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theories that Hitler could have escaped Berlin. In this section, it British plan to enshrine anti-Nazi propaganda as historical fact. becomes glaringly obvious that his investigation had been As we saw in part one, the first eyewitnesses to go public were designed to lead to predetermined conclusions. Here we learn, Hitler's chauffeur Erich Kempka and RSD bodyguard Hermann first of all, that Trevor-Roper assumed that Hitler's fate had been Karnau. After Kempka's veracity was called into question by entirely determined by last-minute contingencies. According to Karnau's claims, Karnau's story virtually disappeared and this line of reasoning, Hitler could not have escaped the Kempka's story was extolled as the more authoritative. Indeed, Chancellery because this or that avenue of escape had been Kempka's evidence not only became the basis for Trevor-Roper's rendered impossible (or at least difficult, which for Trevor-Roper book but Kempka was also endorsed at Nuremberg as the sole appeared to mean the very same thing). Trevor-Roper source of reliable information concerning Hitler's demise. circumscribed Hitler's exit possibilities by means of The primary reason Kempka's story won such a positive generalisations that are all extremely questionable. He wrote, for _ reception from the Anglo-American authorities was that Kempka example, that it would have been impossible for Hitler to have was the sole source of evidence that appeared to support the suicide been flown out of Berlin because his "two pilots" remained in the theory (Karnau simply referred to the cremation he had witnessed). unker and "took part in the attempted escape on the night of | Kempka also contradicted Soviet claims that Hitler could have May".* This is all very well, so long as you presuppose that escaped. In his 4 July 1945 interview record, he declared: Hitler would never have permitted anyone else to fly him out of "[With a] statement reported to have been made by the Russian Berlin or that one of the pilots could not have left the bunker and Marshall Chukov [sic] that Hitler and Eva Braun could have returned to it afterwards. escaped from the Berlin area by air, I can't agree. On 4/30/45 and Trevor-Roper confined his discussion of Hitler's escape two or three days previous, no one could possibly have left the possibilities to planes and cars. However, in January 1946, General Helmuth Weidling, who was interned inner parts of Berlin by air. There was a heavy artillery fire on all the inner parts of Berlin during those days. in a Soviet prison camp, furnished 2 . Neither did I hear about a pli long statersent for the Soviets in The explanation that arriving or leaving after the 25th or which he conceded that he had grown best accounts for events, 26th of April 1945." sceptical about the suicide theory. He had meditated on the problem of Unfortunately for Kempka, one of the best-attested events of the last days therefore, is that Hitler's escape possibilities and Kempka sought to of the Third Reich is that of a flight concluded: . piloted by General Robert Ritter von "On the night of 29/30 April there suppress his knowledge Greim and Hanna Reitsch that arrived were still opportunities to leave— of the two flights. in Berlin on the morning of 26 April. through the Zoo underground station in western Berlin and through the The same pair took off from Berlin in the early hours of 29 April. Reitsch Friedrichstrasse station in the north. herself not only spoke about the two One could have escaped relatively flights on numerous occasions between safely through the underground tunnels."* 1945 and her death in 1979 but also devoted a chapter to them in her Can we really believe that this possibility never occurred to autobiography Flying Is My Life.” Given that the evidence from Trevor-Roper? Since it's unlikely that he did not know that Berlin other sources is abundant enough to establish that they actually took possessed an extensive underground railway system, it seems that _ place, there is something extremely suspicious about Kempka's the only escape possibilities Trevor-Roper was interested in assertion that no such flights would have been possible. talking about were those he could exclude. There is no reason to jump to the conclusion, however Perhaps Trevor-Roper's most conspicuous flaw was his haste to tempting, that Kempka must have lied about being in the discount the possibility that the eyewitnesses could have put their © Chancellery during the regime's final days. He could have been heads together to work up a coherent story to cover up for Hitler's temporarily absent from the bunker on a mission. If so, he had escape. In his report, he commented: returned by the afternoon of 30 April. As we saw in part one, "It is considered quite impossible that the versions of the several eyewitnesses have provided evidence establishing various eye-witnesses can represent a concerted cover story; they Kempka's presence at a cremation held in the Chancellery garden were all too busy planning their own safety to have been able or _at around 3.00 pm that afternoon. SS-Hauptsturmfuchrer Karl disposed to learn an elaborate charade, which they could still Schneider acknowledged speaking to Kempka at the Chancellery maintain after five months of isolation from each other, and under _ garage on the evening of | May. He told the Soviets on 19 May detailed and persistent cross-examination."* 1945 that on this occasion Kempka had told him that Hitler was This argument makes about as much sense as the claim that there "allegedly dead".* can be no such thing as an orchestra because there is no way that a The explanation that best accounts for events, therefore, is that large number of people could ever perform a complex piece of music | Kempka sought to suppress his knowledge of the two flights. When such as a symphony at the same time. In any case, the "charade" was Kempka first gave his story to the Americans in June 1945, he had hardly that "elaborate". As we saw in part one, there are many no reason to believe that they knew anything at all about them. significant differences between the recollections of the various There is a very good reason why Kempka would not have wanted to eyewitnesses. The SS orchestra was playing the same tune, to be mention these flights: the cover story—that Greim flew to Berlin to sure, but not always in the same key. receive instructions from Hitler, who had just made him the new head of the Luftwaffe—is preposterous. Why would Hitler, who was Kempka unravelled anxious for everyone else to leave Berlin, want someone to come to Operation Trevor-Roper is best seen, therefore, not as a bona him? Why would he have been so keen to talk to the head of an fide investigation of Hitler's fate but as the major stage in the almost nonexistent entity? The official story fails to justify Greim Kempka sought to suppress his knowledge of the two flights. Kempka unravelled Operation Trevor-Roper is best seen, therefore, not as a bona fide investigation of Hitler's fate but as the major stage in the NEXUS = 39 The explanation that best accounts for events, therefore, is that FEBRUARY — MARCH 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com