Goering and Morell had met and talked on many occasions, and the Field Marshall was confident the man could be recruited into the conspiracy through a combination of bribes and intimidation. After all, his real patient would be dead by then. The doctor would have little option once faced with the facts.
Morell would duly appear when summoned, and, after a preliminary meeting with Goering, (accompanied by his bodyguards, of course), would examine the fake Hitler. His diagnosis would be that the Fuhrer was suffering mild exhaustion from overwork. He would treat this, and a complete rest with no distractions and no visitors would be prescribed for the next four days.
At the request of his patient, Morell would take up residence in the bedroom next door so as to be available at any time of the day or night. He would have the honour of being assigned one of Goering’s own bodyguards outside his bedroom door at all times.
Over the next four days the only visitors allowed into the sick Fuhrer’s bedroom would be Goering, the doctor, and brief visits by a maid and one of the SS guards.
On 1 June ‘Hitler’ would be deemed recovered enough to return to Berlin, accompanied by his faithful doctor in a separate car. They would depart from Carinhall at first light. As usual they would be escorted by a contingent of SS troops.
Somewhere on the road between Carinhall and Berlin, at a predetermined isolated spot, Hitler’s car would spectacularly blow up, triggered by Baum himself. This spot would, coincidently, be close to where a regiment of Wehrmacht troops had stopped for breakfast. The Commander of these troops would be von Brauchitsch’s man and pre-warned. He would immediately take charge of the scene. Once he ‘discovered’ that the Fuhrer himself was involved, he would disarm and arrest all the SS troops. They would be taken to a secure location for questioning. Thus the news of Hitler’s death would be concealed.
The detained SS troops would be shocked and angry but would receive no sympathy from the regular army soldiers who had no love for these arrogant ‘toy soldiers’.
Immediately after this event, strategically placed contingents of the army would receive orders direct from General von Brauchitsch, and confirmed by Field Marshall Goering, to arrest certain key high ranking Nazi officials, beginning with Heinrich Himmler and Hitler’s two sycophants at his headquarters, Generals Jodl and Keitel. Everything was to be done as discretely as possible.
Over the following ten days, a military tribunal presided over by none other than Hitler’s loyal lieutenant, Field Marshall Goering, would try the accused ‘Nazi plotters’ for the assassination of Hitler and conspiracy to overthrow the state. The tribunal would be presented with fake confessions and evidence of widespread complicity in the plot. They would find the accused guilty, and have them immediately executed.
The assassination of Hitler during the attempted coup by the Nazis, and the quick resolute action by the army, aided by Field Marshall Goering, would be suppressed until the outcome of the Battle for France was certain. The German High Command believed that news of Hitler’s death would lower the spirits of the German troops, while simultaneously raising the morale of the allied forces still fighting.
Von Brauchtisch had to admit he could see no real fault with Goering’s plan. It seemed to have been thought out in detail. He had not thought that Goering was capable of such a thing.
“A question. Why would Baum willingly sacrifice himself?”
“Ah, a good question.” Goering was obviously pleased with himself. “Baum is actually Jewish. Also, he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has at best, three or four months to live.
His family had been rounded up at some stage and interned in concentration camps. I have already helped his two sisters to emigrate to Sweden with the help of my younger brother. This earned the unquestioning loyalty of Baum. But he still has his father, a brother, and several aunts, uncles and cousins in the camps. In return for my guarantee of their freedom and relocation outside of Germany, together with a little money to help them settle, he is happy to end his own life a little earlier than it would be. And less painfully I should add.
A very brave man. I only wish there could be another way.” Said Goering sadly.
Von Brauchitsch agreed, but could not help wondering just how genuine was Goering’s regret for the need for Baum’s sacrifice. Privately he made up his mind to ensure Goering lived up to the promise made to Baum. As long as everything went according to plan. If it didn’t, he would almost certainly be too dead to help anyone!
They spent a little longer discussing a few more details, including Goering’s conditions for joining the conspiracy. Some compromise was needed. They eventually shook hands on a deal. Von Brauchitsch would have to submit everything to his co-conspirators later, but he foresaw no dissent. It was a workable plan. The only plan they had.
Goering left. The General relaxed for only a few minutes before getting down to work. Tomorrow was the start of the second stage of the Battle for France.
CARINHALL - 27 MAY
The sumptuous but somewhat reserved banquet was over. Adolf Hitler had been the first to offer his apologies, pleading pressure of work the following day. He may also have had other pressure worrying him – internal gas pressure. Both the Swiss and German Ministers of Finance followed shortly afterwards. The remaining guests conversed a little more openly, and imbibed of the excellent wine more freely, once the teetotaller Fuhrer had left the table.
