"We missed a hell of a party. Looks like they left in a hurry." Wade remarked.
"Probably all the bombs going off. Couldn't risk this place getting hit." Dugan guessed as Webb checked out the table by the observation window overlooking the submarine.
"Kal. Phoenix." Webb handed Kal a dossier with the Phoenix symbol and he took a quick look through it. "We're getting close."
"Not for long. Krauts are moving their stash on to a sub. You see that lot lugging that chest?" Lucas pointed out the window to some SS soldiers moving a box on a crate to the nearby submarine. "I bet you London to a brick, that is what we're after."
"Well, we know what we need. So, what are we waiting for?" Polina wondered.
"Time to do what we do best." Logan stated and Wade patted him on the back.
"Now we're talking."
"Wait, we can't go in loud." Arthur spoke up. Webb and Clark could see he was thinking something.
"What is it, Arthur?" Clark asked him.
"Whatever's in those containers is the best kept secret in the Third Reich, and the Krauts kept them here…in the arse end of nowhere." Arthur said.
"So, what?" Diggle wondered.
"It makes no sense. This project is supposedly so secret that the SOE and the SSR couldn't find anything on it. Only information on the man in charge and his meetings with other officers. We managed to learn about a special super soldier program in a work camp and machine suits that could take on the Superman but this. Nothing. This is the best kept secret in the Riech and yet it's not in Berlin or even in Austria but here? In Hamburg? It's like leaving the crown jewels on the front porch."
"With hardly anyone watching them." Webb added, seeing where Arthur was going with this. "The entire German army should be guarding this place. But what? Just SS soldiers."
"I think Arthur's right. This dossier…" Clark held up the brief he was reading. "…I think it's a part of a communications log for Project Phoenix. Who spoke to who along with when and where. Freisinger's name pops up a lot, same with Rommel and Steiner which matches up with what Lucas and Polina told us. Same with Savage, Von Strucker, and even his few conversations with Dr. Vought. Freisinger clearly kept detailed notes on whatever this was but nothing regarding Hitler, Goebbels, Göring, or Himmler. Nothing in the file and this spans a year, I think. If Freisinger is important to Project Phoenix and Project Phoenix is important to Nazi Germany than wouldn't the Fuhrer or other important members of the Nazi Party be listed here? It's like he was careful with who he met for this thing."
"Almost like he didn't want them to know about it." Logan added.
"We're not the only ones who don't know what Phoenix is." Arthur deduced.
"You're saying Nazis are keeping secrets from Nazis?" Polina said in disbelief.
"I'm saying the ones in charge of the secrets are the most dangerous." Arthur added.
"Yeah, that's why we brought the guns. To shoot them." Wade reminded him when he saw Clark tilt his head. "What's wrong, boss?"
"Looks like we've got a surprise. Freisinger is back. He just arrived and they found their men tied up. Alarm is about to go off…" Clark stopped and a second later a blaring alarm went off all throughout the submarine base.
"Can we get a move on? Those papers are about to piss off out of Germany." Lucas said when he saw the look in Clark's eyes. "Boss, you got a plan?"
"I do…and it could be either a very stupid one…or a brilliant one." Clark said, making everyone look at him. "We need to get the rest of the Phoenix files but we can't let them leave. And if I've learned anything about officers like Freisinger from Schmidt, Savage, and Reinhardt it's that they've got stuff hidden. We need to figure out what."
"And how do we do that?" Dugan asked.
"How do you trick anyone into showing their hands? You bait them." Clark said and started to smirk.
Ten minutes later…
A neatly and impeccably dressed Nazi officer walked into the submarine base flanked by his own personal SS officers. As they walked in they passed dead SS soldier and a lot of damage from the attack the submarine base just went under. A fuel tank and train exploded outside the building and subsequent explosions went off inside. The number of bodies just grew the deeper into the building the officer went until he arrived at the submarine pen where he saw the most damage. Part of the ceiling had been melted through which caused a structural weakness that made debris fall down and blocked the path into the bay. That was bad and would take weeks to deal with, not that it would do any good as the officer saw the two submarines in bad shape. The one that was under repairs would need additional ones now that its main rotor was completely destroyed and there were massive holes all throughout the hull. The submarine that had the important documents in it had a giant hole melted through the hull so it wasn't seaworthy.
