Website explanation: on May 24, 1945 Russian officers finally arrived to inspect Himmler's body. The sketch identifies them as Lt Col Ievlev, Capt Kutchin and Colonel Gorbushin. The bottom line reads, "2nd Army HQ, 1945". Acording to an official statement quoted in The Manchester Guardian, May 25, 1945, these three Russians were the commissioners of Marshal Zhukov supervising the execution of the German surrender. Illustration copyright The Illustrated London News.

[May 2005: Public Record Office London releases documents on the British secret service murder of Heinrich Himmler] [Back to Illustrated London News image map]