[…]
DASER: In contrast with the army of occupation which you experienced – when we regarded them as an enemy power – the Germans today give them an enthusiastic reception; they don’t only hang out white flags but welcome them and say: ‘You’re a thousand times preferable to the Nazis, to our own people.’
ROSS: Quite right.
?: ‘Please help us to kill off the Nazi bosses.’
ROSS: Quite right. Only with the great difference, over which we must not have the least doubt, that this enthusiasm and all those things are the swing from one condition to another, but once this war is over—
DASER: No, I disagree with you there; the white flag does not only indicate: ‘Hands up, I surrender, please don’t bomb us any more’ etc., but ‘I greet you and ask you to help me to… the last of the Nazi bosses and all that goes with them.’
ROSS: That remains to be seen.
DASER: Things have already come to that today, and you may say that’s typically German, I admit that; perhaps another people might behave differently in a situation like this, but only a people which from its own self, from the fundamental ethical conceptions which, either from religion or education, or from their whole outlook are still latent in the people—
ROSS: There is no doubt, sir, that every decent-thinking person in GERMANY cannot take strict enough action, in the interests of the German people as a whole, against all these underground movements and all these reactionaries, whether they are National Socialists or some other elements. They must all disappear. We must accept the consequences of a lost war and clear up and cooperate in reconstruction. Anyone opposing that must be got rid of. This fact cannot be stressed enough. Are you of a different opinion?
BRUHN: No, but I should like even to add something: unfortunately during the last few years the German people has realised that in spite of love of country and patriotism they have to turn to their enemies in order to rid themselves of the growth inside them. I’m convinced that the majority of even the lowest working classes as well as the other classes are not only ready to welcome their enemies but also to give them the fullest cooperation because they have come to realise that their greatest enemy is in their own country. Despite that fact, thousands of fanatics will be against it and we ourselves shall have to annihilate them in the end.
ROSS: Yes.
BRUHN: But this ‘Werewolf’ movement is directed first and foremost against the enemy and as a result the Anglo-Americans will have to take steps against it too.
ROSS: Those ‘Werewolves’ will operate against anyone inclined to cooperate with the enemy on a reasonable basis.
BRUHN: Yes, but we’ll soon track them down. I must say that, after the damage done as regards the education of the younger generation, we shall have no alternative but to shoot thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people in cold blood, maybe even one’s own brother, if they oppose the rehabilitation of the German people. If we don’t do that we’re lost for centuries to come. The workmen feel that too.
Document 73
CSDIC (UK), GRGG 284
Report on information obtained from Senior Officers (PW) on 16–18 Apr. 45 [TNA, WO 208/4177]
FISCHER: Such criminals! I have no other expression for these people at the head of our government; they’re rogues and criminals in my eyes, no matter what anyone here says about his oath of allegiance.
BRUHN: Oh, that oath is rubbish. HITLER has released us from our oath by his whole behaviour. One is only constantly astounded that we all ran after this will o’ the wisp as we did.
FISCHER: Why was that? Because our officers were so unpolitically minded, and believed the government to be just as respectable as the officers. Had it been a democratic government we would never have believed that. Had the ‘National’ been missing from ‘National Socialism’ we would never have believed it either. It was the ‘National’ which did it; it was under that cover that he deceived us and also destroyed the middle class as such.
BRUHN: From the negative point of view, from the criminal one, they certainly did their job well by using such logic.
Document 74
CSDIC (UK), GRGG 286
Report on information obtained from Senior Officers (PW) on 19–21 Apr. 45 [TNA, WO 208/4177]
HEIM: PFUHLSTEIN, do please answer just one question which has always puzzled us beyond solution: what are the German people doing now? Why are they still fighting as they are?
PFUHLSTEIN: I will tell you exactly – exactly is saying too much, perhaps. I went through the battle for WERTHEIM.[157] I was retired out of the service and without the right to wear uniform etc. The fact is that any man who runs away – there are regimental courts martial everywhere – anyone found in the rear is shot. Orders now are always worded as follows: ‘I order this and that. If it should not succeed, you will be shot.’ The people know, therefore: ‘It’s no good retreating, I shall be caught and killed. Therefore I shall have to stay at the front and act as if I am fighting. I shan’t fight, because it’s pointless. I won’t open fire, or I might fire my rifle once or twice, but there’s no point in it. Perhaps I shall be wounded, a slight wound, that would be a stroke of luck.’
Then, around WERTHEIM, the civilians were literally hostile to the German soldiers and yet had the greatest sympathy for the fellows, as, of course, they had no more reinforcements and supplies or rations. All those who were giving the orders – they know all that – what was dashing around was no more than a rabble. There were no vehicles and there was no artillery; there was absolutely nothing left there, so the civilians feel the greatest pity for those troops. On the other hand, they were outspokenly hostile, saying: ‘You idiots, what’s keeping you here? As long as you stay here the place will be attacked. If you start pooping off your silly popguns our town will be shot to pieces. You will be out anyway within a couple of hours or a day. Our town is still standing now, but then it will be destroyed. Give up this stupid idea and go away!’ They actually tried to defend WERTHEIM with, I believe, two ‘Kompanien’. They delayed things for twenty-four hours, with the result that the Americans heavily shelled the, till then, completely undamaged town and caused a tremendous amount of destruction.
Then our engineers blew up two bridges over the TAUBER and one over the MAIN, but in such a stupid way that the houses over a wide area left and right of them collapsed, the hospital – no windows left, roof gone and everything else imaginable. But in the bridge itself they blew a hole measuring only 4 m! Then the Americans arrived, threw a few planks over it and two hours later their tanks were driving across.
HEIM: That bridge business is a perfect symbol for the whole German nation: self-destruction!
PFUHLSTEIN: Of course it had to be a large hospital, full to the brim with wounded and sick from the town! The town was smashed through the demolitions of our own engineers; on account of our stupid popguns the little half-timbered town was subjected to twenty-four hours’ artillery fire. Then they withdrew and the Americans arrived and two hours later the tanks were rolling across.
HEIM: Why aren’t the Americans advancing more quickly?
PFUHLSTEIN: Because they still continue to overestimate us. They don’t realise what miserable remnants they are. They just don’t believe how miserably off the men are and how low is their fighting value.
157
After a short fight, Wertheim fell to 1st and 2nd Battalions, Reg.222, US 42nd Inf.Div. on 1.4.1945. The town received mortar and artillery fire on several occasions that day, the first before noon after a brief exchange with German resistance and again in the afternoon to convince Major Hermann Dürr to hoist the white flag. The road bridge over the Tauber, damaged by explosives set by German pioneers, was re-opened to traffic after a few hours. Contrary to Pfuhlstein’s allegation, the artillery damage was negligible. No deaths were reported amongst the civilian population. Ehmer, ‘Kampf um Nassig’.