Otto Ernst Remer, the man who did not put down the 20 July 1944 coup.
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- Опубліковано 16 лис 2023
- Otto Ernst Remer, the man who is often portrayed as the person who put down the attempted coup against the National Socialist regime on 20 July 1944. The conventional story, the one which appears in many books and even in the film Valyrie was that the coup attempt was proceeding quite well until Remer was sent to arrest Goebbels. Goebbels asked Remer if he were a true national socialist, Remer said he was and then Goebbels put him on the phone to Hitler was asked if he recognised his voice. Remer clicked his heels, said he did and from that moment on the coup was doomed. The glorification of Remer as being the man who put down the attempted coup, was in my opinion, an invention of Goebbels to serve the propaganda of the National Socialist state in the last months of its existence.
Otto Ernst Remer was born in 1912 as the eldest of six sons. He came into the world in Neubrandenburg, 100km north of Berlin. The father, Otto, was a judicial clerk, later a civil servant. The family had been in the area of Neubrandenburg for many generations, making their living mainly in small manufacturing and repairing businesses.
Otto Ernst attended school at Neubrandenburg and passed his Abitur, the school leaving certificate, in 1933. At the age of 13, Remer became a member of the Jungsturm, a youth organization belonging to the Bundische Jugend . He is said to have distinguished himself so much that WW1 hero Field Marshal August von Mackensen supported Remer's application to become an officer in the Reichswehr . Remer claimed in interviews that groups of 300 or so children from the Bundische Jugend would go to greet the Field Marshall once a year at his property.
In 1933 he came to Kolberg, today Kołobrzeg in Poland. He joined the Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 4 as a cadet. In 1935 he was appointed lieutenant. The atmosphere of Kolberg at the time and with its history of the siege during the Napoleonic War might have inspired Remer as much as it inspired Goebbels in the final months of the war to produce his epic film Kolberg which told the service of personal sacrifice in order to win a victory for the greater good of one’s people.
When WW2 started with the invasion of Poland, Remer was the commander of the 13th company of the 479th infantry regiment. From 1 March 1940, he commanded the 701st motorized infantry combat company, with which he took part in the Western and Balkan campaigns . On 1 April 1941, he was promoted to the rank of captain. On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany turned on its ally the Soviet Union. Remer took part in this campaign from the start. On 1 February 1942, he was appointed commander of the 1st Battalion of the 10th Infantry Regiment, a role he held for two months. From 1 April to 30 November 1942, he served with the IV Battalion of the Großdeutschland Infantry Regiment. On 29 August 1942, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold.
This is Kharkiv in Ukraine. 80 years ago it was the fourth largest city in the Soviet Union. Kharkiv was captured by the Nazis in the autumn 1941 but it was retaken by the Red Army in early 1943 in the aftermath of the battle of Stalingrad. With a counter attack by von Manstein it was recaptured in March 1943 and led to a Soviet defeat almost as great as the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad. Remer had been promoted to major on 1 January 1943 and it was during this battle that he especially distinguished himself. For this, on 18 May 1943, Roemer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . On 12 November 1943, for bravery in the battles west of Kharkiv and north of Poltava in the summer of 1943 he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross directly from Hitler himself. He was wounded eight times and two of his brothers were killed in action.
Towards the latter half of May 1944 he was sent to Berlin in order to recuperate and there he was put in charge of the Großdeutschland local guard battalion. By this time of course it was clearly to everyone that the war was lost but Remer was a true believer in National Socialism and was no doubt sure that the tide would turn.
For him, the 20 July 1944, began like a normal day. At 16.10 he received the order to go to a meeting at the office of city commandant of Greater Berlin. Remer considered the city commander, Lieutenant General von Hase, to behave always as a National Socialist, Remer did not know that he was part of the coup attempt to overthrow Hitler. Von Hase immediately invited him into his office to speak, jumping the queue of others who had arrived earlier. He told him that Hitler was dead, that there was internal unrest and that the army had taken executive power. Remer was to throw a cordon around the government quarter, and now I am quoting Remer’s words directly - so that no Minister or General could get in.
