General der Infanterie Hans Krebs Quotes in Downfall (2004)

Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel: Even at the risk of repeating myself, the Ninth army must be withdrawn, otherwise it is surrounded and wiped out! We must now...

Adolf Hitler: The Ninth army will not retreat. Tell Busse to fight where he stands.

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: My Führer, then the Ninth army will be lost.

Adolf Hitler: We will repel the Soviet troops advancing to the North and East, with a relentless and almighty assault.

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: With what force, my Führer?

Adolf Hitler: Steiner's force will attack from the North and unite with the Ninth army.

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: The Ninth Army is unable to move North; the enemy army outnumbers us ten to one.

Adolf Hitler: Wenck: he will support them with the Twelfth Army.

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: But my Führer, the Twelfth Army is heading west to the Elbe.

Adolf Hitler: Then tell the army to turn around!

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: But we would expose the Western Front!

Adolf Hitler: Are you questioning my orders? I believe I made myself clear!

Joseph Goebbels: Surrender? Never! This is outrageous! I've conquered Berlin against the Reds several years ago, and will defend the city to the last breath against them! The few hours that I've yet to live as German Chancellor, I will not use them to put my signature on a document of surrender!

General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling: We must protect the civilian population!

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: The Führer's order is final!

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: No matter what happens, we will protect to the end!

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: We cannot give up!

[Fritzsche steps out to Rochus Misch]

Walter Hewel: We have to start negotiations!

Joseph Goebbels: I repeat: I will never sign to a surrender!

[Burgdorf follows Fritzsche]

Hans Fritzsche: I need you to send a telegraph to Marshal Zhukov immediately.

Rochus Misch: Marshal Zhukov?

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: What's going on here?

Hans Fritzsche: This is madness. We have to give the city to the Russians.

[Burgdorf pulls out a gun]

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: Then I have to shoot you. The Führer commands to prohibit any surrender!

[Wielding grabs Burgdorf's arm as the latter shoots]

Adolf Hitler: You see, gentlemen? I'll be proved right. Wenck will come.

[leaves generals]

Adolf Hitler: Wenck will come.

[passes by guards who salute to him]

General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling: I want to immediately know if it's possible for Wenck to attack or not.

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: It's unlikely that Wenck's small force can attack the Red Army...

Joseph Goebbels: [interrupts Krebs] How dare you say it's unlikely?

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: Wenck has nothing to confront the Red Army!

General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling: Why don't you tell the Führer? Have you all gone crazy?

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: The Führer knows it himself, but he will never surrender, and we won't either! I went through that before, and once is enough!

General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling: Come on, I have to get out of here.

[leaves with Mohnke]

Adolf Hitler: Burgdorf, what's going on? Where's the firing coming from?

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: First of all, Happy Birthday, my Führer. My Führer, the city of Berlin is under artillery fire; grenades have hit near the Brandenburg gate, Reichstag, and the Friedrichstrasse station.

Adolf Hitler: Where is the firing coming from?

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: My Führer, we don't know, but I'm talking with Koller.

Adolf Hitler: Koller! Let me speak to Koller.

[takes phone]

Adolf Hitler: Koller. Do you know that Berlin is under artillery fire?

General der Flieger Karl Koller: No.

Adolf Hitler: Can't you hear the shooting?

General der Flieger Karl Koller: No, I'm in Wildpark Werder.

Adolf Hitler: The city is chaotic. The Russians have captured a railway bridge over the Oder.

General der Flieger Karl Koller: The enemy has no railway artillery in the Oder.

[takes paper from soldier]

General der Flieger Karl Koller: It's not long-ranged artillery; the divisional headquarters of the Flak and Zoo-Bunker report that the shells are ten to twelve calibers. The Russians went into position in Marzahn.

Adolf Hitler: That's only twelve miles from the city center. Are the Russians really this close? The Lufwaffe leadership must be hanged immediately!

[hangs up]

Adolf Hitler: This is outrageous. Outrageous! The Russians are twelve miles from the city center, and nobody told me anything. I had to ask.

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: My Führer, it's probably long-range artillery, after all. You mentioned a railway bridge over the Oder.

Adolf Hitler: Nonsense.

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: [after Hitler realizes that the war is lost and goes to his room] What now?

SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein: It's time to end this spectacle.

Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel: [Shocked] What do you mean? Just stop fighting? That's unthinkable! The Führer said we will not surrender. We will not repeat November 1918! Never!

SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein: You all heard him. He's no longer leading us. 'Do whatever you want.' That's what he said.

Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel: There is no one who will replace him! The Führer is the Führer!

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: [to the others] The Führer is just confused. He will pull through.

SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein: Oh, great! And what will happen afterwards?

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: [pause] We cannot surrender for the Führer would never approve. We swore to obey his will!

SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein: Nothing but empty phrases! We must act NOW! Before it's all too late!

General der Infanterie Wilhelm Burgdorf: You just want to save your skin!

SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein: [to Burgdorf] Mind your words.

[the Generals storm off]

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: The enemy has broken through along a wide front. They've taken Zossen to the south, and are advancing to Stahnsdorf. They're now on the northern outskirts between Frohnau and Pankow. They've reached Lichtenberg, Mahlsdorf and Karlshorst to the east.

Adolf Hitler: Steiner's assault will bring it under control.

General der Infanterie Hans Krebs: My fuhrer, Steiner...

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: Steiner couldn't mobilize enough men. He was unable to carry out the assault.

Adolf Hitler: [Removes glasses] These men will stay here: Kietel, Jodl, Krebs and Burgdorf.