We Will Not Capitulate: Nazi Propaganda Shapes National Opinion

"We will not capitulate -- no never!  We may be destroyed, but if we are, we shall drag a world with us -- a world in flames." (Adolf Hitler)

Nazi rally in Nuremburg circa 1935 courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_propaganda.

The world knows about the role of Nazi propaganda in pre-war Germany where Hitler would hold mass rallies in giant stadiums, his arm outstretched, his lips spouting rhetoric in a clipped fashion, his audience mesmorized (see http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2013/11/the-nazi-propaganda-machine.html).  We are familiar with the Hitler Youth, the group the Nazis used to indoctrinate the next generation. Most of us have heard of the Berlin Book Burning of 1933 where a stack of literature was destroyed, everything from H. G. Wells to Helen Keller, all because it did not embrace Nazi ideology (see http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2013/07/a-pile-of-books-pile-of-rocks-pile-of.html). Propaganda played a prominent role in 1930's Germany.

Wehrmacht soldiers remove Polish insignia circa 1939 courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_propaganda.

When the Second World War started, Nazi propaganda continued to play a major role in Germany and Europe.  The Nazis sent out a daily radio broadcast , the Wehrmachtbericht, to keep civilians apprised of what was happening on the battlefront.  In occupied countries, signs would be posted at the entrances to parks, cafes and cinemas announcing ""Nur fur Deutsche" (Only for Germans).  When the Allies questioned Hitler on the conditions of his concentration camps, he invited the Red Cross to inspect one, controlling every aspect of the visit like a master puppeteer.

The Red Cross visits a "beautified" Theriensenstadt circa 1944 courtesy http://mayraterezinblog.blogspot.ca/.

Yet even at the end of the war, Nazi propaganda played a large role.  The signs were there that Germany was losing the war, that East Prussia would be the first casualty.  The British Air Force dropped over 1000 tonnes of bombs on Koenigsberg in August of 1944.  That was their first clue.  Then the Red Army temporarily broke through the defense line at Nemmersdorf -- their second clue.  In late 1944, German commanders pleaded with Hitler to order an evacuation of East Prussia, but to no avail.  As late as early January of 1945, when the Red Army was at the gates of East Prussia, the official line was:  "Hold tight.  We will not capitulate."   It was said with such confidence that East Prussians believed it.  Rob's Oma was even told by her brother, an officer in the Kriegsmarine, that Germany would not lose the war.

In the end, while Hitler furrowed into his foxhole, the East Prussians -- the women, the children, the elderly -- faced the wrath of the Red Army.

Susan Griffin's "Our Secret"

"The missile carries a warhead weighing 1870 pounds.  It has three different fuses to insure detonation."

Susan Griffin traces the life of Heinrich Himmler, one of Hitler's right hand men, while at the same time tracing the history of the rocket, and of the cell.  She talks about a frail boy, who envied his more athletic brother, who craved the acceptance of his peers.  The frail boy grew up to be a man who hoped to see duty in the First World War, but it ended before he had a chance.  He befriended a fellow soldier, with whom he shared philosophies.  The two would end up running Germany.  

Susan talks about a six year old girl visiting a concentration camp:  "Shoes in great piles.  Bones.  Women's hair, clothes, stains, a terrible odour."  The girl didn't find out what it was until years later in school.  Susan quotes Himmler's letter:  "Make no mention of the special treatment of the Jews."  

Susan describes an old mining shaft in the Harz Mountains where, at gunpoint, concentration camp inmates put together rockets.  "The missile carries a warhead weighing 1870 pounds.  It has three different fuses to insure detonation."  

Himmler, of course, was captured by the Allies at the end of World War II.  He swallowed a poison capsule, leaving a wife and children.  He would never face the music at Nuremberg.

Note:  To read the entire article, visit http://learning.writing101.net/wp-content/readings/griffin_our_secret.pdf.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Himmler