The spiritual successor to The Great War Channel, Indy Neidell explores the intricate aspects that make this war so unique and harrowing on a week to week basis as it unfolded in real time
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
22nd - Hitler discovers that "Operation Group Steiner," which might be thought of as a weak corps at best, has not attacked from the north toward Berlin. He is enraged, and for the first time, admits the war is lost -- at the last formal military conference in the Bunker. He formally releases everyone in the Bunker from their oath of personal loyalty to him. Everybody else, not so much.
Hitler's sudden despair may in part be due to the lack of euphoria drug-administering by Morell. He releases all non-essential personnel in the Fuhrerbunker from their duties. They'd better hurry, they've got three days to get out of Berlin before it is surrounded.
Steiner, in reality, is just hanging - along with the rest of Army Group Vistula - on against 2nd Ukrainian (Rokossovsky) and cannot attack anyway.
Himmler meets with Count Bernadotte of Sweden in Lubeck to try and set up (again) a channel to negotiate a surrender of German forces in the West - that is, surrender to the US/British forces, not the Russians, and so continue to hope for a last-second alliance against the Russians.
Himmler again asserts he can, and has the authority to, negotiate on behalf of the German government to surrender (to whom he wants to surrender to.)
Bernadotte asks Himmler what he'll do if there's no success in his surrender scheme. Himmler replies that he will take over the Eastern Front and be killed in battle. Sure thing, Heinrich.
Once Bernadotte leaves, Himmler calls up Feigelein in Berlin to see how things are going in the Bunker. He tells Feigelein to meet up with him at a crossroads halfway between Berlin and Himmler's "headquarters" in Lubeck to get a nobody's-listening-in report. Feigelein doesn't show up, despite Himmler waiting two hours.
Stuttgart surrenders to the Western Allies without a fight.
Kersten leaves from Templehof Airport in Berlin and flies to Copenhagen, then travels by sea to Stockholm, to report what he's heard from Himmler to Swedish Foreign Minister Gunter.
On his way to the UN Conference in San Francisco, Russian Foreign Minister Molotov pays a call on Truman, who lambasts Molotov about what Truman says is Russian breaking of accords negotiated at Yalta. Truman, unused to the slippery world of realpolitik diplomacy, will eventually realize that the 'specifications' of Yalta are really just 'vague understandings' -- as he will himself say, every time you read the Yalta Accords, it seems to mean something different from the last time you read them.
Allied forces land at Hollandia, cutting off all Japanese forces still on Papua New Guinea. The Japanese will remain there until August 1945, when 13,500 will surrender.
The Red Army takes what's left of Sachsenhausen concentration/death camp, and its many "subcamps." They find only 3,000 of the over 35,000 inmates by the end of the war -- the rest have been marched out toward a different fate: to the Baltic, to be put on ships, which will then be sunk - or shot on the march.
Hitler has decided not to go south to the Obersalzburg, but orders Keitel, Jodl, and Bormann to fly out and take over operations in the south. All three refuse to leave. Himmler and Doenitz again both try to convince Hitler to bug out. He refuses. Keitel and Jodel will, having sworn they won't, fly out of Berlin to the south.
(continued)
April 22 continued
Schellenberg, Himmler and Gottlieb Berger (SS Home Army commander; recruitment and replacements) meet to see if its worth it to release USAAF General Vanaman (a POW, captured June 27, 1944) through Switzerland to try to contact Truman directly, to put a peace-proposal before him - with Himmler as the chief beneficiary. Schellenberg has been quietly laying the groundwork for this, and Vanaman is released and sent to the Swiss border, but the war will end before anything comes of it.
Koniev's 1st Ukranian Front has reached the Teltow Canal on the south side of Berlin.
The head of SMERSH, Viktor Abakumov personally arrests Aleksandr Nobikov, head of the Red Air Force, twice awarded Hero of the Soviet Union, for the 'crime' of refusing to promote Vasili, Stalin's drunken twit of a son to the rank of General. Once in Beria's clutches, Nobikov will be tortured into providing 'testimony' against Zhukov (which doesn't work). He will remain in an NKVD prison until Stalin's death, when he will be released. He will live until 1976, 23 years longer than Stalin, and 22 years longer than Abakumov.
Abakumov will be arrested on direct order of Stalin on July 12, 1951 with other high-ranking members of SMERSH and other NKVD departments. He will remain in prison (past the death of Stalin), then be tried as a co-conspirator with Beria (executed six months after Stalin's death) and himself executed on December 19th, 1954 as part of the purge of Stalin's non-successors by Khrushchev.
A false report from German Intelligence reaches the Fuhrer Bunker saying the Western Allies are hoping Berlin will hold out for another two weeks so the US/UK will be able to race to Berlin and take it ahead of the Russians. This is, of course, wrong, but might have actually been said by Montgomery and/or Churchill.
Hitler is unimpressed. "What difference would that make?"
