Erich Kempka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1910-09-16)16 September 1910 Oberhausen,German Empire |
| Died | 24 January 1975(1975-01-24) (aged 64) Freiberg am Neckar,West Germany |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Schutzstaffel |
| Years of service | 1932–1945 |
| Rank | Obersturmbannführer |
| Service number | 2,803 |
| Unit | Allgemeine SS Führerbegleitkommando |
| Signature |  |
Erich Kempka (16 September 1910 – 24 January 1975) was a member of theSS inNazi Germany who served asAdolf Hitler's primarychauffeur from 1936 to April 1945. He was present in the area of theReich Chancellery on 30 April 1945, whenHitler shot himself in theFührerbunker. Kempka delivered petrol to the garden behind the Chancellery, where the remains of Hitler andEva Braun were burned. After Kempka's capture by United States forces, he served as an eyewitness as to Hitler's demise, albeit his self-admitted unreliability.
Kempka was born on 16 September 1910 inOberhausen to a coal miner with ten children. Kempka's family wereRuhr Poles.[1] He worked as a mechanic for the automotive manufacturerDKW.[2]
Kempka joined theNazi Party on 1 April 1930 as member #225,639. Kempka served as chauffeur forJosef Terboven until 29 February 1932, when, based on Terboven's recommendation, he was tasked as a reserve driver forAdolf Hitler's personal entourage.[3]
He became one of the original members of an eight-man squad known as theSS-Begleitkommando des Führers (SS Escort Command of the Führer), which later was known as theFührerbegleitkommando (FBK).[1] The unit was assigned with protecting the life of Hitler.[1] In 1934, he was present at the arrest ofErnst Röhm. In 1936, with the death ofJulius Schreck, Kempka became Hitler's primary chauffeur. He was also appointed by Hitler asChef des Kraftfahrwesens beim Führer und Reichskanzler (Chief of the Führer's and Reich Chancellor's Fleet of Cars).[4]
As his chauffeur, Kempka usually drove one of Hitler's blackMercedes cars from a fleet of six to eight that were stationed in Berlin, Munich, and other places. Unless in the company of an important person, Hitler would sit in the front, next to Kempka, with a valet behind him.[5] When travelling in motorcades, Hitler's car would be followed by two cars to the left and right, one with FBK men and the other with a detachment ofReichssicherheitsdienst (Reich Security Service; RSD) men.[6] Further behind would be a car with his adjutants and physician, and more cars for press agency representatives, stenographers, and provisions. Later in July 1938, upon Kempka's directive a fully armor-plated Mercedes was built and delivered in time forHitler's 50th birthday of 20 April 1939. The car had 18 mm steel plate and 40 mm bullet-proof glass.[4][5]
On 1 December 1937, Kempka joined theLebensborn society. He was awarded aTotenkopfring and theSS Honor Sword fromHeinrich Himmler.[1] At one time, Kempka had been engaged toGerda Daranowski, a private secretary of Hitler's. She later marriedLuftwaffe officerEckhard Christian on 2 February 1943.[7]
In 1945, as the end ofNazi Germany drew near, Kempka accompanied Hitler to the Reich Chancellery and later theFührerbunker. By then, Kempka oversaw a fleet of 40 vehicles, 60 drivers and mechanics.[3] On 20 April, ten days before Hitler's suicide, he briefly wished the dictator a happy birthday and spent about fifteen minutes with him.
