Daily Mail | May 2nd 1945
Hitler Dead |
Doenitz Cannot Hold Reich Together
Surrender Begins on Three Fronts
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The Quotes of Adolf Hitler | Doenitz
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The most dramatic news of the war
'HITLER DEAD - DOENITZ
APPOINTED FUHRER'
Admiral tells Germans: "The fight
goes on." Himmler ignored
Daily Mail, Wednesday, May 2, 1945
ADOLF HITLER, is dead. Grand Admiral Doenitz (pictured right), Commander-in-Chief of the German
Navy, has been appointed the new Fuhrer. The German radio gave the news to the
world at 10.25 last night in the following words: "It is reported from the Fuhrer's
headquarters that our Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, has fallen this afternoon in his command post
in the Reich Chancellery fighting to his last breath against Bolshevism.
"On April 30 the Fuhrer appointed Grand Admiral Doenitz as his successor. The Grand Admiral will
now speak to the German people."
Admiral Doenitz, who immediately came on the air, said his task was to save the German people from annihilation at the hands of Bolshevism. For that aim, only the war would go on. Germany would have to continue the fight against Britain and America as long as they "hindered this purpose".
The naming of Doenitz as the new Fuhrer
comes as a bombshell. It suggests that what
remains of Germany has been split into two camps
those who wish to fight on, led by Doemtz, and
those who want to surrender, led by Himmler.
It is significant no reference was made in the
announcement to Himmler, who has already offered
unconditional surrender to Britain and the United
States, and was expected to comply with the Allied
demand that capitulation must be made also to Russia.
None of the big names of Nazism were there to
pledge support to the new Fuhrer. Where was
Goebbels? Where was Ribbentrop? No marshal or
general was called to the microphone to give force to
an Order of the Day by Doenitz calling on the Army
to fight on.
'WE FIGHT SOVIETS'
Doenitz said: "German men and women,
soldiers of the German Army, our Fuhrer, Adolf
Hitler, has fallen. The German people are bowed
in sorrow and reverence.
"Our Fuhrer had recognised very early the grim
danger of Bolshevism and consecrated his life to
the struggle against it.
"At the end of his struggle he met a hero's
death in the capital of the German Reich.
"The Fuhrer's life was given entirely to the
service of Germany. His struggle against the stormfloods of Bolshevism was made not only for the sake
of Europe but also for the whole civilised world.
"The Fuhrer appointed me to be his successor.
Fully conscious of the responsibility, I take over the
leadership of the German people in this fateful hour.
"My first task will be to save the German
people from the advance of the Bolshevist enemy.
For this aim only the military struggle continues.
"For just as long, and as far, as the reaching of
our aim is impeded by the Anglo-Americans, we
shall continue to defend ourselves against them.
"The continuation of the war by the Anglo-Americans cannot benefit their own people, but
can only serve to spread Bolshevism in Europe."
APPEAL TO NATION
Doenitz then appealed to the German people:
"Give me your confidence, because your road is my
road. Keep order and discipline in town and country.
"Only thus shall we be able to mitigate the
suffering which the coming times will bring to us.
"If we do what is in our power, the Almighty will
not abandon us, after we have suffered so much
and made so many sacrifices."
Finally, as "Supreme Commander of all branches
of the Wehrmacht," Doenitz issued an Order of the
Day to the Army in which he expressed his
determination "to continue the struggle against the
Bolsheviks until such time as the fighting troops and
the hundreds of thousands of families of the German
Doenitz cannot hold Reich together
By WILSON BROADBENT
Diplomatic Correspondent
THE Prime Minister will make a
full statement in the House of
Commons today about the events
in Germany and the new situation
which has arisen following
Hitler's death.
That event came as no surprise to
the British Government, for it
confirmed all their information. But
the deathbed appointment of
Admiral Doenitz as Fuhrer was, as
far as could be ascertained early this
morning, totally unexpected.
Of all the men who might have been
entrusted to carry on the Nazi
tradition if that is his task he
was the last selection that anybody
would have expected.
His appointment raises many
speculations and only the unfolding
of events in the next few days, of
course, can be a sure guide.
A Whitehall official said last night:
"This must be the end. It is difficult to
imagine that a person like Admiral
Doenitz can command sufficient
support from the army."
No Faith
Obviously, Hitler, in his last moments,
had no faith in his generals, otherwise
he would have selected one of them to
continue the fight.
For instance, there is the Battle of
Berlin to be continued. Admiral
Doenitz is hardly the man who can
command generals to wage this
battle against hopeless odds.
But what of Himmler, Goebbels,
Ribbentrop and Goring?
It is an easy assumption that
Admiral Doenitz may have seized
power in the absence of Himmler.
