B006OAL1QM EBOK (47 page)

APPENDIX A

Chief Events in the Life of Goebbels

1897.     Joseph Goebbels born in Rheydt on 29th October.

c. 1901. Operated on for infantile paralysis.

c. 1906. Enters Gymnasium at Rheydt. At this school begins his friendship with Fritz Prang.

1914.     Rejected for military service.

1917.     Matriculates at Easter, and enters Bonn University. In September appeals to the Albertus Magnus Society for financial help to continue his studies.

1918.     Attends Freiburg University and later Würzburg University. Friendship with Anka Stahlhern.

1919.     Returns to Freiburg University; later moves to the University of Munich.

1920.     Moves to his final University of Heidelberg, where he studies under the celebrated Jewish Professor Gundolf. Height of friendship with Richard Flisges. Writes his last will and testament bequeathing his “literary estate” to his brother Hans.
(Hitler becomes Head of the National Socialist Party.)

1921.     Completes his Doctor's thesis at Heidelberg. Writes among other things his novel
Michael
which is rejected by every publisher to whom it is submitted.

1922.     End of friendship with Anka and beginning of friendship with Else. Prang joins the Nazi Party.

1923.     Employed as a clerk from January to September in the Cologne branch of the Dresdener Bank, and later at the Cologne Stock Exchange.
(Abortive putsch by Hitler and his associates in Munich on 9th November.)

1924.     Applies unsuccessfully for work on the
Berliner Tageblatt
and in the theatre.
     Becomes Secretary to Franz Wiegershaus, Reichstag Deputy of the Volkische Freiheitspartei and writes for the Party Journal, the
Völkische Freiheit
. Approaches Karl Kaufmann, the Nazi Gauleiter for the Rhine-Ruhr district, and offers to work for him. Appointed to the staff of the Northern Party organisation.
     (Hitler imprisoned at Landsberg Fortress, February to December.)

1925.     Goebbels is based on Kaufmann's office in Elberfeld, and his influence as a Party speaker begins to grow. Helps to edit new journal, the
Nationalsozialistische Briefe
(first published in October). Formally introduced to Hitler by Kaufmann in Elberfeld late in the year. Begins to come under the spell of Hitler.
     (First part of
Mein Kampf
published; Hitler presents Goebbels with a signed copy.)

1926.     25th January. Attends Hanover Conference convened by Gregor Strasser.
     14th February. Attends Bamberg Conference convened by Hitler, but fails to speak. Beginning of break with the Strassers and adherence to Hitler's faction of the Nazi Party.
     April Begins to accept invitations to speak with or for Hitler in various parts of Germany, including Berlin.
     June. His appointment as Gauleiter of Berlin first mooted. Speaks at annual Party Congress in Weimar.
     July. With Hitler at Berchtesgaden.
     November. Appointed Gauleiter of Berlin, and begins task of cleaning up the Party organisation.

1927.     July. First issue of Goebbels' journal
Det Angriff
.

1928.     May. After the Reichstag elections is chosen to become one of the twelve Nazi deputies.
     November. Appointed by Hitler Head of Party Propaganda.

1929.     
Michael
published by Eher Verlag, the Nazi publishing house.

1930.     September. Storm-Troopers revolt in Berlin; Hitler comes to restore order. Nazi landslide in the Reichstag elections; Goebbels one of the Party's 107 deputies.

1931.     February. Nazi deputies march out of the Reichstag; Goebbels loses his immunity from legal proceedings.
     12th December. Goebbels marries Magda Quandt, divorced wife of Günther Quandt, an industrialist.

1932.     February. Goebbels excluded from the Reichstag for causing an uproar and insulting the President.
     April. Hitler unsuccessful in second successive election for President; Goebbels in charge of election campaigns, including State and Reichstag elections. Indicted for High Treason, but escapes by accepting the mandate of the Prussian Diet.
     May. Takes part in a battle with the Communists in the Prussian Diet.
     July. Nazis win 230 seats in Reichstag election.
     1st September. Birth of daughter Helga.
     November. Nazis lose 34 seats in second Reichstag election.

1933.     30th January. Hitler appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg.
     February. Suppression of 60 Communist and 71 Social Democrat newspapers.
     27th February. The Reichstag Fire. Used to promote the further suppression of the Communists.
     14th March. Goebbels appointed Minister for Propaganda and Public Enlightenment. Takes over German broadcasting for the Party.
     1st April. Organised boycott of the Jews.
     April. All but Nazi-controlled newspapers virtually abolished.
     1st May. Annual Nazi Day of Celebration initiated by Goebbels.
     2nd May. Suppression of the Trade Unions.
     10th May. The Burning of the Books.
     September. Reich Culture Chamber founded to control all participants in the arts.
     October. The Journalists Law; all journalists become licensed civil servants.

1934.     February. Reich Film Law sets up Censorship Committee to review films.
     April. Hess sets up Examining Committee for the Protection of National Socialist Literature.
     13th April. Birth of daughter Hilde.
     29th June. The Röhm purge initiated by Hitler.
     2nd August. Death of Hindenburg. Assumption of full powers by Hitler under the title of Führer and Reich Chancellor of Germany.
     Goebbels acquires the Schwanenwerder estate on the Wannsee.