Keitel and Jodl are both dispatched to Wenck's 12 Army to the west of Berlin (never to return to the Bunker) to coordinate Wenck's attack to relieve the capitol..
Montgomery orders 21st Army Group to not bother attacking the Germans in the Netherlands (by the Canadian 1st Army), and instead concentrate on an attack into northern Germany - Emden, Bremen, Hamburg and Lubeck -- largely to make sure the Russians don't get a chance to advance into Denmark. Amsterdam and Rotterdam will remain in German hands.
Writing in (the last issue of) "Das Reich," Goebbels (titled "Resistance at any Price") gives the usual: unequalled fanaticism, heavy sacrifices, transportation to Siberia, devilish enemy, Germany will become a cematary, etc. etc.
US 1st and 9th Army keep closing up on the Elbe and eliminating bypassed Germans west of the Elbe. 3d and 7th Army advance toward the Danube.
(continued)
April 22 continued
At the Dornier Plant at Oberhaffenhofen (no, I did not make that up) Bavaria, the only completed 'pre-production' Do-335A aircraft is captured by the US Army. The 335 was a 'heavy fighter', but with a 'pusher' and a 'puller' propellor. Another 335 is taken to the US and completed; it will be donated to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, which will let it moulder.
In 1975, the aircraft will be taken back to Dornier for restoration. There, it will be discovered that special charges to blow off the dorsal fin and rear propellor are still there, and still 'live'. It would appear that nobody before the Dornier employees knew what the charges were, or what they were for -- in the event of a pilot ejection, the charges would allow the pilot to survive being bashed by the dorsal fin, and then chopped to bits by the rear propellor.
In Italy, the British 8th Army reaches the outskirts of Ferrara on the Reno river; US 5th Army bypasses Modena and gets ready to cross the Po in pursuit of the retreating Germans.
East of Berlin, 1st Byelorussian Front (Zhukov) pushes toward the eastern suburbs, and 1st Ukranian (Koniev) pushes into the southern suburbs. Advances into Berlin proper will be held up by the three multi-story "flak towers" installed to defend Berlin from air attack. The guns (8 128mm, and including 88mm guns, 20mm guns, and others) of these will inflict severe casualties on attacking Russians, especially Russian tanks. Two towers are in the northeast part of the city (Zhukov's men will run right into the teeth of their fire) and one to the west of the city center, which will bedevil both Zhukov's and Koniev's men.
As part of the general westward advance of 1st Ukranian, the 2nd Polish Army advances toward Dresden.
On Ie Shima, US 77th Infantry Division finishes up clearing pockets of Japanese holdouts.
On Okinawa, the US 10 Army keeps battering away at the southern defensive line to very little effect.
Off Okinawa, the usual joint kamikaze/regular attack strikes by the Japanese. A minelayer is sunk, 3 destroyers are damaged along with 2 minelayers.
SHAEF continues its dazzling self-absorption in the "Alpine Redoubt," adding 'details' to build up the supposed fortress-ness of the fortress. Today's report says the Germans have at least a year's worth of food (and presumably ammunition) to hold out. Attached to the report is a long list of units thought to be in the fortress. This list is, of course, balderdash.
Meanwhile, three German officers cross the Elbe and walk into US lines at Mageburg, and surrender. One of them, General Kurt Dittman, is interrogated about the "Alpine Redoubt." He tells his questioners that the redoubt is a myth -- it doesn't exist. He also tells them categorically that Hitler is, and will remain in Berlin and die - either killed in action or by suicide.
(continued)
23d - Ribbentrop tries to arrange a meeting with Hitler, and is told Hitler was too busy to see him.
George C. Marshall issues an order that the African-Americans of the 477th Bombardment Group incarcerated at Godman Field in Kentucky for "mutiny" be released. General Hunter, who ordered the incarceration, insists that the officers be giving an official reprimand in their personnel file, and that the "leaders" be court-marshalled. Three officers will actually go on trial; two will be fined; one, Roger Terry, will be fined, demoted and dishonorably discharged for the crime, and I am not making this up, of "jostling." These petty, criminal injustices will not be corrected for 50 years, until 1995.
Albert Speer admits to Hitler that he has blocked Hitler's 'scorched earth' orders for Germany. Hitler, surprisingly, forgives him, and allows him, surprisingly, to leave the bunker alive. (Again, this may be more due to biochemistry than actual emotion.)
The town of Haigerloch, in southern Germany is overrun by US Army troops, and close behind them are members of the "Alsos mission" (special troops to determine the state of German nuclear research) to see to the German nuclear research lab and the nuclear reactor there. This is supposedly the most advanced German nuclear research project in the Reich (constructed in a beer cellar underneath a castle.)
