Tapping Hitler's Generals: Transcripts of Secret Conversations 1942–45 by Neitzel Sönke

Author:Neitzel, Sönke [Neitzel, Sönke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783830558
Publisher: Frontline Books
Published: 2013-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

BROICH: We shot women as if they had been cattle. I was at ZHITOMIR the day after it happened, while moving forward when the second offensive was about to start. The ‘Kommandant’, an Oberst von MONICH(?)315 happened to be there and he said, quite appalled: ‘We might drive out afterwards; there is a large quarry where ten thousand men, women and children were shot yesterday.’ They were all still lying in the quarry. We drove out on purpose to see it. The most bestial thing I ever saw.

CHOLTITZ: One day after SEBASTOPOL had fallen–whilst I was on my way back to BERLIN–I flew back with the Chief of Staff,316 the CO of the airfield was coming up to me, when he heard shots. I asked whether a firing practice was on. He answered: ‘Good Lord, I’m not supposed to tell, but they’ve been shooting Jews here for days now.’

BROICH: The most ridiculous story is the one WILDERMUTH (PW) tells about CROATIA when he was there. Some incident had happened in a factory somewhere or other; maybe someone was shot; in any case nothing of any importance. The ‘Bataillonskommandeur’ had the six hundred workers shot, including the German foremen, without establishing their identity! Just imagine it! It all came out afterwards. The man concerned, who was in charge of it all, came along and said: ‘Good gracious, they have shot my son as well!’ WILDERMUTH experienced that incident himself.317

CHOLTITZ: Once I went to OLDENBURG and visited Gauleiter RÖVER318 who said to me on parting: ‘I must congratulate you, Sir, on your “Regiment”. You are now in command of the “Oldenburger Regiment”. How are things in the field?’ I said: ‘Well, the soldiers’ morale is high, everything is in order. It’s just the home front that doesn’t satisfy our men.’ He asked why ever not. ‘Well, we can’t stand this shooting of Jews.’ The man couldn’t understand that. ‘And we cannot stand–I stress this fact in the name of my men–we won’t stand the persecution of churches and religious houses.’ In SOUTH OLDENBURG, which is Catholic, nuns and monks were being turned out of their houses and were not permitted to remain within a radius of 60 km, to prevent them from being assisted by the population.319 He looked very amazed and then started shouting like a madman, saying: ‘What! Is that what your men are concerned about? It’s incredible! The FÜHRER gave orders, shouting at me furiously, that a report be sent him every day in which not at least a thousand Jews were shot.’

ROTHKIRCH: Only in GERMANY, or where?

CHOLTITZ: No–everywhere. I presumed he meant POLAND. 36,000 Jews from SEBASTOPOL were shot.

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