Tapping Hitler's Generals

BROICH: Well, DOLLMANN really did have a stroke.[382] Two years ago DOLLMANN suffered with his head; he always used to drink a lot of red wine and smoke huge cigars, and that tells in time.

SPONECK: No, that can’t be so.

BROICH: And MARCKS in a car–that’s true, too; MARCKS didn’t commit suicide.[383]

BAO: Is STAUFFENBERG’s wife still in GERMANY?

BROICH: Yes, she’s in GERMANY, she is on her father-in-law’s estate.[384]

[…]

BROICH: His father[385] was Lord Chamberlain to the King of WÜRTEMBERG.

BAO: But isn’t STAUFFENBERG a famous name?

SPONECK: Yes, it is. Count SCHENCK von STAUFFENBERG, a very old family. Good God, that grand fellow–he should have at least done the thing properly.

BAO: Well, goodbye, Sir! (BAO leaves)

SPONECK: It means civil war.

BROICH: Good God, STAUFFENBERG! I wouldn’t have believed anyone else capable of it! STAUFFENBERG is such an honest man, I always said: ‘He would be the first to do it himself.’ A shame, he was such a charming man.

?: Now they’ll start agitating against all officers, you see if they don’t.

BROICH: He said that others are supposed to be implicated, too.

?: Now, in view of this, they’ll liquidate every discontented General and everyone they don’t like the look of. They’ll be having concentration camps for Generals next.

BROICH: It’s quite possible.

SPONECK: I believe it is the end.

BROICH: I don’t think so yet.

SPONECK: Unfortunately it didn’t come off; I can only say I think it a great pity that STAUFFENBERG didn’t succeed.

BROICH: That’s the pity. Good Lord, why did that bomb have to be so small!

?: Well, he didn’t want to kill the others as well.[386]

SPONECK: Yes, but that just can’t be helped. It must have been a hand grenade; it can’t have been anything larger.

?: But, gentlemen, surely that would have been ample if a hand grenade had exploded two metres away from him.

BROICH: Yes, but you can be unlucky with a hand grenade. Perhaps someone stood in the way or perchance the burst somehow or other went to the side. Good God, good old STAUFFENBERG. Well, he’s sure to have been at OKW, he used to work there and he is in a position to get at those people. It’s remarkable that the FÜHRER broadcast!

?: Did he broadcast?

BROICH: Yes. The BAO said just now that he heard him.

?: THOMA (PW) heard it just now–

(THOMA enters)

THOMA: It’s a nasty business, gentlemen!

BROICH: Yes, it is the STAUFFENBERG who was my GSO I (Ops). I always thought him capable of it.

THOMA: Yes. Well, STAUFFENBERG–we often discussed it.

BROICH: He’s the one who, in 1943, drove around to all the field marshals and army leaders and asked them whether they would take part or not. MANSTEIN is said to have been the only one who refused to take part. He said that all the others agreed to take part immediately, but they weren’t prepared to take over the leadership. If, however, someone would do that, they would at once be–

THOMA: Yes, but they wouldn’t take over the leadership.

BROICH: Then, I believe, the time was not yet ripe. He said MANSTEIN had said that the whole thing was out of the question.[387]

?: Yes, it was not yet ripe, because the whole of the German people would have howled like a whipped dog and would have said: ‘Our beloved FÜHRER’ and ‘against that man of genius’ and ‘our Generals have landed us in this.’ But I can imagine that now perhaps the workers–

BROICH: And who has been dismissed, the Generals or who?

THOMA: ZEITZLER has gone[388] and one of those who was injured is said to have died.[389] They didn’t mention any names at all. The saddest thing is that GUDERIAN is to be HIMMLER’s Chief of Staff.

?: That is horrifying.

BROICH: That means he’s lost to us!

SPONECK: The question is whether in these circumstances GUDERIAN will not try to seize power himself.

?: Yes, because on the whole GUDERIAN was a decent fellow.

BROICH: He was a decent and energetic fellow–I can’t understand it.

SPONECK: Wait and see, I could imagine him doing it.

?: What, with HIMMLER?!

BROICH: What is HIMMLER’s job?

THOMA: HIMMLER is supposed to be there to clean up all the internal affairs in GERMANY, and for the GAF for GERMANY proper STUMPFF has been appointed; there must be something up, that comes from the German news service.

SPONECK: He is the stupidest man there is.

THOMA: He (HITLER) hasn’t got anyone else. And then it has also been said the GOERING and DÖNITZ immediately made speeches of loyalty to HITLER on behalf of their respective services.[390]

?: That is of no importance.

BROICH: And is anyone else from Headquarters gone?

THOMA: Georg ZEITZLER[391]–but apart from that, nothing else has been said about the whole business.

?: But there must be something going on at home, otherwise they wouldn’t… to the world–

THOMA: Yes, because it is from the German news service, naturally from the short-wave transmitter. I am very sorry about STAUFFENBERG. He is said to have been shot immediately.

SPONECK: My God, it’s a tragedy that he missed.

THOMA: Yes, one can really say so.