The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1944–1945

in Plön (April 1945) 338, 339, 342, 346

post-war interrogation 204–5, 354

his situation reports 264–5

Dönitz, Grand-Admiral Karl, as Reich President (April–May 1945) 350–55, 366, 399

his cabinet 358–62, 377–8; choices available for 375–7

peace negotiations 351, 354–5, 362, 366–7, 387; for partial capitulation 351, 362, 376; von Ribbentrop on 361–2

suitability as President 352–4

Dora-Mittelbau concentration camp 233, 330, 333

Dorpmüller, Julius (Transport Minister under Dönitz) 360, 377

Dorsch, Xaver 64–5, 83

Dortmund 227, 228, 297

Allied bombing 235

Drauz, Richard 326

Dresden

Allied bombing (February 1945) 235, 243; casualties 235, 236–40; Nazi propaganda based on 238–9

population levels 237; Jews 237; refugees 237, 238–9

Dufner, Lieutenant Julius 66, 314–15

Duisburg 228, 297

Dulles, Allen W. 285, 363

Düren 254

Düsseldorf 142, 143, 227, 254

East Brandenburg 167, 181–2

East Frisia 366–7

East Prussia 22, 34, 37, 39, 99

evacuation of civilians 176–80, 183, 202; deaths during 180; numbers of 179, 180

Koch as Gauleiter see Koch, Erich

Red Army, fear of 98–100, 108

in Red Army offensive (Summer 1944) 24, 28, 45, 91, 93, 95

Red Army invasion (October 1944–on) 17, 108, 110–22, 167, 168–9, 173–4, 176–83, 195, 196–200, 202–3, 250–51

eastern front see Red Army

economic collapse 134, 135–7, 138–40, 164, 172, 352

Speer on 244, 258, 287–8, 289

see also scorched earth policy

Eifel 66

Eigruber, August (Gauleiter of Oberdonau) 316–17

Eisenhower, General Dwight D. 58, 156, 284, 359, 361

German peace negotiations with 368, 369, 370–71, 375, 376, 387

Kesselring and 369

Montgomery and 388

as Supreme Commander 378

Eismann, Colonel Hans-Georg 308, 309

Elbe river 237, 268–9, 270, 297, 300, 303, 339, 368, 373

Elser, Georg 328

Emmendingen 152

Emsland concentration camp 329

entertainment 6, 75. 76. 276

Erfurt 297

Essen 143, 297

Allied bombing 235

Krupp works 139, 150, 235

Estonia 94, 95

Eutin 341

evacuation

of concentration camp inmates see death marches

of military personnel 66–7, 68, 177; from eastern front 372–5

evacuation, of civilians 22, 42, 62–5, 68, 84, 88, 99, 108, 110, 111–12, 115, 117, 148–9, 152, 176–80, 181–4, 186, 188, 189–90, 193, 197, 199, 205, 213–14, 215, 250, 251, 275, 277, 287, 316–17, 342

from Berlin 340–41, 345

compulsory, ordered by Hitler (March 1945) 289–90, 316; difficulties of 316

German Army’s attitude to refugees 201–2

by German Navy 179, 265, 367, 368, 372

numbers of 99, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, 205

of women 177, 178–9, 180, 182, 183, 345

execution

of American prisoners of war 156

of American-appointed German officials 279

of civilians, for defeatism 318, 322, 326–7, 390–91; of women 325–6

in concentration camps 328, 329, 332–3; numbers of 332, 333, 335; German public reaction to 333, 334–6

for cowardice 322–3

of deserters/disaffected troops 69, 120, 155, 203, 204, 216–17, 219, 220, 243, 262, 263, 320, 360–61, 390, 391

of dissenters 52, 224–5, 328; numbers of 225

of foreign workers, by Gestapo 227–8, 328

of Germans, by Red Army 181

of Nazi functionaries, in Bromberg 316–17

of prisoners in state penitentiaries 328

for treason, in final phase 341, 343, 344, 345; numbers of 328, 329

Falaise 55, 56, 60, 67, 69

Federated Steelworks 141

Fegelein, Hermann (brother-in-law of Eva Braun) 37, 345–6

Fernau, Walter 327

Fiebig, Richard 137

Final Solution see Jews

financial situation 241–2

money supply 342

Finland 62, 94, 95

fire-fighters 277

First World War (1914–18) 36, 37, 48, 67, 68, 98, 209, 213, 257, 258–9, 372–3

German surrender 6, 7, 8, 11–12

Verdun 92

Versailles Treaty (June 1919) 98, 154

Flensburg-Mürwick 319, 372, 377, 378, 380

Naval Academy at, as Dönitz’s command centre 358

Florian, Friedrich Karl (Gauleiter of Düsseldorf area) 142

Flossenbürg concentration camp 328, 330

food/water supplies 6, 102, 125, 126, 138, 142, 143, 148, 163, 178, 193, 211, 213, 227, 257, 274, 275, 276, 287, 316–17, 341

in Berlin 190, 191, 274, 288, 294, 318

foraging for 274

in Netherlands 362, 363

post-capitulation 381

see also living conditions

foreign workers 25, 83–4, 89, 104, 125, 134, 138, 208, 209, 225–6

in Berlin 226

as forced labour 102, 143, 226

Gestapo persecution/execution of 225–8, 328

numbers of 226, 228

see also labour supply

Forster, Albert (Gauleiter of Danzig-West Prussia) 245

fortifications, construction of 66–7, 88–9, 101, 105–6, 108, 117–18, 138, 139, 143, 223

Ostwall 101–5

Westwall 62, 63, 65, 69, 88, 89, 131

Frank, Hans 102, 214

escape from Poland 214

Frankfurt am Main 255

Frankfurt an der Oder 215, 228, 251, 308

Freiburg 152, 299, 317

Freisler, Judge Roland 49

French Army 56, 254, 299–300

looting by 325

North African troops 300

French Army atrocities 300

Freudenstadt 299, 300

Frick, Wilhelm (Minister of the Interior) 23

von Friedeburg, Admiral-General Georg (as head of German Navy under Dönitz) 360, 378

German capitulation (7/8 May 1945), present at signing of 371, 372

peace negotiations: with Eisenhower 369, 370–71; with Montgomery 366–7, 369

Frisches Haff lagoon 173, 174, 178, 179, 180, 183, 251

Fromm, General Friedrich 35, 36

fuel supplies 93, 94, 131, 132, 165, 170, 252, 253