The Journey of Anna Eichenwald

by Donald Hunt

  On the night the Goering telegram arrived, Albert Speer, the remarkable architect and Armament Minister landed in a small military plane on a broad boulevard near the Brandenburg gate, one block from the Chancellery. Speer was loyal to Hitler and came to make a confession that he had not carried out the Fuehrer’s orders for the ‘scorched earth’ destruction of Germany. He expected to be arrested and possibly shot for insubordination. Much to his surprise, the opposite happened. Hitler showed no anger or malevolence. Instead, he seemed touched by Speer’s candor. This may have been because of his long time affection for this man whom he considered a fellow artist.

  Martin Bormann, personal secretary to Hitler and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, had held up giving the telegram to Hitler. Bormann was a bitter enemy of both Goering and Himmler. He had always resented their positions in the party and had looked for years for ways to discredit them. He presented the Goering telegram to Hitler as an ‘ultimatum’ and stated that what Goering was doing was ‘treasonous’. Immediately, Hitler went from complacent to enrage. He railed about Goering, stating the man had been corrupted by drugs and the fortune he had amassed from Jewish businesses. Soon after this sophistry, he did a turnabout.

  “Well, let Goering negotiate the capitulation all the same. It doesn’t matter anyway who does it.”

  Then just as quickly, after being prompted by Bormann, Hitler dictated a telegram informing Goering that he had committed ‘high treason’ and normally would pay with his life. But because of his long history of service he would only be forced to resign all of his authority and positions in the Reich. Then, on his own and without Hitler’s knowledge, Bormann ordered the immediate arrest of Goering by the SS in Berchtesgaden.

  On April 24, the last two visitors to the Chancellery bunker were summoned. Hanna Reitsch was a test pilot. She had tested many of the experimental planes for the Luftwaffe and had become a close friend and lover of General Robert Ritter von Greim, who was to be appointed Commander of the Luftwaffe. Two days later the two comrades-in-arms flew a light single engine plane into central Berlin. As they descended, they were under heavy fire from Russian anti-aircraft installations and von Greim was hit in the leg. Reitsch took the controls and landed on the same boulevard where Speer had come in. They made it to the Fuehrerbunker where von Greim received medical attention. While his leg wounds were being bandaged Hitler entered the room and asked if von Greim knew why he had been called.

  “No, my Fuehrer.”

  Hitler then began his harangue as his face became red and his eyes bulged. “Because Hermann Goering has betrayed and deserted both me and his fatherland. Behind my back he has established contact with the enemy. His action was a mark of cowardice. Against my orders he has gone to save himself at Berchtesgaden. From there he sent me a disrespectful telegram. It was an ultimatum! A crass ultimatum! Now nothing remains. Nothing is spared me. No allegiances are kept, no honor lived up to, to disappointments that I have not had, no betrayals that I have not experienced, and now this above all else! Nothing remains. Every wrong has already been done me. I immediately had Goering arrested as a traitor to the Reich, took from him all his offices, and removed him from all organizations. That is why I have called you.”

  Two days later on the 28th, the radio listening post of the Propaganda Ministry picked up a transmission from the BBC. It was a dispatch from Stockholm. The news was of the secret negotiations of Himmler to surrender the German Army to Eisenhower. To Hitler, this was the cruelest blow of all.

  Reitsch and von Greim had flown into central Berlin believing they would likely die there. They had obtained cyanide ampoules in the event of a worst-case scenario. But now, everything had changed. Hitler came to the pair and exclaimed in haste, “A traitor must never succeed me as Fuehrer. You must get out ensuring Himmler does not.”

  Now the two pilots would be putting their lives on the line once again for their Supreme Commander. Reitsch and von Greim were the stuff of legends. The general, who had just been made Germany’s last Field Marshal, was a Bavarian by birth. He served in the artillery corps in WW1 only to transfer to the air force in 1915. He was spectacular as a fighter pilot flying two- seater bi-wing aircraft. By war’s end, he had 28 kills. He was awarded the Pour le Merite (Blue Max) and the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph. This medal made him a knight or Ritter – a title of nobility. He was now Ritter von Greim.

