"Fegelein! Fegelein!" - The Mysterious Demise of Hitler's SS Liaison (Ep.1)

Those of you who have been following my work will know that I have a reputation for presenting new or forgotten aspects to historical subjects, particularly those of the Third Reich, from the death of Hitler to the disappearance of Martin Bormann or the mysterious deaths of Heinrich Himmler and Rudolf Hess. I have found that much that appears in history books and documentaries is wrong or deeply flawed and in need of fresh perspectives or theories. I don't claim to be right about these subjects, but I do try to look afresh at such subjects to see what's missing, or even if an established historical narrative makes any sense. The subject of this video is a prime example of this, the death of Hermann Fegelein, which is recorded in most history books and in films and documentaries thus. Fegelein, Himmler's SS liaison at Führer headquarters, was a vain and corrupt careerist, who, fearful of falling into Soviet hands or being killed from the Battle of Berlin in April 1945, decided to desert his post at the Führerbunker. Found drunk and in the company of one of his mistresses, Fegelein was arrested and dragged back to the bunker, where, after some debate, this SS general, married to Eva Braun's sister, was summarily shot on Hitler's order in the garden of the Reich Chancellery and his body never found. However, almost none of the accepted story of Fegelein's demise is correct. The truth was much more complex and interesting. Fegelein has become a meme for those who obtain their history from movies. Hitler, ranting and raving, screams Fegelein's name at his underlings over and over as he demands the errant general be found and brought before him. So what was Fegelein up to, and why was he executed? Fegelein was a difficult man to sympathize with. He was, indeed, a vain and arrogant womanizer. He was also a favorite of Reichsführer S.S. Himmler, explaining his over-promotion and his chestful of medals. These factors made him an unpopular figure in some quarters, but a protected unpopular figure nonetheless. Himmler saw in Fegelein something that others evidently didn't see. Whatever that was, Himmler never said. So, most people interested in World War II have heard the name Fegelein, perhaps they've seen the movie adaptations, but who was he? Born in October 1906 in Arnsbach in Bavaria, the son of a retired cavalry officer and riding school owner, Hermann was basically able to ride before he could walk. In the 1920s, he became friends with Christian Weber, one of the founders of the NSDAP, and this contact was due to his father creating the Fegelein Riding Institute and loaning horses to the equestrian branch of the SA, the Sturmabteilung or Brownshirts, and training riders for this organization and later the fledgling SS. After dropping out of Munich University, Fegelein enlisted in the Reichswehr's 17th cavalry regiment in 1925, and two years later joined the Bavarian State Police as an officer cadet. However, he was dismissed from the force in 1929 after being caught stealing examination answers from an instructor's office, an early example of Fegelein's sociopathic tendencies. Sponsored by Christian Weber in 1930, he joined the Nazi party, joining the SS in April 1933, and being employed at his father's riding school, being leader of the SS branch. This was despite never having received any officer training. Fegelein later took over management of the school from his father. By November 1934, Fegelein held the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer or captain in the Allgemeine SS. He rose to prominence in 1935, overseeing the jumping courses and equestrian facilities for the events of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Fegelein, however, was very keen on gaining a place on the German equestrian team, but in this he failed, but he was nonetheless promoted to Sturmbahnführer or major. He did win other international riding events and continued to be rapidly promoted. In 1937, Himmler had created the SS main riding school out of the Fegelein school, with Fegelein appointed its commander with the rank of Standartenführer or colonel. Fegelein continued to win riding events and was working hard to qualify for the 1940 Tokyo Olympics, which was interrupted by the outbreak of war. In 1939, horse cavalry still existed in many armies, mainly for reconnaissance work, and Fegelein was appointed commanding officer of the SS Totenkopf cavalry regiment. Though Fegelein was not a trained officer, he did succeed in moulding an efficient unit out of the men and