The officer looked at the mess with a thin veiled disdain that was barely being kept contained as men worked as quickly as they could to deal with the aftermath. One of the men walked over and saluted the officer. "Herr Freisinger."
"Who did this?" Freisinger asked.
"The Superman, Untersturmführer. Some of the surviving men confirmed it was him and his teams. The Taskforce Vanguard and Howling Commandos. They hit the submarine pen in force, destroyed the submarines and then left as reinforcements arrived." The man reported while soldiers removed the contents of the submarine which were various boxes and crates. "We just did a check and everything is accounted for."
"The Superman missed his goal?" Freisinger spoke as he walked around and took note of his surrounded. "How unlike him. If he was here, the only reason he was here is because the Allies know about Project Phoenix. If he knew about Project Phoenix than he would not have left until he was sure that everything was destroyed."
"The men reported a fire had been started in the submarine. It nearly made its way to the storage room if our men hadn't arrived in time to put it out. We got lucky, Herr Freisinger." The man spoked which made Freisinger turn to him.
"And this Superman…they say he can jumped as high as a building, bullets break against his skin and he can shoot fire from his eyes." Freisinger walked closer to the submarine to inspect the large hole through it. The metal hull had been melted, not blown open with an explosive. "He just up and left?"
"To protect his team. The men report seeing many were injured and a few were shot. He went to protect them thus leaving before the job could be done." The man replied.
"Yes, empathy. I heard that it his defining trait." Freisinger signaled his men over. "Hamburg has been compromised. We must move to the secondary plan. Have everything loaded onto trucks and taken to Berlin immediately." Freisinger said and his men all saluted him before going about their work.
The submarine bay soon became flooded with activity as men loaded crates into trucks for transport. And watching all of this from a perch about 400 yards away on the roof of a building was Clark and the others.
"Nice thinking, Kal." Dugan praised, watching everything through his binoculars.
"I have my moments." Clark looked at his team and they were all smiles.
Flashback…
Five minutes ago…
[Explosions and gunfire]
The explosives on the fuel tank and train went off quickly followed by grenades that were thrown into the submarine bay. The Waffen SS soldiers put up defensive perimeters but were quickly gunned down by Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos. They pushed up through the submarine bay while Clark fired a blast of heat vision at the ceiling, causing part of it to come down and block off the bay access for the submarines. Lucas threw a sticky bomb onto a submarines rotor and it exploded while Clark fired a beam of heat vision into the other submarine.
More SS reinforcements arrived and a machine gunner opened fire at the attackers, managing to hit Arthur Kingsley, Jim Morita, and Halima Sambardi who all went down.
"Fall back!" Clark shouted, getting in front of his team to block the bullets while some carried their injured squadmates out. Logan and Dugan threw some grenades to cover their tracks while Lucas threw several smoke grenades before throwing a thermite into the submarine with the cargo. The additional reinforcements stormed into the bay and quickly secured the area as well as taking care of the fires.
They couldn't see the attackers anymore so once everything was cleared, they began to clean through the mess before Freisinger arrived.
End Flashback…
Clark looked at Arthur, Morita, and Halima who gave him smiles, uninjured and completely fine. Clark had super sped by them when the machine guns opened fire, snagging the bullets out the air and moving so fast that he wasn't seen in the chaos of the battle. Arthur, Morita, and Halima just acted like they were shot which in turn is when Clark gave the order to fall back.
"You three should get Oscars for that performance." Logan remarked.
"I'll settle for ending this and being able to go home." Arthur said as Polina was looking through the sights of her sniper rifle when she saw Freisinger step out. He walked towards the car as she lined up her shot and her finger wrapped around the trigger when Clark touched her arm.
"Not yet, Polina. I don't doubt you could make that shot but not yet. We've still got a job to do." Clark told her and Polina loosened up her trigger just as Freisinger got into the car and was driven away. "He and the cargo are heading to the same place. Berlin. Sounds like they'll be enacting whatever this Project Phoenix is."
"Boss, how'd you know that Freisinger would take the bait?" Wade wondered.
"Well, part of it was just a hope and prayer but from what little the SSR and SOE have on him, Freisinger is like any other Nazi commandant. A big ego and loves to push around people he sees as inferior to him. Nothing more than a bully and I dealt with plenty growing up. Bullies are always loudest when they're scared which in turn makes them desperate and they do something stupid. Set things just right and I hoped he panic." Clark said before he turned to face everyone. "Ok, heading to Hamburg was one thing but this is something else. To get Project Phoenix we'd need to follow them which means heading into the heart of Berlin. Now, knowing what we do now, we can just inform command and we'll completely surround Berlin from all sides with the army. We can get out free and clear right now and be back in time for dinner."