Production of independent researched history is time consuming and expensive. Please consider supporting me on Patreon. / alanheath
Coup was a failure due to not succeeding in killing AH and failing to turn off Goebbels radio ability, commo with Wolfs Lair. Plus, a bunch of officers not ready for this type of action. Plus, the second bomb needed to be activated, Stauffenberg was disabled.
Alan, thank you so much for this. I think this may be your best yet. Everyone will be aware of Remer from the many accountsof 20/7 along with his interviews for The World at War etc but I'll bet this was an eye opener for most viewers. Absolutely fantastic work.
Although the film Valkyrie showed a more involved Remer in the July 20th plot, you still have to acknowledge that Remer played a significant role on that day, went to arrest Goebels as the history and the movie portrayed, and spoke with Hitler and received personal orders to take charge of the security of Berlin and restore order. So, we are just splitting hair with regard to how much Remer was responsible for stopping the plot. I certainly think without Remer things might have played out much differently that day. Ultimately, the plot was doomed from the beginning. The lack of clear knowledge about the dedicated phone line that bypassed the switchboard at the Wolfs Lair and was a direct line to Berlin was a major blunder as one of the main goals of the plot was to isolate the command at the Wolf Lair from Berlin. In addition, Obrechts delay in giving the order for Valkyrie allowed for the confusion of the moment to dwindle and people were given time to verify that Hitler was still alive.
I think that if they had acted quickly as planned, it would not have made any difference if Hitler had been alive or dead. However they didn't.
Worth a listen.
First saw him on the original "World at War" series in my youth.
David Irving's impression of Remer is most revealing.
Well worth the effort Alan. 🙏🇦🇺
Thanks Phil - and I had forgotten all about Remer in the World at War!
@@HistoryonUA-cam I think also there was an interview with his then wife, also an ardent National Socialist from a farming background benefiting from National Socialist agrarian reform.
Michael Wittmann, also a true believer was also from a farming family I believe.
An eye witness told me that there was a real effort to redistribute land and to destroy the peasant system leaving the Aristocracy with a tiny bit of land around their castles.
The same Aristocracy that formed the Officer Class in the Wehrmacht.
Opens a can of worms, as they say.
I'll leave the rest to your imagination.
Thanks for the reply Alan. 🙏🇦🇺
Excellent - 20 Juli is one of the most fascinating episodes of the whole terrible drama;; and the closer you look the more morally mysterious it is. Thank you
Thanks Dean!
I always appreciate your work, and how you try to be as accurate as you can be with the source's available. Thanks for another great video, G-d bless.
The German Generals were not impressed with the victory in Poland and recommended that the process of training and leadership be studied . They realized the superiority would not last but Hitler would not control his ambitions .
Amazing how many like Guderian, Manstein went for long walks in countryside on 20th July, they knew what was happening but waited to see result
Vic. Morrow, Rick ,Jason, and my dad piqued my interest in WW2 stories. Videos like this keep it alive.
Combat great show died like a true hero trying to save those kids. And Jason was in great movie The day of the wolves
Thank you for all your hard work on this. Excellent presentation.
Thank you! This is absolutely wonderful.
Thanks Alan, very informative. Looking forward to viewing further uploads.
Interesting documentary indeed! Keep up the excellent work!
Original sources...thank you my man!!
Always!
Thank you...most enlightening article. 😊👍
He stayed honest and honorable until his death.
Another great video, thank you. Remer has always fascinated me, so thanks for adding in parts of his story that I was previously unaware of. I have also been to the Bendlerblock. I always find it amazing that so many notorious WW2 places that we have seen in the newsreels or in films look so ordinary, and unassuming despite their past.
I try to put in the original locations as much as I can.
@@HistoryonUA-cam that’s really great as it gives an insight to those who have never been able to visit these places.