Kempka was one of those responsible for the burning of Hitler andEva Braun's corpses after theycommitted suicide together on the afternoon of 30 April 1945.[8] Around that time,Otto Günsche telephoned Kempka and told him to obtain as much petrol as he could and bring it to the emergency exit of theFührerbunker.[9][a] Kempka and his men produced eight to ten army petrol cans containing an estimated 180 to 200 litres (about 50 U.S. gallons) of petrol.[12][13] The lifeless bodies of Hitler and Braun were carried up the stairs and through the bunker's emergency exit to the Reich Chancellery garden, where they were burned.[14] Later, SS guards brought over additional cans of petrol to further burn the corpses.[15]
Kempka left the bunker complex on the following night of 1 May along with SS-Hauptscharführer Heinrich Doose, a driver who was part of his staff.[16] His group went down through the underground railway tunnels and made it to Friedrichstrasse station.[17] At around 2:00 am, another group approached, which includedMartin Bormann andLudwig Stumpfegger.[18] The group followed aTiger II tank which spearheaded the first attempt to storm across theWeidendammer Bridge, but it was destroyed.[19] Bormann and Stumpfegger were "tossed into the air" when the tank was hit.[20] Kempka was knocked down and knocked out. After he came to, Kempka came across the badly wounded SS-ObersturmbannführerGeorg Betz[b] (Hitler's personal co-pilot and Hans Baur's substitute) and left him in the care of Kaethe Hausermann, a dental surgeon who had been on Hitler's staff working with Dr.Hugo Blaschke.[23] Kempka went on to state that he learned that Betz died from his injuries a short time later.[24]
Kempka and several others followed the rail tracks hoping to reach the Lehrter station. They came across some foreign workers hiding out in a shed where the Germans got rid of their uniforms and changed into civilian clothes.[24][25] A group of Soviet soldiers discovered them. A Yugoslav girl who had given him civilian clothes told the Soviet soldiers that Kempka was her husband. The soldiers insisted the group join them and drink vodka in celebration of victory. Later the Soviet troops left the area.[26] The Yugoslav girl led him through the Soviet checkpoints and on 30 May, Kempka made it to Wittenberg.[27] In Munich, he obtained some new identification papers from a German girl who was employed by the Allies as an interpreter. He continued on from there toBerchtesgaden.[27] On 20 June, Kempka was captured by U.S. troops at Berchtesgaden and held until 9 October 1947.[3] He was the first witness the Americans captured who could confirm the death of Hitler.[28]
Kempka made numerous false or inconsistent statements during his interrogation. He initially claimed that he was present in theFührerbunker and sawLudwig Stumpfegger examine Hitler's body.[29][c] Kempka later admitted that he was not nearby until he arrived with petrol to burn Hitler and Braun's bodies, at which point Hitler's corpse had already been moved.[29] Inside the bunker, Kempka foundMartin Bormann carrying Braun's body, according to Kempka "like a sack of potatoes".[31] Kempka took the body and brought it halfway up the exit stairs. He then handed the body to Günsche, who carried it outside and placed it on the ground of the garden next to Hitler's corpse.[28][32]
Additionally, Kempka claimed that Günsche told him that Hitler had shot himself through the mouth,[d] which Günsche later denied.[36] Kempka correctly contended that Hitler's dental remains would be found separate from his body, attributing this to the intense burning and Soviet bombardment.[37][38][e] Despite Hitler's legs allegedly burning away, Kempka bolstered the erroneous identification of a darned sock–wearingbody double as Hitler by claiming that he had himself mended Hitler's socks a couple of nights before the dictator's death.[42]
In 1974, Kempka said to interviewerJames P. O'Donnell that after his capture he told interrogators whatever they wanted to hear to save his neck.[43] Despite his questionable reliability on certain points,[44] many interviewers quote Kempka in their accounts of Hitler's suicide. O'Donnell recounts some of Kempka's colorful recollections inThe Bunker:
Kempka was released from captivity on 9 October 1947. He died on 24 January 1975, aged 64, inFreiberg am Neckar.[46]
His memoirs first appeared in 1951 under the titleIch habe Adolf Hitler verbrannt (I cremated Adolf Hitler). In 1975, it was reissued with a foreword by author and former member of theLeibstandarte SS Adolf HitlerErich Kern under the titleDie letzten Tage mit Adolf Hitler (The Last Days with Adolf Hitler). An English edition of the book was published in 2010 by Frontline Books-Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., under the titleI was Hitler's Chauffeur: The Memoirs of Erich Kempka, with an introduction by historianRoger Moorhouse.
At the 2008 military trial forOsama bin-Laden's driver,Salim Hamdan, the defense argued for his innocence, noting that Kempka was not tried as a war criminal for being a chauffeur for Hitler.[47]
Media related toErich Kempka at Wikimedia Commons
