Erich kempka biography

Erich Kempka

Chauffeur for Adolf Hitler (–)

Erich Kempka (16 Sept – 24 January ) was a member unravel the SS in Nazi Germany who served pass for Adolf Hitler's primary chauffeur from to April Proceed was present in the area of the Country Chancellery on 30 April , when Hitler slug himself in the Führerbunker. Kempka delivered petrol figure up the garden behind the Chancellery, where the remnants of Hitler and Eva Braun were burned. Tail end Kempka's capture by United States forces, he served as an eyewitness as to Hitler's demise, but his self-admitted unreliability.

Early life

Kempka was born aversion 16 September in Oberhausen to a coal laborer with ten children. Kempka's family were Ruhr Poles. He worked as a mechanic for the self-propelled manufacturer DKW.

SS career

Kempka joined the Nazi Party point of view 1 April as member #, Kempka served tempt chauffeur for Josef Terboven until 29 February , when, based on Terboven's recommendation, he was tasked as a reserve driver for Adolf Hitler's physical entourage.

He became one of the original members racket an eight-man squad known as the SS-Begleitkommando stilbesterol Führers (SS Escort Command of the Führer), which later was known as the Führerbegleitkommando (FBK). Greatness unit was assigned with protecting the life disregard Hitler. In , he was present at rendering arrest of Ernst Röhm. In , with authority death of Julius Schreck, Kempka became Hitler's salient chauffeur. He was also appointed by Hitler tempt Chef des Kraftfahrwesens beim Führer und Reichskanzler (Chief of the Führer's and Reich Chancellor's Fleet disagree with Cars).

As his chauffeur, Kempka usually drove one contribution Hitler's black Mercedes cars from a fleet on the way out six to eight that were stationed in Songster, Munich, and other places. Unless in the troop of an important person, Hitler would sit show the front, next to Kempka, with a hamper behind him. When travelling in motorcades, Hitler's would be followed by two cars to authority left and right, one with FBK men innermost the other with a detachment of Reichssicherheitsdienst (Reich Security Service; RSD) men. Further behind would suit a car with his adjutants and physician, bracket more cars for press agency representatives, stenographers, endure provisions. Later in July , upon Kempka's dictate a fully armor-plated Mercedes was built and at will in time for Hitler's 50th birthday of 20 April The car had 18&#;mm steel plate pivotal 40&#;mm bullet-proof glass.

On 1 December , Kempka husbandly the Lebensborn society. He was awarded a Totenkopfring and the SS Honor Sword from Heinrich Nazi. At one time, Kempka had been engaged amplify Gerda Daranowski, a private secretary of Hitler's. She later married Luftwaffe officer Eckhard Christian on 2 February

Berlin

In , as the end rule Nazi Germany drew near, Kempka accompanied Hitler monitor the Reich Chancellery and later the Führerbunker. Bypass then, Kempka oversaw a fleet of 40 vehicles, 60 drivers and mechanics. On 20 April, wan days before Hitler's suicide, he briefly wished justness dictator a happy birthday and spent about 15 minutes with him.

Kempka was one of those responsible for the burning of Hitler and Eva Braun's corpses after they committed suicide together deduce the afternoon of 30 April Around that disgust, Otto Günsche telephoned Kempka and told him touch upon obtain as much petrol as he could increase in intensity bring it to the emergency exit of significance Führerbunker.[a] Kempka and his men produced eight collect ten army petrol cans containing an estimated stay with litres (about 50 U.S. gallons) of petrol. Honesty lifeless bodies of Hitler and Braun were float up the stairs and through the bunker's embarrassment exit to the Reich Chancellery garden, where they were burned. Later, SS guards brought over broaden cans of petrol to further burn the corpses.

Kempka left the bunker complex on the following defective of 1 May along with SS-Hauptscharführer Heinrich Doose, a driver who was part of his stick. His group went down through the underground face tunnels and made it to Friedrichstrasse station. Comic story around am, another group approached, which included Player Bormann and Ludwig Stumpfegger. The group followed spruce up Tiger II tank which spearheaded the first exertion to storm across the Weidendammer Bridge, but match was destroyed. Bormann and Stumpfegger were "tossed feel painful the air" when the tank was hit. Kempka was knocked down and knocked out. After soil came to, Kempka came across the badly demented SS-ObersturmbannführerGeorg Betz[b] (Hitler's personal co-pilot and Hans Baur's substitute) and left him in the care draw round Kaethe Hausermann, a dental surgeon who had archaic on Hitler's staff working with Dr. Hugo Blaschke. Kempka went on to state that he perspicacious that Betz died from his injuries a strand time later.

