Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death
Page 135
said Goebbels, all must then answer: ‘The Jews were to blame!’84
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 821
1 JG speech, Dec 31, 1943. BBC monitoring report, text and commentary (PRO file
FO.371/34454); NYT, Jan 1; SD report on, Jan 3 (NA film T175, roll 265, 1265ff) and Jan 6,
1944 (ibid., 1286ff).
2 RPL leaflet, weekly slogan of NSDAP, Jan 2–8, 1944 (Yivo, G–169).
3 Jay W Baird, MS, ‘The Memoirs of Goebbels’ Deputy, Dr Werner Naumann,’ 2 vols.
Quoted by Elke Fröhlich of IfZ.—In his speech on Hitler’s birthday JG said much the same,
that Hitler always had an instinct for the right and necessary course of action. (DAZ, Jan 21,
1944).
4 Oven, ‘Jan 5, 1944.’
5 Circular No.158 to all RPÄ, Jan 22, 1944 (NA film T84, roll 169, 6299).
6 JG speech, ‘Der Krieg als Weltanschauungskampf,’ Jan 25, 1944 (NA film T77, roll 852,
8135ff).
7 Circular No.202, Jan 27 (NA film T84, roll 169, 6250). In his diary, Feb 10, 1944, JG
estimated that Berlin had suffered 10,000 dead and missing from the air war.—I am indebted
to Dr R–G Reuth for the 1944 diary, obtained from ZStA Potsdam files via the IfZ.
8 Dr Scharping, radio slogan, Jan 29, 1944 (NA film T84, roll 169, 6228).
9 Only two days earlier JG had asked the armed forces and party to provide men on
standby in his remaining theatres to help fight any fires. JG, air war notice No.84, Jan 26,
1944 (NA film T84, roll 322, 1287f).
10 Oven, ‘Feb 2, 1944,’ 229.
11 He quoted the SD report in his diary, Feb 5. For a discussion of his campaign to repair
morale, see NYT, Feb 6, 1944.
12 Diary, Feb 29, 1944.
13 JG to Hitler, Feb 4, 1944 (BA file NL.118/106).
14 Diary, Feb 10, 1944.
15 Ibid., Feb 16; the NYT reported, falsely, on Mar 13, 1944 that JG had escaped death in
the hotel only by minutes.
16 Diary, Feb 23, 24, 1944.
17 JG, ‘Der Krieg als Weltanschuungskampf,’ Jan 25, 1944 (NA film T77, roll 852, 8135ff)
18 The transcript is not found, but see Himmler’s handwritten speech notes for Jan 26,
1944: ‘… Race struggle. Total solution. Don’t let avengers emerge against our children…’
(NA film T175, roll 94, 4836). The wording was similar in Himmler’s speeches of Oct 6,
1943 (BDC file 238/III) and May 5, 1944 (NA film T175, roll 92, 3476ff).
19 So Colonel Rudolf-Christoph Baron von Gersdorff recalled in Soldat im Untergang (Munich,
1977); Bodo Scheurig quoted the colonel’s original MS in FAZ, Jul 21, 1993.
20 Remark by Rear-Admiral Engel, CSDIC(UK) report SRGG.1167(C) in PRO file
WO.208/4169.
21 Hitler’s speech of Jan 27, 1944 is recorded in BA files, Schumacher collection, file 365.
Cf. David Irving, Hitler’s War (London, 1991), 606 and the diaries of the naval staff, Jodl,
Maximilian von Weichs (Mar 3, 1944) and Salmuth (Mar 27, 1946), and the remarks of
Generals von Rothkirch in CSDIC(UK) report SRGG.1135 and Veith, SRGG.1149 (PRO
file WO.208/4169).— The note in Reuth edition of the diaries, 1981, relies on the inadequate
version in Manstein’s memoirs, Verlorene Siege (Bonn, 1955), 579ff.
