Mugshot of Generalfeldmarschall Ferdinand Schörner (12 June 1892 – 2 July 1973) while a Russian prisoner. He was captured by American troops in Austria on May 18, 1945, but then extradited to the Soviet Union in 1951. His initial sentence was 12 years in prison for alleged war crimes, but then it was suspended continuously until he was finally released in 1954. When he returned to his country, Schörner was thrown back behind bars on charges of "illegal execution of deserted German soldiers". It wasn't until 1963 that he finally breathed free air, and then spent the reminder of his life away from public view in Munich, Germany. When he died in 1973, Schörner was recorded as the last German Field Marshal to die, 23 days after Erich von Manstein!
The FSB of the Russian Federation published the testimony given to the Soviet investigation in 1945 by one of the military leaders closest to Hitler - the last commander-in-chief of the Ground Forces of the Third Reich, Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner. According to his confessions, the mass robbery of the occupied territories of the Soviet Union was a deliberate policy pursued by the Reich authorities and the military command. According to experts, these documents serve as proof of the criminal actions of the German military and the close connection between the Wehrmacht and the Nazi Party.
Ferdinand Schörner was a participant in the First World War, after which he did not want to be demobilized and remained to serve in the army. In the 1920s, Schörner joined the Nazis. After Hitler came to power in Germany, he received a position in the General Staff, and then headed a mountain rifle regiment. Schörner participated in the Anschluss of Austria, and then in the seizure of Poland, Belgium, France and Greece.
Since 1941, Schörner operated on the Soviet-German front - in the northern regions of the USSR, in Ukraine, in the Crimea, the Baltic States, Poland and Czechoslovakia. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, he went from division commander to commander of Army Group Center. Schörner was extremely cruel, including in relation to his own soldiers, whom he ordered to be shot for abandoning their positions. In 1945, Schörner was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.
From April 30, 1945, Schörner was considered Commander-in-Chief of the German Ground Forces. In May 1945, he surrendered to American troops, but was handed over to the Soviet command. By decision of the Military Tribunal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Moscow Military District, Ferdinand Schörner was sentenced to 25 years in labor camps for war crimes. Subsequently, the sentence was reduced to 12.5 years. In 1955, Schörner was handed over to the German authorities. In Germany, he was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for shooting German soldiers.
In 1945, while under investigation in the USSR, Schörner gave valuable testimony to the Soviet special services about Germany's preparations for war, about the crimes of the Wehrmacht and the links between the Nazi Party and the military organization of the Third Reich.
"From the moment of its inception, National Socialism, thanks to its program and its prominent leaders, who were entirely soldiers of the First World War, became a movement for war, a "party of war" ... If you analyze my point of view at that time, then I was less interested in the general National Socialist program than in purely soldier and combat ideas, "Schörner argued in his testimony.
He explained his position by the "impossible" economic situation in which Germany found itself under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
"But we told ourselves that our hour would also come. And the growing National Socialism was the standard-bearer of this hope. And all the conversations with comrades who had heard Hitler's speeches or had in any way taken part in pre-conscription military training, in particular meetings with Röhm, Schobert, Dietl, etc., left no doubt that the aspiration of National Socialism was war. When the party created its organizations, there was also little doubt that the National Socialist leadership was pursuing the ultimate goal of preparing for war," Schörner said in his testimony.
Among such organizations, he named, in particular, the Hitler Youth, whose task "was least of all the upbringing and education of German youth, its main task was the militarization of youth."
In addition, Schörner included the Union of German Girls, the National Socialist Military Union, and the National Socialist Automobile Corps among the organizations intended to prepare Germany for war. According to him, the party congress of the NSDAP in 1937, in which he personally participated, "was nothing more than a dress rehearsal for the mobilization of all means of communication and transport for accommodation and supply."
"It is also known about the simultaneous preparation for war in the industrial and economic fields. The influence of propaganda on the people served as a psychological preparation for war. Propaganda against Jews was aimed at the same thing, "Schörner emphasized.
The situation that developed in the 1930s in the international arena, Schörner considered favorable for the aggressive policy pursued by the Nazis.
"I can characterize the moments of foreign policy in one sentence: the foreign policy situation was extremely favorable for the development and implementation of the goals of National Socialism, because the great powers acted separately at that time ... The motto "fascism is not a product of export" is also suitable for National Socialism, but it does not limit the concept of "fascism is war," the former commander-in-chief of the German Ground Forces said in his testimony.
According to Schörner, the leaders of the Reich pursued exclusively imperialist goals and did not create the prerequisites for the restoration of real statehood in the countries they conquered - even led by Nazi sympathizers. The Nazis initially used pro-German organizations in order to create internal tension in these states before the attack.