horses, which found itself used to help exterminate Hitler's enemies. On the 7th of December 1939, Fegelein's unit shot 1,700 Polish elite in the Campino forest. It was just the beginning of his murderous career. Fegelein's unit became notorious for corruption, and in 1940 Fegelein was investigated for stealing cash and other goods, including cars, in Poland, and sending them back to Germany. However, Himmler stepped in and stopped the court martial against Fegelein. Reinhard Heydrich, Himmler's powerful second-in-command, tried several times to investigate Fegelein, but on each occasion Himmler stepped in to protect him. Fegelein's regiment was used to fight partisans in Poland, and Fegelein's unit was also notorious for shooting and robbing civilians. Transferred west, Fegelein took part in the invasions of Belgium and France, receiving the Iron Cross Second Class on the 15th of December 1940. In March 1941, his unit was renamed the 1st SS Cavalry Regiment. In the invasion of the Soviet Union in summer 1941, Fegelein saw extensive service, his Horse Cavalry acting as reconnaissance troops, for which Fegelein received the Iron Cross First Class. Himmler placed Fegelein in charge of a brigade of two SS Cavalry Regiments, and it was sent to assist in murderous behind-the-lines operations in the Pripyat Marshes. Fegelein reported to Himmler on the 18th of September 1941 that his units had killed 14,178 Jews, 1,001 partisans, 699 Soviet soldiers, and taken 830 prisoners. Fegelein received the assault badge, but was again investigated for stealing captured property, but again Himmler stopped the proceedings. Joining Army Group Center, Fegelein reported on the 18th of November 1941 that his brigade had and taken 122 prisoners. Next, Fegelein's brigade deployed from the advance on Moscow, helping defend the rear areas of the German Infantry Division, and suffering heavy losses in combat. On the 1st of February 1942, Fegelein received promotion to Standartenfuhrer of the On the 5th of February, without orders, he led an attack on a large Red Army position, northwest of Ciotolino, surrounding and destroying the enemy force, receiving the Knight's Cross on the 2nd of March 1942. Sent back to Germany as Inspector of Cavalry and Transportation of the SS, he also received the Eastern Front Medal and the War Merit Cross Second Class. Fegelein returned to action on the 1st of December 1942, promoted to Oberfuhrer, commanding Kampfgruppe Fegelein in fighting on the Don River, and was twice wounded in action, receiving the wound badge in black. He also received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross. On the 20th of April, he was given command of the new 8th SS Cavalry Division Florian Geier, becoming notorious for anti-partisan activities. After Operation Weichsel, his division killed 4,018 people and destroyed 125 villages, deporting a further 18,860. In the follow-up Operation Seydlitz, Fegelein's unit destroyed a further 96 villages, killing 5,016 and deporting 9,166 people. Deployed into frontline combat, the Florian Geier Division beat back five divisional size Soviet attacks and 85 attacks of battalion size in August to September 1943, suffering heavy casualties, earning Fegelein the close combat class. He was severely wounded in September and received the German Cross in gold, an appointment as Chief of the SS Office for Rider and Driver Training, simultaneously assigned as Himmler's SS Liaison to Führer Headquarters, being promoted to Gruppenführer und Generalleutnant to the Waffen-SS on the 10th of June 1944. He was slightly wounded in the bomb attack on Hitler at the Wolf's Lair on the 20th of July 1944, receiving the special 20th of July wound badge in silver, and also the swords to his cross for his time as Commanding Officer of the Florian Geier Cavalry Division on the Eastern Front. As I've covered in a separate video, link in the end screen, Fegelein had married Eva Braun's sister Gretel on the 3rd of June 1944. It has been suggested that Fegelein, a noted womaniser, had engineered his relationship with Gretel in order to gain favour for his career, and he simultaneously worked hard to cultivate a good relationship with Martin Bormann, Hitler's all-powerful Private Secretary and Head of the Nazi Party Chancery. From all of this, you can see that Fegelein was a complex fellow, his sociopathic tendencies are quite obvious in his constant brushes with SS legal authorities, and also, of course, psychopathic tendencies with his murderous sprees behind the lines on the Eastern Front. He also knew how to advance his career through close