FORMATION OF THE VERBAND DEUTSCHER SOLDATEN

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 02728710
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: April 8, 2019
• Case Number: F-2018-01496
• Publication Date: December 13, 1951

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT NO.
at
INFORMATIO REPOR
CD NO.
�WittW
COUNTPY
DATETR- Li
SUBJECT
2ormation of the Vcrband Deutecher Soldaten
Na Of PAGES
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
normally) 72ran:rfurt
26 September 1951
114-411Wat;Wr li.c.446 'SW NiAr-Egl?.
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07 VOL illvITED STATES INITNIN T22150131110 OF WM F.SPIONACE ACT 50
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OF IT cot1711178 ID ANT CIANDIIV TO AD ONAOTIC0111250 PERSON ,5 P50.
FOOFTNIS TM MI. OZPOODUCTION OF IRIS FORS IS PE00101113).
SOURCE
NO, OF ENCLS.,
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
)LC 53.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. narly in 1951) the organization then known as the Bund versorgungsberechtigter
ohemaliger :ehrnachts 1n:ohoriger uric? (term. Hinterbliehener (VU) (1ssocia-
Von of former professional soldiers and their de,nereental entitled to receive
stcte maintenance) under chairmanship of e.::-A0miral Gottfried Hansen commemed
negotiations with the Bavarian organization Schutzbund deutscher Soldaten
(Association of German Soldiers) nau referred to as Schutzbund Bayern) led
by ox-General acagust Kralrau) in order to form a single organization which
could represent the intere::ts of all soldiers and frame a uniform policy
on German remilitarization. The negotiations bogged down over technicalities.
71hen on 2C July 1951 the Dva arbitrarily chanred its name to Seldatentind
in an attempt more or less to prejudice the issue ) :rakau quickly broke
off all negotiations) stating that the over-aiod leaders of the Bv7 (Hansen
was retired in 1213) had no ri;Irt to set any policy for the former German
soldiers and that the Dvj had broken previous agre-ments by its arbitrary
activa.
2. It is r.,nown that the Schutzbund Bayern has been antagonistic to ard the BV-,:
since its formation. Krakau) who is little knoun in ex-officer circles,
had surrounded himself uith a number of ambitious young ex-officers) including
sale SS men, and through their energetic activtties) the Schutzbund Bayern
was soon able to outmaneuver the DV:: in Bavaria. Furthermore, the Schutzbund
Bayern had its own periodical) the Soldaten-Zeitung, which served it won as
a publicity organ,
r-I AgAIMPATIMI CrrirrE)/TTVL/CCTI" OT. 71" 1,77T5T�Tr; (TTY
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The Soldaten-Zeiteng is printed in southern Germany and has a circulation
of about 40,000, principally in Bavaria, Bremen, and Hamburg. It is published
by Regierungsrat Helmuth Damerau and edited bY Cornelius Pfeiffer. Its edi-
torial policy has been strongly nationalistic. After negotiations' between
the tee organizations failed, the managers of the Soldaten-Zeitungo in search
of additional readers, approached the BvW directly* These negotiations were
more fruitful. The paper agreed to tone down its editorial policy, rejecting
both political extremes, and the BvW (membership 800000) agreed to acknowledge
the periodical as its official publication. The BVW was also able to have
one of the most objectionable members of the paper's staff dismissed.
4, The WW2 "Mich continued its attempt to find a common policy with other
veterans' organizations, finally empowered its federal executive committee
to begin negotiations with other veterans' organizations in order to form
what was to be known as the Ring deutscher Soldatenbuende (Confederation of
German soldiers' associations). These negotiations were no longer conducted
by Admiral Hansen but principally by ex-Colonel General Hans Juergen Stumpff,
head of the BvW in Schleswig-Holstein� ex-Air Force General Karl Koller,
head of the BVW in Bavaria, and ex-Col. General Traugott Herr of Lower Saxony.
