Nazi Millionaires

by Kenneth A. Alford

  The discussion inevitably turned toward Gretl Braun, Eva’s sister and the Fegelein’s daughter-in-law. “Gretl was here just last week,” Frau Fegelein announced. “She bore a girl. She’s now in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is living with another woman. She is not in arrest.”6

  Before Hirschfeld could make further inquiries about Gretl, Frau Fegelein changed gears and began speaking about their difficult journey from Zell am See to Munich. The Fegeleins had hooked two horses to a large wagon with a tarp on it, packed it with food and a few paintings and luggage, and traveled home. “We did not bring much with us because we were afraid everything would be taken from us at the border,” she said. “With the help of a few bottles of schnapps we were able to get everything through.” We were followed by Eva Braun’s dog, “which she loved so much. Suddenly it was missing at the Mangfall Bridge. And, can you imagine it? That dog went alone to Munich and hung around Eva’s house there for three days. Later, it left and we don’t know where it is.”

  By now it was late afternoon and Fegelein was obviously tiring. But the old man had taken a liking to Hirschfeld. “Will you have breakfast with me tomorrow? I have some good beer. Perhaps I can tell you more.” That was exactly what Hirschfeld wanted to hear.7

  The agent returned the next day, September 21. This time a warm and friendly atmosphere greeted the SS-officer-turned-thespian. He jump started the conversation by wondering aloud whether his dangerous work after the surrender was in vain. “No!” Fegelein said emphatically. “You need not worry that your work is in vain. You will receive proper thanks one day. The man will call for you himself and give you a commendation.”

  Did Fegelein believe or know whether Hitler was still alive? “Yes, the man is our Führer,” Hirschfeld replied carefully. “But he is supposed to be dead.”

  “I think I can say with certainty that the Führer is alive,” nodded the old man. “I have received word through a special messenger. That was not before the death of the Führer was announced, either. It was later after the capitulation, after his death had already been announced. My son hinted that he is with the Führer and that the Führer is still alive.” Was Fegelein’s son alive and in contact with his parents? “I hope they were able to get through. I am now awaiting word any day, myself. Gretl brought me news [the Americans] are looking for the possessions of Eva [Braun] in Austria.”

  Seeing an opening, Hirschfeld explained that he would have to go to Austria soon to see his associates there. “Naturally I would appreciate if you would stop to see my daughter-in-law in Garmisch,” said Hans Fegelein. It was more an order than a suggestion. “I will give you a message to take along.” Fegelein admonished Hirschfeld to be wary. “If you visit Gretl, be very cautious. I think things there are very different from here. I am not being watched,” he said without knowing just how wrong he was, “but my daughter-in-law is certain to be watched. The Americans are very correct there,” he cryptically added.

  Of special interest to Hirschfeld that day was the traffic running through the Fegelein household. Several people arrived that morning to speak with the couple. One in particular stood out as important to the CIC’s investigation—a well dressed and bejeweled Polish woman Hirschfeld understood was “the fiancée of an SS man.” With her was the wife of General Fegelein’s driver, Frau Klickow. Hans Fegelein rambled on while Hirschfeld listened with great interest to the conversation taking place in the next room between the mysterious women and Frau Fegelein. The pair were planning to make a trip to Bruck, Austria, to “bring back some things with them.” A truck, they said, was going to be sent to Fischhorn in a few weeks to bring “everything” back.8

  Hans, meanwhile, confided additional information of interest to Hirschfeld. When asked about the chest of gold he had mentioned earlier, Fegelein confirmed the story a second time. “Captain Haufler had a chest which was supposed to contain gold which had been sent by the Gruppenführer [General Fegelein]. I was supposed to pick it up,” he whispered. “I buried a number of things about which even my wife doesn’t know. In particular, I left a lot with acquaintances.” Fegelein was telling him that the contents of the chest had actually reached him, and that he had deliberately not informed his chatty wife.

  The conversation changed course again, quickly. “Believe me,” Fegelein fantasized, “the Führer is sure to return.”

  This time Hirschfeld played it differently. “How can that be? That’s impossible!”