As an aside, I have also been to a few notorious Weimar period locations in Berlin, in particular the Babylon kino in East Berlin. This was the location for the murder of two police officers in 1931, by the later head of the Stasi, Erich Mielke. He was eventually tried for this crime in 1992 after the reunification, for which he received 6 year’s imprisonment.
Remer was a fanatical Nazi, and as such was a highly dangerous maverick after WW2. On hindsight, he should have been given a substantial prison sentence after he was captured. However, the allies were incredibly lenient towards former Nazis after 1947, because by that time the ‘cold war’ had begun.
I don't know what he would have been sentenced for.
But based on the photo,his collar showed he is a Wehrmacht and not a waffen ss🤔🤔🤔🤔
I think he was gross deuchland@@johnvictorangeles3289
@@johnvictorangeles3289 The basic premise of the German army myth is that while the Waffen-SS and other branches of the government were committing horrific war crimes, the Wehrmacht were merely fighting the war and weren’t informed about, much less involved in, any of the atrocities being committed in the name of Germany. These Wehrmacht members claimed they were Germans, but not Nazis. While it is true that the Wehrmacht was not officially affiliated with the Nazi party, its membership was full of Nazis and served the German state, which had essentially become interchangeable with the Nazi party by the time the war started, meaning that they killed and died to preserve the Nazi party. This alone could be considered a horrendous act worthy of condemnation from the tribunals at Nuremberg, but in truth, the Wehrmacht certainly did participate in numerous war crimes, on all fronts and from the very beginning of the war. As long as there were so-called “enemies of the state” around, the Wehrmacht would actively participate in their destruction. Major Remer was involved in the third battle of Kharkov in 1943, where atrocities were committed by the Wehrmacht against Russian soldiers. Remer, like so many fanatical German officers, would do anything to carry out the will of Hitler. Remer, like so many German army officers, were brainwashed to believe that they were the master race, and thus see the Russian Slavs as inferior human beings. The idea that Remer and his fellow officers were some sort of chivalrous knights in armour is ludicrous. Remer should have spent a long time being denazified, but the allies sadly didn’t pursue this course of action, So Remer, like so many ex Nazis, were allowed to slip back into civilian life, pursuing their own extreme right activities.
He wss a filthy Nazi scum and was hungry for recognition and power and not arresting Gobbels gave him what he wantedand because of him thousand of good and worthy people like Stauffenberg all his group and thousands of others lost their valuables lives because of him and because of people like him the war went on another ten months But I'm glad people turned against him in Germany he was despised and spit on so much so he left the country and died outside his country an embittered man in1997 or99
Thanks for putting this together.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video!!!! I always wondered about that scene in the movie and if it was based on a real event. I’ve come to realize that whenever I think I know a lot about ww2, I quickly discover I haven’t scratched the surface
The same for me Steve!
I found that very informative. Thanks for posting.
Very welcome
Very well researched and presented. I also understand he was a very good front line soldier but was promoted above his abilities (I believe a general..) Looking forward to your next screening.
Well researched presentation .
Excellent podcast. Just what we need >> the truth.
You have some of the most fascinating videos on UA-cam
Right. What you have just explained is the truth of the matter. History and Hollywood are rarely on the same page.
Very informative!
The whole communication link should have cut off at Goebbels office, including the aid station treating Hitler.
As an ex- British army soldier, myself who has been on the receiving end of various kinds of ordinance and lived not to tell the tales, Major Remer, irrespective of how great or not his part was on the 20th of July 1944,was an extremely brave and dedicated officer, as his numerous wounds and decorations more than testify to, the fact that he served a truly evil regime should not distract from that as Major Remer is not known to have taken part in any war crimes.
I myself served in West Germany from 1971 to 1976 and had a great time.
I am a bit younger than you are Sean - but also did the same thing once. It needs to be said that Remer was wounded eight times and passed his denazification proceedings with no problem and despite his previous job, was happy to be a bricklayer after the war. It was after the war that he started to support the lunatic right.
@@HistoryonUA-cam Both he and his reputation might have fared better post-war had he not veered to the ultra-right plus, his actions on the 20th of July 1944 did not stand him in good stead with a post-war West Germany seeking to find wartime German heroes.