The reactor they find is an extremely primitive form - a sort of uranium teabag, in which strings of uranium cubes will be dipped into heavy water (as a moderator) and a chain reaction will hopefully occur. The uranium cubes are in a nearby barn. Various german nuclear scientists are collected. Heisenberg, their main man-of-interest, had absconded on the 19th, as was still at large. But that the Germans were at such a pathetic stage of research compared to the US is a great comfort to... well, everybody. Earlier developments in the early 1940s had shown that the Germans were on the right path to a bomb, but then the Army cut back funding (still assuming a short war, and cutting anything for times beyond that.) Heisenberg had calculated in 1942 that 20-100 kilograms of U-235 was necessary for a city-buster bomb (the Hiroshima bomb used 62kg), and so that all that was needed was more money to be spent on Uranium separation.
The main error the Germans have made in building a reactor is in the choice of heavy water as a 'moderator' to help sustain the reactor's (hopefully) chain reaction. In part, this is because calculations by a group headed by Heisenberg were wrong, leading them to the conclusion that heavy water is the *only* moderator that can be used.
The US has used graphite, which is not as good a moderator as heavy water, but is easier (engineering-wise) to build reactors with, and doesn't need a large supply of heavy water for continuous operation. The fragmented nature of Nazi research and engineering organizations also precluded any massive "Manhattan Project" anyway.
The US 90th Infantry Division liberates Flossenberg concentration camp. The Germans have marched away or murdered all but 1,500 prisoners before the 90th takes the camp. The remaining brave SS guards at Flossenburg flee in terror when US Army troops appear in a nearby town. 200 Flossenberg inmates will be so far gone from starvation and disease they will die after liberation.
Hitler officially divides Germany into a "Northern Region" (commanded by Donitz) and a "Southern Region" (commanded by Kesselring.) He will, he says, stay in Berlin to direct the defense of the capital (which he doesn't do.)
Having determined that the Wenck's German 12th Army, facing the Americans on the Elbe can easily (he says) turn 180 degrees and advance on Berlin, Hitler summons General Wenck, the commander, to Berlin. Present at this situation conference (and those on the 25th and 27th) is Goebbels, lending useless non-military advice to the proceedings.
German official radio (but not from Berlin) announces that Hitler will never leave Berlin.
Himmler and Berger drive to the Bunker. Hitler tells Berger that Hitler knows what's happening in Wurttemberg, Bavaria and Austria, and "Berger, you know what to do." This has something to do with Goering, because as soon as he arrived in Munich, Berger starts asking to meet with Goering so he can hand over communications from Himmler. Himmler stirs the pot by cabling Berger that the "Situation in Berlin remains tense. Inform the Reichmarshall (i.e. Goering) immediately."
(continued)
April 23 continued
Goering sends to Hitler that if he does not receive a reply from Hitler in a few hours, he will assume leadership of the Reich on the presumption that the Furher is dead, incapacitated, or cut off from all communications. He also sends a message to Ribbentrop to come to Berchtesgaden to be part of Goering's new government; this is also seen by Bohrmann and Hitler.
The telegram is intercepted by Bohrmann, who waits until Hitler is already raging at something else to present the telegram to Hitler, hoping for exactly the reaction he gets. (Yes, Bohrmann is still maneuvering to become head of the Reich while standing in its ashes.)
Since July 29, 1941, Goering has been Hitler's designated successor. Goering apparently fears being outmaneuvered by nBormann (or Himmler), and so wants to stand on the law (for once) to be Fuhrer; Hitler is not so constrained, and strips Goering of his offices and functions, and has him arrested (but not shot.)
Asked for help by Goering, Himmler, commanding (from far away) the SS
detail holding Goering refuses to do anything to help him.
Having stripped Goering of his many offices, Hitler needs a new chief of the Luftwaffe. He has settled on the General Robert Ritter von Greim (a good commander of the Luftwaffe in the East), but decides he needs to see Greim in person to do it. Greim is summoned to Berlin.
Having stripped Goering of his successor role, Hitler needs a new successor. He selects Doenitz.
The last "Operation Hannibal" refugee convoy leaves Pillau in East Prussia.
Schellenberg and Bernadotte meet at the Swedish consulate in Flensburg. Schellenberg says Hitler has days to live; Himmler is trying to engineer a meeting with Eisenhower to surrender forces in the West to the Western Allies (but not the Russians.) Schellenberg asks Bernadotte to get this message through to Eisenhower. Later in the evening, Himmler himself appears in Lubeck; Schellenberg and Bernadotte go there. Amazingly, when Bernadotte demands Himmler put his surrender offer in writing, he does exactly that -- writing a message to be taken to Christian Gunther - Swedish Foreign Minister - to offer to surrender to the Western Allies.
Himmler sends to SS General Karl Wolff in Italy that the Italian front must remain intact. For someone who has spent rather a lot of time trying to secure the surrender, this must be rather upsetting. But Himmler is now trying to maintain what he believes is a "bargaining position" with the Western Allies.
Himmler allows 17,000 concentration camp prisoners in Denmark to be evacuated to Sweden, but not many will make the journey before the war's end.
(continued)
Downfall, truly.