Tapping Hitler's Generals

THOMA: Just a disgusting inflammatory speech! The net result will be that tonight–well, no, not tonight because the Jews are not allowed out–but tomorrow, when they come along wearing the Star of David, a few of them will be murdered. That’s all!

CRÜWELL: What absolute rubbish! That piece at the end! He spoke too long. But it was quite senseless not to close on the note of confidence in the FÜHRER; that ought to have been the conclusion; but no, off he went again, demanding more of the women. At first I thought: ‘Good Heavens, what is he talking about now?’

THOMA: I thought he was going to announce something of special importance, too.

CRÜWELL: It seems to me that if these measures are necessary, one can only ask: ‘Why didn’t they introduce them sooner?’ But why must he always unceasingly stir the people?

THOMA: Absolutely disgusting! It ought to have been a short concise speech, couched in serious terms, lasting half an hour at the most, but it was a typical beer-house tirade. He’s always talked like that. He’s been doing it for twenty years. It’s disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful! And to collect a rabble like that and compel them to go in and shout because there’s a man standing behind them. I am ashamed of the impression these fellows make on the world. I feel thoroughly ashamed. […]

THOMA: It wasn’t at all a good speech. I could have imagined it in a much more dignified way. Quite apart from his digression when he stirred up hatred of the Jews again–the first half of his speech was about nothing but the Jews–the poor Jews, who have really had nothing to do with all this–and then his malicious way of saying: ‘We will drive them out completely,’–what’s that got to do with the present war situation? It shows a complete misunderstanding of the whole business. What can the people at home be thinking? It’s sheer impudence for the fellow to reprove the middle-class–they’re having by far the worst time.

CRÜWELL: Who has upheld our culture in the last hundred years, for hundreds of years!

THOMA: And then a typical GOEBBELS touch, ‘That is all being destroyed now; but it is guaranteed that it will all be built up again immediately.’ He treats the subject as though it were a house of cards. It’s affrontery! He ought to realise that there are other people who give some thought to the matter and have devoted some attention to it.

CRÜWELL: Above all, people will ask why they didn’t do it sooner.

THOMA: I should like to have GOEBBELS one evening in quite a small circle. I’ve heard a lot about how delightful and charming he can be, from people who know him well. But in those matters–no! A man who was there told me that he gave a lecture on the conduct of propaganda, at the Tank School last year, at which not only the senior officers were present but the youngest officers and women were as well. He held forth and the gist of the whole thing was: ‘The masses themselves are stupid, you can do what you like with them.’ That’s how he talked to those people. They were amazed.

CRÜWELL: He knows something about the matter, there’s no doubt about that.

THOMA: He really let the cat out of the bag, when he asserted: ‘The masses themselves are stupid, you can do what you like with them.’ They didn’t like that at all. […]

Document 8

CSDIC (UK), SR REPORT, SRGG 5 [TNA, WO 208/4165]

LUDWIG CRÜWELL–General der Panzertruppe–Captured 29 May 42 in North Africa.

HANS CRAMER–General der Panzertruppe (G.O.C. German Afrikakorps)–Captured 12 May 43 in Tunisia.

Information received: 16 May 43

CRAMER: When we older men who have experienced the last war follow this whole business, it makes us think. I can draw such a terrible number of parallels myself, that I always say: ‘It is impossible for it to turn out well, but for Heaven’s sake don’t let’s think….’ Herr General, everything has turned out just as last time… but very gradually. If you examine the situation–AMERICA is becoming more and more powerful. I would like to be optimistic, but I don’t know–and the worst part is that I have just come back from the collapse at KHARKOV; I was present at the collapse of the Rumanians, the Italians and the Hungarians, I was with the Hungarian Army as GOC(?) and now I have been through this business, so I have been retreating since… autumn(?).[11]

CRÜWELL: I don’t look on the position as hopeless. It is critical but–

CRAMER: No, but hopeless. I keep on saying, one is far too apt to judge by what we remember of 1918.[12]

CRÜWELL: Yes, certainly, and it is on that that the others are counting.

CRAMER: Yes, it is really extraordinary that there should be two such wars after having really sworn after the Great War that we would never again fight the English, we all said that we wouldn’t do that again. We both had the same ideas… these ‘two white nations’ etc., etc.

CRÜWELL: The English say the same.