Very interesting and educational thank you
In the annals of history, a tale unfolds,
Of Otto Ernst Remer, a story to be told.
Not the savior portrayed in the lore,
But a man caught in history's intricate chore.
Born in Neubrandenburg, a son of the soil,
A judicial clerk's son, destiny to uncoil.
In Bundische Jugend, young Remer thrived,
A journey to officerhood, in shadows contrived.
Kolberg's embrace, a town steeped in strife,
Inspired tales of sacrifice, a cinematic life.
As World War II unfurled its grim array,
Remer's path was cast in the battle's sway.
From Poland's fields to Kharkiv's fight,
Wounds and valor, in the fading light.
A major's rank, in the battle's blaze,
Knight's Cross awarded, in the war's haze.
But May of '44, a twist in the plot,
To Berlin's streets, where shadows sought.
Recuperating, in charge he stood,
The Großdeutschland guard, in the Brotherhood.
July's 20th dawned, a day untold,
A normal morning, as history would hold.
Ordered to a meeting, the hour at hand,
Remer, unknowing, in the coup's shifting sand.
Von Hase spoke of unrest, a twisted truth,
A coup's illusion, a national spoof.
To cordon the government quarter, he was told,
A puppet unwitting, in history's hold.
A correction to the tale, history revised,
Remer, a pawn, in the coup's demise.
Not the hero depicted in the tale,
But a figure caught in history's intricate trail.
I do not communicate via 'Telegram'
That is absolutely brilliant! When did you write that?
Just at the time of posting 😃@@HistoryonUA-cam
Remer could have stopped ww2 saving Thousands of lives. But he didn't he will always be remembered as Hitler's lackey and a Failure.
It would not have stopped the war. The majority of the plotters were hoping for a negotiated peace with the west and to continue the war against the U.S.S.R. This wasn't going to happen as the demand for unconditional surrender had already been made.
A wonderful historical coverage video about ( otto Ernst Remer) this video thank you Sir for sharing...it was an amazing narratives
So nice of you Mohammed! Thanks for listening!
Very good presentation 💯
Appreciate that, thank you!
Very interesting. Von Stauffenburg goes down as on of the bravest men in History in my opinion so this story is important. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Christopher - I have been meaning to do more on the German resistance for some time.
Loved this Alan. What a presentation of information. How do you do it? Love you buddy. Your friend Darren in Canada
Thanks Darren, I have family in Canada, although they don't know me!
@@HistoryonUA-cam your the best. How are you so smart? This guy has endless knolege
Alan I'll have to see what I can find out about my dad's infantry battalion. I remember my brother saying he looked into it a couple years ago and was even able to find some field notes although I'm not sure what site he found that on. But you got me thinking about it now
As you know who it was, it is not so difficult to track its progress. Reports are easy to find of US units.
Nice presentation
Thank you! Cheers!
A curious historical coincidence. 25 years to day after the 20th July plot Neil and Buzz landed on the moon. Thanks in no small part to one Wehrner Von Braun.
interesting connection
He wasn't the best field commander. Sure wasn't competent to lead a brigade.
Looking forward to this one Alan, wasn't he interviewed in Lawrence Reese Nazi a warning from History
I did not know that Daniel! On a different subject, I might have to take you up on your spectacles offer, I am now having difficulty with my current ones. I think my eyes have got worse!
👍Good post.
Thank you - it took ages to do!
Very interesting history, thanks! Of course, Remer had to cover his trail in his story telling to not upset the powers that be even after the war. His first steps were traitorous to the Reich.
Bravo !! 👏
Good video. Pity of the mediocre sound.
Remer was a great soldier and a patriot , thanks for sharing
He must have been a great soldier as got wounded so many times, I would not however consider him a patriot as he dishoured those that gave their lives for Germany, deliberately broke the law and fled the country.
