Is it true that some Wehrmacht officers, after World War II, occupied leading posts in NATO?

On the network you can find a list of eight military Reich, which supposedly not only avoided punishment after the war, but also became important figures in the North Atlantic Alliance. We checked whether this information corresponds to reality.

In the publications on this subject, often equipped with an appropriate illustration, we are, in particular, Adolf Hoizinger and Johannes Steinhofff, who allegedly visited the chairmen of the NATO Military Committee (in 1961–1964 and 1971-1974, respectively). The Commander -in -Chief of NATO in Central Europe, stated, became Hans Shpidel (1957–1963), Johann von Kilmansgg (1967–1968), Ernst Ferber (1973–1975), Karl Schnel (1975–1977) and Ferdinand von Zenger UND Etterling (1979–1983). Franz Joseph Shulce in 1977-1979 allegedly held the NATO Council (although in an English -speaking illustration he was also called the Commander -in -Chief of the Alliance in Central Europe).

The positions in the Third Reich of these people are also mentioned impressive - for example, Hoyinger was the chief of staff of Hitler. This is often done from this conclusionthat NATO, in fact, is the successor of Nazi Germany.

In 2023, this list is distributed through information (RF-SMI, "Minsk Truth") And entertainment sites (" "YaPlakal"), As well as social networks. In Telegram, the employment of Nazi officers in NATO at different times wrote channels "Russia now"(377,000 views at the time of writing this analysis),"Solovyov"(365 000),"Anti -fascists of the Baltic states"(254,000),"Putin in Telegram"(233,000),"The goat screamed"(203,000) and"Sergey Mikheev"(160,000).

The organization of the North Atlantic Agreement was Created In 1949, at the initiative of the United States as a counterweight to the USSR and under its military-political influence the countries of Eastern Europe. Among the 12 states - the founders of the alliance were not Germany, educated In the American, British and French zones of the occupation of Nazi Germany on May 23, 1949, more than a month after the creation of NATO. IN subsequent years One of the main obstacles to the entry of this state to the Alliance was a decision on the complete demilitarization of the territory adopted by the allied countries during the Potsdam conference. But signing in 1954 Parisian agreements Western Germany opened the road to NATO, and a year later the country became a full member of the military bloc. Only after that did the Federal Ministry of Defense and its own armed forces (Bundeswehr) appeared in the country. It is thanks to the service in the Russian power departments that the former Nazi military could theoretically occupy any post in NATO.

A large group of military and political leaders of the Third Reich, commanders and ordinary military, as well as doctors, judges, industrialists, police officers, civil servants and diplomats in 1945-1949 appeared before the tribunal for the main and 12 additional Nuremberg processes. Of the 201 accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, 36 were sentenced to death, 23 - to life imprisonment, 102 - to other terms of imprisonment and 28 - justified. In addition, the courts throughout Europe were sentenced to total complexity About 100,000 Germans and Austrians for crimes committed in wartime. After the war ended in Germany and Austria, it began denazification - a program to deliver German and Austrian society from Nazi ideology, including by maximum neutralization of the influence of former members of the Nazdap Nazdap and friendly organizations through posts or restricting labor. Of course, a significant part of the Wehrmacht former officers were in the party, they spent the first post -war years in camps for interned, and after liberation they had problems with employment. However, the difficulty of conducting inspections (the number of affairs was calculated by millions), huge personnel hunger (for example, in the American zone of occupation by the end of the winter of 1945-1946, 42% of civil servants were fired) and the emergency transfer of punitive powers to the new German authorities led to the fact that gradually denazification in West Germany was practically nullified (in the Soviet zone of occupation, it was more tough, but also ended By 1948, without reaching all the goals stated initially). The first Chancellor of Germany Conrad Adenauer, who came to power in 1949, was against this program and I chose The integration strategy of the former Nazis, whose involvement in serious crimes was not proven to a new state to move forward, as well as the focus to pay reparations to the victims of the Third Reich.

Let us turn to biographies of people mentioned in common news.

The most remarkable figure here can be considered Adolf Hoizizger, the chief of the operational department of the General Staff of the Ground Forces of Nazi Germany, that is, the third (later second) person in the hierarchy of planning military operations of this Wehrmacht division. July 20, 1944 Lieutenant General Hoizinger as and. O. The head of the General Staff of the Ground Forces was present at a meeting at Hitler's headquarters and stood next to the Fuhrer when there The bomb exploded, put up by Colonel von Stauffenberg. Hoizinger was hospitalized due to the wounds received, then the Gestapo was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the conspiracy and only in October was released for freedom due to lack of evidence. In the future, he did not occupy any significant posts in the Third Reich, and on the day of the surrender of Germany was captured by American troops.

