The Schwartzeis Saga: A Family Trying to Make Sense of Confusing Times
Saturday 1st August 1936
As dusk deepens across Berlin, a solitary figure sprints down the Berliner Straße. The runner barely slows as he turns into the Schwartzeis residence, navigates the front door and finally bursts into the dining room.
Günter von Willemburg pulls out his pocket watch – unlike most men who fought in the last war, he has never acquired the habit of wearing a watch on his wrist.
“Kept in after school, Kurt? I didn’t know the Technische Hochschule was so strict.”
Oberst von Willemburg’s fob watch – a reminder of his service during the last war
“Sorry for being so late. I was listening to Edmund Germer talking about the latest developments in generating light from metallic vapour. He had been working on a mercury lamp that gave off a horrible green light but the government has given him funds and facilities to produce a commercially viable “fluorescent tube”. It looks as though his research has been successful – he hints that his new tubes will be on sale in a few months. They would be perfect for our workshops – he showed us a prototype and it gives of a clear, white, steady light and so ….”
Edmund Germer: a graduate of the Berlin University, he returned to give students an exciting lecture on the future of lighting
“That is all very interesting, liebchen” interrupts his mother, “but I think your father wishes to discuss the momentous events in Spain”.
“I do, but that is an interesting piece of news. Not only may it be a good investment for our excess capital, but the mere fact that the government is pouring money into developing technology to improve production methods is something to think about”.
Before we get to that development and what it might mean for us, I should welcome Rudolf back to Berlin. Are you missing Ethiopia?”
“Not a bit”. Rudolf appears tanned and fit. Life as a foreign correspondent obviously suits him.
“With the Treaty of Addis Ababa the world will now forget about events in that part of the world, even if the Italians are still fighting rebels throughout the country. Spain is the flavour of the month, and I am pretty sure when I go into the office on Monday that I will be told to book a flight to Spain.”
Crowds cheer Il Duce in Mogadishu
Rudolf pretends not to notice that his mother looks less than happy at the prospect of her oldest son again entering a war zone.
Herr Schwartzeis turns to his youngest son. “The government has been very secretive about its dealings with the Spanish, both the government and the rebels. Can you shed a little light on what is happening, Sigmund?”
“I can, but I must insist that this stays within this room. If it were known that I was revealing any information about Germany’s involvement with the rebels it could be extremely dangerous for me. Heydrich and his Sicherheitsdienst der Reichsführers-SS are said to be merciless when they discover breaches of secrecy.
A sight becoming more common: men of the Sicherheitsdienst der Reichsführers-SS conduct a raid on suspected spies and traitors
The past few weeks have been hectic in the Auswärtiges Amt. Nobody predicted this revolt – not even Canaris and his hundreds of Abwehr agents. So when the news broke on the 17th we had to scramble to get a policy together. Minister von Neurath was instructed to contact General José Sanjuro y Sacanell, in exile in Portugal but then that idiot was killed trying to fly to Spain in an overloaded light plane. So now we are dealing with the two other leaders of the rebellion: Generals Emilio Mola and Francisco Franco Bahamonde.
General José Sanjuro y Sacanell, 1st Marquess of the Rif
Emilio Mola Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain
Now this is what must remain confidential. Do you all swear to keep it secret? Good.
Have any of you heard of the Sociedad Hispano-Marroqui de Transportes? No? I am not surprised – it is not really a business, just a name used to provide support to the rebels. That company using requisitioned aircraft from Deutsche Luft Hansa, has flown General Franco and thousands of his men from Africa to Seville. “Unternehmen Feuerzauber” it was called.
Spanish-Moroccan troops are loaded on a German Ju-52 to be flown to the mainland
That was not all – there is another more secret operation, “Unternehmen Ursula”. Even I do not know what it is, other than it has something to do with submarines. Everyone involved had to sign an oath stating "Mir ist bekannt, daß jeder Bruch der Schweigepflicht, auch in geringster nur angedeuteter Form, über Seeebiet und alle Ergebnisse der Unternehmung (Ursula) wegen Landesverrat gemäß Paragraph 88 usw. Reichsstrafgesetzbuch mit dem Tode bestraft wird. Die Schweigepflicht hierüber gilt lebenslänglich".
You can see why I am worried. The death penalty for any breach, in any way – and it lasts for life!
You would think that is enough, given that the Chancellor has stated to the world that Germany is strictly neutral as far as Spain is concerned. But that is not even the most alarming.
Weeks ago the Wehrmacht was ordered to put together, under the utmost secrecy, a unit to be called the “Condorgruppe”. All “volunteers” of course. It is commanded by General Hans-Karl Esebeck and comprises two divisions, I think the first and second panzer divisions, and two Luftwaffe geschwader: one fighter and one dive bomber. I can tell you what planes have been sent – I accidentally saw the order movements while in someone else’s office. The bombers are from I/StG 232 and the fighters from I/JG 232. 55 He 46C-1, 52 He 51C and some of our most modern fighter aircraft: 11 Bf109A and 10 Bf 109B. It is a huge force, maybe enough to change the course of the Civil War and it is already on its way to Spain!”
A He 46C bomber is prepared for a training mission: soon its pilots will get combat experience
Erich Schwartzeis interrupts.