22 Diary, Feb 6, 1944.
822 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
23 Ibid., Feb 29, 1944.
24 Oven, ‘Nov 1943’, 176f.
25 JG, secret speech to the Reichleiters and gauleiters on the political and military situation,
Feb 23, 1944. Printed text on NA film T175, roll 145, 3659ff. Reuth, 1991, wrongly
states the speech’s text is unknown.
26 Diary, Feb 10, 1944.
27 Ibid., Feb 29; Oven, ‘Mar 1, 1944,’ 244f.
28 Schmundt collected all the signatures by Mar 10, and the field marshals ceremonially
read it out to Hitler at Schloss Klessheim on Mar 19 (diary, Mar 11, 14, 20, 1944); see too
the diaries of Schmundt (BA-MA: H4/12) and Weichs.
29 JG, ‘In Neunzig Tagen,’ in Das Reich, Jan 20; circulated by RPL (NA film T81, roll 69,
6415f); NYT, Jan 20; analysed by the OSS on Mar 4, 1944 (NA file RG.226, entry 16, box
706, file 60777).
30 Diary, Mar 4, 1944.
31 Ibid., Mar 16, 1944.
32 Ibid., Mar 4; Oven, ‘Apr 2, 1944’, 268.
33 Ibid., ‘Mar 16, 1944’, 251, 256.
34 Two photos of such airmen were issued by the DNB agency on Dec 23, 1943 (BA,
Oberheitmann collection; ND: NG.3800).
35 Roger Freeman, The Mighty Eighth (New York, 1970), 114f; Oven, ‘Mar 8, 1944,’ 248ff.—
By the end of March the US Eighth Air Force had carried out four missions to Berlin: 600
bombers on Mar 8 against Erkner; on Mar 9 four-mile high clouds over Berlin prevented the
mission; on Mar 22, 800 bombers attacked, dropping 40% incendiaries.
36 Diary, Mar 11, 1944.
37 Ibid., Mar 14, 1944.
38 Ibid., Mar 9, 1944.
39 The NYT interpreted it on Mar 10, 1944 as ‘one of the most open appeals to British
Conservative circles ever to come out of Berlin.’
40 Diary, Mar 15, 1944.
41 Ibid., Mar 28; Martin, 148f, gets it wrong, stating that JG wanted to persuade Hitler to
send the divisions east. Not so.
42 SD report, Mar 30, 1944 (NA film T175, roll 265, 1858ff.); Dr Immanuel Schäffer,
interrogation, PWB report SAIC.16, Jun 6, 1945 (NA file RG.332, entry ETO, Mis-Y, Sect.,
box 116).
43 Martin, 151.
44 Gutterer memoirs MS, in Lower Saxony state archives, Wolfenbüttel; Muhs affidavit
(ibid.); and interview of Gutterer, Jun 30, 1993.
45 Diary, Apr 18, 1944.—On the scandal, which involved the SS swindler, Oberfähnrich
der Reserve, and ‘Count’ Monti, see Helmuth Rosencrantz ‘Busum diary’, Jul 1945 (see
notes to ‘Valkyrie’ chapter) and SS-Gruppenführer Ohlendorf, CSDIC(UK) PW paper
No.133, Aug 11, 1945: ‘Notes on Corruption and Corrupt Personalities in Germany’ (PRO
file WO.208/4175).
46 On Apr 25, 1944. Oven, ‘Apr 29, 1944’; BDC file, Naumann.
47 Diary, Apr 17, 1944.
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 823
48 Ibid., Mar 31; Oven, ‘Apr 2, 1944’, 266f.
49 NYT, Apr 8, 1944.
50 Statement of Oberzahlmeister Olbrich, Feb 5, 1945, in CSDIC(UK) report SIR.1434.—
JG to Hitler, Jul 18, 1944 (NL.118/107).
51 Circular to gauleiters, Apr 5, 1944 (NA film T581, roll 16; BA file NS.26/291).
52 JG to Hitler, Apr 20, 1944 (BA file NL.118/106); Oven, ‘Apr 20, 1944’, 276, cites a
different text. The BA would not permit me to re-check the file. See Author’s Introduction.