relationships with certain leaders, Himmler being the most obvious. So let us now address the events of April 1945 that led to his downfall and disgrace and execution. At dawn on the 25th of April 1945, with Soviet forces slowly encircling Berlin, Fegelein left the capital by car on official business. He left in a Mercedes staff vehicle with his adjutant, SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Bordholt, part of the SS-Begleitkommando bodyguard unit, and an enlisted SS driver. He was going to meet Himmler. At that time, Himmler had just moved his headquarters from Wüstrow to Hohenlichen, as Wüstrow had been threatened by the advancing Red Army. Himmler had a special area of the caused probably by nervous tension. On the night of the 24th of April, Himmler arranged a meeting with Fegelein to take place the next morning, 25th. The reason for this meeting had to do with Himmler dispatching Dr. Gephardt, an SS general, and his chief doctor to Berlin early on the 25th of April. Gephardt was sent to try to persuade Hitler one final time to leave the capital. Himmler also wanted to send his personal escort battalion, several hundred heavily armed troops, into Berlin to help with the defense, and also, obviously, to escort Hitler out of the capital if he chose to leave. And it seems that he wanted Fegelein to command that unit and take it back into the capital. However, events would overtake this decision. Following the meeting at Hohenlichen with Himmler, who had been conducting illicit surrender negotiations with the Western Allies through Swedish aristocrat Count Volker Bernadotte, and also a meeting with the World Jewish Congress representative, all aimed at securing for himself a role in the post-Hitler Germany, Fegelein left Himmler's headquarters, undoubtedly fully aware of what his boss had been up to behind Hitler's back, and attended other meetings, before a final Here, Fegelein had a meeting with SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Jüttner, chief of the SS leadership main office, the operational headquarters of the entire SS organization. We don't quite know what they discussed, but we do know from Jüttner's testimony that Fegelein made some interesting comments about what was going on in the Führerbunker. In reply to Jüttner's inquiries about what was happening in the Führerbunker, Fegelein told him that Hitler and his staff were planning to take their own lives. Quote, the Valhalla stuff is for the Beirut festival, but not for me, said Fegelein, referring to the annual Wagner opera festival, much beloved by the Führer. He added, the place has become a lunatic asylum. End quote. Fegelein clearly had no intention of dying in the bunker, if he could However, still under orders from Himmler, Fegelein found he could not return to Berlin by car, as the Soviets had cut the road on the morning of the 25th, leaving him stranded. At this point, Fegelein could have escaped his fate in a number of ways. Events beyond his control meant that he could not return to Berlin to resume his duties, SS liaison at the bunker. If he was so intent on saving his own skin, as most histories tell us, could he not just have joined Himmler at Hohenlichen, and gone with his boss to his new headquarters at Schwerin, close to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, who had set up the military headquarters in the north, to control all forces in northern Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. Or Fegelein could have taken this opportunity to go completely off reservation, and using his authority as an SS general, removed himself to some safe place, Sweden or Switzerland, for example. But Fegelein did neither. He reported his predicament to Himmler, who promptly dispatched a Junkers Ju-52 transport plane to Rechlin Air Base, to fly Fegelein back into central Berlin, to Gattau. At this point, we have to ask ourselves why Himmler did this. Officially, Himmler wanted Fegelein to take over command of his escort battalion. Also, I suspect, he wanted Fegelein in close proximity to Hitler for a few more days yet, so he could get constant reports on Hitler, as he continued his secret scheming in the crumbling Reich, and importantly, have a good idea of when Hitler would die. Due to enemy air activity over Berlin, Fegelein's plane was delayed for many hours, until eventually at 9 pm, it took off. He arrived in the late evening of the 25th of April, but chose not to attend the midnight Situation Conference in the Führerbunker. The next day, 26th of April, Fegelein missed two Situation Conferences, which was very unusual. Then, on the 