It was one o’clock in the morning before Goering thankfully bade the last guest goodnight. He wasted no more time. He descended into the basement as fast as his fat legs would carry him, and entered the secret passages through a hidden door. There, his two burly air force troopers and Max Baum patiently awaited him.
After cautioning silence, Goering led the troopers through passageways and up steps until he stopped outside a concealed door. His ear against the door, he listened carefully. Nothing. Neither could any light be seen. Very gently he eased the door open on its oiled hinges. Still nothing. He stepped back and motioned the two troopers forward. He stayed where he was – very much afraid.
It all went incredibly easy. He heard a few slight sounds, some subdued scuffling, a muffled fart, then everything was deathly quiet. His heart was beating like a drum. Surely the whole of the house could hear it! He had taken an enormous risk tonight. Despite the coolness of the passage that he was standing in, he was perspiring freely.
One of his men reappeared after a few minutes. He simply nodded. Goering was almost afraid to enter the room but he steeled himself to do so. He had to see with his own eyes. He took a deep breath and moved into the bedroom. By the moonlight streaming through the large window he saw lying on the floor the body of the man he had followed faithfully for nearly twenty years.
Adolf Hitler was dead!
He shook himself and signalled the men to carry on. He returned through the passageways to Baum, shaking like a leaf.
Ten minutes later Baum was dressed in Hitler’s pyjamas and in his bed. Hitler himself was being consumed by the flames of the furnace!
The next morning, again everything went according to plan. Goering thought Doctor Morell was going to have a heart attack when he told him what had happened and what he had to do. As Goering had surmised, the huge bribe offered, backed by the menacing presence of the troopers, convinced a very reluctant Morell to play his part. In any case, at this stage of the game, who among the dedicated Nazis would believe that Morell was not involved in the conspiracy?
Hitler had always induced fear in his subordinates. This now helped the plotters as none of the SS soldiers would ever look at him, even when he walked past them. From the moment he climbed into Hitler’s bed, Baum, a one-time failed actor, actually started enjoying himself. He gave an even more spectacular performance four days later when he was departing from Carinhall. The fact that he now had less than an hour to live did not spoil it for him in the least.
Goering, mightily impressed with Baum’s performance, was briefly seduced by the thought of u
sing the fake Hitler as his puppet over the coming months. During the course of that time the ‘Fuhrer’ would retire and hand over all his powers to his faithful deputy, Herman Goering. Later he would die gracefully. A tempting scenario!
Reluctantly he accepted that the army and his co-conspirators, would not stand idly by while he usurped control. He let the thought drift away.
Baum’s briefcase, supposedly packed full with his working papers, was stuffed with high explosive. The papers in it had gone into the furnace along with their owner. Baum would trigger the device by opening the briefcase and simply turning a switch once he saw the agreed predetermined spot. And that would be that.
Baum and Goering’s handshake lasted a long time as they said their goodbyes. The SS troopers nearby noticed this and put it down to the fact that Goering had taken good care of Hitler while he had been ill. The Fuhrer was expressing his gratitude.
Hitler’s car pulled away, followed by a second one with Doctor Morell in it. Goering hurried inside the house. He couldn’t breathe. It was nearly over. But this last bit of waiting was agony.
Goering need not have worried. One hour later the brave Max Baum was dead and the entire SS guard contingent was under arrest. A shaken Doctor Morell in the following car, had been slightly injured in the blast, and he had also been arrested, before being discreetly released after an hour or so. Later his testimony about suspicious behaviour by the two SS officers of the guard contingent, led to their swift conviction and execution as part of the attempted coup.
Over the next two days one hundred and twenty six leading Nazi and SS figures were quietly arrested. Two of these were cleared of any wrongdoing but were kept in comfortable custody pending release of the news. The remainder were executed.
For the present the Nazi party was effectively defunct.
BERLIN - 15 JUNE
With the Battle for France being effectively over, and peace terms agreed with Great Britain, von Brauchitsch and several of the other Generals flew back to Berlin late that afternoon. Goering was due to broadcast over German radio, three historic announcements.
It had been decided to give primacy to the news of the assassination of Adolph Hitler, and the subsequent uncovering of the Nazi coup attempt by the Army. The memory of their beloved Fuhrer would not be sullied by announcing the names of the coup ringleaders this day. Goering would only say that that they had been arrested, given a fair trial, found guilty, and justly executed.
Then the news of the armistice with France and peace with Great Britain would be released.
The Military Council listened on a radio in an office at The German High Command Centre in Berlin where they were now installed.
Goering gave a masterful and moving speech, surprising many in the Council. In sad and hushed tones he broke the news and manner of the Fuhrer’s death. He extolled the virtues of the man who, almost singlehandedly, had lifted Germany out of the travails that had followed the Great War and the depression following the Wall Street Crash in America.
