on 22 april 1945, two days after adolf hitler's birthday, he arrived in the führerbunker in berlin. he was one of the witnesses to the marriage of hitler to eva braun. on the same day, he took over the leadership from hitler. after hitler's suicide on 30 april, he became the chancellor of germany. he only held this job for one day, because on 1 may 1945, his wife poisoned their six children with the help of an ss doctor. immediately afterward he and his wife went up to the garden of the chancellery, where they killed themselves. the details of their suicides are uncertain. after the war, rear-admiral michael musmanno, a u.s. naval officer and judge, published several accounts apparently based on eye-witness testimony: according to one account. "while schwägermann was preparing the petrol, he heard a shot. goebbels had shot himself and his wife took poison. schwägermann ordered one of the soldiers to shoot goebbels again because he was unable to do it himself." one ss officer said they each took cyanide and ordered an ss trooper to shoot them both. according to another account, goebbels shot his wife and then himself.