Albert Speer: His battle with the truth

[DaveNZ]

Has anyone here read this book on Albert Speer written by Gitta Sereny>?

I would be interested to hear what people who read it thought of the book.

Ive just got my hands on a copy.

I find Speer a really interesting and complex guy. I wonder what this book will be like

[Luftm40]

I read this book several years ago and found it fascinating. The premises is essentially that Speer cheated the hangman at Nuremburg because he lied about his knowledge of slave labor, the holocaust etc and that this tormented him for the rest of his life. I think the author's assertions are pretty accurate. Given Speer's close relationship w/ Hitler, his integral involvement in the Nazi government and leadership of the industrial effort, it is rather strange that he was spared. Speer had far more to do w/ bolstering Hitler's capacity to wage aggressive war than some of the lower level characters that were hung after the trial, and it is far fetched to think that he didn't know about the atrocities. Speer was a fascinating man, and many believe he was spared largely because he had a pleasant, attractive demeanor in comparison to the other defendants. He also had high quality legal representation in comparison to some of the others. His legal defense was novel. He acknowledged that the Nazi regime was wrong and took some responsibility for it....but not the atrocities of the holocaust. The other defendant that should have hung given the other sentences was Doenitz owing to his leadership at the end and the Uboat campaign...it is surprising that he was spared. He also had a good lawyer who argued effectively that ADM Nimitz had conducted essentially the same kind of submarine campaign against the Japanese as Doenitz had against the Allies. I think somehow as a naval officer, his hands seemed cleaner than the Army Generals who went to the gallows

[DaveNZ]

The other defendant that should have hung given the other sentences was Doenitz owing to his leadership at the end and the Uboat campaign...i

Can you give examples of what Doenitz did that would justify a death sentence?

From what I have learned the the German u boot campaign was a very 'clean' affair with only one U boot captain being executed by the allies for war crimes after he fired upon survivors in the water after a sinking.


There are documented incidents of the US Navy doing the same such thing in WW2 yet there were no war crime charges brought before them.

that is probably why Doentiz's defence was succesful in that respect and Nimitz knew that too hence his support for Doenitz not being hung.

Also what did Doentiz do during his leadership towards the end that was criminal? I know of nothing myself.

[DaveNZ]

As for Speer; well who knows what he really knew. I find it hard to believe that he would not have known what was going on in the Reich.

Im guessing he did in fact know but turned a blind eye to it and rationalized actions in order to ease his conscience...

its hard to know where the truth and Speer parted ways, he seems the sort of guy that would believe his own lies if he kept telling them long enough.

[mdj]

Speer is one person I have deep respect for....

He did know about the camps: he visited one. But he wouldnt see it and take notice of it....He was a great architect (his son is also an architect) who wanted to create nice buildings...and he was a great organiser in the war industry.....Hitler loved him because of that.

I visited his house and working studio at Berchtesgaden (Obersalzberg) a few weeks ago. It looks like this.....Those Speer- buildings are one of the last existing period (private) buildings on the Obersalzberg!! How long will they still exist???

[DaveNZ]

Speer is one person I have deep respect for....

have you read his secret diaries he wrote whilst in spandau? once i started reading I just couldnt put it down.

i wonder what happened to his brother who was missing in stalingrad? I have never been able to find out if he survived the war. I am thinking that he didnt.

I also wonder how many of Speer's buildings/projects still exist.

not many I guess.

it would be good to get a record of what of his is still around now.

I know some of his street lights are still on a Berlin Street.

Did he build Zepplinfield in Nuremburg? Or perhaps it was already there.

just love living history

[Bob Lyons]

Interesting thread, yes I think he was lucky not to be dancing at the end of a rope considering his involvement with slave labour, on a postwar note, I believe he was involved in the selling to collectors supposed sketches by Hitler, which Speer was knocking out in the back room, and making a few dollars on the side with these little gems! Great shots from Berchtesgarten too!

Cheers

Bob

[Chad1]

speer

The only Speer book I've read was the one by Joachim Fest.

Of all the Nazis, the most interesting one to actually meet would be Speer, IMO, just because he seemed to both an outsider, and an insider.

It is hard to believe that he didn't hang, with all the slave labor and all. It's even harder to believe that he wasn't executed by the Nazis themselves toward the end of the war for disobeying orders on such a large scale.

Talk about walking a fine line of destiny.

[DaveNZ]

just found out via the book that indeed Albert Speer's brother did die in Stalingrad