@@HistoryonUA-cam you mean after the war right , "the law" was imposed by a foreign power an enemy of The German Reich cannot blame him , it must be tough for someone that gave everything to keep his country sovereignty and independence become a protectorate of a foreign power , some accepted it some didn’t but that doesn’t take away the fact that he was a patriot , he fought for the land of his father and ancestors to be independent of any foreign power that’s a patriot
Postwar his party was actually getting paid by the SU.
You pro-nazi guys are so clueless it’s just a disaster. Hope you are just a tiny minority
Knowing what we now know, I don't understand why anybody would think it glorious to put down a movement designed to remove Adolph Hitler from power.
Any attempt to assassinate a head of state is considered to be high treason, no matter the nation against whixh it is directed. Stauffenberg was a disgrace to his uniform and a traitor to his oath.
If you want that ideology dead, then you don't know.
Thomas Kretschmann played him good.
LEALTAD,,FIDELIDAD Y PATRIOTISMO EN LOS MOMENTOS MAS DIFICILES DE LA GRAN ALEMANIA
Alaska time here so I’m way off but I set notifications
So that is going to be in the morning!
Hi Alan, interesting video. I met General Remer in the early 1990s in Bad Kissingen, he was an amazing man. He was Pro-Russian as he saw that the USSR became Russian Nationalist after 1948 and He did take money from the Soviets but all the German "Neo-Nazi" groups did also. Putin was funding them when he was stationed in the DDR.
Habe ihn noch persönlich kennengelernt
Wo? Wann?
In fact the coup failed right when 'dolf survived Stauffenberg's bomb.
Yet the coup still had a chance when Fellgebiel at the Wolf's Lair cut off the communications.
But the conjurers at Berlin did nothing, waiting for Stauffenberg's return to confirm them
that 'dolf died.
Remer was nothing but an opportunist who seized his chance at promotion by turncoating.
There is no evidence whatsoever that Remer knew of the conspiracy as I pointed out in this video. Indeed, he was investigated by the Gestapo.
"Go back to original sources of information" ! I've done research on some WW2 aircraft crash sites and yes this in the ONLY way to make an historical study. In doing so you not only avoid the second hand hearsay but always find facts that the people there at the time missed out on because they were too close to see.
Well done - although I think that that must be a very expensive hobby with all the travelling involved.
@@HistoryonUA-cam Not in northern Australia !
What about Fromme? So little info about him
I didn't think he was relevant to this story - that needs to be done elsewhere.
He was the Commander of the Home Army! Not relevant? He had the 5 shot. He may have know of the plot all along!@@HistoryonUA-cam
@@scottfarley3644 Did you read what the title of the video is?
You mentioned everyone else involved. You dropped the ball on this one.@@HistoryonUA-cam
@@scottfarley3644 I hardly mentioned Stauffenberg at all and he planted the bomb, and as far as I recall, did not even mention Helmuth Stieff once and I have almost written a book on him!
July Major, april Generalmajor😂❤ fast promotions for those still alive😂
Major or Haptman?
Hauptmann is a Captain!
@@HistoryonUA-cam NO idea. Someone at a re enactment told me a Haptmenn was like aMajor.
@@SanitysVoid A major is a rank higher than a captain but it is not always possible to find direct equivalents.
Hauptmann literally means 'head man' and 'captain' comes from the Latin word 'caput', meaning 'head'. A naval officer or the one in charge of a civilian ship is a Kapitän, though.
Can any rank be a Hauptmann if they are in charge?
@@francisdec1615
An interesting character , at once battle field brave as attested by his convincing decorations and yet completely unhinged by his post war extreme right wing views sustained by his despicable role in the July '44 plot .
Listening to the commentator I nearly fell asleep
You are telling me. I am the commentator and I did fall asleep and only woke up after I got your message. So did I miss anything in the video?
Not a NAZI ? Really ?
Really, but only in the sense that Putin is not a Nazi - neither being members of the National Socialist Workers Party.
Hardto take trhis seriously whenyou dont pronounce his name correctly
Whose name is not pronounced correctly?
Otto Ernst Remer rip!🙏🙏