Schörner argued that the Nazi leadership compensated for the lack of funds necessary for the war with an absolute internal dictatorship and predatory methods of warfare - the robbery of already occupied countries.
"OKH (Supreme Command of the Ground Forces. - RT) therefore pursued purely practical goals in order to ensure our military-economic situation (Ukraine, the Caucasus), and thereby increasingly came into conflict with the policy of prestige of the Fuhrer (Moscow, Stalingrad), "Schörner admitted.
He explained Germany's alliance with Japan and Italy not by ideological kinship or political goals, but by a common desire to declare war on the whole world.
The 1939 treaty with the Soviet Union, according to Schörner, was only a temporary "tactical event." He heard the relevant statements personally from the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, who, in turn, referred to Hitler's position.
"The ideological struggle against Bolshevism in its action and in connection with the economic goals pursued could be considered as propaganda for war. This propaganda was directed by the government and justified by ideological, political reasons. There were no other thoughts in this regard officially," Schörner admitted.
After the attack on the Soviet Union, the Nazis began a merciless robbery of the territories they occupied, in particular the Ukrainian SSR.
"An order was given for the merciless robbery of the country, and no attention was to be paid to the civilian population, and all the country's reserves were to be taken into account and exported to Germany. At the same time, they meant both agricultural products and minerals and industrial products, "Schörner noted in his testimony.
"Was personally loyal to Hitler"
According to historians, Schörner's testimony is a valuable source of information about the causes and course of World War II.
"Schörner is one of the few generals in whom Hitler believed to the end. Schörner, in turn, was personally loyal to Hitler. His testimony is of great interest to science, "said Maxim Sinitsyn, a graduate student at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with RT.
According to him, Schörner's testimony makes it possible to refute the myth of the "pure Wehrmacht", created in the post-war period in order to justify the cooperation of the United States and Great Britain with the former Nazi military.
"The Wehrmacht initially absorbed the National Socialist ideology. There were no different aspirations and moods in his ranks initially," Sinitsyn stressed.
As Dmitry Surzhik, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with RT, Schörner's testimony allows us to better understand the internal motives of the German military, who became an instrument for unleashing a global war by the Nazis.
"We see in the example of Schörner the psychology of German officers, for whom the First World War ended in humiliation. From the humiliation that London and Paris inflicted on the Germans deliberately, the revanchism that Hitler later saddled grew, "Surzhik said.
According to him, Schörner was one of the officers who supported the war and pushed Germany towards it. He was imbued with the spirit of Nazism and did not see anything shameful in committing war crimes.
"Schörner was the engine of the war. He put a lot of effort into the development of the Wehrmacht, which served as the main instrument of Nazi foreign policy. He followed Hitler's instructions on the use of scorched earth tactics and never opposed the use of the Wehrmacht in punitive operations, "Surzhik summed up.
Ferdinand Schörner was a participant in the First World War, after which he did not want to be demobilized and remained to serve in the army. In the 1920s, Schörner joined the Nazis. After Hitler came to power in Germany, he received a position in the General Staff, and then headed a mountain rifle regiment. Schörner participated in the Anschluss of Austria, and then in the seizure of Poland, Belgium, France and Greece.
Since 1941, Schörner operated on the Soviet-German front - in the northern regions of the USSR, in Ukraine, in the Crimea, the Baltic States, Poland and Czechoslovakia. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, he went from division commander to commander of Army Group Center. Schörner was extremely cruel, including in relation to his own soldiers, whom he ordered to be shot for abandoning their positions. In 1945, Schörner was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.
From April 30, 1945, Schörner was considered Commander-in-Chief of the German Ground Forces. In May 1945, he surrendered to American troops, but was handed over to the Soviet command. By decision of the Military Tribunal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Moscow Military District, Ferdinand Schörner was sentenced to 25 years in labor camps for war crimes. Subsequently, the sentence was reduced to 12.5 years. In 1955, Schörner was handed over to the German authorities. In Germany, he was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for shooting German soldiers.
In 1945, while under investigation in the USSR, Schörner gave valuable testimony to the Soviet special services about Germany's preparations for war, about the crimes of the Wehrmacht and the links between the Nazi Party and the military organization of the Third Reich.
"From the moment of its inception, National Socialism, thanks to its program and its prominent leaders, who were entirely soldiers of the First World War, became a movement for war, a "party of war" ... If you analyze my point of view at that time, then I was less interested in the general National Socialist program than in purely soldier and combat ideas, "Schörner argued in his testimony.
He explained his position by the "impossible" economic situation in which Germany found itself under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
"But we told ourselves that our hour would also come. And the growing National Socialism was the standard-bearer of this hope. And all the conversations with comrades who had heard Hitler's speeches or had in any way taken part in pre-conscription military training, in particular meetings with Röhm, Schobert, Dietl, etc., left no doubt that the aspiration of National Socialism was war. When the party created its organizations, there was also little doubt that the National Socialist leadership was pursuing the ultimate goal of preparing for war," Schörner said in his testimony.