All three were known as strong supporters of Hitler during the war. Stumpff,
now 63, and Koller (54) are said still to have military ambitions.
5. It may be assumed that during the negotiations the ex-generals made contact
with a somewhat mysterious organization ehich� for want of an exact designa-
tion, is earried under the name of Wehrtewegung by the German Office for
the Protection of the Constitution. Little is actually known abott this
organization, its size, membership, aim, financial backing, etc., beyond
the fact that it appears to be mainly interested in restoring the military
clique of the Hitler r4gime to power and to do so by utilizing the ambitions
of youth and the war veterans for its awn purposes. It is also known that
most of the former generals now members of the new Executive Board(1) af
the newly formed veterans' organization belong to the Wehrbeeegung. This
includes former General Heinz Guderian. One of the most active members of
the group is the young (49) ex.:Major General Erich Dethleffsen (2) who has
surrounded himself with a number of ambitious young general-staff officers
whose successful careers had been based on political rather than military
achievements, Dethleffsen was very active in the formation of the executive
board of the new veterans' organization, ard it was there that he made his
first public appearance. He is known to be very ambitious, and an antagonist
of the so-celled 20th of July group.
6. Early in June, Hansen invited all the regional heads of the BvW to a conference*
The group appointed a small subcommittee to carry on the negotiations for
consolidation. Thus, a large number of influential men in the BvW did not
participate directly in the negotiations of 8 September. It appears that
some of the older members of the NW who were not present at the formation
of the executive board will oppose the decision of the subcommittee. They
may fight it on the grounds that the subcommittee has overstepped its authority*
It has been stated that ex-General Guderian was chiefly responsible for the
fact that Hansen (3) and some of his principal lieutenants were stiply brushed
aside by the new executive board. Some of Hansen's men could not even find
out exactly what transpired at the meeting, since they were no longer permitted
to attend committee meetin,s even though some of those who were allowed to
attend had been invited aver Hansen's signature.
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General Koller (4), chairman of the Bei in
eavaria, compiainea alter tne meeting that he was given no time to consult
with the membership of his organieation and with the various fiehtcr pilot
circles before voting Whether to affiliate them with the new organization.
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:hen he raieed the point of concurrence of the membership, he was told to
do anything he liked, get them on the 'phone if he cared to, but to make
up his mind in the next fifteen minutes. Another pressure point used was
implied U. S. approval of key personalities. Guderian referred repeatedly
to various visits with D, 3. High Commissioner UcCloy. A special effort
was made to spread a whispering campaign to the effect that Mr. McCloys
during his repeated visits with Guderian, had requested the latter to unify
the German veterans into one organization, and stated that Guderian was
the man who enjoyed full confidence in Washington.,
8. Under such pressure, the majority of the sixty representatives of the eight(5)
most prominent veteraneg organizations voted approval but, as some of them
reported later, with considerable reservations. It was not the amalgamation
that they objected to, but the whighhanded" methods used to railroad the
problem through in one session (6).
9. Friessner was finally selected as chairman pro-tern of the 27-man Boar.,
Matey ex-officers consider him a strict adherent of-Hitler's military policies,
an extrovert who knows 'well how to present himself, but generally a shallow
personality and probably only a front man for Guderian and his clique (7),
At the time of the first Nuremberg verdict when most German Generals were
still interned at Garmisch,-it was Friessner vhopin collaboration with ex-
Colonel General Herman Hoths proposed the official protest against the sen-
tencing of Field Marshal Wilhelm Neitel and Colonel General Ferdinand Jodi*
He had the whole camp in an uproar and General Field Marshal Georg von Nftchler
had to use all the veight of his personality and all his persuasive powers
to calm the situation and prevent an action which might have committed all
the generals irrevocably as eupeorters of the convicted war crtminals0
10. Immediately after his election, Friessner paid courtesy calls on German's
principal government leaders. The meeting with the president of the Federal
Republic of Germany, Dr., Theodor Heuss� was apparently arranged by ex-General
Eberhard Thunert� one-time eommander of the German 1st Armored Division.
