Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

1945 (NA file RG.319, IRR, XE.009487).GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 927Epilogue: ‘Ever at your Side’REICH Chancellor Joseph Goebbels nodded to Otto Günsche, Hitler’s broad-Ê Ê Ê Ê shouldered, blond S.S. ‘bulldog,’ to go ahead. Hitler had commandedGünsche to ensure that he and Eva were truly dead, and then to cremate their remains.They all trooped into Hitler’s private sanctum. The sight of their Führer lifeless,the fountainhead until now of their own power and influence, slumped on thesofa with blood oozing from his head and mouth, had a numbing effect on them all.Eva’s head rested on his shoulder. Ludwig Stumpfegger, Hitler’s wiry young S.S.doctor, stooped briefly and confirmed that they were both dead, which relievedGünsche of a last distasteful duty with which Hitler had also charged him.1While the valet wrapped Hitler’s corpse in a blanket and carried it out withStumpfegger’s assistance, Bormann picked up Eva’s and followed them to the spiralstaircase with Dr Goebbels a few paces behind. Schwägermann reported the sceneto Magda. ‘He ought not to have done this to us,’ she wept.2Upstairs Russian artillery was bracketing the building. Shrapnel was flying aroundthe gardens. Storms of mortar dust and smoke whipped past. The little funeral partyunceremoniously tipped the Führer’s body into a hollow a few yards from the bunkerexit where Goebbels remained, taking shelter. Hitler’s corpse lay face upwardswith Eva’s next to him. A rude gust of wind hoisted her blue dress to reveal hergarter-belt. Then, sodden down with the gasoline that Günsche and Hitler’s chauffeurslopped out of five jerricans, the cloth wrapped itself limply round her limbs.Goebbels handed Günsche a match, a lighted rag was tossed onto the bodies, a sheet928 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHof flame enveloped the couple and Bormann, Goebbels, Günsche and the doctorraised their right arms in a farewell salute.Goebbels led the way back down into the underground map room. Günsche andAxmann cleaned up in the death chamber. ‘Bormann—Burgdorf—Krebs—Mohnke,’Goebbels ordered. ‘Please come to an immediate situation conference.’ (WilhelmBurgdorf had succeeded Schmundt; Krebs had replaced Guderian; Wilhelm Mohnkewas the citadel’s commandant.)Hitler was dead. The Greatest Warlord of All Times had deserted them. For the lastsix years Germany had been a Führer state without a Führer. Now Goebbels wasReich chancellor without a Reich. The men clustered round as Goebbels told themof Hitler’s testament appointing him.The main point on his agenda was to secure Moscow’s formal recognition for hisnew government before the Soviet High Command had crushed his tiny Reich.3Together with Martin Bormann he dictated to secretary Gerda Christian a letteraddressed to the Soviet military commander Marshal Zhukov informing him that theFührer was dead and asking on behalf of the new government for an immediate ceasefire to enable the injured to be evacuated from the chancellery area.4 He detailedKrebs, a Russian speaker, to carry this letter to Zhukov’s HQ under a flag of truce.5But the preliminaries for this dangerous expedition took longer than planned. ElseKrüger recalls that a radio signal went first to the Russian command, then a juniorofficer went to inquire if they would receive Krebs. It was close to midnight beforethe general set off, accompanied by a colonel, General Weidling’s chief of staff, in anarmored car flying a white flag.6What was Goebbels’ intent? Krebs’ remarks to the Soviet officers, of which duerecord was taken, show that Goebbels had perceived only one hope for his ownsalvation: if Stalin would cut a deal with him at the expense of his western Allies.For several hours there was no word from Krebs. Goebbels and his men hungaround the bunker’s lowest level drinking endless cups of coffee and knocking backtots of schnapps. Goebbels had authorized a mass breakout for that night, and thecooks upstairs had packed all their pots and pans in anticipation; but now that KrebsGOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 929was still absent the cooks had to unpack and prepare more meals. Upstairs meanwhilea burial party tried in the darkness to complete the cremation work, but theHitler couple’s corpses were barely charred. They were buried in a shell crater withthe bodies of their two dogs laid out one layer above them as a decoy. Hitler’s AlsatianBlondi had a collar-tag engraved ‘Immer mit dir’—ever at your side.7Several efforts were made to persuade the new chancellor even now to spare thelives of his six children. Axmann offered to take them out of Berlin. Goebbels wentthrough the motions of consulting Magda, but returned and said he did not want thechildren to live to see him branded as a war criminal.8 Hitler’s chauffeur made asimilar offer. Goebbels told him that if Krebs failed, then his course was clear.9 Thenight passed but General Krebs did not return. Pondering what to do now, Goebbelsasked Traudl Junge for a copy of Hitler’s testament: but she had destroyed both herown shorthand and the remaining carbon copies.10At seven-forty the next morning—it was now May 1, 1945—Martin Bormannsent a succinct message to Dönitz in Flensburg, northern Germany: ‘Testament inforce,’ it said. ‘I shall join you as rapidly as possible. My advice is to delay publicationuntil then. BORMANN.’11 At about the same time Goebbels was dressing punctiliouslyfor this day’s probable meeting with his Maker, choosing his finest underwear, hislight brown party uniform, dark silk socks, a brown silk necktie clasped with a swastikabadge, and the special orthopædic shoes.12 The sounds of combat had almostdied away—it was the Russian labour day.TOWARD mid-morning the colonel came back from the Russian HQ, his uniform tornby barbed wire. He reported that General Krebs had been conducted to the EighthGuards Army command post on the edge of Tempelhof airfield. The commandingofficer, General Vassiliy Ivanovich Chuikov had heard him out; but after conferringby phone with Marshal Zhukov the Russians had refused to discuss anything butunconditional surrender. There could be no talk of a limited armistice. Krebs hadargued, as instructed, that it was in Stalin’s interest to recognize the new Goebbelsgovernment at once. General Chuikov had repeated the Soviet refusal. Krebs had930 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHsent the colonel back to the chancellery with a Soviet signals team to run a fieldtelephone line in to