  In 1933, Goering had asked him to help rebuild the Luftwaffe, and he eventually began training fighter pilots in secrecy. He met the diminutive Reitsch in 1938 when she began flying the Focke-Achgelis Fa61, a fully controllable helicopter. Although married, von Greim was attracted to Reitsch and they became fast friends. The following year Reitsch was critically injured when she crashed a prototype of the rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163. She spent five months recuperating and at that time, von Greim spent much of his time with her. She was awarded the Iron Cross First Class and their friendship morphed into a permanent bond.

  As they waited for the cover of darkness, Hanna exclaimed to her companion, “I was prepared to die with the Fuehrer. When we flew in I thought it would be our last flight.”

  “War is not only treacherous but totally unpredictable,” he replied. “Now I am the Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe, but I have no Luftwaffe. Our mission is to arrest a traitor to our cause, not die for the Fatherland. So it has all come to this.”

  Hanna stroked his head. “What is honorable?” she asked. “We are still serving the Fuehrer.”

  She leaned over and kissed his forehead. There was only silence and the two slipped deep into thought. They both knew their time was short. Their only regret was not having a future together. The previous year she had learned of the prison camp atrocities from a friend who was an air attaché in Sweden and had decided not to share this information with Robert. He was a soldier first and last. She wanted to spare him the discouragement she knew would befall him if he was to learn of this.

  Darkness settled in and they made their way to the Tiergarten strip where their plane awaited. It had been only lightly damaged and was now refueled. The Russians were only blocks away but the strip had been kept secured by a German brigade. He was helped into the small craft and she followed. Quickly, she went through her pre-flight checks and snapped on the ignition switch. In seconds the engine was roaring. There was no time for a warm up. She pushed the throttle and they were off. Russian soldiers were taken by surprise. Thinking that Hitler might be escaping, they fired small arms fire at the plane as it began to disappear into the darkness. But it was a futile effort.

  Their orders had been to fly to Plon, near the Baltic. Von Ritter turned to Reitsch. “Take us back to Munich. I am the Field Marshal of the Air Force, not a policeman. I have no intention of trying to arrest Himmler.”

  Munich was now in Allied hands and the two were arrested just after touchdown. As they parted, they were allowed a final embrace. They would never see each other again.

  Later on the same evening, Goebbels had located a municipal councilor who was fighting with a unit only blocks away. Sometime between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m., Eva Braun was awarded for her loyalty to Adolph Hitler, who formally married his mistress. His secretaries described the ceremony as a “death marriage”. On the marriage certificate his bride signed Eva B, then crossed out the B and signed Eva Hitler, born Braun. Joseph Goebbels and Martin Bormann signed as witnesses.

  The wedding party and guests retreated to Hitler’s private apartment for a breakfast celebration complete with champagne. Sharing in this celebration were his secretaries, cook, remaining generals, and Dr. and Frau Goebbels. Goebbels recalled his own wedding when the Fuhrer was his best man. Hitler spoke of his dramatic life and National Socialism, both now about to end. There was a short reception. But it was in fact, a farewell line and only Hitler made his way to say his goodbyes. He awkwardly addressed each person mumbling a ‘thank you’ for their service. He passed cyanide ampoule
s to both of his secretaries in case they decided to die with him in the bunker. This act of sophistry was just another illustration of a man who had lived his life impervious to reality.

  Guests melted away, some in tears. Finally, Hitler himself left to meet with one of his secretaries to dictate his will and testament. It was almost 5:00 a.m. when the leader of the Third Reich began to have recorded what he referred to as his ‘Political Testament’. It was divided into two parts. His appeal to posterity and his direction for a successor. The first three paragraphs are as follows:

  “More than thirty years have passed since I made my modest contribution as a volunteer in the First World War, which was forced upon the Reich.

