The Army Purge in Germany

Southland Times, Issue 24649, 22 January 1942, Page 4

The Army Purge in Germany

A REPORT THAT General von Bock has taken over the German command on the southern front in Russia comes after a series of curious fatalities and misadventures among members of the High Command. Von Reichenau is dead, allegedly after a stroke. Von Brauchitsch, formerly Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, is said to have undergone an operation, from which he is recovering “in spite of recent heart trouble” —a qualification that can always be used to explain an unfortunate relapse. The interesting fact behind these events is that the leaders who appear to have been removed completely, and violently, from military circles were both “political soldiers.” Von Reichenau had been a Nazi since 1927; and von Brauchitsch, whose interest in economics and foreign affairs made him unpopular with the operational generals, was known to have Nazi sympathies. These men (and some of their influential colleagues) have disappeared. But it was believed that Hitler had also removed three field generals who have always remained aloof from the Nazi Party. At the time of von Brauchitsch’s dismissal it was reported (without confirmation) that von Runstedt had been deprived of his command in the Ukraine, that von Bock was ill or in disgrace, and that von Leeb had offered his resignation. These three men are the most famous soldiers in Germany. They are Army men, indifferent to politics, fanatically loyal to the Fatherland, and acknowledged to be “the backbone of the Reichswehr.” The recent purge in the High Command was generally interpreted as evidence of a rift between the Nazi Party and the Army. If von Bock has been recalled, and if the “party” generals are in eclipse, it seems probable that the Army men have had a victory over their political colleagues. Hitler’s role in these events remains obscure.. When he took ove r the operational command of the German Army it was assumed that he had taken the final step to integrate the army and the Nazi

regime. Yet the Nazi generals are vanishing, and the professional generals are returning to favour. It beg’ins to seem probable that the real shake-up came from the Army leaders, and that Hitler did not hesitate to sacrifice his friends—as he did once before, on the night of June 30, 1934.