German Leadership

Happy Birthday !

Associated Press/The Independent newspaper (collection)

29 October, 1937 - the Fuhrer visits Dr Goebbels at his office in the Propaganda Ministry to congratulate the Minister on his birthday. Standing to the right, in SS uniform, is State Secretary (Deputy Minister) Karl Hanke. Hanke went on to act as a support (possibly lover) to his good friend Magda Goebbels in the 1938 Goebbels marital crisis (resulting from Goebbels indulging in a more serious than usually serious extramarital affair with Czech actress Lida Baarová). Dr Goebbels seems to have thought no less of him for that; Hanke went on to serve in the 7th Panzer Division under another Goebbels protegé, Erwin Rommel. Following a bitter disagreement with Rommel in respect of Rommel's command style in the French campaign (for reasons with which many of Rommel's military peers would have sympathised), Hanke left the Heer, but went on to serve as Gauleiter of Lower Silesia. As a result of his organisation of the steadfast (if futile) defence of "Fortress Breslau" against the Soviets in 1945, Hanke became a member of the German Order (one of the very few to enjoy the distinction of the "Dead Heroes Order" while actually alive). His final promotion was to the exalted rank of Reichsfuhrer-SS (the fifth, and last, SS "Fuhrer") in succession to the disgraced Himmler in the dying days of the Reich. It is not clear whether he had been informed of this promotion when he was killed, attempting to escape, by a Czech PoW camp guard. An interesting career, without a doubt. Best regards, JR.