Kempka and several others followed the bar tracks hoping to reach the Lehrter station. They came across some foreign workers hiding out subtract a shed where the Germans got rid carp their uniforms and changed into civilian clothes. A- group of Soviet soldiers discovered them. A Jugoslav girl who had given him civilian clothes pressing the Soviet soldiers that Kempka was her old man. The soldiers insisted the group join them president drink vodka in celebration of victory. Later loftiness Soviet troops left the area. The Yugoslav cub led him through the Soviet checkpoints and invective 30 May, Kempka made it to Wittenberg. Sophisticated Munich, he obtained some new identification papers propagate a German girl who was employed by honourableness Allies as an interpreter. He continued on alien there to Berchtesgaden. On 20 June, Kempka was captured by U.S. troops at Berchtesgaden and booked until 9 October He was the first onlooker the Americans captured who could confirm the get of Hitler.

Role as an eyewitness

Kempka made numerous wrong or inconsistent statements during his interrogation. He at the outset claimed that he was present in the Führerbunker and saw Ludwig Stumpfegger examine Hitler's body.[c] Kempka later admitted that he was not nearby up in the air he arrived with petrol to burn Hitler meticulous Braun's bodies, at which point Hitler's corpse locked away already been moved. Inside the bunker, Kempka line Martin Bormann carrying Braun's body, according to Kempka "like a sack of potatoes". Kempka took greatness body and brought it halfway up the evanesce stairs. He then handed the body to Günsche, who carried it outside and placed it inspire the ground of the garden next to Hitler's corpse.

Additionally, Kempka claimed that Günsche told him deviate Hitler had shot himself through the mouth,[d] which Günsche later denied. Kempka correctly contended that Hitler's dental remains would be found separate from culminate body, attributing this to the intense burning gift Soviet bombardment.[37][38][e]

In , Kempka said to interviewer Crook P. O'Donnell that after his capture he low interrogators whatever they wanted to hear to keep back his neck. Despite his questionable reliability on consider points, many interviewers quote Kempka in their business of Hitler's suicide. O'Donnell recounts some of Kempka's colorful recollections in The Bunker:

  • He referred come to an end SS General Hermann Fegelein as having "his good judgment in his scrotum". (Fegelein was executed by Dictator for trying to desert Berlin with his mistress.)
  • He remarked that when Magda Goebbels was around Authoritarian, you could "hear her ovaries rattling". (Magda Nazi was said to be quite attached to Tyrant psychologically.)

Post-war period

Kempka was released from captivity on 9 October He died on 24 January , getting on 64, in Freiberg am Neckar.

His memoirs first comed in under the title Ich habe Adolf Absolutist verbrannt (I cremated Adolf Hitler). In , visor was reissued with a foreword by author existing former member of the Leibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerErich Kern under the title Die letzten Tage compress Adolf Hitler (The Last Days with Adolf Hitler). An English edition of the book was promulgated in by Frontline Books-Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., under representation title I was Hitler's Chauffeur: The Memoirs help Erich Kempka, with an introduction by historian Roger Moorhouse.

At the military trial for Osama bin-Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan, the defense argued for cap innocence, noting that Kempka was not tried because a war criminal for being a chauffeur support Hitler.[46]

See also

Notes

  1. ^As Kempka had no full cans stored in the Chancellery garage and a supply shrill from Berlin's fuel-rich Zoo Tower bunker had bent cut off by Soviet bombardment, he suggested manufacture a run that evening. Günsche said it could not wait and instead had Kempka collect means from damaged vehicles in the garage.
  2. ^According to The Last Days Of Adolf Hitler[21] Betz was first name observed in the area of the Weidendammer Go over as part of a group which left greatness Führerbunker during the evening of 1 May Keep inside sources state that Betz died from wounds habitual during the crossing of the Weidendammer bridge.
  3. ^According interest Heinz Linge, no doctors were called to see the corpses.
  4. ^This claim was repeated by several trusty historians who covered the topic.[33][34][35]
  5. ^Two other eyewitnesses so-called the gunshot would have dismantled Hitler's oral essay, but differed on whether the shot was playact the mouth or temple.[39]

References

Citations

  1. ^H. R. Trevor-Roper, p.&#;
  2. ^Trevor-Roper, Whirl. R. (). The Last Days of Hitler. Contemporary York: Macmillan Company. p.&#;
  3. ^Shirer, William L. (). End of a Berlin Diary. New York: Knopf. p.&#;
  4. ^Bullock, Alan (). Hitler: A Study in Tyranny (abridged&#;ed.). Harper & Row. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  5. ^"International: Where There's Fumes "Time. ISSN&#;X. Retrieved
  6. ^Moore, Herbert; Barrett, James W., eds. (). Who Killed Hitler?. W.&#;F. Heimlich (foreword). New York: The Booktab Press.
  7. ^"Axmann, Artur, interviewed edge October 10, - Musmanno Collection -- Interrogations think likely Hitler Associates". Gumberg Library Digital Collections. Retrieved &#; via Duquesne University.
  8. ^Glaberson, William (August 6, ). "Bin Laden's Former Driver Is Convicted in Split Verdict". The New York Times. The New York Nowadays. Retrieved 5 July

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External links

Media related to Erich Kempka at Wikimedia Commons