《The Gestapo:A History of Horror》By Jacques Delarue
The Gestapo against the Army (4)
Von Fritsch was never publicly criticized. His character seems pure, but who knows... These vague doubts and fears put pressure on the soldiers, just as they feared a public confrontation with the Gestapo, who was undoubtedly the one behind the manipulation. This atmosphere lasted for several days.
A cruel decision finally put an end to everything. On 4 February, the Fuehrer's secret instructions came. Hitler announced in a radio address that Bloomberg had left the War Department. He had retired, but no reason was given for leaving. As for army commander-in-chief von Fritsch, he "demanded the dismissal of his command for health reasons." Hitler announced to the German people that he had decided to abolish the War Department and place the army under his direct control, even though he was already supreme commander as president at the time. The promise he made in 1934 to submit all plans relating to the army to the War Department for approval is now invalid.
It was normal to replace von Fritsch with General Beck, but he was not careful enough in a speech in 1934 to offend Hitler. "There is nothing more dangerous than indulging in spontaneous inspiration," he said of the desire for the revival of the army, "and no matter how appropriate and clever they may seem, they are not mature enough." It is well known that Hitler relied on his "superior intuition." These words annoyed the Fuehrer, and Baker lost his post. Von Reichenau was also not appointed, although he was the most Nazi-minded of all the generals, since Hitler did not want a politician as an officer in any way. As Goering said, "The generals of the Third Reich had no right to participate in any political activity. Von Brauchich, then commander of the East Prussian Military District, replaced von Fritsch. Eventually, Hitler formed a new organization, the Wehrmacht High Command, or Armed Forces Supreme Command, with General Keitel as the supreme commander. Keitel was known for his meekness, which earned him the nickname Spirit in the army.
Walter von Brauchitsch was Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1941.
Thirteen other generals were relieved of command, 44 others were removed or retired, and some senior officers suffered the same fate. Those who have offended the Gestapo, or who have been identified by it as reactionaries, monarchists or heavy believers, are victims. One of the beneficiaries of this bloodless revolution was General Guderian, an expert in mechanized warfare, who was appointed commander of the 16th Army, the only armored unit at the time.
It wasn't just the soldiers who were affected, but their friends were not spared. Foreign Minister von Neuwright was dismissed and replaced by hardcore Nazi Joachim von Ribbentrop. The three ambassadors, Hassel in Rome, von Papen in Vienna and von Dixon in Tokyo, were replaced. Goering's coveted War Ministry escaped from his clutches, and he was appointed marshal as a sign of consolation. As a result, he also became the highest military commander of Germany. Finally, Dr. Schacht, who resigned from the Ministry of Economic Affairs in November 1937, was replaced by Vonk. In Germany, everyone knows that Vonk is a homosexual.
Joachim von Ribbentrop was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945.
The conspiracy that Himmler and Heydrich took pains to prevent themselves from participating in was exposed. Still, the soldiers found some clues. Soon, they reconstructed the starting point of the story: everything was built on similar names. The real culprit was a retired cavalry captain von Frisch with the letter t in his name. His apartment was effortlessly found in the East End of Lichtfeld, where he lived for ten years. But the captain was bedridden and very ill. His butler said the Gestapo arrived on January 15, nine days before the extortionist Schmidt confronted General von Fritsch.
The next day, the soldiers were sent to detain the sick, but the Gestapo had evacuated him the night before, and a few days later he died. With the help of a Justice Department official, investigators learned that von Frisch's bank account had been seized by the Gestapo on January 15, along with withdrawal records and all letters. Meanwhile, General von Fritsch's former servicemen— a sergeant major — were kidnapped by the Gestapo at Filstenwald's barracks, where they tried to force him to make ambiguous statements. The general's housekeeper was arrested in her province where she was vacationing and was "cross-examined" in the same way. On 24 January, before going to the Chancellery, Schmidt was taken to Goering's home, where Himmler and Goering himself personally explained that unless he "recognized" the general whom the Fuehrer would later confront, they assured him that he would die an ugly death.
Thus, the generals had a series of conclusive evidence that the plot was orchestrated by the Gestapo. Would they demand that Hitler compensate General von Fritsch and impose sanctions on the Gestapo leaders? When Hitler was threatened with exposing these practices, how could he refuse to do justice? But the generals' protests were merely academic, knowing they were incapable of playing german politics. However, they received the "compensation" they had demanded, and the court-martial that von Fritsch had requested was opened. The composition of the tribunal was strange: von Brauchitsch, von Fritsch's successor, the new naval commander Raeder, the two main beneficiaries of the Great Purge, two military judges, and Marshal Goering himself, who was a master of conspiracy.
The military court opened on 10 March and was brief. At noon, an aide-de-camp brought Hitler's adjournment order to summon Goering, Brauchitsch, and Reddell to the Chancellery.
What's behind this dramatic event? The answer came after 36 hours. On 12 March, the Germans crossed the Austrian border. Hitler was in Linz that night and vienna the next day. The Wehrmacht advanced with its heads held high in thunderous applause. How can they complain about the Gestapo's methods? How could they ask von Fritsch to reinstate him?
On March 14, 1938, Hitler entered the city of Vienna by car.
On 17 March, however, the court-martial reopened to continue the interrogation of extortionist Schmidt. Goering forced him to answer questions, asking him to tell the "truth" and promising not to harm his life. Based on a well-written script in advance, Schmidt admitted that he had made a mistake. He initially thought it was commander-in-chief von Fritsch, but later found out that he had mistakenly recognized the wrong person, but was afraid to admit it for fear of reprisals. A comedy ended there. The military tribunal found von Fritsch the victim of a series of regrettable misconceptions and acquitted him. No one asked Himmler and Heydrich to appear, and no one dared to summon them. As for Schmidt, despite Goering's assurances in court that he would remain unscathed, the Gestapo shot him a few days later. Like Van der Lubet, he played the corresponding role and then had to disappear.
Although von Fritsch has been "rehabilitated", he has not been recalled to active duty. At the time of his early retirement, he might have been thinking about his conversation with Ludendorff at the end of 1937. Like his boss, Bloomberg, Fritsch has always insisted that he has the Führer's trust. Ludendorff replied, "Then he will soon betray you." On December 22, 1937, when Bloomberg and Fritch followed Ludendorff's coffin, they did not expect his prophecy to be fulfilled so quickly.
Von Fritch's ending was rather strange. During the invasion of Poland in September 1939, his plan of action was adopted. Paradoxically, he was forced to continue to follow these military operations after his retirement. He couldn't bear this and had to sit in the staff car and follow his former artillery regiment, for he was still the honorary colonel of that artillery regiment. He was killed during the Siege of Warsaw, and many believe he was murdered by the Gestapo. His funeral was very grand, and it was much easier to do justice for the dead than for the living.