Hans Krebs (Wehrmacht general)
Hans Krebs | |
|---|---|
 Hans Krebs | |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Wehrmacht |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1945 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Commands held | Chief of the Army General Staff (OKH) |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Hans Krebs (4 March 1898 – 2 May 1945) was a German general of infantry who served during World War II.
Biography
Early life
Krebs was born in Helmstedt. He volunteered for service in the Imperial German Army in 1914, was promoted to lieutenant in 1915, and to first lieutenant in 1925. Krebs was a career officer, and reached the position of chief of staff of various army groups until he became a General of Infantry.
The Führerbunker
As Chief of the Army General Staff (OKH), Krebs was in the Führerbunker below the Reich Chancellery during the Battle of Berlin.
On 28 April 1945, Krebs made his last telephone call from the Führerbunker. He called General Wilhelm Keitel at the new Supreme Command Headquarters in Fürstenberg. He told Keitel that, if relief did not arrive within 48 hours, all was lost. Keitel promised to exert the utmost pressure on General Walther Wenck who commanded the German 12th Army and General Theodor Busse who commanded the German 9th Army. The 12th Army was attacking towards Berlin from the west and the 9th Army was attacking from the south.
On 22 April, German dictator Adolf Hitler had ordered both of these armies to link up and come to the relief of Berlin. In addition, forces under General Rudolf Holste were to have attacked towards Berlin from the north.
Later on 28 April, when it was discovered that Heinrich Himmler was trying to negotiate a backdoor surrender to the Allies via Count Folke Bernadotte, Krebs became part of a tribunal set up by Hitler to court-martial associates of Himmler, deemed to be sufficiently close to have known of his intentions, who could be rounded up in Berlin. One person to face this tribunal was Hermann Fegelein, Himmler's ajudant, and Eva Braun's brother-in-law. SS-General Wilhelm Mohnke presided over the tribunal which, in addition to Krebs and Mohnke, included General Johann Rattenhuber and General Wilhelm Burgdorf.
On 29 April, Krebs, Burgdorf, Joseph Goebbels, and Martin Bormann witnessed and signed the last will and testament of Adolf Hitler. Hitler dictated the document to his personal private secretary, Traudl Junge. Bormann was head of the Party Chancellery (Parteikanzlei) and private secretary to Hitler.
Late in the evening of 29 April, Krebs contacted General Alfred Jodl (Supreme Army Command) by radio and made the following demands: "Request immediate report. Firstly, of the whereabouts of Wenck's spearheads. Secondly, of time intended to attack. Thirdly, of the location of the 9th Army. Fourthly, of the precise place in which the 9th Army will break through. Fifthly, of the whereabouts of General Holste's spearhead."
In the early morning of 30 April, Jodl replied to Krebs: "Firstly, Wenck's spearhead bogged down south of Schwielow Lake. Secondly, 12th Army therefore unable to continue attack on Berlin. Thirdly, bulk of 9th Army surrounded. Fourthly, Holste's Corps on the defensive."[1]
Late on 30 April, the Soviet forces continued to fight their way into the center of Berlin. Hitler then committed suicide. In accordance with Hitler's last will and testament, Joseph Goebbels, the Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, became the new "Head of Government" and Chancellor of Germany (Reichskanzler).
Surrender of Berlin and suicide
On 1 May, within hours of Hitler's suicide on April 30, Chancellor of Germany (Reichskanzler) Joseph Goebbels sent Krebs and Colonel Theodor von Dufving, under a white flag, to deliver a letter he had written to General Vasily Chuikov. Dufving was Weidling's Chief of Staff. The letter contained surrender terms acceptable to Goebbels. Chuikov, as commander of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, commanded the Soviet forces in central Berlin. Krebs arrived shortly before 4 a.m. and took Chuikov by surprise. Krebs, a Russian-speaker, informed Chuikov that Hitler and Eva Braun, his wife, had killed themselves in the Führerbunker. Chuikov, who was not aware that there was a bunker under the Reich Chancellery or that Hitler was married, calmly said that he already knew all of this. Chuikov was not, however, prepared to accept the terms in Goebbels' letter or to negotiate with Krebs. The Soviets were unwilling to accept anything other than unconditional surrender. Krebs was not authorized by Goebbels to agree to an unconditional surrender. The meeting ended with no agreement. According to Traudl Junge, Krebs returned to the bunker looking "worn out, exhausted". Krebs's surrender of Berlin was thus impeded as long as Goebbels was alive.
