensbild'' (Munich)
*
*
*
*
*
* Schaake, Erich (2000). ''Hitlers Frauen'' (Munich)
* Schneider, Wolfgang (2001). ''Frauen unterm Hakenkreuz'' (Hamburg)
*
* Sigmund, Anna Maria (1998). ''Die Frauen der Nazis'' Volume 1, (Vienna)
*
*
* Wistrich, Robert (1987). ''Wer war Wer im dritten Reich'' (Frankfurt am Main)
* Wunderlich, Dieter (2002) ''Göring und Goebbels''. Regensburg: Verlag Friedrich Pustet.