271. Bussmann, 378.
272. Weinberg II, 39.
273. Muller, Beck, 501.
274. IMG, xxv. 412–13; Muller, Heer, 244; Wright/Stafford, 99; Gackenholz, 469–72. Ho?bach, 219, recalled that the meeting became heated in the exchanges between Blomberg and Fritsch on the one hand and Goring on the other, with Hitler saying little. According to Muller, 244 (though without source for the assertion), the discussion with Goring concerned above all the technical questions of armaments issues. In Ho?bach’s record of the meeting, Goring’s only intervention was to suggest cutting down Germany’s military involvement in Spain in the light of Hitler’s comments (IMG, XXV.413).
275. Wright/Stafford, 99.
276. Wright/Stafford, 103.
277. IMG, xiv, 44–5; Erich Raeder, Mein Leben von 1935 bis Spandau 1955, Tubingen/Neckar, 1957, 149–50; Muller, Heer, 245; Dulffer, 450 n.56. But Raeder’s testimony at Nuremberg and his memoirs are often unreliable (Dulffer, Marine, 450 n.56; Weinberg II, 40; Wright/Stafford, 101, 107; Gackenholz, 470). Goring, Raeder claimed, had told him before the meeting that Hitler’s remarks were solely aimed at stirring the army to speed up rearmament. (Goring also declared at Nuremberg that this was the purpose of the meeting (Wright/Stafford, 77).) He was expecting, therefore, some exaggeration for effect.
278. Muller, Heer, 246 n.193.
279. Muller, Beck, 254.
280. Muller, Beck, 498–501 (text), 254–61 (commentary).
281. Gackenholz, 471; Muller, Heer, 246.
282. Muller, Heer, 247 (Neufassung des Aufmarschplanes ‘Grun’, 21 December 1937). Blomberg stated after the war that he and Fritsch had wanted to express their doubts about the possibility of implementing Hitler’s plans in the light of the opposition of Britain and France, but added that those present at the meeting agreed when leaving the room that Hitler’s remarks were not to be taken seriously (IMG, xl, 406). This was probably an indirect reference to an exchange of views with Raeder, who was of the same opinion.
283. Karl-Heinz Jan?en and Fritz Tobias, Der Sturz der Generale. Hitler und die Blomberg– Fritsch-Krise 1938, Munich, 1994, 38; Speer, 83.
284. Jan?en/Tobias, 35. For the film Hitlerjunge Quex, see Welch, 59—74.
285. Jan?en/Tobias, 59–60.
286. Jan?en/Tobias, 34–5.
287. Jan?en/Tobias, 16. At the end of 1944, Blomberg was to send Hitler a letter expressing his disgust and shame at the military plot against him (TBJG, II/14, 333 (2 December 1944)).
288. Jan?en/Tobias, 30.
289. Jan?en/Tobias, 38–41.
290. Jan?en/Tobias, 27–8.
291. Jan?en/Tobias, 56–7 (where it is convincingly argued that the call did not come from the Gestapo, as often presumed).
292. Jan?en/Tobias, 45–7, 51.
293. Jan?en/Tobias, 27, 51–2.
294. Wiedemann, 112.
295. TBJG, I/3, 414 (26 January 1938).
296. Ho?bach, 124.
297. TBJG, I/3, 415–16 (27 January 1938).
298. Jan?en/Tobias, 54–5; TBJG, I/3,419 (29 January 1938).
299. Jan?en/Tobias, 86–8, 91, 93–7.
300. Ho?bach, 127; Hans Bernd Gisevius, Bis zum bittern Ende (single vol. edn), Zurich, n.d. (1954?), 258; Jan?en/Tobias, 90. This speaks directly against the well-versed argument that Fritsch’s dismissal was a consequence of his objections to Hitler’s remarks at the meeting on 5 November 1937, noted by Ho?bach. For this interpretation, see Peter Graf Kielmansegg, ‘Die militarisch-politische Tragweite der Ho?bach- Besprechung’, VfZ, 8 (1960), 268–75.