"Or?" Arthur asked.
"Or we can end this. Hunt down Freisinger, get Project Phoenix, and bury the Reich for good in Berlin. I can't promise that things won't be easy. We'll be surrounded and who knows when reinforcements will arrive but the Nazis sure won't make it out either." Whatever we do, though, we do together." Clark told everyone. There was a moment of silence as everyone weighed the options. Head back and surround Berlin with the army or go ahead now, risk life and limb to bury them for good and not give them a chance to slip away. Clark would be fine but everyone else, this could be it.
"I'm in." Logan popped his cigar in his mouth and lit it. "Hell, we started this thing together, might as well finish it."
"Same." Arthur, Webb, and Daniel agreed.
"I suppose dinner can wait a bit." Lucas quipped as Solange, Halima, Diggle, and Padma gave Clark nods.
"It's not every day you get to invade the Reich's capital. Can't turn that shit down." Wade pointed out. "Even still, I like our odds."
"Freisinger is not making it out of Berlin." Polina stated.
"This is what Steve would do." Anna cocked her gun. "We finish this."
"Sounds about right." Dugan and the Commandos agreed with the plan.
"All right. In that case, Webb, call it in. Send a message to Colonel Phillips that we're heading to Berlin. We'll probably get chewed out but this is as good a chance as any."
"Roger that." Webb put on a headset and began sending a message from their radio to Allied Command. They had encrypted their line so the German's wouldn't be able to read it.
"Not to sour the mood but how are we going to get to Berlin without being spotted?" Dugan wondered when they saw some trucks pull up down below. "Oh, that's convenient."
Some SS soldiers were moving through the area on a patrol, parking their trucks down below to move on foot. Slowly, one by one members of Taskforce Vanguard and the Commandos took out the soldiers with their knives or silenced gunshots before the bodies were dragged out of sight. Wade and Webb stripped two bodies for their uniforms and put them on as they would be the drivers while everyone else got into the truck beds.
"All right, kiddies. Hang on. It's going to be a long drive." Wade started up the truck and they made their journey far behind enemy lines to the capital.
Three days later…
Berlin
Reich Main Security Building
[Distant explosions]
Things weren't looking good for the capital of the Motherland. The Allies had been sending constant bombing runs at the capital which decimated the city and its surrounding towns while the Western Allied Offensive crept closer and closer to the capital. That would have been a serious worry enough but the rapid western push kept the Germans from focusing on the Eastern advance. The US 6th Army group had been making slow goings from Warsaw, Poland to the Eastern German border, mainly because they had to deal with the Soviets and the politics of that tenuous alliance. Eventually, things were working out so that US/UK and Soviet forces could march east and they had made it to the border of Eastern German and were closing in fast. They were close enough for long range artillery strikes to begin hitting the surrounding towns like Strausberg, Woltersdorft, and Neuenhagen. Closer and closer they were getting to the capital which in turn made people nervous. Hitler among them but Herman Freisinger was calm because his plans had come to fruition.
The German army had been in disarray from the constant air bombings and were preparing for their final stand in Berlin from the encroaching army to the east. In the days that followed, Freisinger had moved key people into positions of power and removed those that weren't necessary as the Allies drew closer and the situation got more and more desperate. Now with the Allies so close, it was time. He gathered his men in a conference room of the security building and they were all poured glasses of champagne for this moment.
[Clink-Clink-Clink]
Freisinger clinked his glass to get the attention of all the other officers in the room. "I've just received word. We have safe passage from Berlin." The men cheered as Freisinger looked at them one by one. "Three years we have waited for this moment. Many good men were lost. Rommel. Steiner. Hezel. Savage. But I promised you…Project Phoenix would succeed. Hitler has paid for his weakness and now history will remember him as we do. A failure! And a coward. The Allies are nearly upon us…and Berlin is burning. But from the ashes shall rise our vision for something greater." Freisinger picked up his glass and raised it high. "To the Fourth Reich!"
All the men in the room held up their hands in salute. "Heil Freisinger!"
