Execution of Hermann Fegelein

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JIB
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Execution of Hermann Fegelein

#1

Post by JIB » 31 Dec 2002, 09:04

I have always wondered what were the exact circumstances of Fegelein's death on April 28/29, 1945.

Why was he really executed?

Who carried out the execution? Some sources say a Liebstandarte A.H. firing squad, others say the Gestapo

Where was he executed? The Chancellery, the FuhrerBunker, or somewhere else?

Why was his body never found by the Russians during the post-war investigations?

Anyone have any ideas?

Josh

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Xavier
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#2

Post by Xavier » 31 Dec 2002, 17:37

hitler noticed he was missing form the bunker, and sent for him, fearing him in close relation with himmler, whom hitler had already discovered was in contac with the swedish ambassador, negotiating a surrender.

the SS men sent found him drunk and packing lots of gold and jewels in his apartment, and brought him back ( i think) to the bunker, where hitler ordered a fast trial and afterward he was shot.

last resting place? remains ? do not know. hope this helps.

regards and a happy new year!!

Xavier


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Schmauser
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Re: Execution of Hermann Fegelein

#3

Post by Schmauser » 01 Jan 2003, 16:51

JIB wrote:I have always wondered what were the exact circumstances of Fegelein's death on April 28/29, 1945.

Why was he really executed?
Mainly because he didn't report for duty. When Peter Hoegl was sent to get him, he was found in the company of a lady, who turned out to be a British spy, but she escaped the appartment under a pretext. He was found with foreign currency and passport.
JIB wrote:Who carried out the execution? Some sources say a Liebstandarte A.H. firing squad, others say the Gestapo
Neither, he was shot by member's of the RSD, Hitler's bodyguard.
JIB wrote:Where was he executed? The Chancellery, the FuhrerBunker, or somewhere else?
he was executed in the ruins of the basement of the Reich Chancellery.
JIB wrote:Why was his body never found by the Russians during the post-war investigations?
I and many others believe his body was decimated by Russian shell fire. His remains were probably scattered to the winds.

~Regards Schmauser

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Germania
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Re: fegelein

#4

Post by Germania » 01 Jan 2003, 17:50

Xavier wrote: the SS men sent found him drunk and packing lots of gold and jewels in his apartment, and brought him back ( i think) to the bunker, where hitler ordered a fast trial and afterward he was shot.Xavier
What a statement? From where you get such informations hollywood films? This is unbelieveable!

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#5

Post by Schmauser » 01 Jan 2003, 17:59

what is so unbelievable about it? It's the truth :roll:

~Regards Schmauser

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Germania
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#6

Post by Germania » 01 Jan 2003, 18:22

The truth? From where you get this informations!
My informations are out of the book "Ritterkreuzträger der Waffen-SS"
there you can read:"Fegelein want to leave Berlin to go to the RFSS Heinrich Himmler he leave his uniform and take civil clothes!" It is a short version of the written read it there it is an statement from SS-Obersturmbannführer Erich Kempka driver of the Führer and statements from Hermann Fegelein out of the papers from RSHA Kriminaldirektor Högl!
Not say it is the truth show texts or other informations that show that your statement is true!

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Marcus
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#7

Post by Marcus » 01 Jan 2003, 18:27

Germania,
Paul J. Wison wrote:Although the details of his final days remain uncertain he apparently realized the implications of remaining in Hitler's bunker to await capture by the Russians and so fled to his nearby apartment in Charlottenburg on about April 26. Shortly after detecting his absence, Hitler dispatched SS guards to locate and return the deserter. They found a drunken Fegelein in civilian clothes, who, after some difficulty, was brought back to the bunker.
...
During questioning, Fegelin apparently admitten knowledge of Himmer's actions. [peace negotions] After being stripped of rank for desertion, Fegelein was shot in the Chancellery garden for treason on April 29
The above is from "Himmler's Cavalry" by Paul J. Wilson.

/Marcus

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Schmauser
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#8

Post by Schmauser » 01 Jan 2003, 18:33

Germania,
"When a group of the bodyguard under SS obersturmfuehrer Helmuth Frick was then sent to fetch Fegelein, the drunken SS-Gruppenfuehrer refused to come."
source/ The Last Days of Hitler by Anton Joachimsthaler

~Regards Schmauser

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#9

Post by Germania » 01 Jan 2003, 20:55

Oh I saw we misunderstood not the fact that he was drunken is the problem! The part "...and packing lots of gold and in his appartment..." thios what I can´t believe because there you will name an high decorated member of the Waffen-SS an thief or something like that! He was winner of KC, swords, oakleave, wear the SS-Totenkopfring, etc. he was a leader no thief! I believe his execution was not a realistic thing it was an act in an time in chaos and someone missunderstood his action! By this way he was executed in the garden of Auswärtiges Amt!