  Fegelein leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I know for certain that we will have a second war next spring, against the Russians.…I heard that from good sources…. They have released the SS [they captured] and have drafted them into their army. [Walther von] Seydlitz-Kurzbach and [Friedrich von] Paulus [two generals captured in the Stalingrad debacle in February 1943] are supposed to be busy reorganizing all of their old troops into an army…. Everything will be different. The Führer will then return and will call for you!”

  The bizarre conversation persisted, the old man’s fanatical SS beliefs rising to the fore. “The Americans are holding SS troops only because they know them to be elite troops! They are certainly retaining their services for the future war. That’s why,” he said, shaking his index finger at Hirschfeld, “they don’t release the SS!”

  Hirschfeld’s second day with the Fegeleins wound down following lunch. He had to be careful not to overstay his welcome. “Well, Herr Fegelein,” he said, rising from his chair, “I guess I must go now and see what my group is doing. I must see whether this woman has sold the rings.”

  “Please keep us in mind,” he replied. “Perhaps you could bring us something tomorrow?”

  “Would you like some cash? Do you need money?” asked Hirschfeld.

  “Yes, cash is all right, though we”d rather have jewelry.”

  Hirschfeld reached into his coat and pulled out 15,000 Reichsmarks. He handed the money to Fegelein. The generous offer was made to win the old man’s confidence. As far as Hirschfeld was concerned, the money could be “used as evidence against him upon arrest.” The unsuspecting Fegelein thanked him profusely. “Naturally you must have breakfast and lunch with us tomorrow. It did not occur to me that you haven’t any ration cards.” Hirschfeld was heading for the door when Fegelein offered to provide him with a “letter” that would allow him to operate more freely and without suspicion.9

  The third and shortest of Hirschfeld’s meetings with the Fegeleins took place the next day on September 22. Like the others, it also went smoothly. The night before, during his debriefing, Hirschfeld had been instructed to try again and determine whether Fegelein had any concrete knowledge of Hitler’s whereabouts or fate. The effort was largely fruitless.

  The day began with fantastic tales of attempted murder, atomic weapons, and Hitler’s state of mind. Fegelein wove a chimerical story about a plot hatched by Himmler and the Führer’s doctor to kill Hitler during the war’s final days. Himmler had the responsibility of getting the atomic bomb into action, explained Fegelein with a straight face, but Himmler sought peace instead and sabotaged the effort. “It would meant a change in the course of the war,” he said with sadness.

  “Yes. The Americans used it against Japan to end the war in the Pacific,” observed Hirschfeld.

  Fegelein scoffed at the statement. “As far as that atomic bomb is concerned, the Americans need not be so proud of that. I know for certain that this invention was turned over to the Russians. It is a German invention anyhow,” he said. “The engineers who were in the Führer’s headquarters at the last, and the Führer himself, were awaiting daily the use of the atomic bomb in combat. I would only like to know why it was not used against the Russians,” he asked wistfully. “When the Russians entered Germany there was still time, and plenty of opportunities. The Führer realized fully that the atomic bomb could decide the outcome of the war, and for that reason he believed in a German victory up until the last minute.”10

  Mindful of his charge, Hirschfeld asked Fegelein directly about Hitler. “
Do you really believe the Führer is still alive?”

  “Yes, I am positive of it,” he snapped back telling him again about the message he had received.

  “When you got the message, were they [Hitler, Fegelein, and Eva Braun] still here in Germany?” inquired Hirschfeld.

  “Yes. The courier told me that my son said, ‘The Führer and I are safe and well. Don’t worry about me; you will get further word from me, even if it is not for some time.’ This man—an SS Sturmbannführer—also said that on the day when the Führer, Hermann, and Eva Braun left Berlin… there was a sharp counter-attack in Berlin in order to win a flying strip where they could take off.” The elder Fegelein was confident in his facts.

  Hirschfeld persisted. “Where did this Sturmbannführer come from?”

  “He came from Berlin. He was on his way through.”

  “But that all sounds so unreal!” exclaimed the acting agent. “Many SS officers claim the Führer is dead and his body was burned!”