A block away…
Clark opened his eyes after his super hearing caught everything. "Phoenix…rise from the ashes…of course. So obvious." Clark sat up and walked out of the room to see the two teams sitting around. Clark and the others had successfully snuck into Berlin when Project Phoenix and Freisinger did. They followed them to the Reich's security building and stuck around with Clark finding them a nice hiding spot in the underground train tunnels. There were some old maintenance tunnels that no one had used in years and were only a short distance from the building so it was perfect for them to hide. They had brought along some supplies and during that time, Clark took note of where everything was including where Hitler's bunker was. Kind of hard to miss with X-ray vision. Part of him was tempted to get him the second he saw him but Hitler had hidden himself away in the bunker since the heavy bombings began weeks ago out of fear. He'd get him after Freisinger. "They're moving. It's time."
"Finally." Polina loaded her sniper rifle.
"What was their plan?" Arthur asked.
"Project Phoenix is a coup. Freisinger is going to let Hitler and everyone fall while he takes the rest of the Reich underground and rebuilds it elsewhere." Clark explained.
"Not if we have anything to say about it." Dugan cocked his shotgun. "What's his escape plan?"
"Tempelhof Airport. They're moving now. The tunnels lead straight to the airport. Go, take care of them. I'll buy you guys a distraction. Webb, tell the 6th Army to bring it." Clark gave them all a nod before he super sped away while Webb activated his radio.
"You are a go. I repeat, you are a go."
A battalion of soldiers were moving to the city's eastern defenses when they all felt a gust of wind brush past them. "Look!" One of the men shouted and pointed at the top of a building where they saw the Superman standing with Captain America's shield in hand.
"Germany! You have one chance! Surrender now!" Clark shouted, his voice echoing out for blocks if not more. Immediately the soldiers opened fire while air sirens began going off mainly because another bombing run was incoming but kismet for Superman's appearance. Clark's eyes began glowing red and he began firing bursts of heat vision at trucks and defensive emplacements nearby. Some AA guns on a street he blew up along with armored half-tracks and Pak 38 artillery guns. Berlin quickly turned into chaos as Clark jumped high into the air smashed down somewhere in the city.
His goal? Keep the Germans focused on him.
Taskforce Vanguard and the Howling Commandos moved through the tunnels to the tunnel entrance under the Reich Security building. They were moving quickly and when they emerged from the tunnels they saw uniformed Nazi officers piling into vehicles for transport with armed escort.
Freisinger saw them and pulled out his pistol. "Kill them! Open fire!" He ordered and some of the soldiers opened fire, forcing the teams behind cover while a few managed to get some shots in that took out some of the soldiers and a few members of Project Phoenix. The rest quickly piled into cars and drove down the tunnels.
"He's getting away!" Dugan shouted so Wade rushed over to a truck and got in the driver's seat after yanking out the dead driver.
"Get in!" Wade started up the truck and everyone climbed into the back before they took off.
"Can you catch up to Freisinger?!" Arthur shouted.
"This is a truck, not a hot rod." Wade told him.
"I just need to see the back of his head." Polina said, readying her rifle.
"Tough shot, we taking bets?" Lucas wondered.
"How much are you willing to lose?" Polina remarked as the truck continued down the tunnel when they began taking fire as they closed in on Freisinger and the rest. They drove on the underground railway tracks with Wade struggling to keep them steady. Polina tried to line up a shot but with all the moving she couldn't. "I can't get a clean shot!"
'There's plenty of other krauts to shoot at!" Lucas pointed out, ripping part of the truck's canvas away so he could see.
"Everyone, open fire!" Logan shouted. With such a large spray of bullets they managed to kill all the Nazis in one of the cars which caused it to swerve into a pillar and crash. There were still two more cars ahead but the team kept firing when heavy artillery rounds began to go off in the tunnels. Wade swerved them to a stop as Freisinger and his men had joined up with some soldiers manning a checkpoint. They went topside up the stairs while Taskforce Vanguard and the Commandos moved with purpose. Arthur split them up and lead a flanking maneuver that took out the artillery teams. They advanced through the underground railway tunnels and up to the surface, following Freisinger when they saw a lot of dead officers who had caught stray bullets or suffered from falling debris.
"Look. Freisinger left them behind." Anna Drake pointed out as they made their way past all the civilians who too busy sheltering in place to care about them.
"That's what he does. But he won't get away." Polina said as they kept moving up when they saw their exit was blocked by a ceiling collapse. "It's our only way out."
