Hitler and Himmler: Who Planned the Holocaust?, page 1

Part two - Economics and Logistics

On the 12th of March 1940, Hitler had declared that the Jewish Question was one of space and he didn't have any. After the fall of France, the idea of a Jewish colony on Madgascar had been resurrected, Eichmann's office had been sent for inoculations and 'Tropics Training'. However, with the increase in British Naval aggression, the idea had died in August. Now everyone was complaining; Hans Frank, Gauleiter of the General Government (Poland) refused to allow Poland to be a 'dumping ground' for Jews and demanded the removal of the Jews already there. Alfred Rosenberg, the Nazi ‘expert’ on all matters racial and ideological, complained that there were no homes for the Auslanders and Baldur Von Schirach (Head of the Hitler Youth and Gauleiter of Vienna) demanded to know why the deportations had not yet happened. And, this was the tip of the iceberg, all these demands fell on Himmler’s desk.

In January 1941 Hitler began preparing for the invasion of Russia and Heydrich began assembling the 3,000 men that would make up the Enisatzkommando. There were few volunteers, all divisions (SS, SD, Kripo, Gestapo etc) were then instructed to provide a quota. Finally by adding a financial incentive an adequate number of men ‘volunteered’ to form 4 units.

In March Hitler informed his Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed services “A war such as that against Russia cannot be conducted in a chivalrous manner. It is a struggle between ideologies and racial opposites and has therefore to be waged with unprecedented and merciless harshness.” (p146, SS: A warning from history by Guido Knopp).

Although Heydrich’s staff had the plans for the deportation of the Reich Jews prepared, Hitler ordered that there were to be no deportations until after the war.

The Poles who had already suffered over a year at the hands of the Germans, in the first 6 weeks of the invasion of 1st September 1939, 16,000 people were shot, of which approximately 5,000 were Jewish. Teachers, Clergy, politicians, professionals – anyone deemed a threat to the invaders. 20,000 university students were sent to the concentration camps. Partisan actions against the occupiers were increasing and the SS responded with increasing brutality. In the months proceeding the invasion of Russia tens of thousands of boys and men of ‘fighting age’ (14 to 60 years of age) were rounded up and shot as ‘hostages’ in response to the death of any German personnel.

Just after the invasion of Poland, Helmut Meingold, an economist with the department of German Development Work in the East, concluded that 5.83 million Poles were surplus to German requirements and therefore constituted “an actual erosion to capital.” (p68, Auschwitz, by Laurence Rees) It can be considered no coincidence then that by the end of the war over 5 million Poles (non-Jews) had in fact been murdered at the hands of the Nazis.

From early spring 1940 mobile gassing units from the T4 division were touring the hospitals, just as they had in Germany, murdering psychiatric patients, all ‘useless eaters’ were to be eradicated, non-Jews were first assessed and only hopeless cases were killed. All Jewish patients were ‘eradicated’, hopeless or otherwise. The Euthanasia Unit used bottled carbon monoxide or injections of Phenol. The T4 project was suspended in early 1941 as war matters took precedence.

Hitler and Himmler were seemingly still looking for a territorial solution to the Jewish problem, emigration efforts were intensified but this method of removal remained inadequate. In response to criticism from Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering, that Poland was failing to meet economic targets, Hans Frank reiterated that the surplus population of Poles and Jews were hindering all his efforts and making the region economically unsustainable. He could not do his job until Himmler had accomplished his. The SS in Lublin were instructed to “where possible” force Jews across the border into Soviet held territory. In one instance, the Jews were ordered at gun point, to swim across the Bug river only to reach the other side where the waiting Red Army opened fire on those that did not turn around.

There was literally nowhere left for the Jews to go, war with Russia could only make matters worse. Like Himmler though, Hitler did not want to hear of problems from his subordinates, by the Fuhrerprinzip, Hitler merely had to state the goal, the whys and the hows were not his concern and so it was passed all the way down the line.

On 2nd May 1941 the Reichs economic experts reported that the war could only be sustained to the end of the year and only then, if the Germans were able to capture Russian supplies, “the entire German army…(would have to) be fed at the expense of Russia. Thereby tens of millions of men will undoubtably starve to death.” (p68, Auschwitz, by Laurence Rees). Not only would a war against Russia require additional resources but it would also drastically effect imports as Karl Schnure of the Economic Policy Division of the Foreign Ministry reported to von Ribbentrop in mid 1940, “Russia (has)…been a very substantial prop to the German war economy…has supplied over 300 million Reichsmarks worth of raw materials, roughly 100 million RMs of which is grain. Our sole economic connection with Iran, Afghanistan..China, Japan and beyond that, with South America is the route across Russia.” (p129 The Hitler/Hess Deception by Martin Allen)

In March 1941, in preparation for Operation Barbarrossa, Hitler issued the infamous Fuhrer-Order no. 1, “Kommissarbefehl”, all political commissars and Jews in service to the state were to be shot immediately on capture or surrender. Though the Nazis had by this time committed acts of great brutality this represented the first documented contravention of international law and was used as just cause in prosecuting the Nazis for war crimes.