  “Don’t let yourself be taken in by propaganda,” said Fegelein with deadly seriousness. “They are all trusted and true SS men who have been ordered to make these statements.” He paused. “Keep your eye on South America.”

  At that moment another visitor was announced. Hirschfeld did not catch the name. Fegelein waved his wife off and told her to have him come back later. “You can’t leave this man waiting,” she admonished. Fegelein agreed and told Hirschfeld to wait outside in the garden. As he was leaving the man entered the room and shot a startled look in Hirschfeld’s direction. The undercover agent immediately recognized him as one of Hitler’s architects and someone he had dealt with briefly in the past. Hirschfeld excused himself and stepped outside.

  After the brief conference Fegelein called him back inside. Something had changed. “Fegelein’s attitude toward me was somewhat retrained and hesitant,” noted Hirschfeld, and it took some time for the old man to warm up again. The conversation resumed without anything concrete being learned. “The Führer is in Argentina,” and he got there “on a submarine.” When Hirschfeld decided Fegelein had told him everything he knew or would reveal about Hitler, he turned to the subject of stolen loot. What of Haufler’s chest of gold?

  Fegelein surprised Hirschfeld with his forthcoming answer. “Haufler gave me the chest of gold…. Konrad wanted to have it, but I said I would take it with me. I gave the chest to Andreas Hofer, who was to bury it, and I think he buried it under some automobiles.” Fegelein also had Hofer bury a few other items, including his son’s riding trophies and various articles of jewelry, all of which were concealed inside a hay shed. “They are buried so deep that they are sure not to be found.”11

  And so Hirschfeld ended his third encounter with General Fegelein’s parents. Overall the meetings had been very interesting and revealed much about the psyche of elder, well-placed Germans in postwar Germany. Other than fanning the rumor mill, they had produced few substantial leads. The best was a direct connection to, and credibility with, Gretl Braun Fegelein. The next night at 8:30 p.m. Hirschfeld called on her. Gretl answered the door. The strikingly pretty woman with brown hair and distinctive features lived with Herta Schneider in a small house in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. As an SS general’s wife and the sister of the Führer’s mistress she had learned to be naturally skeptical of everyone, and Hirschfeld was no exception. To his dismay and surprise, the letter of introduction penned by her father-in-law did not allay her suspicions. Neither woman, Gretl nor Herta, was talkative—especially Frau Schneider, who would not initially answer any of Hirschfeld’s questions. “Instead,” he reported, “they subjected me to a close cross-examination on the personalities of the RSHA, the Waffen-SS, and the General Staff of the Wehrmacht.”12

  Frau Fegelein was especially wary Hirschfeld might be an undercover agent working for the Americans. “I have visited Fischhorn personally with an American officer,” she warned him, “and I have exact information about what is going on there.” She paused. “I also know that Germans have a role in the work there.”

  Eventually, however, Hirschfeld “overcame the doubts displayed as to my identity.” The undercover actor finally convinced the women that as an SS officer he had played a major role in a counterfeiting operation run by the RSHA. Their fitful conversation lasted until midnight. In accordance with Hans Fegelein’s wishes, he offered Frau Fegelein 15,000 Reichsmarks. She declined claiming she did not need the money, but invited Hirschfeld to stay overnight in the apartment.

  The next morning Gretl led him into a small bedroom. In a night stand was a small red leather chest. Inside was a complete set of turquoise and diamond jewels, necklaces, rings, brooches, ear rings, and pendants. One gold bracelet was studded with nine gigantic (8 to 14 karat) diamonds. “Eva sent me her jewelry at the end of the war with a will naming me as principal beneficiary,” she said with both pride and sadness. “My mother had even more of Eva’s jewelry. She is going to give it to my sister Miezi in accordance with Eva’s will.” The testamentary document had been smuggled out of Berlin by Julius Schaub, Hitler’s personal staffer, and delivered to Gretl at the Berghof on April 26, 1945. “It must be somewhere in Frau Fegelein’s apartment,” Hirschfeld noted in his report. Gretl told Hirschfeld that Eva had requested her to look after private letters, films, and other items of interest.13

  Briefly the conversation turned to the fate of Gretl’s husband, Hermann Fegelein. “Do you know where he might be?” asked Hirschfeld.

