Flensburg government
Encyclopedia
The Flensburg Government (German
: Flensburger Regierung), also known as the Flensburg Cabinet (Flensburger Kabinett) and the Dönitz Government (Regierung Dönitz), was the short-lived administration that attempted to rule the Third Reich
during most of May 1945 at the end
of World War II
in Europe. The government was formed following the suicide
of Adolf Hitler
on 30 April during the Battle of Berlin
, and headed by Grand Admiral
Karl Dönitz
.
The administration was referred to as the "Flensburg government" because Flensburg
, near the border with Denmark
, was Dönitz's headquarters at the time. Due to the rapid Allied
advance, its effective jurisdiction was limited to a narrow wedge of territory running from the Austria
n border through Berlin
to the Danish border.
In his last will and testament
, Hitler designated Dönitz his successor. Dönitz was not to become Führer
, but rather President (Reichspräsident
), a post Hitler had abolished in 1934. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
was to become Chancellor (Reichskanzler). Martin Bormann
was designated the "Party Minister", granting him de facto control of the Nazi Party. Hitler had condemned both Hermann Göring
and Heinrich Himmler
as traitors and expelled them both from the Nazi Party and the German government. Göring was at that time in Bavaria under arrest by SS-guards. Himmler was with Dönitz but was not informed of his being condemned by Hitler.
On 1 May, Dönitz learned that Hitler had committed suicide and that he had been designated as President. Later that day, Goebbels committed suicide while Bormann fled the Führerbunker
, and Dönitz asked former finance minister Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
to replace Goebbels as Chancellor. Von Krosigk refused the job. Instead, the two agreed that Von Krosigk would become the 'Leading Minister'.
That night, Dönitz gave his first nationwide radio address, in which he spoke of Hitler's "hero’s death" and vowed that the war would continue "to save Germany from destruction by the advancing Bolshevik enemy." However, Dönitz had known before he accepted the reins of power that Germany's position was untenable and that the Wehrmacht
was no longer capable of offering meaningful resistance. During his brief period in office, he devoted most of his efforts to ensuring the loyalty of the German armed forces and trying to ensure German troops would surrender to the British or Americans and not the Soviets, since he feared they would face Soviet reprisals.
The Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk
, the nominal administration of the Flensburg government, had its first meeting in Mürwik, near (and now part of) Flensburg on 5 May.
and General Alfred Jodl
attempted to direct what was left of the Wehrmacht towards the armies invading from the west.
On 5 May Dönitz sent Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg
, his successor as the commander in chief of the German Navy, to US General Dwight D. Eisenhower
's headquarters in Rheims, France
, to negotiate a surrender to the Allies. Jodl arrived a day later. Dönitz had instructed them to draw out the negotiations for as long as possible so that German troops and refugees could surrender to the Western Powers. However, Eisenhower let it be known he would not tolerate the Germans' stalling, and threatened to close the front unless it stopped, meaning that German soldiers attempting to cross the line to surrender would be fired on, that all subsequent surrenders would have to be to the Soviets. When Dönitz learned this, he authorized Jodl to sign the unconditional German Instrument of Surrender at 1:30 A.M. on the morning of May 7. Just over an hour later, Jodl signed the documents. The surrender documents included the phrase, "All forces under German control to cease active operations at 23:01 hours Central European Time on 8 May 1945." At Stalin's insistence, on 8 May, shortly before midnight, the signing was repeated in Berlin at Marshal
Georgiy Zhukov’s headquarters, with Marshall of the Royal Air Force
A.W. Tedder
representing the United Kingdom
and also acting as Eisenhower's representative (he signed "on behalf of the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force", in his capacity as Deputy Supreme Commander). U.S. Army Air Forces General Carl Spaatz signed on behalf of the United States. Empowered by Dönitz, Von Friedeburg, Keitel and Stumpff signed a second instrument of surrender in Berlin as the representatives of Germany. At the time specified, World War II in Europe ended
.
Colonel General
Alfred Jodl
was Chief-of-Staff of the Wehrmacht and represented Dönitz in negotiations with the Allies in Rheims, France
. Field Marshal
Wilhelm Keitel
represented Dönitz in negotiations with the Red Army
in Berlin
.
Former armaments minister Albert Speer
suggested that, after the surrender, the Flensburg government should dissolve itself. Instead Dönitz and his ministers chose to continue in hope of presiding over post-War Germany as a provisional government
.
The speech by Winston Churchill announcing victory to the British people is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, at least up to the moment of the unconditional surrender, since Churchill specified that the surrender had been authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz, the designated Head of the German State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was not recognised by the Allies.
