The storyline and plot in Downfall follows the perspectives of at least three characters - Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge, physician Ernst-Günther Schenck and Hitler Youth member Peter Kranz, and so there are at least three observable timelines in which the events taking place in Downfall can be grouped into:
- Traudl and the Führerbunker's timeline
- Schenck's timeline
- Peter Kranz's timeline
These timelines criss-cross each other at various points in the film. However, Schenck's timeline never crossed with Peter Kranz's.
Various minor timelines also exist, which follows some other characters, all happening around Berlin. For simplicity's sake, the timelines of all other characters are merged into the Fuhrerbunker's timeline. Hermann Fegelein could have had his own timeline, if not for his extended absence around the Chancellery (and therefore the lack of historical records). Their timelines are considered incomplete, as they mostly died in the course of the film. It can also be noted that the three main timelines in this article had their central character live through the war.
Traudl and the Führerbunker's timeline[]
This timeline loosely follows the events happening around Traudl Junge, who for the most part of the film, resides in and near the Führerbunker. Being one of Hitler's secretaries, it also follows the events of Hitler and his aides, and thus forms the main timeline of the film.
Most of the events happen in parts of the Reich Chancellery e.g. the reception hall, ballroom, Chancellery gardens, and of course the Führerbunker. When it followed some of Hitler's generals (e.g. Helmuth Weidling and Wilhelm Mohnke), the events can happen elsewhere in Berlin.
Schenck's timeline[]
Events in Schenck's timeline occur in a wider range of locations around Berlin. This includes the abandoned office building and the abandoned hospital. Schenck also spends a few days in the Reich Chancellery underground complex, inside a makeshift military hospital. Those days, however, were largely off-screen and Schenck doesn't really meet the other characters common in the Führerbunker timeline so it is considered separate.
Peter Kranz's timeline[]
Parts of Downfall feature the fictional Peter Kranz, a generalization of German's youth towards the end of the war period. Peter's timeline serves to show what happens around Berlin, and what tragedies the Berliners had to deal with. In concurrence with this, almost all of the events taking place in this timeline occur outdoors - on the street battle and on a flak nest erected in the middle of the street. Some indoor scenes, when Peter fled his post and returns to his home, serves to show domestic conflicts.
Interactions[]
Schenck's timeline | Traudl and the Führerbunker's timeline | Peter Kranz's timeline |
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Present era | ||
Doesn't occur in the same era and place of the rest of the film |
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1942, Wolfsschanze | ||
20 April (daytime) | ||
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20 April (nighttime) | ||
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21 April (daytime) | ||
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21 April (nighttime) | ||
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between 22-28 April | ||
Characters from all timelines made a cameo appearance in a montage | ||
Date unknown | ||
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Albert Speer's mini timeline | ||
They actually arrived on 26 April 1945, so the scene might have been pushed backwards in time | ||
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Actual death on 24 April 1945, scene's timeline might have been pushed forward in the film. | ||
May have occurred on 28 April 1945, assuming Fegelein was arrested and executed on the same day/night | ||
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29 April | ||
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30 April | ||
1 - 2 May | ||
Krebs met Chuikov twice, once on 1 May and the other a day later. |
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Present era | ||
(Peter Kranz's fate is not mentioned, as he's a fictional character.) |
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- Unless specified, the dates occur in the year 1945.