53 Discounting JG’s propaganda, Allen Dulles of the OSS reported from Berne, ‘The workers
perform mechanically because they must eat and because of the Gestapo terror.’ (W J Donovan
to FDR, Jul 15, 1944, in FDR Libr., PSF box 168).
54 Oven, ‘Apr 20, 1944, 276.
55 Morell diary, May 9; JG diary, Apr 18, 1944.
56 Oven, ‘Apr 12, 1944,’ 272ff.
57 Diary, Apr 18, 1944.
58 Ibid., May 13; his RPÄ (field agencies) reported that people were actively looking forward
to the invasion, though depressed about the ongoing ‘air terror’ (diary, May 12, 1944).
59 SD report, May 25 (NA film T175, roll 265, 2049ff, 2052ff) and Jun 1 (pp.2062ff);
diary, May 16, 1944.
60 Freeman, 136, 140.
61 Oven, ‘May 9, 1944.’
/> 62 Ibid., ‘May 7’; Morell diary, May 8–9, 1944.
63 Diary, May 18; JG to General Heidrich, Apr 28, 1944 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep.90 Go 1,
vol.3).
64 Morell diary, May 19, 1944.
65 Freeman, 126f, states that the US 8th Fighter Command had flown six strafing missions
from Mar 26–Apr 12, shooting up thirty-six trains.
66 The RMVP announced at a press conf. the next day that lynchings of captured American
pilots had been prevented only with difficulty: NYT, May 24.—The Swedish Aftonbladet reported
that six American aviators had recently been lynched: Reuter’s, May 30 (PRO file
FO.371/38995).
67 Diary, May 24, 1944.
68 Brandt to Klopfer, Jul 26, 1944 (NA film T175, roll 33, 1405); Staff Evidence Analysis,
Aug 21, 1947, in OMGUS files, NA, RG.260, shipping list 53–3/7, box 15); BDC file,
Berndt (his enemies wanted him prosecuted for the act); and note by Keitel, in IMT, vol.v,
20.
69 Diary, May 25; JG article, ‘Ein Wort zum feindlichen Luftterror,’ VB, May 27 and 28/29,
1944; ND: 1676–PS; DNB, May 26; The Times, May 27; NYT, May 27–29.—On May 29,
1944 Berlin radio commented that German police would ‘refrain from interfering with
German mobs who attempt to lynch American aviators.’
70 For obvious reasons Allied military censorship requested that Goebbels’ implicit threat
not be reported in the British media. Memo, Nash to F K Roberts (FO), May 30; Ottawa to
Morley-Scott, Canadian High Commissioner in London, May 27, and letter from him to
Roberts, May 31; Roberts replied that the British government would not ask Berlin for an
explanation unless ‘information reaches us that any of our airmen have been lynched.’ The
824 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
FO explained to Ottawa on Jun 1, 1944 that they ‘wish to avoid all publicity, as likely to have
[an] unsettling effect [on] Allied airmen taking part in operations over Germany.’ The British
press agreed to suppress all such stories along with the report that six American aviators had
been lynched (PRO file FO.371/38995).
71 Paul K Schmidt, interrogation, Nov 4, 1947 (NA film M.1019, roll 64).
72 JG’s travel file, ‘Trip to Sonthofen (political-ideological course for active frontline army
and corps commanders) and briefing stop at Augsburg’ is in ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01.
73 Himmler speech, May 24, 1944 (NA film T175, roll 94, 4609ff): The Jewish Problem
had been, he said, ‘solved uncompromisingly—on orders and at the dictate of sound common-
sense.’ He again hinted that Jewish women and children had been killed too.
74 Interrogation of Obergrenadier Sanktjohanser, a waiter at Sonthofen: CSDIC(UK) report
SIR.1324 (NA file RG332, Mis-Y, box 6; RG-165, entry 79, box 775).
