Hitler was the best General the Russians had. The Once Mighty German Army was pretty much destroyed by this time. But they still were fighting hard all the way to the end.
I always wondered if Hitler would have allowed the Russians to set up a puppet state, like Vichy, how many Russians would have gladly taken up the offer, to escape the Stalinist tyranny?
The Nazis didn’t leave the Russians any choice, but to fight back, even if it was for Comrade Stalin.