Flensburg Government

The Flensburg Government was the last government of Nazi Germany, lasting for about three weeks near the end of World War II in Europe. It began after Adolf Hitler passed away on 30 April 1945 during the Battle of Berlin. This government was led by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as Reichspräsident and Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk as the Leading Minister. It was called the Flensburg Government because it was based in Flensburg, a town in northern Germany close to the Denmark–Germany border.

When this government formed, Nazi forces still held parts of Austria, the Sudetenland, and some other areas in Europe. However, most of Germany and many of its earlier captured lands had already been taken back by Allied forces. The government’s control was limited to a small part of Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland.

The Flensburg Government stopped functioning as a real national government after Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945. For a short time after that, it was mostly ignored by the Western Allies and other countries. Finally, on 23 May, British troops arrested the government leaders, ending what was left of the Nazi regime. This arrest was made official on 5 June 1945 when the Allied Powers created the Allied Control Council to manage Allied-occupied Germany.

Formation

Once it became clear that Adolf Hitler planned to stay in Berlin as the city was surrounded, command of the German army was handled by the German Military High Command, which had moved to Rheinsberg. On 27 April, important military leaders met with Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz to talk about the war situation, since Berlin could not be saved.

Hitler had named Dönitz as his successor. After Hitler’s death, Dönitz became the leader of what was left of Germany. The new government, led by Dönitz and Minister Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, first met in Eutin and later moved to the Mürwik naval academy in Flensburg near the Danish border. They set up their offices there as the war in Europe was nearly over.

Cabinet

On May 2, Dönitz asked Schwerin von Krosigk to create a new government. This was meant to be a temporary government until things settled down. Von Krosigk became the Leading Minister, kept his job as Minister of Finance, and also took over as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Julius Heinrich Dorpmüller returned as Minister of Transport and also became Minister for Communications and Posts. Herbert Backe stayed on as Minister for Food and Agriculture. Albert Speer became Minister of Economics, and Franz Seldte took over as Minister for Labor. Some ministries were closed down, like the Air Ministry and the Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Armed Forces High Command

Dönitz wanted to choose Field Marshal Erich von Manstein to lead the army, but he could not reach him on May 2, so Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel stayed in his role. Keitel signed the surrender for the German military in Berlin on May 8. General Alfred Jodl helped with talks with the Allies in Reims, France. On May 13, Keitel was arrested and taken to a camp, and Jodl took over until the government ended on May 23.

Ferdinand Schörner, who was named to lead the army in Hitler’s will, did not play a big role in the final days. He left and was later arrested by the Americans in Austria. Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg became the new leader of the navy on May 1. The air force had almost no planes left because of fuel shortages, so no new leader was chosen. Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim stayed as the head of the air force.

Even though the military command kept moving, it still worked together. But other parts of the government were falling apart. Many government workers had left Berlin for hotels in the south, so the leaders were spread out. By the time Hitler passed away, the government was split across several places, with no real central leadership left.

Actions

Dönitz's first goal was to talk to the leaders of German armies and get them to accept him as their new top commander. He wanted them to agree to his plan of negotiating separate surrenders with the Western Allies while still fighting the Soviet forces in the east. He tried to set aside some former Nazi leaders who had fled to Flensburg, as keeping them would make it hard to negotiate with the Western Allies. Dönitz hoped to split the Allies and get German soldiers to fight against the Soviets, or at least save many soldiers by having them surrender to the British, Canadians, or Americans instead of the Soviets.

Dönitz kept many Nazi party traditions, such as keeping Hitler's bust in his office and continuing to use Nazi greetings. He also stopped an order to destroy German infrastructure, but kept strict military rules.

There were challenges with SS leaders in Flensburg, who had forces not under Dönitz's control. Dönitz managed them by promising them hiding places if they left. However, this was too late for prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp, who were moved to the Bay of Lübeck and left without food or medical help. Sadly, a Royal Air Force bombing sank the ships carrying these prisoners, resulting in many deaths.

Dönitz worked to arrange partial surrenders in the West. German forces in Italy had already surrendered to the Western Allies. Dönitz tried to get German forces in northwest Germany to surrender to the British, but they were only allowed to surrender forces not fighting the Soviets. This led to surrenders in areas like Schleswig-Holstein and the Netherlands. There were also surrenders in Bavaria to the Americans.

Finally, Dönitz sent representatives to negotiate a full surrender of all German forces to the Western Allies. However, the Allies insisted on a total surrender to all of them, including the Soviets. After some delay, the surrender was signed in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945, and later confirmed in Berlin on May 8, 1945. This marked the end of World War II in Europe.

Reichssender Flensburg

The Reichssender Flensburg was a temporary radio station set up in the main post office in Flensburg. From May 3 to 13, 1945, it broadcast on a special frequency, sharing important news from leaders of the government led by Karl Dönitz, including the announcement of the end of World War II in Europe. Along with a station in Prague, it was one of the last ways for messages to be sent out by the Nazi regime.

Not many people could hear these broadcasts. This was because the station's power was low, and many people did not have working radios anymore. Still, the broadcasts could be picked up across Germany, especially in the northern parts. The British began checking the broadcasts on May 10 and finally stopped them on May 13.

Dissolution

During 1944 and 1945, many countries that had been neutral or allies of Germany joined the Allied Powers and declared war on Germany. German embassies in these countries were closed, and their property and archives were held by a protecting power, usually Switzerland or Sweden, under international rules. The United States Department of State prepared for the end of the war, assuming there would be a clear statement that Germany had surrendered unconditionally.

On 8 May 1945, after the German surrender, the Allied Powers took control. They said that Germany no longer had a functioning government or diplomatic presence. Neutral countries like Ireland stopped relations with Germany, and German diplomats were recalled or taken prisoner by the Allies.

The Flensburg government, led by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, had no real diplomatic access or recognition. Even though it tried to continue, it was surrounded and had no real power. The Allies did not accept it as a true government.

On 23 May 1945, British and American forces arrested the members of the Flensburg government. The government stopped existing after this, and the Allied Powers took full control of Germany. This led to the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945, where the Allies stated they now had full authority over Germany.

Main article: Berlin Declaration (1945)