Goebbels is believed to have
remained in Berlin at Hitler's side.
Yet the pomp and radio panoply
which accompanied the announcement of Hitler's death indicated the
practised hand of Goebbels.
There must be some significance in
the fact that Himmler's name was
omitted from the broadcast.
This striking omission is thought in
some quarters to indicate that
Himmler is still bent on negotiating a
separate peace, regardless of other
elements in Germany.
Near collapse
The whole situation created by
Hitler's death and Doenitz's
appointment suggests chaos and
near collapse.
It is assumed that Doenitz is in
Hamburg, which would place him in
a useful position to exercise some
control over the land troops in
Norway and Denmark and to organise what is left of the German navy.
Fool ships into Holland, and
Surrender begins on three fronts
REPORTS received in London late last night
indicated that large German forces on widely
separated fronts have begun to surrender
piecemeal to the Allies with or without authority
from Doenitz or Himmler.
DENMARK. German occupation forces were reported
from Stockholm to be evacuating the country with all
speed. King Christian and the Danish Royal Family are
all back in Amalienborg Castle, Copenhagen.
NORWAY. Negotiations were said to be going on for
the German garrisons to lay down their arms at the
Swedish frontier to escape Norwegian reprisals.
CZECHO-SLOVAKIA. A
delegation of German and
Czech industrialists was
reported by Luxemburg radio
to have left Prague to meet
Allied representatives and
hand over the territories of
Bohemia and Moravia.
SOUTHERN GERMANY.
Goerlitz radio announced that
an important announcement
would be made by the
Gauleiter of the Upper
Danube territory this morning.
ITALY. Marshal Graziani
and Lieut.-General Pemsel,
German Chief of Staff of the
Italian Fascist Ligurian Army,
last night announced the
surrender of that army
HOLLAND. Food ships
for the starving Dutch are to
enter Rotterdam almost at
once. Food is also to enter the
German-occupied area of Holland by road, starting to-day.
'IMPORTANT NEWS TO-DAY'
GERMANS
Gorlitz (South Germany) Radio
announces:
"Important news will be
broadcast between
10.30am and noon
to-day." A.P.
'TRICKERY'-MOSCOW
Moscow radio said German announcement of
Hitler's death "repeats the usual trickery and
twists of Hitlerite propaganda."-A.P.
WAGNERIAN CONCERT OF DEATH
90 minutes of radio suspense
From
THE DAILY MAIL
RADIO STATION
THE 90 minutes before its
announcement of Hitler's death
last night were the most dramatic
of the war for the German radio.
Stand-by warnings were repeated
continuously.
While the world waited in suspense, the solemn music of Wagner
rolled out from the last stations of
the Reich.
And the "Achtung" interruptions
came with fanfares and drum rolls.
From Bremen, in English, listeners
were told that an announcement by
the German Government would be
broadcast at 9pm.
Not since Hitler came to power
had that term "German Government" been used over the radio. All major announcements were made
"by the Fuhrer".
From 9 until 9.30 Hamburg Radio
was putting over Wagner's
"Tannhauser" and a piano concerto
by Weber.
At 9.40 the "Stand-by" warning
was given again. This was followed
by Wagner's "Twilight of the Gods".
An announcer came to the microphone, at 9.43, shouting: "Achtung!
Achtung! The German broadcasting
system is going to give an important
German Government announcement
for the German people."
More music followed, from Wagner's "Rhinegold." At 9.57 the
"Achtung" warning was repeated
and the announcer added: "We are
now going to play the slow movement of Bruckner's Seventh Symphony" (commemorating the death
of Wagner).
Abruptly at 10.25 the music
stopped. There came three rolls of
the drums a moment's silence, and
then the news of Adolf Hitler's death.
This was followed by the German
National Anthem the Horst Wessel
song, more drum-rolls, and a three-minutes silence.
All German radio stations
scrapped the midnight news bulletin and repeated the announcement of Hitler's death.
Aug. 13: Loads of exclusive 2nd World War book scans added
Hitler Dead |
Doenitz Cannot Hold Reich Together
Surrender Begins on Three Fronts
|
Important News Today
90 Minutes of Radio Suspense | Hitler - Voice From the Grave
The Quotes of Adolf Hitler | Doenitz
Adolf Hitler | Josef Goebbels | Triumph of the Will | Leni Riefenstahl shop
Leni Riefenstahl | Rudolf Hess | Rudolf Hess' Flight to Britain 1941 - The Truth
Josef Mengele | Martin Bormann | Irma Grese | Adolf Eichmann
Kristallnacht |
The Final Solution | Auschwitz | Schindler's List
Hermann Goering | Hermann Goering - Who Helped Goering Escape the Hangman
Heinrich Himmler
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