‘Otto asked me to bring gasoline to the bunker, to the garden exit. He said he wanted a lot, but he wouldn’t tell me why it was needed. I asked him how much he wanted and he said at least two hundred litres. That was difficult. I am sure you can imagine how short our fuel supplies were at that time. Otto was insistent. He said I should siphon the tanks of all the vehicles in the car pool if necessary, so I did that and had the cans transported to the bunker straightaway.’

He paused for several more drags of the cigarette, holding the smoke deep in his lungs for as long as he could before expelling it with a gasp.

‘Did you take the fuel to the bunker yourself, or send other men?’

‘There were others. I could not carry two hundred litres alone. But I led the way. And when I arrived, I learnt that Hitler and Eva were dead. They had killed themselves in their room. Of course, I later learnt that Fräulein Braun had become Frau Hitler in the last hours of her life.’

‘Who told you they were dead?’

‘Otto told me. He was white with shock. He simply held up his hand, forefinger out like a pistol barrel, and held it to his mouth. And so I knew that the chief had shot himself. A little later, the door to Hitler’s sitting room opened and his body was brought out by his physician, Dr Stumpfegger, and his valet, Heinz Linge.’

‘You saw Hitler clearly? You saw his face?’

Kempka shook his head. ‘No, the body was wrapped in a dark grey blanket. His face and torso were covered. But I saw his legs and recognised his black trousers, his shoes. His arm was hanging loose. At the top, I could also see his greying hair.’

‘So you couldn’t be sure it was Hitler?’

‘Of course it was the Führer. I didn’t need to see his face to recognise him after so many years together. Then Bormann came out of the room carrying Eva. I couldn’t stand to see that because she was always a good friend to me and I knew how much she hated him, so I took her body from him and carried her up the stairs. It was not easy on the concrete steps, so when Otto Günsche saw I was struggling he assisted me.’ Kempka sighed. ‘Please, I am getting faint. A little food and drink, kind sirs. The rations in this camp are so poor. All we are given is black bread, a little sausage sometimes, cheese and butter. And we don’t even have a roof over our head at night, did you know that? Men dig themselves into the ground for warmth. What will happen to us when winter comes?’