referred to an increase in anti-Nazi remarks, the smashingof leading Nazis’ windows, and the shock about Hamburg as ‘November-feelings’ (NAfilm T175, roll 265, 0045ff.)24 Werner Girbig, Im Anflug auf die Reichshauptstadt (Stuttgart, 1977), 69f.—NYT, andAnneliese Schmundt diary, Aug 2, 1943.25 Oven, ‘Aug 4,’ Speer chronicle, 1943. To this author, Milch denied the episode in 1967.Semler, under ‘Jul 26, 1943’ attributes similar defeatist sentiments to a non-officer, theminister of the interior Frick. According to an affidavit by the High Command’s liaison792 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHofficer to Dietrich, Martin Sommerfeldt, Jun 4, 1948, JG had him charged with defeatismfor stating in the ministry that the war could no longer be won (StA Nuremberg, G15).26 Lammers to JG, Aug 18, 1943 (Chancellery files, NA film T120, roll 2474, E255432).27 Dittmar diary, Aug 2; Propaganda directive, signed by Berndt and Wächter, Aug 10,1943, about rumourmongering and the British ‘black’ transmitter Deutscher Atlantik Sender(NA film T81, roll 672, 0882ff).28 Circular by Gau Hessen-Nassau, No.44/43, Aug 10 (NA film, T81, roll 168, 7579f);based on Propaganda Parole No.59, signed Berndt and Wächter, Aug 7, 1943 (NA film T81,roll 672, 0890f).29 Dittmar diary, Aug 2, 1943.30 JG circular to Bormann, Speer, Ley, et al., Jul 29 (NA film T84, roll 322, 1123f).— SeeSD report of Aug 5, 1943 on the Berliners’ reaction to evacuation propaganda (NA filmT175, roll 265, 0055ff).31 JG to all gauleiters, air war notice No.21, Aug 15 (NA film T84, roll 322, 1147f.); andunpubl. diary, Sep 8, 1943.32 Oven, ‘Aug 22, 1943’, 110; and similar in Hildegard Springer, Es sprach Hans Fritzsche.Nach Gesprächen, Briefen und Dokumenten (Stuttgart, 1949), 17.33 JG to Hitler, Jul 18, 1944 (BA file NL.118/107).34 Circular dated Sep 1943 (NA film T84, roll 322, 1203); and diary, Sep 12, 1943.35 Note to JG’s office, Aug 6, 1943, with a 67-line inventory of items to be evacuated (BAfile R.55/1392; and Hoover Libr., JG papers, box 2).36 Bartels note, Aug 14, 1943 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, vol.759).37 Published inter alia in Börsenzeitung, Aug 4, 1943.38 Bartels to JG, Aug 3, 1943 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, vol.4).39 Notice of Aug 6, 1943 (Hoover Libr., JG papers, box 2).40 Oven, 108f.41 Ibid., 119; and Semler, ‘Aug 7, 1943.’42 Semler, ‘Aug 10, 1943.’43 JG, report to all gauleiters on this raid, Aug 27 (ADIK report 158a/1945); Milch conferencewith Speer, Sep 1 (Milch Documents, vol.30, 377) and night fighter conf., Aug 31,1943 (ibid., 206).44 114 more bombers were damaged including eleven totally destroyed: Webster &Frankland, The Strategic Air Offensive against Germany (London, 1961), vol. ii, 165n.45 Unpubl. diary, Sep 8, 1943 (NA film T84, roll 265); Dr Immanuel Schäffer, interrogation,PWB report SAIC.16, Jun 6, 1945 (NA file RG.332, entry ETO, Mis-Y, Sect., box116).46 Gutterer note on talk with Milch, Sep 1, and letter, Sep 9, 1943 (ZStA Potsdam,Rep.50.01, vol.935).47 Schnauff (RMVP) to Frankfurt gau, Jan 20, 1944 (NA film T84, roll 169, 6337).48 Unpubl. diary, Sep 9, 1943 (NA film T84, roll 265); Oven, 128ff.49 Unpubl. diary, Sep 10, 1943.50 See Bormann’s letter to his wife, Sep 9, 1943.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 79351 Diary, Sep 10. When Moscow now upgraded its embassy in Stockholm JG noted foreignspeculation about the Soviet ambassador Madame Kollontai becoming a mediator betweenBerlin and Moscow. Unpubl. diary, Sep 21, 1943.52 Diary, Sep 15, 17, 18, 1943.53 Diary, Sep 28, 1943; Webster & Frankland, vol.ii, 165.54 Diary, Sep 12, 13, 16, 17, 20, 1943; and note on a meeting about organisation at Lankewith Naumann and Schwägermann (Hoover Libr., JG papers, box 2; and BA file R.55/1392).55 Diary, Sep 16, 18, 23, 1943.56 Ibid., Sep 15, 1943.57 Unpubl. diary, Sep 25, 1943 (NA film T84, roll 265); the anthology was Der steile Aufstieg.Reden und Aufsätze aus den Jahren 1942–1943 (Munich, 1944); on which see the records of theparty’s censorship bureau (PPK) in ZStA Potsdam, Rep.62 Ka 1, Kanzlei des Führers, vol.206.794 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
Goebbels51: The White Suit BespatteredON the day after Goebbels’ return from the Wolf’s Lair, Hitler’s special forcesliberated Mussolini from his mountain-top prison. Goebbels was initiallydismayed, fearing that the Duce’s reincarnation would thwart their revanchist ambitionsin northern Italy. The communiqué was however a welcome boost to morale.1There was a second boost when Otto Dietrich announced that they were about tothrow the American invasion forces back into the sea at Salerno. (They didn’t). Coupledwith a spate of recent death sentences and the absence of air raids these announcementshad a steadying effect.2 Goebbels assessed that the low marked by Hamburghad been passed.3 He took stock. Air raid damage by the end of September1943 had already cost thirty-two million marks; but the final replacement of damagedcities, factories, roads and railways would cost about one hundred and twentymillions.4 Germany had lost 72,000 dead in the air raids; but they had evacuatedaround 3·9 million civilians to safety.5 Others were put out of harm’s way by moreradical means: Goebbels noted with approval that the ministry of justice speeded upthe execution of all condemned prisoners to avoid their escape during air raids.6 Atthe next Cabinet-style meeting Berndt offered comforting statistics showing thatenemy air raids could be expected to decline during the winter months; but Goebbelswas more realistic about the ordeal which faced Berlin.7The invasion battle at Salerno took a sudden turn for the worse after the Alliedwarships brought up their big guns. In a barrage of phone calls to the Wolf’s LairGOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 795Goebbels protested that once again it was he whom the enemy were mocking forone of Dietrich’s faux pas.8 Hitler invited him back to his HQ and, pacing up anddown his map room until 3:40 A,.M, he unburdened himself of many a privatethought—including his suspicion that Mussolini might actually have been planningto double-cross them in July.9 He revealed that Admiral Dönitz already had 120 submarinesback at sea, equipped with new radar detectors and torpedoes. He alsorevealed details of new secret weapons to be ready in January, including a high-speedpilotless flying bomb carrying an 850-kilo warhead and a ballistic missile weighingfourteen tons. Perhaps, he conjectured, all these would bring Britain to
