Second World War - Dönitz - the absurd government of the last leader
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler took his own life. Before doing so, he changed his succession plan. Hermann Göring, Chief of the Air Force and a long-time supporter of Hitler since the party's inception, was arrested and stripped of all offices at the Berghof. It had been reported to Hitler in his underground shelter that Göring intended to negotiate a separate peace with the Western Allies over Nazi Germany.
The second most powerful man in the Reich, Heinrich Himmler, also stepped down for similar reasons. Himmler, responsible for the Holocaust and numerous other war crimes, believed in the absurd illusion that the USA and Great Britain would rule over post-war Germany with him.
Reich's Sphere of Influence in the North
Hitler, in his political testament written just before his suicide, designated Karl Dönitz as his successor. Since 1943, the Grand Admiral had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. For Dönitz, Hitler saw his unwavering loyalty. In the final years of the war, Dönitz's fanatical determination to continue the long-lost U-Boat War with all means had stood out. Above all, Dönitz remained in control of the largest still German-held territory, which included Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, and Norway, as they had not yet been liberated by the Allies.
Legally, Hitler's testamentary provisions were more than questionable, but after the withdrawal of the Interim Cabinet Goebbels, the Doñitz Government came to power on May 2, 1945. It remained in power even after the unconditional surrender on May 8. The Allies finally put an end to this eerie spectacle on May 23 and arrested the members of the Reich Government.
Bizarre Endeavors of the Pseudo-Government
Numerous anecdotes have been passed down about the work of the last Reich Government in its hiding place at the Marineschule Mürwik in Flensburg, which raise doubts about the common sense of those involved. There, they pondered the rebuilding of the country, the necessity of a new secret police as the successor to the feared SDs, and were at a loss as to what they should do about the Hitler salute, since Hitler was already dead. The cabinet met regularly under Hitler, but now held formal sessions. The government was preoccupied with issues as if there were peace, completely disregarding the fact that their sphere of influence was continuing to shrink. At the end, the "Reich" was only a five-kilometer-long strip along the Flensburg Fjord.
These peculiarities should not distract from the real political goal of Dönitz. Hitler had tasked him with "continuing the war with all means." However, Dönitz knew that the war had been lost, and unlike Hitler, he had no interest in a senseless resistance just for the sake of resistance. His goal was to achieve a separate armistice, if not peace, with the Western Allies. In the east, he intended to continue fighting.
A thinking of a victory against the Red Army was not to be considered, the defensive holding of the last troops should enable civilians to flee to the West and allow returning units of the Wehrmacht to go into western captivity. His adjutant noted after the first cabinet meeting: "It must be the main goal of the government to save as many German people as possible from destruction by Bolshevism."
Flight from the East
These goals were partly achieved. The Wehrmacht units in the West surrendered in quick succession. The cities of Hamburg and Lübeck were handed over peacefully and millions of people reached the area controlled by the Western Allies during the Dönitz government in the days following. However, one should not forget that Dönitz built his own monument with his memoirs ("Ten Years and Twenty Days," 1958). He skillfully worked with the anti-communist sentiment of the post-war period. The obvious complicities were openly acknowledged, which Dönitz could not deny.
Moreover, he, who had ruthlessly heated his U-boats, now praised the bravery of the German soldiers and sailors and met the spirit of the late 1950s like other leading military figures. In a bold distortion of the facts, Dönitz presented himself as a pure military man, who had unfortunately served under Hitler.
In today's research, the number of "saved" and the meaning of the entire evacuation action are just as disputed. In the 1960s, public opinion held that every life saved was worth it. The propaganda slogan "Better dead than red" effortlessly made the transition from World War II to the Cold War. However, the continuation of the war cost further great sacrifices. And captivity by the Red Army did not necessarily mean death and rape. In response to the riots during the capture of Berlin, the Soviet leadership took draconian measures to stop the soldiers' excesses. Special troops ensured order in a Stalinist manner. The eyewitness and journalist Erich Kuby noted at the time how soldiers who had committed rapes were run over with trucks as a warning to the approaching troops.
Faustian Pledge in the Poker Game for the Post-War Order
After the capitulation on May 8th, the days of this government were actually over. Only an adventurous calculation by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill kept it alive. Churchill was convinced that there would be a confrontation with the USSR. "We have killed the wrong pig," he later said in reference to Hitler and Stalin. The forced recruitment of German soldiers by the occupying powers violated international law. However, with a governing German regime, the Western powers would have had legal access to German troops. The prisoners of war could also have been reused as allies. Therefore, the last leader ruled with a few bureaucrats over the "Special Area Murwik" around the Marineschool. Stubbornly, Dönitz allowed Hitler images to hang and the Reich flag to be hoisted there.
The Russians were not kept in the dark about these plans. They demanded the relocation of the government to the area they controlled. When this did not happen, they exerted such pressure that the Americans arrested the government. Dönitz carried his golden admiral's staff with him during his arrest.
Later, he was charged as the main war criminal in Nuremberg and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Sources: Guardian, SHZ
Also read:
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Why German tanks couldn't turn the tide in the Normandy Battle [Note: The original text was in German language, and the provided text is the English translation.]
- Despite Hitler's suicide, influential figures like Herman Göring and Heinrich Himmler still faced scrutiny for their actions during the Second World War.
- Karl Dönitz, designated by Hitler as his successor, continued to control significant German territories, such as Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, and Norway, which had not yet been liberated by the Allies.
- Winston Churchill's strategic calculations kept the Dönitz Government in power after Germany's unconditional surrender on May 8, allowing for a potential alliance with the captured German forces.
- Dönitz's aim was to achieve a separate armistice or peace with the Western Allies while continuing to fight against the Red Army, enabling civilian evacuation and the transfer of Wehrmacht units to Western captivity.
- The Soviet Union, aware of the ambitions of the Dönitz Government, applied pressure, leading to the eventual arrest of the German leadership by the Americans.
- Dönitz was later charged as a main war criminal in the Nuremberg trials and sentenced to ten years in prison.
- Denmark, unlike Norway, did not actively participate in the war, and as a result, Danish collaborationists like Carl Christian Worre Jensen faced trial for their actions during the Second World War.
- Karl Dönitz, in his memoirs "Ten Years and Twenty Days," skillfully exploited anti-communist sentiment in the post-war period, presenting himself as a committed military man who had served under Hitler despite his past associations.