On 20 May, the Soviet government made it clear what it thought about the Flensburg government. It attacked the Dönitz Administration, calling it the "Dönitz Gang" and harshly criticised any idea of allowing it to retain any power. Pravda
said:
On 23 May, a British liaison officer went to Dönitz's headquarters and asked to speak with all members of the government. He then read an order from General Dwight Eisenhower ordering the dissolution of Dönitz' government and the arrest of all its members.
The power vacuum that ensued from the arrest of the Flensburg Government and the dissolution of the Third Reich was terminated on June 5, 1945, when the representatives of the Allies signed the Declaration Regarding the Defeat of Germany and the Assumption of Supreme Authority by Allied Powers. The said declaration stated:
Therefore, on June 5, 1945, although Germany continued to exist as a nation, it was placed under full authority of the Allied Military Occupation Government.
During the initial stage of the occupation of Germany, supreme authority was discharged by the Four Powers jointly for all occupation zones, via the Allied Control Council
, so that this Council was the immediate successor of the Dönitz Administration in the Government of Germany.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Flensburger Regierung), also known as the Flensburg Cabinet (Flensburger Kabinett) and the Dönitz Government (Regierung Dönitz), was the short-lived administration that attempted to rule the Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during most of May 1945 at the end
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe. The government was formed following the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
on 30 April during the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
, and headed by Grand Admiral
Grand Admiral
Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, generally being the highest such rank present in any particular country. Its most notable use was in Germany — the German word is Großadmiral.-France:...
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
.
The administration was referred to as the "Flensburg government" because Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, near the border with Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, was Dönitz's headquarters at the time. Due to the rapid Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
advance, its effective jurisdiction was limited to a narrow wedge of territory running from the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border through Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to the Danish border.
Formation
Last will and testament of Adolf Hitler
The last will and testament of Adolf Hitler was dictated by Hitler to his secretary Traudl Junge in his Berlin Führerbunker on April 29, 1945, the day he and Eva Braun married. They committed suicide the next day , two days before the surrender of Berlin to the Soviets on May 2, and just over a...
, Hitler designated Dönitz his successor. Dönitz was not to become Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
, but rather President (Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident
The Reichspräsident was the German head of state under the Weimar constitution, which was officially in force from 1919 to 1945. In English he was usually simply referred to as the President of Germany...
), a post Hitler had abolished in 1934. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
was to become Chancellor (Reichskanzler). Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
was designated the "Party Minister", granting him de facto control of the Nazi Party. Hitler had condemned both Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
and Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
as traitors and expelled them both from the Nazi Party and the German government. Göring was at that time in Bavaria under arrest by SS-guards. Himmler was with Dönitz but was not informed of his being condemned by Hitler.
On 1 May, Dönitz learned that Hitler had committed suicide and that he had been designated as President. Later that day, Goebbels committed suicide while Bormann fled the Führerbunker
Führerbunker
The Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
, and Dönitz asked former finance minister Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
to replace Goebbels as Chancellor. Von Krosigk refused the job. Instead, the two agreed that Von Krosigk would become the 'Leading Minister'.
That night, Dönitz gave his first nationwide radio address, in which he spoke of Hitler's "hero’s death" and vowed that the war would continue "to save Germany from destruction by the advancing Bolshevik enemy." However, Dönitz had known before he accepted the reins of power that Germany's position was untenable and that the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
was no longer capable of offering meaningful resistance. During his brief period in office, he devoted most of his efforts to ensuring the loyalty of the German armed forces and trying to ensure German troops would surrender to the British or Americans and not the Soviets, since he feared they would face Soviet reprisals.
The Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk
Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk
The Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk was the last Nazi German cabinet after the suicide of Adolf Hitler in Berlin. It reigned from May 2, 1945 to May 23, 1945. Retaining some members from the previous Cabinet Hitler, it consisted of the following people:...
, the nominal administration of the Flensburg government, had its first meeting in Mürwik, near (and now part of) Flensburg on 5 May.
Actions
At the urging of Dönitz, Field Marshal Wilhelm KeitelWilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
and General Alfred Jodl
Alfred Jodl
Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel...
attempted to direct what was left of the Wehrmacht towards the armies invading from the west.
On 5 May Dönitz sent Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg was the deputy commander of the U-Boat Forces of Nazi Germany and the last Commanding Admiral of the Kriegsmarine....