Thunert had managed this through ex-Colonel Crantz who is employed in the
office of the President, How the meeting with Adenauer was engineered is
unknown. The Federal Chancellory has shrugged off� the entire matter as
unimportant (8). State Secretary for Internal Affairs Otto Lenz seems to
be of the opinion that the best way to handle the radical elements among the
former military is to offer them positions that occupy their time. Minis-
terialrat Hans Globke, Secretary Lenz 's assistant, is a close friend of some
ex-generals, and it cannot be expected that he will undertake anything that
might interfere with their interests* However, it is reported that the
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is preparing to spend
some effort scrutinizing veterans' organizations.
11. The nearveterans' organization, led largely by personalities who gained
prominence because of their allegiance to the Hitler regime, can hardly he
expected to restrict itself to the economic interests of the veterans. One
my emrect� however, that they will maintain a democratic and moderate line
as long as they consider it essential to gain their goal. It has been stated
that the military leaders of the Hitler regime will play no inportant role
in the rearmament of Germany and that their attempts to regain power are of
no importance. Beyond a doubt, the ex-generals are not a necessity for
remilitarization� but it is equally evident' that the ex-soldiers are needed.
The latter are very indifferent so far. If, however, they should gain the
impression that even the known anti-democratic ex-military leaders have the
endorsement of the German government and are tolerated by the Allies, then the
ex-soldiers will conclude that the opinions uttered by their former commanders
are correct and will undoubtrply follow them and again allow themselves to
be misused for the personal ambitions of their commanders.
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Comments Known members of the Board are: Chairman, Johannes Friessn(s)(1)
(Army Group South); Hasso von Manteuffel (Gross-Deutschland); Bernhard Ramcki(e)(3)
Kurt Student (parachute troops;: Ludwig Cruewell and. (fnu) Wessel (Africa
Corps); Paul Hausser and Herbert Gille (waffen SS); Heinz Guderian, Stumpff�
Herr, Haentschke and Krakau. Also the following, some of whom are identified
only by last names: Walter Assmann (Major General), Blum, Karl Guembels
Mohr (lax?)(Air Force General), Mbsbachs Pottheff� Ringeling� Dr. loehlke,
Reinhardt, Seideman� Steinhoff, Velten� and Vollbracht.
Comment: The information that Dethleffsen, a former General Staff
Officers belongs to the Executive Board has not:been popfirmed by other
sources. It appears more likely that he has an administrative or staff
function for the board without actually being a member themof.
Comments Though Hansen himself was elected to the board, he took
a very minor role iii the proceedings. Only"two of his principal aides were
also elected to the board, Stumpff and Herr.
Comment? eKeller is not a member of the board; as chief of the BIN
in Bavaria, he is a prime antagonist. of Krakau.
omment: The important organizations are as follows:
Schutzbund Deutscher Soldaten (BdS)
Deutscher Soldatenbund (WW)
Traditionsverbaende der Kraftfahrer (Armed Forces Transport Drivers)
Africa Corps
Parachute troops
Division Grossdeutschland
Waffen SS
Stahlhelm
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Comment: Though the membership at the constitutional session was (W( 1)
60,7!: officers and 40% enlisted personnel, the board membership favors officext(b)(3)
and especially general officers to a much greater degree. By 25 September,
there were indications that the lower rarizs resented this distribution and
there was at least one attempt to form a separate organization for the non-
commissioned personnel.
Comment:
Guderian has the backing of the SRI'.
122mment: After Friessnergs remarks concerning the 20th of July men
in late September, mhen he tactlessly contradicted the Chaneellorgs previous
remarks on the same subject, a spokesman for the Federal Press Office, i.e.,
the Government, indicated that Friessner was no longer persona grata in Bonn,
The spokesman made a point of emphasizing the temporary aspect of Friessnergs
chairmanship indicating that the government would not welcome a permanent
election of Friessner as head of the German veterans.
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