In declassified document The CIA says: “After the surrender of the US Army in May 1945, the question arose of attracting [Hoyzger] as a war criminal in connection with some orders signed and sent by him, who decided the fate of captured Russian officers who were engaged in political work and paratroopers of the Sanizer countries. However, given the readiness of Hoizzger to cooperate in Nuremberg and the fact that he only paraapized the orders during the transfer, no action was taken. Moreover, Hoizinger periodically worked for free for free in the office of the U.S. Military Crime Prosecutor’s Office in Nuremberg from 1945 to 1948. ”

After the formation of Germany in the life of Hoyzger, a new stage of his career came. Starting in 1950 with the post of military adviser to Chancellor Adenauer, years later he was promoted to the title of full general and became the first general inspector Bundeswehr. In 1961, Hoizinger was appointed Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO In Washington. This is the highest organ NATO military structure, which includes the heads of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Alliance Members. Thus, with respect to Hoinger, common information should be considered truthful.

Briefly about other defendants in the list.

Johannes Steinhoff, one of the most productive ASs of the Luftwaffe, in 1945 suffered an accident and spent two years in a hospital with strong face burns. In 1954, the Federal Republic of Germany invited him to help restore the German Air Force as part of NATO. In the future, Steinhoff He rose to the title of general and in 1971, having worked for many years in the structures of the alliance, like Hoyinger, He headed NATO Military Committee.

Hans Shpidel, the chief of staff of the Army Group "B" during the Second World War, was Related With an attempt on Hitler in 1944, but there was no evidence against him. Nevertheless, Shpidel spent seven months in prison and was liberated by the troops of the allies. After the formation of Germany, Shpidel was involved in the formation of the Bundeswehr, received the General Chin, and in 1957-1963 he held the position of commander of the united ground forces of NATO in Central Europe (The third According to seniority, the step of the hierarchy of alliance officers in Europe). Since the headquarters of the unit was in the French Fontainebleau, the appointment of Shpeel caused serious criticism of France President Charles de Gaulle.

Johann von Kilmansgg, Colonel of the General Staff in Berlin during the Second World War, was also among those who He knew On the impending conspiracy against Hitler in 1944, but escaped punishment due to lack of evidence. By commanding the regiment, he was captured by the Western allies, and after liberation he worked not by profession for several years. He took an active part in the formation of the Bundeswehr, then held the post of military representative of West Germany at NATO, and in 1967 in the rank of the general was appointed The Commander -in -Chief of NATO in Central Europe (the second largest stage of the hierarchy of the alliance officers in Europe).

Ernst Ferber, who occupied one of the leading posts in the organizational department of the supreme command of the Wehrmacht and ended the war in the rank of Lt. Col., like many of his colleagues, after American captivity worked in German intelligence (it existed under the patronage of the United States), then participated in the formation of the Bundeswehr, and in 1973, like Kilmansegg, in the title of the general became the commander -in -chief of NATO in the head of NATO in Central Europe.

Karl Schneell, the first officer of the General Staff of the 76th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, after American captivity and two camps worked in the private sector, and since 1956 served in various positions in the Bundeswehr. In 1975, he replaced Ernst Ferber as commander in chief of NATO in Central Europe.

Franz Joseph Schulce He did not occupy high posts in the Second World War, but distinguished himself as a battery commander, which repelled a British tank attack on an important section of the front. After a short captivity and work in the areas, which were far from politics and the war, he built a career in the Bundeswehr and military structures of NATO, the culmination of which was the general rank and appointment of the successor to Schnelal as the Commander -in -Chief of the Alliance in Central Europe in 1977.

Finally, Friedolin von Zenger Und Etterling, the son of the general tank troops, after the loss of his right hand in 1944, left the front and met the end of World War II as an adjutant in the supreme command of the Ground Forces. Having served a short captivity and working in the field of jurisprudence, in 1956 he joined the newly formed Bundeswehr, where he was engaged in testing of tanks. His long -term work in NATO military structures led to the general rank and the post of commander in chief of the Alliance in Central Europe in 1979.

Thus, with the exception of small inaccuracies (mainly related to the translation), the distributed list and the picture accompanying it as a whole contain correct information. Yes, the few of the mentioned military were really high posts in the Hierarchy of the Third Reich, none of them fell as accused of Nuremberg processes, but they all after captivity built a successful career in the Bundeswehr, and then in NATO (for the most part in European units). At the same time, it cannot be said that they laid the foundation of the North Atlantic Alliance, since they began to work in the structure of the organization years after its creation, and the leading posts did not immediately occupy.

Note that this list is not the first similar, similar Collections Already walked on the network earlier. For a number of former Nazi military in the Bundeswehr and NATO, Soviet authors paid their attention, for example, Leo Bezimensky in their book "German generals - with Hitler and without him" in 1964.

Photo on the cover: social networks/Wikimedia Commons.

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