  In these three decades, love and loyalty to my people alone have guided me in all my thoughts, actions, and life. They gave me power to make the most difficult decisions which have ever confronted mortal man….

  It is untrue that I or anybody else in Germany wanted war in 1939. It was wanted and provoked exclusively by those international statesmen who either were of Jewish origin or worked for Jewish interests.”

  He continued the lie that he had proposed a peaceable solution to the British before he invaded Poland. He stated that this solution was rejected because England wanted war and had been influenced by international Jewry. And he placed sole responsibility for the war, the loss of blood and treasure, and his own reprehensible murder of six million Jews – on the Jews. He essentially reverted back to his days as a young man in the beer halls of Munich. It was there he began to curse Jewry for all the ills of the world. It was there he began to hone his skills as a demagogue and chart a course for his ephemeral journey of malevolence. He repeated lie after lie regarding Germany’s lack of responsibility for the war. He also attacked his own military, especially the Army and its officer corps, whom he held responsible for the loss of the war. As a narcissistic, borderline psychopath, he was not able to comprehend the impact of the decisions he alone had made that led to the downfall of National Socialism and Nazism.

  Next, he turned to his successor, first expelling former Field Marshal Goering and former Reichsfuehrer Himmler from the party, stripping them of all offices. Then he appointed Admiral Doenitz, the ranking officer in the Navy, as President of the Reich and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. He listed the men who were to have prominent positions in the government, stressing that above all, the government was to resist international Jewry. His pathologic pre- occupation with anti-Semitism was his dominant thought until his death.

  As with his marriage document, Goebbels and Bormann were co-signatories of the document. His will was brief and explained his decision to marry. He left directions for all of his possessions to go to the party or the state. Finally, he stated his fate:

  My wife and I choose to die in order to escape the shame of overthrow or capitulation. It is our wish that our bodies be burned immediately in the place where I have performed the greater part of my daily work during the twelve years of service to my people.

  Dawn was breaking over the capitol as he went to bed. Russian artillery was being fired at almost point-blank range. In his eyes, his ‘Political Testament’ had formed a new government, and he instructed Goebbels and Bormann to leave the capitol so they might join it. Bormann was determined to carry out the order. He had never intended to share in the death of the man to whom he had devoted so much. Goebbels on the other hand took the opposite tack. For the first time, hewould disobey a direct order from his beloved leader. A future in Germany without Hitler was no future he was willing to share. He had walked ‘arm in arm’ with the Fuhrer to perpetuate the myths of National Socialism. Every success he had experienced he owed to Hitler. To desert him now in his greatest hour of need would be the greatest treason.

  Bormann had been appointed a de facto General Secretary of the Nazi Party. His intent was now to survive and at the same time, prevent Goering from becoming Hitler’s successor. To make certain this would not happen, he sent a follow-up radio message to the SS office at Berchtesgaden:

  “If Berlin and we should fall, the traitors of April twenty-third must be executed. Men, do your duty! Your life and honor depend on it!’

  This was an order to murder Goering and his Air Force staff, whom Bormann thought were under arrest. Unknown to Bormann, Goering had persuaded his captors to join him. Rather than arrest him, they joined him and retreated to a castle in Bavaria he had inherited. As it turned out Goering now had no ambition to rule the crumbling Nazi empire. The Nazi and SS chain of command was unraveling, along with everything else in the Third Reich.

  Admiral Doenitz had been appointed President of the Reich, a fact of which he was unaware. The principle consideration now was to get Hitler’s ‘Political Testament’ document delivered through Russian lines to Doenitz. Three separate messengers to act independently were chosen for this difficult task. They set out at noon on April 29th. Making their way through the Tiergarten they successfully slipped through three separate Russian mobilization points. But the men grew increasingly preoccupied with their own safety, a fact that overshadowed the capricious mission for a defeated country. Eventually they all got through. But it was too late to be of any benefit to the Admiral, who in fact, never saw them.