The order was not received well within the armed services, after the war, under interrogation, General Heinz Guderian explained “The order granted German soldiers liberties which could easily have led to excesses…(the order) ran counter to the provisions of the Geneva convention. The supplement by Field Marshal Brauchitsch indicated that even the OKH…did not desire that the order be complied with. As a result I did not take the order with me to the field and did not distribute it…(and) treated the civilian population in conformance with the Geneva Convention and International Law.” (p529 Interrogations by Richard Overy, text in brackets mine)

On 10th May 1941 Rudolf Hess flew to Britain, reputedly on a mission of peace, to meet with the Duke of Kent (younger brother of the King and UGLE Grand Master) at the estate of the Duke of Hamilton. He crash landed just outside Glasgow and was arrested. Hess had been Hitler’s closest associate since 1921 and was considered a moderating force. Hitler, despite opposition within the Party appointed Martin Bormann to replace him as Deputy Fuhrer. Bormann was one of the few Party members who was on reasonable speaking terms with Himmler. Additionaly, he and Rudolf Hoess, commandant of Auschwitz, were also old friends having murdered a former teacher of Bormann’s together in 1924.

The Barbarossa Jurisdiction Order of 13 May 1941, ordered that any villages suspected of partisan or resistence activities were to be liquidated. The German economy did not have the resources to take on any more prisoners, only those capable of work were to be spared.

With everything in place for the invasion, the weather was the only element beyond Hitler’s control, a wet spring meant the plans would have to be delayed. While his armed forces worried that a late start could prove fatal to the whole campaign, Hitler remained optimistic issuing a directive on the 11th June that stated “After the destruction of the Soviet Armed Forces, Germany and Italy will be the military masters of the European continent.” (p130, Hitler’s War Directives by Hugh Trevor-Roper). Hitler, like many in Germany believed all too readily the ‘hype’ distributed from Goebbel’s propaganda ministry. Increasingly, fearful of losing favour, those around him, most particularly Goering were failing in their roles and were blaming everyone else around them, concealing the truth from the Fuhrer. Tucked away in the Wolf’s Lair and increasingly cosseted by Bormann, Hitler was completely ignorant of the rot that was beginning to set in to the German economy. Whether he chose to ignore the truth or was genuinely unaware is really unknown. Without Hess, Hitler was without anyone in the Party capable of speaking to him with any honesty, he would remain in this bubble to the very end.

The British at this time, sat perched on the edge of their seats. At a meeting on the 10th May, following Hess’s arrival in Britain, representatives of the Foreign Office (including Anthony Eden FS), the Ministry of Economic Warfare and SOE outlined their objectives “encourage Germans to attack Russia by misleading Hitler and by hinting that the large sections both in Britain and United States who preferred to see the overthrow of the Russian rather than the German regime might be prepared to force through a compromise a peace between Britain and German and combine to destroy the common enemy, Communism.” (p111, The Hitler/Hess Deception by Martin Allen). When the announcement came through that Hitler had invaded, Anthony Eden is said to have slapped his thigh and announced that Britain had won the war. Britain knew what Hitler didn’t, Germany was not capable of economically sustaining a war, they also knew that the best hope for Britain’s independence from a Eurasian superpower, was for the Fascists and the Communists to destroy each other in an ideological war. They were about to get their wish.

Part three - War

On 22nd June 1941 Germany launched the largest operation in military history; 3.2 million soldiers, 3,580 tanks, 7,184 artillery pieces and in excess of 2,000 aircraft. Hitler had every reason to be optimistic. 27 million Soviet citizens would eventually die as a direct result of this invasion. Whether by design or circumstance lebensraum in the East was achieved.

Behind the front lines four motorized divisions of the Heydrich’s Einsatzgruppen followed, however they initially found that there was little more required of them than to fan the flames. While the Einsatzgruppen rounded up the men of military age and shot them en masse, those liberated from Soviet oppression were only too willing to exact their ‘revenge’ on the local Jewish population. The Einsatzgruppen, in some cases only had to stand by and watch as Jews, men, women and children were beaten to death in the streets by their fellow countrymen.

The exact orders conveyed by Heydrich are unknown, and seemingly open to interpretation. While Group A (under Dr Franz Stahlecker) targeted Jewish as well as political targets, Group C (under SS-Brigadefuhrer Dr Otto Rasch) did not consider the Jews as specific targets and concerned themselves primarily with ‘political’ targets.

Karl Jager, leader of Einsatzkommando 3 and later commander of the SD in Latvia said in his interrogation after the war, “All I can remember, is that Heydrich stated in a speech that in the event of war with Russia the Jews in the East would all have to be shot..a police officer asked ‘You mean we have to shoot Jews’…Heydrich replied ‘Surely that is obvious.’” (p144 SS: A warning from History, by Guido Knopp)

Whatever the orders, the invasion descended quickly into brutality led primarily by local people eager to show allegiance to their new rulers and a desire for revenge against the fleeing communists. The Soviets in their retreat had brutally murdered tens of thousands. In the early days of Barbarossa all that was required of the Einsatzgruppen was to execute those suspected of being potential enemies of Germany; political opponents and intelligensia.

