The tragic story of the Germans who tried to overthrow Hitler and were executed days before the end of the Second World War.

Less than two weeks before Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender to the Allies on May 8, 1945, an event celebrating its 75th anniversary this Friday (May 8), a group of opposition military attempted to overthrow the regime of Adolf Hitler. , in a tragic and almost forgotten episode of World War II.

In the early hours of April 27, Freiheitsaktion Bayern (FAB), or Bavarian Action for Freedom, took two radios outside of Munich and issued a popular appeal against the regime. The action, led by some 440 soldiers, quickly mobilized about 990 civilians, out of a total of 1,430 involved.

At great personal risk, 78 groups acted in various parts of the southern German state to overthrow local Nazi officials. The uprising, however, failed. And the consequences were serious: at least 57 executions and persecution of the survivors.

“The members of the uprising did not know that Germany would surrender. They all relied heavily on regime propaganda. You did not receive any valuable information. Only rumors. If you were not very close to the highest positions in the Army, you did not know what happened. upon his return, “historian Veronika Diem, author of an award-winning doctoral thesis on the subject that gave rise to the book” The Bavarian Freedom Campaign: An Uprising in the Final Stages of the Nazi Regime, “tells BBC News Brazil.

Against this background, in April, members of military units in Bavaria, especially around Munich, joined together to form the FAB. It was a very heterogeneous group, or rather, several groups, which maintained conservative Catholic tendencies. Many had known each other since the 1930s and had conflicts with the Nazis.

“Major Alois Braun, for example, had a fight with members of the SS (Nazi paramilitary group) in his small town. He joined the Wehrmacht (the Nazi unified armed forces) to protect himself,” says Diem.

The members of the FAB were present in different sectors of the State and the Wehrmacht and their connection took place through central figures from each subgroup. There was a group working in the Reich governor’s office in Bavaria, led by Commander Günther Caracciola-Delbrück. Another part worked as translators for the Wehrmacht in the 7th Military District, with the main figure of Ruprecht Gerngross. Another group of interpreters, active in the Süddeutsche Freiheitsbewegung (Freedom Movement in southern Germany), was in a prisoner of war camp in Moosburg.

“They connected with American, British and French prisoners of war and, through a circle of friends who preceded the war, were able to activate people in towns and cities in southern Germany,” explains Sven Keller of the Institute for Contemporary History Munich. -Berlin.

In that same prison camp, says the historian, Bayerische Heimatbewegung, a group led by the former mayor of Regensburg, operated. There were also FAB military members in Freising, near Munich.

The number of young performers in the group attracted attention. They had common worldviews, academic and intellectual profiles and were traveled. Keller believes that these characteristics kept them away from Nazi ideology and the military environment.

• Brazilians who lived through World War II in London

“These interpreters had contact with other countries and with foreigners. They had a different point of view about Germany and the Reich. They met people who suffer from the regime and forced labor from abroad,” adds Diem.

The FAB even approached the US Secret Service. USA And to the allies to talk about his plan, but he did not take it seriously.

The objectives

The group’s plan included a 10-point program, which included the surrender of the Bavarian state to the allies and a transitional government under FAB control until popular approval of a new Bavarian constitution.

Among the objectives were the “extermination” of National Socialism, which violated “the laws of morality and ethics in such a way that every decent German needs to turn away from him in disgust.” The FAB has reserved the right to “ruthlessly” exterminate even the smallest Nazi cells.

The group also preached the end of militarism, a return to order by reintroducing fundamental rights, including freedom of the press and assembly. Furthermore, Christianity appears as an important factor in this reconstruction, without prejudice to religious freedom, and the restoration of human dignity for each individual.

The plan in action

The start of the uprising attempt was calculated to have occurred when the Allied troops were close enough to Munich; by then they had already crossed the river Lech, a tributary of the Danube. The plan would last until April 28.

The organization of the law took place only in April, but the possibility of insurgency against the regime has been discussed for years. “The members were clearly anti-Nazi and kept their distance from the regime. When they acted, they did so at the risk of their lives and many paid a terrible price. This requires the utmost respect. However, they took action when it was too late.” Keller argues.

In the early hours of April 27, eight groups of soldiers attempted to carry out the plan. But several parties failed: among other problems, it was not possible to arrest Paul Giesler, the Gauleiter in Munich (a kind of leader of the Nazi party in the region). The FAB also failed to persuade Reich Governor Franz Ritter von Epp to negotiate an armistice with the allies.

However, the group managed to occupy the Munich city hall and two radio stations, from where it transmitted “multilingual” calls about an alleged takeover of the local government. He asked people to join together to “get rid of the employees” of the Nazi party between 6 am and 11 am.

The call was received by different civil groups, which carried out similar initiatives even at the risk of serious confrontations with Nazi supporters. According to Diem, 58 of these actions did not increase and the respondents managed to escape. In another 20, there were fatalities.

Civilians were more concerned with protecting their respective communities from further destruction than the prolongation of the war could cause. “There were a wide variety of actions, from individuals trying to convince Wehrmacht troops to lay down their weapons to the attempted insurgency in Munich. There was no FAB in the sense of a rigid and effective organization that could have offered aid. Many acted spontaneously. ” Keller says.

Collapse

Shortly after the radio broadcast, the Nazi authorities had already denied the “seizure of power”, leading many FAB members to flee and hide. It was also clear to the civilians who participated in the act that the uprising had failed.

Although the FAB leadership was composed of military personnel, the group did not have sufficient military power to confront the Nazi forces. The hope was that the call would gain broad support, which was not the case.

“The consensus is that the uprising was poorly prepared and rushed in the last weeks of the war. Most importantly, Gerngross and Caracciola-Dellbrück did not gain von Epp’s support. Gerngross thought it could hold out until the arrival of the American troops, a tragic miscalculation, “explains historian André Postert of the Hannah Arendt Institute in Dresden.

Caracciola-Dellbrück was killed because of his involvement, like many others, and Gerngross managed to escape and hide.

Chase to the end

The persecution of the survivors began on April 28, by order of the Gauleitung. Dozens were arrested and summary executions were carried out. Residents loyal to the regime denounced members of the uprising, who were eventually overturned by soldiers and members of the Volkssturm (militia with young and old mounted at the end of the war).

“In a small town south of Munich, a group arrested the mayor. And then, upon learning that the uprising failed, he released him. The residents found out who they were and even went to nearby military personnel by chance.” the uprisings were killed immediately, without any legal process, “says Diem.

The Nazi forces were strict and cruel against the revolts until the end of the regime. This is due in part to bigotry and ideological blindness, Postert believes. On the other hand, the historian continues, many central Nazi actors knew that they would be condemned and hanged after the war. “That explains their brutality. Giesler ordered that those involved be executed. [Dias da rendição] Giesler committed suicide and shot his wife. Men like him had nothing to lose. ”

After the war, the memory of the FAB was preserved in Bavaria. In the center of Munich, there is the “Münchner Freiheit” (Freedom of Munich) square and a café with the same name. There is also a famous eponymous pop band.

Have you seen our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!