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Xavier
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#10

Post by Xavier » 02 Jan 2003, 01:56

Hallo Germania

here we misunderstood each other again...I never said he was packing someone elses gold and jewelry, or stolen goods, but his own, remember, money was wortheless on those times, and a good piece of jewelry could buy a man's life or his way into no man's land.....

best regards

Xavier

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Schmauser
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#11

Post by Schmauser » 02 Jan 2003, 02:36

Germania,

Hermann Fegelein was an Idiot! he owed his high standing in the SS due to his friendship with Christian Weber, who introduced him to Himmler. He was a smooth talker, who openly admitted to those closest to him that he was in fact a base coward.

From the 5th August 1941, he commanded an SS cavalry Brigade;
He brutally sacrificed his men and was detested to an incredible degree. His orders 'according to susequent reports by some of his former subordinates' bore the stamp of arrogance and his military actions were those of a dilettante
For his inhumane leadership in combat he was awarded with medals and promotions. From Fegelein's SS personnel file we get the impression of a corrupt careerist who was servile towards his superiors and a womaniser to boot. He was only spared an SS-court martial, for example after he and his regiment had stolen money and luxuary goods transported to Munich from Warsaw in trucks by members of the SS Riding Academy, by a direct order from Himmler, dated, 23rd April 1941.
During that affair, Fegelein wrote to Himmler;
For the future as well as the past I give you my word of honour as an SS man and soldier that my actions were not governed by any base thoughts. Given your sense of judgement and justice, Reichsfuehrer, one does not need to lie or to plunder
source, The Last Days of Hitler, by Anton Joachimsthaler.

hmmm...

If you need more about this scum, I can post it... but only if you really want me to.

~Regards Schmauser

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Re: Execution of Hermann Fegelein

#12

Post by JIB » 02 Jan 2003, 08:04

JIB wrote:Who carried out the execution? Some sources say a Liebstandarte A.H. firing squad, others say the Gestapo
Neither, he was shot by member's of the RSD, Hitler's bodyguard.


How do we know this? According to "The Bunker" by James P. O'Donnell there were no witnesses to the execution ( O' Donnell interviewed surviving members of the bunker entourage and none of them admitted to actually seeing the execution.) And yet in "The Last Days Of Hitler" by Anton Joachimsthaler "SS-Sgt. Rochus Misch spoke of a shooting in a cellar by two members of the RSD."

Did these alleged RSD men ever come forward after the war and admit that they were Fegelein's executioners.
This is an interesting mystery. Two RSD men who were probably rank-and-file possibly getting an order from Hitler to shoot an SS General!
If I were them I would brag about that after the war and yet it seems as if no one had come forward to tell us exactly what happened to Fegelein.

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Schmauser
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#13

Post by Schmauser » 02 Jan 2003, 14:23

Hello JIB,

Since you have Anton Joachimsthaler's Excellent book, go to pg.126.
Shortly after midnight -von Greim and Reitsch were still present- Hitler had SS-Gruppenfuehrer Hermann Fegelein, the Waffen SS liaison officer (and soon to be his own brother-in-law) shot for desertion and complicity in Himmler's treason by security troops under SS-Obergruppenfuehrer (mistake) Johann Rattenhueber.-'202'
'202'.-Testimony by telephone operator Rochus Misch
Sadly, that's all it mentions and that is what I have gone by. I don't know who the two gunmen were but for all we know they were two low-level SS men who never made it out of Berlin.

~Best Regards Schmauser

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Dan W.
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#14

Post by Dan W. » 03 Jan 2003, 05:13

An interesting and in-depth description of the drunken Fegelein being tried is found in the book The Bunker by James P. O'Donnell. (pgs. 180-188)

What is interesting is that on April 25th Fegelein was visiting Himmlers headquarters in Hohenlychen. Himmler, not foolish enough to venture into Berlin and face the wrath of Hitler in his death throes, certainly would not have objected to Fegelein not venturing into Berlin as the roads were already cut by the Red Army. Yet Fegelein found air transport into Berlin.
Why? Could it have been because of the stash of diamonds and gold (along with the fake passport) he had hidden in the apartment with the mysterious woman who vanished when the SS arrived to arrest Fegelein?

In regards to his drunkeness, to quote Gen. Mohnke, who had the "distasteful" assignment of presiding over the court martial of Fegelein:
Roarring drunk, with wild, rolling eyes, Fegelein first brazenly challenged the competence of the court. He kept blubbering that he was responsible to Himmler and Himmler alone, not Hitler. Fegelein had a right to defense counsel but rejected it. He refused to defend himself. The man was in wretched shape, bawling, whining, vomiting, shaking like an Aspen leaf. He took out his penis and began urinating on the floor. He was really drunk, he was not acting.
Mohnke later states the Fegelein, being tried for "desertion in the face of the enemy", was in no condition to be tried, as the German Army Manual states that a soldier tried must be of "sound mind and body", so Mohnke turned Fegelein over to General Rattenbhuber and his security squad. He never saw Fegelein again.

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Matt Gibbs
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#15

Post by Matt Gibbs » 05 Dec 2005, 00:54

A very interesting bit there, I had not read any of the testimony of Mohnke.
Anyone read or heard of any more info.
There is some iscrepancy on this site about who went to arrest Fegelein, 3 names have been posted in connection with this.
Who exactly was it?
Regards
Matt Gibbs

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