Where was Terbovens remains buried?

[Bjørn from Norway]

Hello!
Do anyone here know where the remains of Josef Terboven was buried? And Rediess as well?

I did a search on the German war grave site, and got a quite amazing answer, it almost looks as if he was lost at sea! Which he not was.

Nachname: Terboven
Vorname: Josef
Dienstgrad:
Geburtsdatum: 23.05.1898
Geburtsort: Essen
Todes-/Vermisstendatum: 09.05.1945
Todesort:

Josef Terboven konnte nicht geborgen werden.
Nach den uns vorliegenden Informationen ist er auf See verblieben.

Die Namen der Angehörigen des Heeres und der Luftwaffe, die ein Seemansgrab gefunden haben, werden derzeit für ein Gedenkbuch erfasst. Es wird voraussichtlich in den Gedenkstätten Kiel-Möltenort und Laboe zur Auslage gebracht.


B.

[Max Williams]

Posting grave locations is not allowed on this forum.
Max.

[Mark Costa]

The grave does not exist. Terboven and Rediess' remains were "suppossedly" found and consisted of an hand and foot and thats about all. They "supposedly" blew themselves up with a landmine. American authorities had a very hard time confirming that the remains belonged to them. Hence the question --- Did they really die at all??? Their whereabouts are a mystery, as is what really happened to Friedrich Wilhelm Kruger, Philip Bouhler, Willy Liebel, Karl Holz and so many others that "supposedly" committed suicide at the end of the war but whose bodies never materialized. American authorities did a very bad job in confirming the suicides of many top leaders.

Mark Costa

[Max Williams]

From an earlier discussion:

Hello!
Runar is right. Rediess shot himself in his bedroom during the night 7th May. Terboven orders that the door should be locked.
At 2230, on the 8th May, Terboven gives orders to his guard commander, Friedrich Barthel, to carry the body of Rediess into a bunker in the garden. He also gives orders that 50 kg of TNT (British!) should be made ready with 2 fuses.
At 2310 he leaves the building, in uniform but no cap or dagger, and enters the bunker. At 2330 the explosion comes.

B

Hello!
Sources:
-Norwegian contemporary newspapers 1945
-Interrogation of Barthel

The latter also stated that he put some wooden planks on top of the charge, he thought it would be more comfortable for T. to sit on while he waited.

(Is "plank" the correct British term??)

BTW: I have seen several pictures of Terbovens remains. Not much left, apart from one leg, and strangely enough his glasses...
B;

I'd be very interested in the source(s) of these photos.
Max.

[coburg22]

Max,

I have a copy of "After the Battle" Nr. 132 and its first article is entitled Norway: King
Hakon Returns. On page 6 there is a photo of the remains of Josef Terboven along wi-
th a few other items if you are interested. The source of the photos is the Norwegian
Resistance Museum. I would post the photos but I don't have a scanner.

Coburg22

[Max Williams]

Thanks.
Max.

[Phil Nix]

Hi Max
Here is the relevant picture
Phil Nix

[Mark Costa]

Can anyone can identify Terboven or Rediess from this photo ? American authoritities were unable to identify any part of the body as either man, but conveniently closed the case as they had no idea how or where to look for them. If one reads the official documents on many of these "so called suicides" you can see where the authorities either looked the other way or used witnesses that just were not reliable. When it came to some of the lesser known leaders -- there just was not a lot of hunting being done.

Mark Costa

[Bjørn from Norway]

Hello, and thank you for all replies!
I was not searching really for the exact location, but became quite puzzled when I found the entry on Terboven on the German grave web side, saying "he was not salvaged", and "lost at sea".

Those pictures are the same I have seen, but there were taken several pictures.
As for the identification, it was said from the authorities that they were sure of the identities. They found an old damage on the leg(?) which was correct with an old damage on Terboven.

B.

[Bjørn from Norway]

Hello!
This is an incredibly old thread, but since last time, I have learned that Terbovens remains were sent to Germany in the 50s, and buried in Essen(?).

B

[little grey rabbit]

Bjorn, I don't know if this article from 25 May 1945 Windsor Star is of interest

Traitor to Belgium Believes Hiter Alive and in Hiding

Madrid, May 25 Leon Degrelle, former Belgian Rexist leader, under sentence of death in his homeland for collaboration with the Germans, was quoted today as expressing his belief that Adolf Hitler is alive and in hiding.

A Spaniard who with Degrelle at San Sebastian, where the Belgian is recovering from a shoulder injury, said he asserted had talked with Hitler in Berlin the day before the Russians entered the city.

Degrelle was quoted as saying Hitler was preparing for an attempt to escape and that he did not appear to be in a mood either for suicide or a fight to the death.

According to Degrelle he obtained Hitler's permission to go by plane to Oslo, where he was to join Joseph Terboven, Nazi commissioner in Norway, for a flight to Spain. Terboven, however, preferred suicide to flight, the Belgian was quoted as saying.
Degrelle, accompanied by five Germans landed in a plane on a San Sebastian beach on May 8.

Like Pierre Laval, Degrelle now is in the custoyd of the Spanish Government, which has promised to surrender them to an Allied commission as war criminals but has refused to turn them over directly to their countries on the grounds that this would constitute surrendering political prisoners.

Degrelle was sentenced to death in absentia by a Belgian court on December 28, 1944

[Bjørn from Norway]

Hello!
Yes, that is interesting- thanks! Incredibly how well informed they were as early as 25th May 45.

B