Flensburg Government

Flensburg Government. The so-called Flensburg Government was the short-lived rump state administration led by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz following the death of Adolf Hitler. It was based at the Mürwik Naval Academy in Flensburg near the Danish border, operating during the final days of the Second World War in Europe. This entity attempted to negotiate a partial surrender with the Western Allies while continuing the war against the Soviet Union, but it was ultimately dissolved and its members arrested by the Allied Control Council.

Background and formation

The formation of this administration was triggered by the Battle of Berlin and the suicide of Adolf Hitler in the Führerbunker on 30 April 1945. In his last will and testament, Hitler named Karl Dönitz, then headquartered in Plön, as his successor as President and Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht. Dönitz moved his headquarters to the more defensible Mürwik Naval Academy in Flensburg, an area still under Wehrmacht control. His primary stated aim was to save as many German soldiers and civilians from capture by the advancing Red Army, facilitating a managed surrender to the Western Allies led by the United States and United Kingdom.

Structure and key figures

The government was structured as a presidential cabinet, with Dönitz serving as head of state. He appointed Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, a former Finance Minister, as the leading minister, often referred to as the Cabinet Schwerin von Krosigk. Other key figures included Albert Speer as Minister of Economics, Julius Dorpmüller in charge of transport, and Wilhelm Stuckart for the interior. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) under Generaloberst Alfred Jodl and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel remained operational, while Heinrich Himmler, initially present, was dismissed after his unauthorized surrender attempts through Folke Bernadotte. The administration relied on the protection of the still-loyal Kriegsmarine and units of the Wehrmacht.

Activities and policies

Its main activities centered on military and diplomatic efforts to end the war on favorable terms. Dönitz authorized Alfred Jodl to sign the German Instrument of Surrender at SHAEF headquarters in Reims on 7 May 1945, which applied to all forces. A ratification ceremony was held in Karlshorst, Berlin with the Soviet Union the following day. However, the government continued to function, hoping to be recognized by the Allies as a provisional administration. It issued orders aimed at maintaining law and order, attempted to manage the naval U-boat surrender, and engaged in communications with the Allied Expeditionary Force. These efforts were ignored by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force under Dwight D. Eisenhower, which viewed the group as holdouts from the defunct Nazi Party.

Dissolution and aftermath

The dissolution was executed unceremoniously by the Allied Control Council. On 23 May 1945, a British delegation led by Major General Derek Mills-Roberts of the Special Air Service arrived at the Mürwik compound. Under the watch of American and Soviet officers, Dönitz, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Keitel, and the entire cabinet were placed under arrest. This act formally ended all vestiges of German national government. The members were transported to Luxembourg for interrogation before being transferred to Nuremberg to stand trial as major war criminals at the International Military Tribunal. Key figures like Dönitz and Speer were convicted, while others like Schwerin von Krosigk were tried in subsequent ministries trials.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians largely view this administration as a brief and futile epilogue to the Third Reich, possessing no real sovereignty or international recognition. Its existence highlighted the complete military and political occupation of Germany and the unconditional nature of the Allied victory. The Flensburg period is studied as part of the final collapse of the Nazi regime and the immediate origins of Allied occupation policy. Its dramatic arrest marked the definitive end of the Wehrmacht chain of command and cleared the way for the Potsdam Conference and the establishment of the Allied Control Council to govern a defeated Germany.

Category:1945 in Germany Category:World War II governments Category:Defunct governments