“That explains the mysterious goings-on in the Nordsee ports! There have been whispers for days of cargo vessels getting orders from very high up to load materials for unknown destinations, and several loading docks have been closed off and surrounded, not by the normal guards and police, but by SS troops trucked in from Berlin.
I can tell you one thing – we are definitely sending arms to someone. From my time in the Freikorps I know what crates of military items look like and I have seen truckloads of uniforms, heavy machine guns, mortars, rifles and other items. As well as much larger things – maybe disassembled aircraft or artillery pieces?”
It is not hard to work out what this crate contains
In the silence that followed his interjection, a faint sound can be heard coming from the corner of the room where the housekeeper, Hilde, is sitting. She is hunched over, tears covering her face as she sobs uncontrollably.
“What is it Hilde?” Frau Schwartzkeis hurries over to the crying woman, a quick glance ensuring that there is no comment from the rest of the family.
“It is my Siegfried, he is so young, I cannot lose him”
“What do you mean Hilde? Why would you lose your son?”
Suddenly realising that she is the centre of attention, Hilde pulls herself together. She wipes her eyes and then, in a voice that she is obviously struggling to control, explains her reaction to the news.
“My younger son, Siegfried, he is not as clever as his brother, but he is good with his hands. Even as a boy he could mend his toys after he had broken them. When he left school he was looking for a trade and I suggested that he become a mechanic – there is always work for a good mechanic. For once he listened to his mother. But getting a secure apprenticeship was impossible: he could not get a Lehrlingsvertrag from any reputable employer – it has been so hard since the recession in the late 20s. So he enlisted and applied for a mechanic’s position. Almost straightaway he was assigned to Werkstatt-Kompanie X, Panzer Regiment 3, in Meiningen/Thuringia, not far from the rest of my family in Saxony. This year the unit was moved south to Bamburg, as part of Panzer-Brigade 2. And that is part of the 2nd Panzer Division!
Hilde’s son and his fellow soldiers before his unit “volunteered” for a secret mission
I got a very short letter the other day but I didn’t know what it meant. He just said not to worry if he didn’t write for a while as he was going on a “training exercise”. He ended it by saying “Hasta la vista!” He must have been trying to send me a message and I was too stupid to understand! And now he is off to fight in a war in country full of foreigners!”
She again starts to cry, but softly. Margarethe keeps holding her, but nods at her husband to say something comforting.
“Don’t get upset Hilde. I am sure that even if your son has been sent to Spain, that as a mechanic he will be far from any fighting. Vehicle workshops are hardly mobile! He will be secure in the rear, with the staff officers and the cooks.
Feeling he has done his duty, Hermann turns back to his youngest son. “Anything else Sigmund?”
“The only other thing was that the rebels asked for docking rights in German ports. It was granted, quietly of course. I suppose it will be mainly used for cargo ships – nearly the entire navy has stuck with the Republicans.
Oh, I nearly forgot. we signed the Montreux Convention allowing Turkey to rearm the Turkish Straits. Italy isn’t happy – they will not be allowed to send warships into the Black Sea anymore. And I doubt that the Russians have given up their ambition to control the straits.”
The Montreux Palace hosts the delegates discussing Turkish control of the Dardanelles and Bosporus
“This is nowhere as important as everything we have talked about so far” says Ingrid Schwartzeis. “But my father is happy that Sweden has agreed to increase exports of tungsten to our steel makers. He says the growing demand for tungsten steel for armaments has been really hard to meet but this should ease the shortage. He told me that the government is starting to stockpile the excess.”
“Another sign that Herr Hitler is preparing for a time when Swedish tungsten is not available.” Hermann Schwartzeis frowns. “He is definitely building up for something. Did anyone else see that a new armoured division is to be formed? That is the fourth, and I doubt that we need panzer divisions for defence.”
“I was aware of it.” replies Günter von Willemburg. “Getting another panzer division was a big success for those in OKH who support the theories of General der Panzertruppe Lutz and his deputy, Heinz Guderian, as well as Oberstleutnant i.G. Nehring. You may not be aware that the demands for more tanks has meant that some factories have had to cancel production of anti-tank weapons. In fact factories have been ordered to retool to produce the new Bf 109B fighters. The Wehrmacht is slowly gearing up.”
The Directorate of Motorised Forces in 1936
Sigmund looks reflective. “And the speed of the government in not only supporting but sending troops would suggest that this is more than just a token gesture to the rebels. Someone wants to use this conflict to test our men and equipment. There is a risk of diplomatic tension, but I expect von Neurath will use his skill to deflect any real damage.”
Günter von Willemberg takes over the discussion.
“I suspect that von Esebeck is under orders to not be too active: nobody will want the war to end too quickly. Spain is perfect place for weapons testing, as well as to try out some of new tactics our commanders have been developing.”
The table is silent as everyone contemplates the situation: the Wehrmacht is to use the territory and population of a far away country as subjects for an experiment.
Slowly the conversation starts again, with those who had been present at the opening ceremony of the Olympic games keen to provide their accounts of the festivities. But despite the excitement and pride of hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting event in their city, all present have one thought at the back of their minds: what will the results of the Spanish experiment be used for?