"We have no choice. Come on." Arthur grabbed part of the debris and others helped him move it out of the way when it was suddenly lifted up and they saw Clark. "Good timing."
"Not good enough. Just missed Freisinger." Clark tossed the debris away and led them up to the surface which looked like a warzone. Allied planes were in the air, having just finished their bombing runs and which turned buildings into rubble, the park in front of them had become No Mans Land, and there were large fires all over the place.
"Fuck me, dead, boss. You really did a number on this place." Lucas said with pride.
"Good. Let's see how they like it." Polina sneered.
"Part of it. Bombers did most of it." Clark told them.
"I sure hope the runway doesn't look like this." Wade added.
"All right. Through the park. The airport is right ahead. Move!" Clark shouted and they all ran, following him as he led the way. Clark used the shield to block stray bullets and fired bursts of his heat vision while the team fired their guns while they ran. They scrambled from cover to cover, nearing the airport when they saw two tanks turned their guns at them. Clark threw the shield at one, slicing through the cannon before a burst of his heat vision melted through the other. The others laid down heavy fire on the soldiers protecting the entrance to the airport before advancing. Clark fired a burst of heat vision at the reinforced doors of the airport, melting through the steel and striking some containers that held grenades, mortars, and rockets which then went off in a massive explosion.
"Oh, shit!" Wade exclaimed.
"Move in!" Clark shouted and the team moved in. He threw the shield and it ricocheted around, taking out German after German while the others mopped up. Clark was racing around the area at super speed to take out the Germans but also protect the team. They moved past the lobby and down two hallways before they stopped at some double doors where they heard a lot of shouting. "Lucas, you got some grenades?"
"Always do, boss. I'll give 'em me best." Lucas pulled the pins of three grenades and Dugan propped open the door before he threw them in. Three muffled explosions later and Clark kicked the door down before they all moved in force. Guns spraying bullets everywhere and when they went dry they use their knives. They advanced forward moving quickly, effectively, and with purpose as the Germans fell one by one. They pressed on into the hangar of the airport and saw the airfield in view. All they needed to do was get past the hangar doors.
"Ready yourselves. This is it!" Clark grabbed onto one of the doors and slammed it to the side as Wade, Lucas, and Logan raced out and tackled the nearest German soldiers while the others opened fire. They saw Freisinger's car and opened fire, killing the remaining loyalists with him and his soldiers while he slammed on the accelerator and drove to the plane.
"Run, Kal!"
"Get him!"
"Don't stop! Just run!"
"Back off, wanker!"
Clark raced through the field, shield in hand and barreled through five soldiers in his way as he saw Freisinger pull up to the airplane. He saw Clark and grabbed his bag only for Clark to throw the shield and hit him in the chest. Freisinger hit the ground hard but quickly tried to scramble to his feet, pulling out his pistol only for Clark to yank it out of his hands and pointed it at his face.
"It's over." Clark kept the gun aimed at Freisinger's face but rather than be scared or frantic, he was just smug. The others caught up to Clark, all well and good except for some bruises and maybe scratches and cuts from bullets skimming them in near misses. They all surrounded Freisinger and kept their guns on him.
"You cannot kill me." Freisinger said.
"And yet here we are." Clark told him.
Freisinger just sat up and dusted off his jacket. "I don't believe that they ordered you to kill me. I'm too valuable to lose." The man's twisted smiled just made them all want to shoot him.
"Hey, either shoot him or bring him, I'm starting the plane." Wade walked over to the cargo plane to prepare their exit.
"He'll never talk." Polina said to Clark who yanked Freisinger onto his feet. Freisinger, being the egotistical man that he was couldn't help but twist the knife just a little bit more and it would be his undoing.
"Your nations will make sure I'm well taken care of…as payment for my cooperation. A peaceful new beginning. A life of American luxury…might suit me." Freisinger looked at Polina and smirked. "Perhaps I might even start a new family."
He chuckled and walked to the plane which was the last straw. "Not for you!" Polina whacked him in the back of the head with the butt of her rifle and he fell forward, landing near some gasoline drums. She pulled out her knife and approached but no one stopped her. "There is no starting over." She stabbed the gasoline drum and it spilled out, completely soaking Freisinger from head to toe. He scrambled away but Logan kicked him back into the center while Polina took out a cigarette and lit it. "This is your new beginning, fashistskaya svin'ya."
