Will It Happen Again?

After the end of World War II, Berlin lies in shambles and in the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden, Adolf Hitler's home has been destroyed by fire. Underneath the home are tunnels cut through solid rock. One tunnel leads to Hitler's hideaway, "The Eagles' Nest," where Hitler and his mistress, Eva Braun, entertained during the war. Now, however, at the end of the war, the same men who socialized with Hitler in Bavaria face the tribunal at Nuremberg. The film discusses the events that led to the beginning of the war: After World War I, Hitler founds the Nazi party. He is not taken seriously by most Germans, and after his Beer Hall putsch fails, he is jailed. The Nazi party continues under Joseph Goebbels' leadership. After Hitler is released from jail, he blames all of Germany's troubles on the Jews. Having provided a scapegoat, Hitler is eventually elected German Chancellor. Soon after, Goebbels supervises the burning of all books that conflict with the Nazi point of view, and Jews are denied the right to do business. When not involved in matters of state, Hitler entertains Nazi officials and their girl friends at The Eagles' Nest. Meanwhile, German heavy industry retools for production of weapons and war materiel, and the Air Force and Navy are strengthened. Special groups are formed to spread Nazi philosophy. Even the courts are controlled by the Nazis. Hitler's troops march into Czechoslovakia and then Poland, Denmark and Norway. Paratroopers are dropped into the Netherlands and that country surrenders immediately. Next, the Germans march through Belgium and into France. In the midst of the war effort, Hitler welcomes Count Ciano, the son-in-law of Benito Mussolini, to The Eagles' Nest, and plays with two small children, who are rumored to be Hitler's own. Hitler's next target is Russia. After the Allied invasion of North Africa, Hitler's forces start to lose ground. The Allies invade Germany, and it is announced that Hitler has committed suicide at The Eagles' Nest. The Allies liberate the concentration camps. Later, at Nuremberg, the Nazi leaders are found guilty. The film concludes that although the Nazis have been conquered, Communists under Joseph Stalin may pose a similar threat to the democratic countries.