On the 29th June 1941 at Lvov in the Ukraine, one witness recalled, “There was a terrible pogrom. They (Ukrainian Nationalists) came at dawn and dragged Jews out of their houses. And the most dreadful thing was that they even killed the children.” (p149 SS: A warning from history by Guido Knopp). SS-Hauptscharfuhrer Felix Landau recorded in his diary “ Hundreds of Jews run along the streets, their faces covered in blood, gashes in their heads, fingers broken and eyes hanging out.”(p150, ibid). Over 3 days 4,000 Jews were murdered. Heydrich ordered that the German personnel should in no way interfere with such actions against the Jews by the local populace. The fervour of the local people was in fact wherever possible to be whipped up, the Einsatzgruppen, were happy to let the locals do the dirty work.

With war in the East, the situation in the Ghettos established in Poland to concentrate the Jewish populations, was worsening, starvation and disease were rife. On 16 July 1941 the head of the SD in Posen, Rolf Hoppner, wrote to Adolf Eichmann, “It should be seriously considered if the most human solution would be to kill those Jews not capable of work with some quick acting means. This would certainly be more pleasant than allowing them to starve to death.” (page 45, The Villa, The Lake, The Meeting: The Wannsee Conference by Mark Roseman). Goering had ordered that only those working for Germany were to receive food, supplies to the ghettos and work camps were severly cut. Soon Russian POWs were dying in huge numbers, at one point 200 a day were dying as a result of starvation, disease and brutal treatment.

Between 15th and 20th July, Himmler met with Hitler for extended periods almost daily. Himmler’s staff remember him as being highly agitated and unable to stand up to Hitler. Many recall him as being afraid of Hitler and totally under his will. Hitler places Himmler in control of civilian security in the occupied territories.

Himmler met with Odilo Globocnik on the 20th and instructed him to prepare for the Germanisation of the Lublin district. Himmler deployed a further 40,000 SS men to assist the Einsatzgruppen, these men, mainly of the Totenkopf Divisions of the Waffen-SS and conditioned in brutality via their training at Dachau, quickly eclipse the death count of the Einsatzgruppen.

It is noteworthy to mention that the British were ‘officially’ aware of the atrocities being committed as early as 18th July via messages intercepted and deciphered using the captured Enigma machine and codes. Information of the conditions in Poland though had been trickling in for some time and would continue to do so, Churchill himself had read Mein Kampf and was under no illusions as to Hitler’s intentions in the East.

In 1940 Francis Aldor published an pamphlet in London entitled ‘Germany’s Death Space’; “Very few details are allowed to leak out from the European “Devil’s Island” (Lublin); but those that do…are horrible enough. Thus it is known that thousands of Jews, men, women and children…have had to travel hundreds of miles in cattle trucks and have been dumped in the snow covered fields on arrival in the Lublin area…Before the course of the war interferes with Hitler’s plan, the Germans want to clear all Poles and Jews out of western Poland, all Jews out of central Poland and all Jews out of the Lublin area.” (p154-5 Hitler’s Man in the East: Odilo Globocnick: Joseph Poprzeczny).

From 18th August 1941, the Einsatzgruppen commanders were encouraged to send full reports of their actions back to Berlin. The detail contained in these transmissions can have left little doubt in the minds of the British as to the devastation that was being wrought upon the Jews in the East. Whether the British could have intervened or done anything to stop this carnage is unlikely but it should also be acknowledge that it is probable that had they the capability they would still have done nothing.

In 1940 Sir Robert Vansittart, chief Diplomatic Adviser to Anthony Eden wrote to the Secretary of State; “It is a question of we or they now, and either the German Reich or this country has got to go under…the German Reich…(has) been the curse of the world for 75 years, and if we do not stop it this time, we never shall…The enemy is the German Reich…not merely Nazism…the possibility of compromise has gone by, and it has got to be a fight to the finish, a real finish.” (p80 The Hitler/Hess Deception by Martin Allen)

In an attempt to avert the war that he knew the country could ill-afford Goering had passed details of the invasion to the Allies, the Allies response was to pass this via the Czech government in exile to General Zhukov. Stalin, who received several intelligence reports as to the planned date of invasion, chose to ignore this one too.

On 27 July 1941 Goering extended his orders to include supplies captured from the Russians to prevent their diversion to the ghettos and POW camps. Josef Goebbels requested that strict rationing be introduced in Germany, Hitler refused on the grounds that it would be bad for morale. He once again rejected the idea of Jewish deportations on the same basis, however he did agree to all those able to work be placed in forced labour programmes. Over the next four years more than 5 million people, mostly men, would be deported to forced labour camps across the Greater Reich from the East. The number who survived is unknown, many of those liberated from the camps found themselves whisked away after the war to a Siberian gulag. The dependents, left behind, old, infirm, women and children met their deaths much sooner.