  According to Gretl, Frau Schaub (Julius Schaub’s wife) told her that her husband had been seen in Berchtesgaden after the fall of Berlin. “The Führer originally intended to go there,” she explained. “Eva wrote to me in April that they were preparing to move out, but that the Führer changed his mind and decided to direct the defense of Berlin in person.”

  “But he never made it,” said Hirschfeld.

  “No. Herr Fegelein [Hans Fegelein] told me he had received a radio message one day before the fall of Berlin, in which the Gruppenführer [her husband] stated ‘I am coming to Fischhorn tomorrow.’ He did not arrive at Fischhorn,” she said sadly. “I know nothing further about where he is.”

  “And what of Hitler’s writings and the other items?” inquired Hirschfeld.

  “Eva requested that I look after her letters from Hitler and the film,” which showed the Führer and his inner circle of associates. “I gave these things to Captain Erwin Haufler, in person, at the Fischhorn, and requested him not to destroy these items, but rather to bury them.” When asked why she did not destroy them she answered, “I wish to retain them as keepsakes and perhaps for eventual publication. I intend someday to write a book about all these events.”

  “And what about his diaries? Haufler told me he had seen them in the Berghof shelter.” Hirschfeld held his breath and waited.

  Silence hung for a few moments between the pair. Gretl shook her head. “Hitler did not keep any diaries,” she answered. “The books standing in the air-raid shelter in the Berghof were not diaries, but minutes of the day’s activities, which were kept by whoever was the Führer’s adjutant at the time.” Gretl had been there many times and was part of Hitler’s inner circle. She would know. But was she telling the truth?

  “And what of our Führer’s personal belongings?” Hirschfeld inquired.

  Gretl shrugged. “I am unable to concern myself with them. Julius Schaub arrived at Berchtesgaden drunk in the company of his mistress,” she spat. “She was present and supposedly burned Hitler’s personal effects.” Schaub, however, refused to allow two of Hitler’s secretaries there to get involved. “I know Schaub,” Gretl declared. “He selected the most interesting items with the help of his mistress and hid them away.”

  At that point Hirschfeld began what he described as “playing off the statements of the father-in-law [Hans Fegelein] against Frau Fegelein.” He tread gingerly so as not to arose suspicion. Small streams of information he had learned from the elder Fegelein were slowly dribbled into the conversation, including her
husband’s potential whereabouts, Hitler’s ultimate fate, the fact that her father-in-law had hidden away gold and various items of value that belonged to her husband, and other similar matters. “[Gretl] did not find it strange that he told her nothing about any of these things,” wrote Hirschfeld. “She pointed out she had only been married a short time, had had little contact with her husband’s parents,” and that the father “stood closer to his son than she did.” Still, she asked Hirschfeld to visit Herr Fegelein again and “ask him where he had obtained all the information.” The old man may not have told her, Hirschfeld shrewdly observed in his report, “because he did not fully trust her, since she had been seen often with American officers, and her father-in-law might have gained a false impression from that.”14

  “And what have you heard of the fate of the Führer?” asked Hirschfeld. “Do you think the story Herr Fegelein told me that he and Eva and the Gruppenführer escaped is true?”

  “You are of course familiar with the rumors going around,” she replied. “I would think the story…most likely is that the Führer attached himself to an SS patrol and was killed with them. That they all escaped is very dubious, but not impossible.”

  Unable to learn any additional information Hirschfeld prepared to leave. In an abrupt about face, Gretl blurted out that she had 18,000 Reichsmarks, but could use the additional money he has offered her the night before. In order to retain her confidence Hirschfeld pulled the currency from his coat pocket and pressed it into her hands.

  “You will of course revisit whenever you have a chance,” Gretl smiled at Hirschfeld. “We will exchange the latest news.” Gretl may have had more on her mind than exchanging news. During the war years she acquired a reputation as a woman of loose morals; in Hirschfeld she would have met her match in that department.