She tossed her lighter to Clark who caught it with one hand as Freisinger screamed in frustration. "Do you even know who I am?! The value that I can provide?!" He shouted but got no sympathy from the team so he looked at Superman. "What about you, Superman? I hear you care about others. Your empathy…surely you must see how important I am. Compromise…for the greater good…"
Everyone looked at Clark who still held the lighter in his hands but hadn't yet lit it, like he was weighing his options. He looked at each member of his team and then at Freisinger one last time. "You're right. I've compromised. Done things in this war that won't make me sleep well. Things I'll live with for the rest of my life and wonder if it was the right call to make." Clark spoke and Freisinger had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "But you…" Clark lit the lighter. "…you wouldn't be worth it."
He tossed the lighter at Freisinger and Polina threw her cigarette causing Freisinger to go up in flames. He raced around, screaming in pain but no one lifted a finger to help him before he finally fell to the ground and burned to death, hopefully to a crisp.
"I suppose that's it, then." Lucas remarked.
"Yeah, missions over." Dugan picked up Cap's shield and handed it to Clark. "Let's get out of here."
They all got on the plane, ready to leave it all behind. Clark was the last one on and saw all the crates and boxes that had been brought on. All of Project Phoenix. "Looks like we did accomplish our mission. Wade, get us out of here!"
"Roger that!" Wade started up the plane and took off down the runway. Once the plane was in the air, they headed east to a runway back behind Allied lines. Clark and his team started to go through the boxes of files as he looked out at Berlin. Part of him was tempted to jump out now and stick around, keeping fighting until they surrendered but he'd do that after…after he got his team to safety.
He owed them that.
An hour later…
[Bam!]
Clark kicked in the door to the bunker underneath the Reich Hall and immediately was shot at by two SS officers but he kept walking. They kept firing until the guns ran dry so Clark kicked one into a wall and then threw the other into the ceiling. He pressed on and encountered a dozen more officers who tried to kill him but he took care of them with ease before he moved on to the secondary more secure bunker. He heard a lot of movement behind the door but knew what they were doing so he kicked it down and blitzed at super speed, knocking down everyone single person he came across before returning to his spot in the doorway. There, he saw dozens of people sprawled out on the ground or on top of one another after being hit by something hard and moving very fast. Whatever guns that were on their persons were in Clark's hand and he crumpled them into a ball before tossing it over his right shoulder.
One of the men dressed a bit differently from the others, not in a military uniform but more a suit, reached into his pockets to find something but couldn't find anything. That's when Clark walked over and knelt down to show him about a dozen capsules he had in his hand, having taken them when he knocked everyone down and frisked them. Cyanide. "I don't think so Mr. Goebbels." Clark spoke in perfect German and judging by the flop sweat running down his face, he knew that Goebbels knew who he was. "I'm only going to ask you this once. Where…is…Hitler?"
Goebbels stayed defiant and didn't say anything though the sweat trickling down his face and the subtle ticks and facial movements told Clark all he need to know. He was afraid. Unlike the woman next to him, Mrs. Goebbels who was as zealous as they come and wouldn't show weakness. After everything Clark had been through today, he just wanted this to end so he punched a massive hole in the wall right behind Goebbels' head and his eyes glowed bright red. His heat vision was so powerful that Goebbels was getting some slight burns from being too close. "WHERE?!"
Clark's voice was like thunder and it echoed throughout the bunker, making the women shirk back in fright. He wasn't in the mood to play games.
"Burnt…we burnt…we burnt him…" Goebbels muttered out and Clark stood up and walked away, stepping over the man's accidental urination. Clark walked away but turned his head back and his eyes glowed red again.
"Don't move…" An ominous warning that did its job, instilling fear in the bunker's residents while he walked back up to the surface. There he stopped at a recently filled hole and while any normal person wouldn't bat an eye, Clark wasn't normal. He used his x-ray and supervision and buried in the ground he saw ashes and small charred bone fragments. A cremation. This was Hitler's burial.
Was it a little anticlimactic? Perhaps. All this death and war started by one man who in his last moments decided to go the cowards way out and take his own life. Did Clark maybe want to get in a word at Hitler? Maybe, but all he could think right now as he heard the distant sound of fighting getting closer and closer? He was just glad this was over. The Allies were marching into Berlin, Hitler was dead, and he likely had the other high ranking Nazi leaders trapped in the bunker. It was over.
Victory in Europe.