Posen Conference
Encyclopedia
The Posen Conference was a meeting attended by Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler
, high ranking German Nazi Party officials and Gauleiter
s on October 6, 1943 in the city of Posen in Reichsgau Posen (Poznań
, Poland
). Similar to his speech of two days earlier, Himmler clearly explained in the final speech of the day the nature of the Final Solution
, its implications for those present, and its long-term significance for Germany.
The conference had been called by Martin Bormann
to bring together the Reichleiters and Gauleiters to discuss wartime strategy, including that of Total War
. In probable agreement with Hitler, Himmler had decided to disclose in frank and brutal terms the details of the 'Final Solution
' and other war crimes being committed by the SS and other agencies of the Nazi Party in Occupied Europe
. This was done in order to motivate everyone present to fight harder for victory, as they would not be able to claim ignorance of war crimes and Nazi
atrocities should Germany
be defeated. The Allies had already announced their intention
to place the leaders of the regime on trial.
with having knowledge of the Final Solution, something he had denied at the Nuremberg Trials
. Speer was certainly at the conference, and addressed the attendees in a speech on armaments production in the morning. Himmler's speech came in the afternoon, and at one point, he addressed Speer directly in the context of his speech. Confronted with this accusation in 1971 by the historian Erich Goldhagen, who had discovered the text of the speech in the Federal German archives, Speer recollected that he had left the conference before Himmler's speech began. Erhard Milch
and Walter Rohland
both confirmed this, the latter declaring so under oath.
Nonetheless, most historians feel that even if Speer had not attended the speech, he would have been made aware of its content by his good friends that had been there, such as the Gauleiters Karl Hanke
and Baldur von Schirach
.
In 2007, however, correspondence between Speer and a Belgian resistance widow Hélène Jeanty, indicated that Speer had indeed been present for Himmler's presentation. In the letter to Jeanty, written on December 23, 1971, Speer wrote: "There is no doubt - I was present as Himmler announced on October 6 1943 that all Jews would be killed...Who would believe me that I suppressed this, that it would have been easier to have written all of this in my memoirs?"
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...
, high ranking German Nazi Party officials and Gauleiter
Gauleiter
A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
s on October 6, 1943 in the city of Posen in Reichsgau Posen (Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). Similar to his speech of two days earlier, Himmler clearly explained in the final speech of the day the nature of the Final Solution
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
, its implications for those present, and its long-term significance for Germany.
The conference had been called by 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...
to bring together the Reichleiters and Gauleiters to discuss wartime strategy, including that of Total War
Total war
Total war is a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of fully available resources and population.In the mid-19th century, "total war" was identified by scholars as a separate class of warfare...
. In probable agreement with Hitler, Himmler had decided to disclose in frank and brutal terms the details of the 'Final Solution
Final Solution
The Final Solution was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust...
' and other war crimes being committed by the SS and other agencies of the Nazi Party in Occupied Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. This was done in order to motivate everyone present to fight harder for victory, as they would not be able to claim ignorance of war crimes and Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
atrocities should Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
be defeated. The Allies had already announced their intention
to place the leaders of the regime on trial.
Speer Controversy
This conference is the strongest evidence implicating Albert SpeerAlbert 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...
with having knowledge of the Final Solution, something he had denied at the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. Speer was certainly at the conference, and addressed the attendees in a speech on armaments production in the morning. Himmler's speech came in the afternoon, and at one point, he addressed Speer directly in the context of his speech. Confronted with this accusation in 1971 by the historian Erich Goldhagen, who had discovered the text of the speech in the Federal German archives, Speer recollected that he had left the conference before Himmler's speech began. Erhard Milch
Erhard Milch
Erhard Milch was a German Field Marshal who oversaw the development of the Luftwaffe as part of the re-armament of Germany following World War I, and served as founding Director of Deutsche Luft Hansa...
and Walter Rohland
Walter Rohland
Walter Rohland was a German industrial leader during World War II. In 1916, during World War I, Rohland joined the engineering corps as a teenage volunteer. From 1940 to 1943, he was chief of the Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Krefeld, a leading supplier of armour plating. From 1943 to 1945, Rohland was...
both confirmed this, the latter declaring so under oath.
Nonetheless, most historians feel that even if Speer had not attended the speech, he would have been made aware of its content by his good friends that had been there, such as the Gauleiters Karl Hanke
Karl Hanke
Karl August Hanke was an official of the National Socialist German Workers Party . He served as governor of Lower Silesia from 1941 to 1945 and as the final Reichsführer-SS for a few days in 1945.- Early life :Hanke was born in Lauban in Silesia, on 24 August 1903, the son of a locomotive...
and Baldur von Schirach
Baldur von Schirach
Baldur Benedikt von Schirach was a Nazi youth leader later convicted of being a war criminal. Schirach was the head of the Hitler-Jugend and Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter of Vienna....
.
In 2007, however, correspondence between Speer and a Belgian resistance widow Hélène Jeanty, indicated that Speer had indeed been present for Himmler's presentation. In the letter to Jeanty, written on December 23, 1971, Speer wrote: "There is no doubt - I was present as Himmler announced on October 6 1943 that all Jews would be killed...Who would believe me that I suppressed this, that it would have been easier to have written all of this in my memoirs?"