Hitler personally arranges for a euthanasia program, underestimating the resistance of the Church. While the killing of the mentally ill has to be slowed down, the extinction of Jews is expanded to an industrial scale. Russian prisoners of war are murdered directly, abused, or left to starvation. Most Germans know of these crimes even if they refuse to acknowledge them. Hitler’s military decisions become disastrous, defeats are increasing, fronts break apart. After Stalingrad, the military leadership realizes that the war is lost. The Western allies defeat the German troops in Italy and Africa. The Russians push the German army back in the East. But even after D-Day, Hitler refuses any idea of surrender, and German people still believe in their leader and wait for the promised miraculous twist. Only when the Russians stand 500 meters in front of the bunker of the Reichskanzlei, does Hitler accept total defeat.