His voice became stern as he talked briefly of the evil and power-hungry plotters, and their fate.
Finally he became more upbeat, more vibrant. Skilfully reminding them that Hitler had championed re-armament for Germany in earlier years, and how this had paid off. The superb German Armed Forces had taken these weapons and used them to gain unprecedented successes against Poland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and France. Six countries defeated and occupied in less than ten weeks! The British army in Belgium defeated. And all for their beloved Fuhrer.
He left the news of peace with Britain until last. But this was the item that the population loved most of all. It was the cream on the top!
All the good news had muted the response to the bad news. Germany’s population quickly came to terms with the change in the political situation in their country.
After all, they were masters of Europe, weren’t they? And the future looked very rosy for the German nation.
Von Brauchitsch leaned back in his chair and surveyed the officers around him. “Well gentlemen, Fat Hermann has performed splendidly. We could not have asked for things to have gone better.
Our troops stationed near major cities have been reinforced and are on alert as a precaution against unrest, but I am optimistic that there will be no trouble.
Next week we need to decide which civilians we bring into an expanded Governing Council. After that, our increased workload will make the last few months seem like a holiday”.
Germany had been brought back from the brink of self-destruction!
Adolf Hitler, (or at least the apparent remains that had been recovered from the bomb scene), was given a magnificent state funeral. Every important person in Germany was there. Few foreign dignitaries, however, had taken the trouble to attend. One detail that was noticed by many people was that the only swastika openly displayed at this event, was the one draped over the coffin.
Amongst the crowd watching, were the U-boat commanders Karl Schiller and Peter Braun, together with their families. As the cortege passed them, they exchanged a knowing look. They had been sworn to secrecy but they knew how close Schiller had come to ‘torpedoing’ the peace.
LONDON - 22 JUNE
Following the declaration of peace with Germany, the British political establishment lost no time in looking at the question of their own future.
After two days of deliberations, the multi-party Cabinet had agreed to recommend to Parliament that the existing National Government composed of the three main political parties, remain in power for at least the next six months. This would allow sufficient time to see how Germany fared with its reforms, and how Italy reacted to being told to make peace with Britain and also vacate the little bit of French territory they had only so recently occupied.
The general feeling was that the National Coalition Government was running the country in a capable manner and an election for a new government should not be called before the following spring at the earliest.
WASHINGTON DC
Captain Jamie MacLellan, USN, was ushered into the Oval Office. The President greeted him cordially and bade him be seated. He then took a few moments fitting a new cigarette into his slim cigarette holder before lighting it and drawing on it contentedly.
MacLellan was forty one years old. He had joined the US Navy immediately after finishing Harvard, where he had majored in economics and also studied European history. He had been snapped up by the Office of Naval Intelligence, (ONI), once he finished university. He spoke German, French, Italian and Spanish fluently, and Russian badly.
President Franklin D Roosevelt was something of an old family friend, having been at Harvard with his father Daniel, and the two of them had stayed in contact ever since. It was Daniel MacLellan who had introduced Jamie to the President the previous year. They had met on several occasions since then and Roosevelt had been singularly impressed with Jamie’s exceptionally keen and unique insight into politics, and analysis of world affairs. He had the ability to see through the nonsense and hype and accurately assess the situation.
“Well, Jamie, this European business seems to have worked out well in the end. Your hard work paid off. You have done a fine job and I give you my sincere thanks.”
A few months earlier the President had arranged for the temporary secondment of Jamie to the White House. There he had been tasked to give a fresh appraisal of the situation in Europe for the President. A new pair of eyes looking at the conflict.
He had only just finished that particular project when Roosevelt called him into his office and told him about tentative peace feelers from the Germans for the British. He was asked what his thoughts on them were. As a result of that discussion, Jamie had been given the delicate mission of ensuring the peace talks took place, and that Germany offered reasonable and honourable terms.
Jamie’s frantic daily scurrying between the German, Swiss, and Portuguese embassies, as well as their own State department and the Oval Office, had played a consid
erable part in producing the desired result.
Now the President wanted to use his abilities again.
“I have a new job for you. I want you to be the new Military Attaché in our Embassy in Berlin. But I also want you to be my eyes and ears in Europe. I need to know what they are thinking. Your knack of peering at something and finding the bottom line is second to none.
The European War may be over but the communist menace is still there. There is disarray in Europe right now. We don’t want comrade Stalin to get any ideas.
You are the man I trust to let me know what is going on.
This will be on top of the normal Attaché duties. Just send me a personal report of your thoughts once a month or so. More often if you feel it is needed. Strictly between you and me. No need to go through official channels.
The German Peace Page 7