At around 8 p.m. on the evening of 1 May, Goebbels removed this impediment. Shortly after murdering their own children, Goebbels and his wife went up to the garden of the Chancellery. Here, Joseph and Magda Goebbels had themselves shot by SS guards after arranging to have their bodies burned by Goebbels's adjutant, Günther Schwägermann. But, even after the death of Goebbels, Krebs was in a state of extreme despair. He was now suicidal himself. The responsibility for surrendering the city fell to General of the Artillery (General der Artillerie) Helmuth Weidling, the commander of the Berlin Defense Area.
On 2 May, with Krebs in no condition to do it himself, Weidling contacted General Chuikov to again discuss surrender. Weidling and Chuikov met and had the following conversation in which Chuikov asked about Krebs:
Chuikov: "You are the commander of the Berlin garrison?"
Weidling: "Yes, I am the commander of the LVI Panzer Corps."
Chuikov: "Where is Krebs?"
Weidling: "I saw him yesterday in the Reich Chancellery. I thought he would commit suicide. At first he (Krebs) criticized me because unofficial capitulation started yesterday. The order regarding capitulation has been issued today."[1]
As the Soviets advanced on the Führerbunker, Krebs was last seen by others, including Junge, in the bunker when they themselves left to attempt to escape. Junge relates how she approached Krebs to say goodbye and how he straightened up and smoothed his uniform before greeting her for the last time. Krebs and at least two other senior officers, including General Wilhelm Burgdorf and SS Untersturmführer Franz Schädle, stayed behind with the stated intention of committing suicide. The bodies of Krebs and Burgdorf were found when Soviet personnel entered the bunker.
Reportedly the bodies of Krebs, Hitler, Eva Braun, and Josef Goebbels and his children were buried and reburied at different locations throughout Germany; finally the remains were all cremated and dumped into a river in 1970.[citation needed]
Positions held
His last decade saw the following appointments:
- 1936–1939 military attaché in Moscow (Krebs spoke fluent Russian)
- 1939 Chief of Army Training Section
- 1939–1942 Chief of Staff VII Corps
- 1942–1943 Chief of Staff German Ninth Army, Eastern Front
- 1943–1944 Chief of Staff Army Group Centre, Eastern Front
- 1944–1945 Chief of Staff Army Group B, Western Front
- 1945 Deputy Chief of the Army General Staff (OKH)
- 1945 April 1–May 1 Chief of the Army General Staff (OKH)
Awards
Krebs was awarded the 749th award of Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Portrayal in the media
Hans Krebs has been portrayed by the following actors in film and television productions.[2]
- Vladimir Kenigson in part two of the 1949 Russian drama Padeniye Berlina (The Fall of Berlin).
- Herbert Herbe in the 1955 West German film Der Letzte Akt (Hitler: The Last Ten Days).
- Robert Party in the 1972 French television production Le Bunker.
- Michael Turner in the 1973 British television production The Death of Adolf Hitler.
- Adolfo Celi in the 1973 British film Hitler: The Last Ten Days.
- Heinz Weiss in the 1988 United States T.V. series War and Remembrance.
- Rolf Kanies in the 2004 German film Downfall (Der Untergang).
- Herbert Herbe in the 2005 German television production Die Letzte Schlacht (The Bunker).
References
- ^ a b Dollinger, Hans. The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047, Page 239
- ^ "General Hans Krebs (Character)". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 8.
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- Junge, Gertraud (2003-01). Until the Final Hour. London: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-84720-1.
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- Hirschbiegel, Oliver (Director) (2005). Downfall (DVD). Germany, Russia: Sony Pictures.
- Dollinger, Hans (1967). The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. New York: Crown Publisher, Inc. Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047.
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See also
- German Army
- Battle of Berlin - 1945
- Führerbunker
- Last will and testament of Adolf Hitler
- Helmuth Weidling, Commander of the Berlin Defense Area
- Theodor Busse, Commander of the German 9th Army
- Walther Wenck, Commander of the German 12th Army
- Gotthard Heinrici, Commander of Army Group Vistula
