THE RADIO MESSAGE TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT DEMANDING “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER”THE RADIO MESSAGE TO THE ...

THE RADIO MESSAGE TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT DEMANDING “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER”
THE RADIO MESSAGE TO THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT DEMANDING “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” A most important historical document the demands made by the Allied powers for Germany’s “unconditional surrender” as transmitted by that country’s chief peace negotiator to Germany’s president Grossadmiral Karl Donitz in Flensburg on May 5 1945. This four-page 8.5 x 12 inch document was drafted in Reims France and is signed and authorized for transmission by Kriegsmarine Commander in Chief and lead peace emissary HANS-GEORG VON FRIEDEBURG (1895-1945). Friedeburg had been sent to Reims by the new President of Germany Grossadmiral Karl Donitz to negotiate peace terms with SHAEF via Gen. Walter Bedell Smith and British Gen. Kenneth Strong. The terms are heavily edited throughout showing corrections and additions in at least two hands. The pencil message clearly written by an English-speaking German is headed: “TELEGRAM IN CODE FROM: GENERALADMIRAL VON FRIEDEBURG TO: GROSSADMIRAL DOENITZ” with each significant demand numbered. It reads in part: “Immediate & simultaneous American and Soviet operations will determine the holding of present front lines…Gen. Eisenhower’s Chief of Staff proposes…either authorize me to sign act of unconditional and simultaneous surrender in all theaters of operations or send Chief OKW Commander in Chief Army [Navy and Air Force] themselves for the signing…Unconditional surrender includes conditions that troops remain in present positions that no scuttling or damaging of sea craft and aircraft of any kind may occur…The new [Flensburg] government will be charged with the guilt for continuing hostilities…Hela [Peninsula evacuation of soldiers and civilians] plan means continuance of hostilities…Active cooperation of German Govt. in case of critical food shortage and consequent chaos is expected…Decision regarding Paragraph 2 [choice of signatories] of utmost urgency…Definite assurance of immediate cessation of hostilities upon my signing…later formal ratification is necessary…” Friedeburg adds his hurried signature at the conclusion of the message. This document has never been seen before and it bears some startling differences when compared with the text of Friedeburg’s initial draft message to Donitz (see Lot 22 preceding). Of particular note is Paragraph 4. In this portion of his message Friedeburg initially retained the line from his first draft (see previous lot): “In case of immediate surrender [the] honor [of the] Army and Navy expressly guaranteed…” The entire reference to “honor” was then stricken and indeed this edit does not appear in any historic reference. Undoubtedly Friedeburg was made fully aware that war crimes trials would follow any surrender thus any promise of “honor” might later influence those proceedings. Indeed eyewitness accounts from deliberations at Flensburg show that Donitz essentially disassociated the German armed forces from Himmler and the SS. Also of interest is the last paragraph a promise no doubt added by Eisenhower: “Definite assurance of immediate cessation of hostilities upon my signing…” Fine condition. A fascinating and hitherto unknown addition to the history of Germany’s surrender. This message was transmitted by SHAEF in Reims to Montgomery’s 20th Army H.Q. at Luneburg Heath on May 5 1945. The next morning it was delivered to German President Karl Donitz in Flensburg by Gen. Eberhard Kinzel who had coincidentally signed the German surrender at Luneburg Heath two days earlier. When the message reached Donitz its terms caused an immediate uproar. From the wording and urgency of his message it was clear von Friedeberg was being pressed to sign a surrender document which would immediately turn 2 000 000 German soldiers on the Eastern Front into prisoners of the Red Army and possibly certain death and put millions of German citizens under Russian control as well. He immediately ordered Field Marshal Alfred Jodl to fly to Reims to personally explain the German situation. This lot was obtained by our consignor directly from Major-General Sir Kenneth William Dobson Strong (1900-1982) a senior officer of the British Army who served as Eisenhower’s chief of intelligence at SHAEF and played a leading part in the negotiations of the unconditional surrender of Germany.