1935.     January. Order forbidding anyone concerned with the arts to leave Germany to fulfil contracts abroad without prior sanction.
     April. Chamber of Literature empowered to draw up a black list of prohibited books.
     21st October. Birth of son Helmuth.
     During this year Goebbels acquires a fine villa to act as a club for German artists in Berlin.

1936.     During the autumn makes an official visit to Greece.
     29th November. Forbids all criticism of the arts.

1937.     Hitler institutes German National Prizes for Science, Art and Literature to replace German acceptance of any Nobel Prizes. Goebbels buys out UFA.
     9th February. Birth of daughter Holde.

1938.     February. Ribbentrop as Foreign Minister gets foreign propaganda out of Goebbels' hands.
     5th May. Birth of daughter Hedda.
     October. Munich Agreement. Goebbels initiates long-term anti-British propaganda campaign.
     10th November. Jewish pogrom incited by Goebbels. During this year Goebbels falls into disfavour with Hitler owing to his love affair with Lida Baarova.
Hitler prevents Magda from suing for divorce.

1939.     10th April. William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) begins his broadcasts to Britain from Hamburg.
     June. Goebbels makes two inflammatory speeches in Danzig.
     August. Goebbels' anti-Polish campaign reaches its height. Non-aggression pact with Russia.
     3rd September. Britain declares a state of war with Germany.
     Acquires during this year the Lanke estate on the Bogensee.

1940.     Birth of daughter Heide in October.

1941.     22nd June. Germany invades Russia. Later Goebbels' memorandum to Hitler on Russian policy set aside.

1942.     February. Plans revision of German-language dictionaries for occupied territories.
     February to March. Entries in Goebbels' diary show his awareness and approval of the mass destruction of Jews in Europe.
     March. Goebbels makes his first approaches to Göring to form an alliance to regain influence over Hitler.
     30th March. Hitler transfers care of bomb-damaged areas to Goebbels' Ministry. During this period Goebbels constantly pressing Hitler to give him increased power over the domestic affairs of Germany and to institute a campaign for total war.
     26th April. Hitler prompted by Goebbels obtains from the Reichstag plenary powers to override all normal laws in the interest of the State in a campaign against bureaucracy.
     1st May. Hitler approves Goebbels' broadcast on the tightening of conditions in Germany.
     May. The R.A.F. makes the first of its thousand-bomber raids on Germany.
     December. An attempt on Goebbels' life frustrated.

1943.     January. Hitler appoints an Executive Committee of three to control Germany. This includes Bormann, but excludes Goebbels.
     31st January. Goebbels puts all newspapers in mourning when the Germans surrender at Stalingrad.
     13th February. Goebbels' great total war speech in the Berlin Sportpalast.
     March. Goebbels makes a second attempt to form an alliance with Göring.
     Constructs a private air-raid shelter in Berlin at a cost of 350,000 marks.
     10th July. Allies land in Sicily; fall of Mussolini.
     September. Goebbels advises Hitler to consider the advantages of negotiating a peace settlement with either Britain or Russia.

1944.     10th June. After Allied invasion of Normandy on 6th June, the first flying-bomb is launched against Britain. Christened by Goebbels the V-1.
     July. Given increased internal powers in Germany by Hitler after the attempt on the Führer's life on 20th July. Appointed Reich Trustee for Total War.
     24th August. Announces measures for total war and total mobilisation.

1945.     12th January. The Russians reach the Oder and Silesia. Hitler pays his first social visit to Goebbels' house for five years.
     30th January. Goebbels appointed Defender of Berlin.
     March. The British and Americans cross the Rhine.
     22nd April. With his wife and family, Goebbels joins Hitler in the Führerbunker.
     29th April. Acts as witness to the marriage of Hitler and Eva Braun, and to Hitler's last will and testament, to which he adds his own appendix.
     30th April, about 3.30 p.m. Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide. Goebbels becomes Reich Chancellor of Germany.
     1st May, about 8.30 p.m. After failure to obtain special terms from the Russians, commits suicide with his wife and children.

APPENDIX B

Plan of the Führerbunker

Reproduced from
The Last Days of Hitler
by kind permission of Hugh Trevor-Roper and the publishers, Messrs. Macmillan and Co.

The above sketch-plan was prepared to Professor Trevor-Roper's specifications before the Bunker was finally demolished by the Russians. It is not drawn to any particular scale. To judge from the memories of those who knew the Bunker, it seems that no room exceeded about 8 feet by 10 feet in size, though Boldt in his book
In the Shelter with Hitler
refers to two larger rooms, one 10 feet by 23 feet and the other 17 feet square. These were probably the passage areas used for meals and conferences. Boldt gives the depth of the Bunker as 30 feet; it was reached by a flight of 37 steps, the interconnecting flight between the sections being 12 steps. Rooms 15-20 made up Hitler's and Eva Braun's suite; rooms 9-12 the suite for Goebbels and his family. The rooms had beds and built-in cupboards. Goebbels also had room 26 allocated to him for his private use.