Description:

HITLER'S PLAN TO 'GERMANIZE' RUSSIAN CHILDREN OF GERMAN SOLDIERS
An absolutely incredible set of four letters in which it is proposed to Adolf Hitler that the illegitimate children born of German soldiers in Russia should be transported to Germany and raised there to provide additional forces for the German armies in the years to come! This is not unlike events currently transpiring in Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin has forcibly removed an estimated 16-300,000 children to Russia to be raised as Russians and assigned Russian citizenship. During the war, the Nazis adopted very similar practices. Some of these were quite sophisticated. For example, in 1935, Hitler's SS created the 'Lebensborn' concept. The system was based on the premise that members of the elite SS should be encouraged to have children with unmarried German women who qualified as 'Aryans' as a way of reducing the growing number of abortions. The Lebensborn ('Fount of Life') Foundation provided all the necessary facilities that were required. However, with the advent of war, the concept changed and as the Nazis began advancing into eastern and south-eastern Europe, they began kidnapping tens of thousands of children whose apparent racial purity would facilitate their 'Germanization' and allow them to be fostered by German families who were told they were war orphans. Estimates vary as to how many children were subject to this process, but at least 200,000 Polish children and an estimated 20,000 Russians are thought to have been processed in this way. The Lebensborn organization continued to open more 'homes' in the occupied territories where the SS, civilian, and other military authorities were encouraged to impregnate suitable women. Soon standards began to drop as the authorities realized that these children could, in the future, contribute a valuable addition to Hitler's rapidly shrinking armed forces. However, a new dimension can now be added to this story because of the recent discovery of a small dossier compiled by Hitler's Wehrmacht Chief Adjutant in September 1942. It deals specifically with Russian children fathered exclusively by members of Nazi military and administrative services and contains Hitler's personal approval of their 'Germanization'. Suitable candidates would have their given names prefixed by 'Friedrich' or 'Luise' depending on their gender in the same way that all German Jewish children were forced to prefix their given names by 'Israel' or 'Sara' This was a new concept, raised by one of Hitler's commanders, concerning illegitimate children who could now number 'about half a million strong boys and girls' and eventually be pressed into military service. The first letter on this subject, 2pp. 4to. was sent to Hitler on Sep. 8, 1942 by Colonel General RUDOLF SCHMIDT (1886-1957), Commander-in-Chief, 2nd Panzer Army. In this signed copy, Schmidt coldly relates his proposal as if he were discussing a plan to manufacture frying pans. Based on a conservative estimate of six million soldiers and civil administrators in Russia, he thinks 'a cautious guess' as to how many would refrain from intercourse with Russian women would be about three million. 'This means', he continued, 'that three million will have intercourse once or frequently. If you suppose that one and a half million will use contraceptives, you are left with another one-and-a-half million cases where intercourse will not be without consequences...If one takes these one and a half million illegitimate as being 50% boys and 50% girls, the result is a yearly average of 750000 boys who could certainly provide in 20 years' time 500000 soldiers... Children with valuable physical and mental capacities will certainly be produced from this crossing of young Russian women, who in general have great bodily strength and are, for the most part, acceptable racially (there is a large Nordic element) with strong German men. If we do not take these children, the Russians are bound to find some way of doing so later and in this way, they will secure a valuable replacement for the drop in birth rate occasioned by the war. I suggest that these children, as soon as they are weaned from their mothers and are in a condition for transport to Germany should be taken into care there and be brought up in special homes so that: a) They can to some degree make up for the fall in our birth rate caused by war. b) Valuable human material will be produced which can later be turned into settlers in the Eastern territories or members of the agricultural population of Germany itself...By virtue of an intensive National Socialist and German upbringing, these parentless items of humanity will be pioneers in bringing Germanism to the East. This will apply equally to boys and girls...Even if the war ends in the near future, this one-off total of about half a million strong boys and girls will be of benefit for the future. The recording of illegitimate children in Russia is not as difficult as it may at first sight appear. I claim to be able to record the majority of these children in the 2nd Armored Army's area. The authorities back in Germany would only have to prepare homes and facilities for their upbringing and education....' Heavily chipped at the margins, text and signature not affected. Schmidt's letter was sent under cover of a handwritten letter by Schmidt on his personal letterhead, 2pp. 4to., [n.p.], Sep. 9, 1941 to Major Gen. RUDOLPH SCHMUNDT (1896-1944, killed in the July 20 bomb attempt on Hitler's life). It contains largely friendly content but also apparently refers to combat losses. On Sep. 13, coincidentally the day that the Wehrmacht unleashed its massive ground assault on Stalingrad, Schmundt prepared a draft reply to Schmidt's letter from Hitler's headquarters, 2pp. 4to., files holes in margin. It was scheduled to be sent by courier and the draft was docketed on the 15th by three members of Hitler's staff including Captain KARL-JESKO VON PUTKAMMER (1900-1981), Hitler's naval adjutant who initials the letter at top. Schmundt tells his friend Schmidt that his 'suggestion in regard to the problem of illegitimate children fathered by Germans in Russia has been submitted to the Fuhrer today'. It continues: 'The Fuhrer has specifically instructed me to inform you that he himself had also been thinking about this question for some time and backs every word of your proposal 100%. The matter will be pursued at once along the lines of what you have suggested. The Fuhrer intends to instruct the SS Reichsfuhrer to arrange the selection from a racial point of view of the children to be brought up by us. Instructions will be issued through army channels for the first registration of children...' Schmundt initials the draft at conclusion. Without losing any time Schmundt produced yet another draft from Hitler's headquarters on the same day, September 13, addressed to Heinrich Himmler. Attaching a copy of Schmundt's proposal, he advises: 'The Fuhrer has stated his complete agreement with such action. At the same time, the Fuhrer instructed me to transmit the letter to you immediately with the request that you should arrange this selection of children on racial principles, and then make a recommendation on the matter to the Fuhrer. The Fuhrer considers it is essential...that you should reach agreement with Field Marshal Kaltel about the way in which the army, for its part, should register the illegitimate children. Use should be made in this connection of the practical experience of the Commander-in-Chief of 2 Armored Army. Colonel General Schmidt already has the illegitimate children recorded on a list. So that there will never be any doubt about them later, in the Armored Army's area, every male child is already given, in addition to a Russian forename, the German forename 'Friedrich' and every female child that of Luise', just as Jewish children are donated by 'Sarah' or 'Israel'...' This letter too has been initialed by Schmundt. Very good. The place of origin of these incredible documents is unclear, but most likely they were discovered in one of Schmundt's offices or headquarters. It is unknown whether this program was initiated. However, the comparatively early date of this letter, Hitler's enthusiasm for the plan, and the fact that 2nd Panzer Army already had detailed records of these children would lead one to believe that at the very least, thousands of these unfortunate children ended up in German hands...and some may today remain unaware of their national origin. Newly discovered and until today, yet another unknown terror brought about by the Nazis.

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June 14, 2023 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

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