301. Jan?en/Tobias, 86–7.
302. Gerhard Engel, Heeresadjutant bei Hitler 1938–1943. Aufzeichnungen des Majors Engel, ed. Hildegard von Kotze, Stuttgart, 1974, 20–21. Engel’s notes, though having the appearance of contemporary diary entries, were, in fact, compiled after the war, taken both from memory and, he claimed, from notes made at the time but subsequently lost. Since Engel was in Hitler’s immediate entourage for a period of five years, his notes remain of value though should not be taken as an authentic diary record.
303. Ho?bach, 125–7; Gisevius, Bis zum bittern Ende, (single vol. edn), 258–61; Jan?en/Tobias, 99.
304. Ho?bach, 126–7; Wiedemann, 117–18.
305. Ho?bach, 127; Jan?en/Tobias, 100.
306. Wiedemann, 117–18. See TBJG, 1/3, 417 (28 January 1938): ‘He was thus able to prepare himself. Who knows here what’s true and false! In any case, the situation is impossible. It’s being further investigated. But after that Fritsch will also have to go.’
307. Ho?bach, 127–8; Jan?en/Tobias, 101–2.
308. Ja?en/Tobias, 102–3.
309. Ho?bach, 128–9; Below, 65; Generalfeldmarschall Keitel. Verbrecher oder Offizier? Erinnerungen, Briefe, Dokumente des Chefs OKW, ed. Walter Gorlitz, Gottingen/Berlin/Frankfurt am Main, 1961 (=Keitel), 104ff.
310. Jan?en/Tobias, 91. Schmidt had been in custody since 1935, and was sentenced in December 1936 to seven years’ imprisonment for numerous cases of blackmail and infringement of the laws on homosexuality. His criminal record stretched back to 1929. Jan?en/Tobias, 91–2 and 277 n.33.
311. Jan?en/Tobias, 104–5.
312. See the account of the extraordinary meeting in Ho?bach, 129–30; also Jan?en/Tobias, 106.
313. Jan?en/Tobias, 108.
314. Goebbels wrote: ‘Here is word against word: that of a homosexual blackmailer against that of the head of the army. And the Fuhrer does not trust Fritsch any longer’ (TBJG, I/3, 421 (30 January 1938)).
315. Jan?en/Tobias, 109–16, especially 113–14.
316. TBJG, I/3, 421 (30 January 1938).
317. Jan?en/Tobias, 120–21. A second HJ boy was also looked after by Fritsch for a month (Jan?en/Tobias, 101).
318. Jan?en/Tobias, 122–3.
319. TBJG, I/3, 417 (28 January 1938).
320. The idea of separate ministries for the branches of the armed forces possibly came initially from Raeder (Jan?en/Tobias, 126). As late as 31 January, Hitler and Goebbels were still discussing possible successors to Fritsch, with the Propaganda Minister favouring Beck {TBJG, I/3, 423 (1 February 1938)).
321. Jan?en/Tobias, 125–6. See Ho?bach, 132 n.i (the post-war comments by Fritsch’s defender, Graf v.d. Goltz, of a conversation he had had in June 1945 with Blomberg); see also Keitel, 105 n.184; Below, 67.
322. Jan?en/Tobias, 128–32. The sarcastic comment about Himmler was made after the war while in British internment by Field-Marshal Ewald von Kleist.
323. Jan?en/Tobias, 126–7.
324. IMG, xxviii.358, Doc. 1780-PS, Jodl-Tagebuch; Keitel, 106–9; Jan?en/Tobias, 127. Keitel and Jodl worked out the organizational structure (Jan?en/Tobias, 136). Blomberg’s recommendation of Keitel had scarcely been enthusiastic. Hitler had asked who was in charge of Blomberg’s staff. Blomberg mentioned