, his successor as the commander in chief of the German Navy, to US General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's headquarters in Rheims, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, to negotiate a surrender to the Allies. Jodl arrived a day later. Dönitz had instructed them to draw out the negotiations for as long as possible so that German troops and refugees could surrender to the Western Powers. However, Eisenhower let it be known he would not tolerate the Germans' stalling, and threatened to close the front unless it stopped, meaning that German soldiers attempting to cross the line to surrender would be fired on, that all subsequent surrenders would have to be to the Soviets. When Dönitz learned this, he authorized Jodl to sign the unconditional German Instrument of Surrender at 1:30 A.M. on the morning of May 7. Just over an hour later, Jodl signed the documents. The surrender documents included the phrase, "All forces under German control to cease active operations at 23:01 hours Central European Time on 8 May 1945." At Stalin's insistence, on 8 May, shortly before midnight, the signing was repeated in Berlin at Marshal
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Georgiy Zhukov’s headquarters, with Marshall of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
A.W. Tedder
Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, GCB was a senior British air force commander. During the First World War, he was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps and he went on to serve as a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the inter-war...
representing the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and also acting as Eisenhower's representative (he signed "on behalf of the Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force", in his capacity as Deputy Supreme Commander). U.S. Army Air Forces General Carl Spaatz signed on behalf of the United States. Empowered by Dönitz, Von Friedeburg, Keitel and Stumpff signed a second instrument of surrender in Berlin as the representatives of Germany. At the time specified, World War II in Europe ended
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
.
Cabinet
- Grand AdmiralGrand AdmiralGrand admiral is a historic naval rank, generally being the highest such rank present in any particular country. Its most notable use was in Germany — the German word is Großadmiral.-France:...
Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
, Reich PresidentPresident of GermanyThe President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial... - Lutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkLutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkJohann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
, Foreign Minister, Minister of Finance, and presiding officer of the Cabinet - Wilhelm StuckartWilhelm StuckartWilhelm Stuckart was a Nazi Party lawyer and official, a state secretary in the German Interior Ministry and later, a convicted war criminal.-Early life:...
, Minister of Culture, succeeded Himmler as Minister of the Interior - Albert SpeerAlbert SpeerAlbert Speer, born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, was a German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office...
, Minister of Industry and Production - Herbert BackeHerbert BackeHerbert Backe was a German Nazi politician and Obergruppenführer in the SS.Backe was born in Batumi, Georgia, the son of a trader. He studied at the Tbilisi Gymnasium from 1905 and was interned on the outbreak of World War I as an enemy alien...
, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forests - Franz SeldteFranz SeldteFranz Seldte was cofounder of the German Stahlhelm paramilitary organization, a Nazi politician, and Minister for Labour of the German Reich from 1933 to 1945.-Life:...
, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs - Julius DorpmüllerJulius DorpmüllerJulius Heinrich Dorpmueller was general manager of Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft from 1926-45 and the German Reich Transport Minister from 1937-45.- Life :...
, Minister of Posts and Communications
Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Alfred Jodl
Alfred Jodl
Alfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel...
was Chief-of-Staff of the Wehrmacht and represented Dönitz in negotiations with the Allies in Rheims, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
represented Dönitz in negotiations with the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Dissolution
Albert Speer
Albert Speer, born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, was a German architect who was, for a part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office...
suggested that, after the surrender, the Flensburg government should dissolve itself. Instead Dönitz and his ministers chose to continue in hope of presiding over post-War Germany as a provisional government
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
.
The speech by Winston Churchill announcing victory to the British people is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, at least up to the moment of the unconditional surrender, since Churchill specified that the surrender had been authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz, the designated Head of the German State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was not recognised by the Allies.
On 20 May, the Soviet government made it clear what it thought about the Flensburg government. It attacked the Dönitz Administration, calling it the "Dönitz Gang" and harshly criticised any idea of allowing it to retain any power. Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
said:
On 23 May, a British liaison officer went to Dönitz's headquarters and asked to speak with all members of the government. He then read an order from General Dwight Eisenhower ordering the dissolution of Dönitz' government and the arrest of all its members.
The power vacuum that ensued from the arrest of the Flensburg Government and the dissolution of the Third Reich was terminated on June 5, 1945, when the representatives of the Allies signed the Declaration Regarding the Defeat of Germany and the Assumption of Supreme Authority by Allied Powers. The said declaration stated:
Therefore, on June 5, 1945, although Germany continued to exist as a nation, it was placed under full authority of the Allied Military Occupation Government.
During the initial stage of the occupation of Germany, supreme authority was discharged by the Four Powers jointly for all occupation zones, via the Allied Control Council
Allied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
, so that this Council was the immediate successor of the Dönitz Administration in the Government of Germany.
See also
- End of World War II in EuropeEnd of World War II in EuropeThe final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
- German Instrument of Surrender
- Victory in Europe DayVictory in Europe DayVictory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
- Victory Day (Eastern Front)