  * * *

  The last two weeks of April brought spring to Leipzig in vivid color of pellucid beauty. Flowering dogwoods, cherry and peach trees were abundant. In the parks, white and pink azaleas dominated the landscape. Anna and Sarah were now reacquainted with one another and had even been able to frequent one of their favorite restaurants. After Nazi troops vacated the area, Sarah re-claimed her short-wave transmitter and once again began monitoring the BBC.

  One evening they were listening to the short-wave traffic from England. It was a ham- radio operator from Cambridge, seeking information about a relative in the British military. Sarah broke in and with her limited English said, “This is Leipzig, Germany…over.”

  “Hello Leipzig, this is Cambridge…greetings to you…over.”

  “Do you speak German…over?”

  “Negative to that…over.”

  Sarah took a deep breath. “We seek to speak with Professor Hanz Eichenwald, Cambridge physics…over.”

  “I work at the University…will contact and set rendezvous for tomorrow…2100 hours…over.”

  “Copy that…talk tomorrow…over and out.”

  Anna was trying to absorb the news. The chance to speak with her parents was something she had not even considered. So much was happening so quickly. She was still focused on trying to find Eric but was afraid that with the passing of time, it would become more and more difficult. She believed he would be well cared for with Beryl, but had to consider that Beryl Yenzer would eventually return home to Poland. She also was sure that he would take Eric. If he didn’t, Eric would be orphaned in Germany along with thousands of other children. Either option might make it impossible to find a four-year old with only a first name and no known living relatives.

  The war was rapidly ending, but Anna had no money. She could not travel until a peace agreement was fully established and in effect. Sarah did have a small amount of savings and offered it to Anna, but Anna would not accept it. Sarah had already done enough. Anna was deeply grateful but had come to believe she had no future in war torn Germany. Where she would go was still unclear to her. But she had no stomach for a reconstruction effort in a country that had assisted or stood quietly and inexcusably by, as an entire segment of its citizenry was all but destroyed.

  The following evening could not come fast enough. Anna spent the morning trying to read. In the afternoon she passed the time by walking to the University Hospital. She had intended to visit the children’s ward where her identity had been uncovered but as she climbed the stair, she changed her mind. It would serve no useful purpose to confront the nurse who had turned her in to the Gestapo. Anna had sometimes imagined the look on the woman’s
face if she were ever confronted. But Anna tried to dismiss the thought. It wasn’t noble and she didn’t want to fall into the emotional trap of revenge. The Nazi Reich was now a thing of the past. She too, had to put this behind her.

  She turned and walked back down the stairs. Because of the war, the world would never be the same. Neither would her world. She had to find a way to make a new beginning. Reliving the horrors of the Reich would only hinder that goal.

  That evening, when the clock turned to 8:00 p.m., Sarah and Anna began to monitor the short-wave traffic. It had picked-up enormously now that the Allies had advanced deep into Germany. Before an hour had passed, they heard what they were waiting for.

  “Hello…hello…Cambridge England to Leipzig…over…Cambridge England to Leipzig…over.”

  “This is Leipzig…over.”

  Then in fluent German the transmission continued.

  “This is Hanz Eichenwald…for Anna…this is Hanz Eichenwald for Anna…over.”

  “Vati, Vati! Das ist Anna…das ist Anna…over.”

  “Anna…Anna…your voice is clear…you sound wonderful…are you well…over.”

  “Yes…yes…I am well. Christian’s sister is caring for me…she is here with me…over.” “Anna….it’s your mother…hello…over”

  “Hello…hello…mother…so good to hear your voice…over.”

  “Yes, yes…the same for us. Tell us about your child….over.”

  “He is a boy whose life I saved in Buchenwald….over.”

  “So he is not your own child….over.”

  “No, no… he is not my child, but I want to find him…over.”