27th of April, Hitler asked for Fegelein, only to be told that he was nowhere to be found. Hitler became suspicious, noting that Fegelein had missed six Situation Conferences, without explanation. The Führer phoned the head of his R.S.D. bodyguard unit, Gruppenführer Hans Bratenhuber, and demanded that he find Fegelein at once. Bratenhuber, an ex-policeman, had no clear idea of Fegelein's whereabouts. Fegelein's Berlin apartment had been destroyed by Allied bombing some weeks previously, and Fegelein officially lived in quarters of the Reich Chancellery. However, Fegelein had set up one of his long-term mistresses in an apartment, leased under the name of a friend of his, at 10 to 11 Bleibtreuerstraße, off the fashionable Kefürstendamm in Charlottenburg, some four miles from the Führerbunker. He had told no one of this secret bolthole, except one confidant, Hitler's adjutant, S.S. Sturmbannführer Otto Günsche, and only because he had been extremely drunk when he told him, Fegelein giving Günsche a telephone number for this apartment for emergency use only, wink-wink. Günsche now informed Bratenhuber of this information. Bratenhuber ordered the bunker switchboard operator, S.S. Sgt. Rokus Misch, to find out the address for the phone number, which he did at once. Bratenhuber called the number, and to his great surprise, Fegelein answered. Fegelein sounded surprised as well to receive a call from the bunker, but quickly regained his composure. He told Bratenhuber that he had been drinking, and had a very bad hangover. He promised, on his honour as an officer, to report to the bunker in two hours' time. This exchange is very interesting. As if Fegelein assumed that no one knew about his secret love-nest, why did he answer the telephone? Why not his mistress? It suggests that the mistress wasn't home, or that Fegelein was expecting a telephone call, but not from the bunker. Historian James P. O'Donnell, the first Western intelligence officer into the Führerbunker after the fall of Berlin, and the author of a famous book on the subject of Hitler's demise, surmised that Fegelein's behaviour was related to another mystery of the fall of Berlin. A Junkers 52 plane, seen by several well-known witnesses at the Tiergarten emergency airstrip near the Brandenburg Gate on the 28th of April, 1945. One witness who saw this plane, waiting in the shadows, was Nazi test pilot Hannah Reich, but famously flown Generaloberst Robert Ritter von Greim into central Berlin to meet Hitler. She noted the Junkers 52 as she and Greim were departing the airstrip on the 28th of April, one of the last serviceable planes to leave Berlin. She also noted that the Ju-52's pilot was standing beside the plane. As I said, this erroneous plane was seen and noted by several qualified witnesses, but its presence has never been satisfactorily explained by any historians. It has been assumed that it was in fact some way connected to Hitler himself escaping from Berlin, but that is fantasy for a wide variety of reasons outside the scope of this video. O'Donnell believed that the Ju-52 in the Tiergarten on the 28th of April was the same one that had flown Fegelein to Gatau on the 25th of April, before returning to Recklin. He surmised that it had flown in again, under orders on the 28th to collect Fegelein. Was this rescue flight made on Himmler's order, to save his loyal Fegelein from the Soviets and bring him to his headquarters in the north? Perhaps. Could it have been ordered back in by Fegelein himself, so that he could effect his escape from the burning city? There are other possibilities, as well. It is interesting, also, that once Fegelein returned to Berlin on the 25th of April, he effectively had gone to ground at his mistress's secret apartment. Why? Did he have something that he had to do, some task that had to be performed? Further evidence of a possible reason will be Returning to the events of the 27th of April, by 5 p.m. Fegelein had failed to show up at the Führerbunker as promised. General Rattenhuber was now forced to dispatch the first of several detachments to Fegelein's mistress's apartment, not to arrest Fegelein, as reported in most history books, but to try and persuade him to come back voluntarily to the Führerbunker, and as we shall see in episode 2, the men he sends to this apartment also encounter Fegelein's deeply mysterious mistress, who has been largely written out of accounts of this matter. But she is the key to Fegelein's downfall and death, and as you will see, provides a very surprising twist in the story of Hermann Fegelein. Details in the description box below.