75 Oven, ‘May 24, 1944,’ 315f.
76 Berndt to Hinkel, Nov 9, 1943 (BDC file, Berndt).
77 Rosenberg briefing of Hitler, Nov 17, 1943 (NA film T120, roll 2474, E.255448): he
suggested distributing half a million copies of his antisemitic fortnightly magazine Weltdienst
to the foreigners.—For correspondence Rosenberg–Hitler–Lammers–JG, Dec 1943 see
ND: NG.1062.—
78 JG to Ribbentrop, Jan 27 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, vol.791); Oven, ‘Feb 27,’ 239f;
diary, Mar 4, 1944.
79 Diary, Mar 13, 1944; on the Nazis’ deportation of the Jews from Hungary, see SSObersturmbannführer
Adolf Eichmann’s MS (in author’s collection).
80 Diary, Apr 22, 1944.
81 Ibid., Apr 27, 1944.
82 Ibid., May 4; a Jun 1944 memorandum by Dr Wolf Meyer-Christian on the treatment of
the Jewish problem in the German press is in Yivo file G–117.
83 An OSS report of Jul 10, 1944 (via US naval attaché, Istanbul) stated that JG ‘thinks of
everyone, and his talks and writing show that he has the welfare of all classes at heart’ (NA
file RG.226, entry 16, box 0975, report 87179).
84 Diary of Ulrich von Hassell, Jun 8, 1944. Most of his listeners had been impressed by
JG’s ‘great intellect,’ observed Hassell. ‘Only a few noticed that when all is said and done it
was the speech of a man who had shot his bolt.’
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 825
Goebbels
53: The Long-Awaited Day
TO impress his ascetic Führer, Goebbels chose this moment in June 1944 to
quit smoking (for the umpteenth time). ‘A certain nervousness arises,’ he
dictated on the third. ‘Thanks to the constant air raid bulletins.’ The Allied bomber
forces shortly transferred their attentions to the German synthetic oil refineries. In
Italy the Allies battle for Rome had begun. The eastern front was quiet. Nothing had
yet happened in France either. One of Rommel’s men told Dr Goebbels that the
invasion scare was a monstrous Churchillian bluff.1
On his way down to the Obersalzberg on June 4 the propaganda minister spoke to
fifty thousand people gathered in the ruins of Nuremberg’s Adolf-Hitler Platz. ‘As
for all these Jewish tricks and intimidation attempts,’ he shrilled, ‘we can only say
one thing: We’re ready!’2
He whiled away the evening with the delectable young Countess Faber-Castell;
later, at her husband’s castle outside the city, Goebbels listened to her singing, accompanied
her on the piano, hummed the tune, or asked for a favourite song like ‘A
Little Melody shall Join us Forever.’ It was 4:35 A.M. as he boarded the train onward
to Munich.3
Shortly, Lieutenant von Oven brought him the latest telegrams. The United Press
reported that Allied troops had entered Rome, greeted by Red Flags and communist
salutes. ‘Onward, Christian soldiers,’ commented Goebbels to the lieutenant. ‘What
good was Rome to us anyway. Just two million more mouths to feed.’
826 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
Hitler still expected the invasion to come in Normandy and nowhere else. Field
Marshal Rommel however expected the enemy to land between Dieppe and the
Somme. ‘He has told me,’ reported Berndt to Goebbels after touring these defences,
‘that if the enemy manages to get ashore it won’t be easy to throw them out again.’
Rommel was asking for powerful subversive propaganda to be broadcast over Radio
Luxembourg to the Allied troops, as in 1940.4 The French, continued Berndt, were
eagerly helping the Nazis and being well paid for it. ‘Everywhere there are shouts of
Vive Rommel,’ he reported. ‘The population clusters around and waves to us. They
march off to work singing songs.’5 Rommel, he said, planned to leave France shortly
to visit Hitler.6
It was June 5 when Goebbels read this report. He believed that the invasion would
come in the next five days—or better still not at all. ‘I think the Allies have missed
the bus,’ he said.7
Cars ferried them from Salzburg station up to the Obersalzberg. Morell gave him
a fortifying injection before the meeting with Hitler.