Unconditional Surrender by Ludde-Neurath Walter;

Author:Ludde-Neurath, Walter;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1692888
Publisher: Frontline Books

Chapter 15

The Allied Control Commission

Shortly after the unconditional surrender came into effect, the ‘Allied Control Commission at OKW’ arrived at Flensburg. Its official task was to oversee the correct observance of the capitulation conditions by the OKW and give instructions as to the demobilisation of the German forces. The Commission consisted initially only of a mixed Anglo-American Staff under MajorGeneral Rooks (USA) and Brigadier Foord (Great Britain). The staff had amongst its numbers many purely military advisors and a huge team of technical specialists whose interest was the military administration. There was a great deal of activity between them and the ‘Caretaker Reich Government’. This seemed to provide the hoped-for opportunities to influence developments in Germany along the guidelines mentioned in Chapter 11. The memoranda and practical proposals were received with interest, which expressed itself in numerous discussions aboard the Patria. On the Allied side, emphasis was laid on the problems of food supplies and road communications. These meetings were cool but correct. The definite distancing of the British was met by equal reserve by ourselves, all attempts at fraternisation being doomed to failure. On two visits by Dönitz to Rooks, the usual custom of paying shipboard honours – piping the side, presenting arms and reception by the officers – was maintained, and the Control Commission even respected the enclave, in which until a short time before our arrest ‘Guard Batallion Dönitz’ remained under arms under the command of Korvettenkapitän Kremer, and it was respected as sovereign territory.

Before his arrest, Dönitz met with the head of the Control Commission three times. The first time he was ‘requested’ by telephone to come to the Patria at midday on 13 May. Though the form of the summons was thought discourteous, the meeting was not. Rooks had an order for the arrest of Generalfeldmarschall Keitel and expressed his regrets. Dönitz took the opportunity to mention the urgent problem of restoring order in Germany. Keitel was notified of his arrest half an hour later. It was done correctly. He was given the opportunity to take his leave of Dönitz and sufficient time to prepare for the flight, on which he was expressly allowed to be accompanied by his adjutant and valet. Upon leaving he voiced his suspicion that this premature and singular arrest had to do with the shooting of fifty British and Empire PoWs after the ‘Great Escape’ at Stalag Luft III in 1944. He had attempted to dissuade Hitler from it but considered himself covered by Hitler’s express order. Generaloberst Jodl took over from Keitel as Head of the OKW.

The second summons for Dönitz was a more easy-going affair in which he was questioned by Rooks and Mr Murphy, Eisenhower’s political advisor, on his claim to be the legitimate head of state. Murphy avoided making any comment on what Dönitz said, as was to be expected, and went over copies of the signals appointing him, which Dönitz had previously assembled as evidence.

The third meeting took place on 20 May in his office, where he had invited the two heads of the Control Commission.

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