Among such organizations, he named, in particular, the Hitler Youth, whose task "was least of all the upbringing and education of German youth, its main task was the militarization of youth."
In addition, Schörner included the Union of German Girls, the National Socialist Military Union, and the National Socialist Automobile Corps among the organizations intended to prepare Germany for war. According to him, the party congress of the NSDAP in 1937, in which he personally participated, "was nothing more than a dress rehearsal for the mobilization of all means of communication and transport for accommodation and supply."
"It is also known about the simultaneous preparation for war in the industrial and economic fields. The influence of propaganda on the people served as a psychological preparation for war. Propaganda against Jews was aimed at the same thing, "Schörner emphasized.
The situation that developed in the 1930s in the international arena, Schörner considered favorable for the aggressive policy pursued by the Nazis.
"I can characterize the moments of foreign policy in one sentence: the foreign policy situation was extremely favorable for the development and implementation of the goals of National Socialism, because the great powers acted separately at that time ... The motto "fascism is not a product of export" is also suitable for National Socialism, but it does not limit the concept of "fascism is war," the former commander-in-chief of the German Ground Forces said in his testimony.
According to Schörner, the leaders of the Reich pursued exclusively imperialist goals and did not create the prerequisites for the restoration of real statehood in the countries they conquered - even led by Nazi sympathizers. The Nazis initially used pro-German organizations in order to create internal tension in these states before the attack.
Schörner argued that the Nazi leadership compensated for the lack of funds necessary for the war with an absolute internal dictatorship and predatory methods of warfare - the robbery of already occupied countries.
"OKH (Supreme Command of the Ground Forces. - RT) therefore pursued purely practical goals in order to ensure our military-economic situation (Ukraine, the Caucasus), and thereby increasingly came into conflict with the policy of prestige of the Fuhrer (Moscow, Stalingrad), "Schörner admitted.
He explained Germany's alliance with Japan and Italy not by ideological kinship or political goals, but by a common desire to declare war on the whole world.
The 1939 treaty with the Soviet Union, according to Schörner, was only a temporary "tactical event." He heard the relevant statements personally from the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler, who, in turn, referred to Hitler's position.
"The ideological struggle against Bolshevism in its action and in connection with the economic goals pursued could be considered as propaganda for war. This propaganda was directed by the government and justified by ideological, political reasons. There were no other thoughts in this regard officially," Schörner admitted.
After the attack on the Soviet Union, the Nazis began a merciless robbery of the territories they occupied, in particular the Ukrainian SSR.
"An order was given for the merciless robbery of the country, and no attention was to be paid to the civilian population, and all the country's reserves were to be taken into account and exported to Germany. At the same time, they meant both agricultural products and minerals and industrial products, "Schörner noted in his testimony.
"Was personally loyal to Hitler"
According to historians, Schörner's testimony is a valuable source of information about the causes and course of World War II.
"Schörner is one of the few generals in whom Hitler believed to the end. Schörner, in turn, was personally loyal to Hitler. His testimony is of great interest to science, "said Maxim Sinitsyn, a graduate student at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with RT.
According to him, Schörner's testimony makes it possible to refute the myth of the "pure Wehrmacht", created in the post-war period in order to justify the cooperation of the United States and Great Britain with the former Nazi military.
"The Wehrmacht initially absorbed the National Socialist ideology. There were no different aspirations and moods in his ranks initially," Sinitsyn stressed.
As Dmitry Surzhik, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with RT, Schörner's testimony allows us to better understand the internal motives of the German military, who became an instrument for unleashing a global war by the Nazis.
"We see in the example of Schörner the psychology of German officers, for whom the First World War ended in humiliation. From the humiliation that London and Paris inflicted on the Germans deliberately, the revanchism that Hitler later saddled grew, "Surzhik said.
According to him, Schörner was one of the officers who supported the war and pushed Germany towards it. He was imbued with the spirit of Nazism and did not see anything shameful in committing war crimes.
"Schörner was the engine of the war. He put a lot of effort into the development of the Wehrmacht, which served as the main instrument of Nazi foreign policy. He followed Hitler's instructions on the use of scorched earth tactics and never opposed the use of the Wehrmacht in punitive operations, "Surzhik summed up.
Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2011/07/album-foto-mugshot-tokoh-tokoh-nazi.html
https://www.tellerreport.com/tech/2023-06-21-%22there-was-an-indication-of-a-merciless-robbery-of-the-country%22--the-fsb-published-the-testimony-of-nazi-field-marshal-sch%C3%B6rner.Byxx0ZEieuh.html
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