French pathologists confirmed that teeth and jaw fragments stored in Moscow for over 70 years belonged to Adolf Hitler, providing definitive proof of his death by suicide in April 1945. Soviet troops had recovered the remains from outside the Führerbunker. Hitler’s poor dental health helped with identification. Soviet propaganda fueled rumors of Hitler’s escape, but conspiracy theories have been debunked.
World War II ended in 1945, but rumors that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler didn’t actually die in his Berlin bunker have survived. Finally, a team of French pathologists provided definitive proof of Hitler’s death in April 1945. Russian authorities allowed the team to examine teeth and jaw fragments that had been stored in Moscow for more than 70 years and concluded that “there is no possible doubt” that the teeth belonged to Hitler. Soviet troops had recovered the remains from outside the Führerbunker at the end of the war. Pathologists also examined the skull fragments found with teeth and confirmed that the evidence points to Hitler died as reported: by suicide, most likely by taking cyanide and shooting himself.
Hitler’s Death, Wrapped in Soviet Propaganda:
Hitler famously had bad breath, tooth decay and gum disease. The poor condition of his teeth, as well as his complicated set of bridges and dentures, helped with identification, as they could be matched to Hitler’s X-rays and dental reports from the 1940s.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched a propaganda campaign known as Operation Myth which encouraged the rumor that Adolf Hitler was still alive and had been helped to escape Germany by the British or Americans. For decades, Hitler’s remains were stored in Moscow and outside investigators were denied access.
Conspiracy theories had long suggested that Hitler may have fled to South America, as had other prominent Nazis such as Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.
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