National Committee for a Free Germany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Committee for a Free Germany (German: Nationalkomitee Freies Deutschland, or NKFD) was a German anti-Nazi organization that operated in the Soviet Union during World War II.
Contents |
[edit] History
The rise of the Nazi Party to power in Germany in 1933 led to the outlawing of the Communist Party of Germany and the persecutions against its members, many of whom fled to the Soviet Union.
With the German invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, German prisoners of war began to fall into Soviet hands. Several attempts to establish an anti-Nazi organization from those POWs were made with little success since most of them still believed in the final victory of the Wehrmacht.
With the German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad, the number of German POWs rose and their belief that Germany shall be victorious was damaged, hence they were more open to the idea of a membership in an anti-Nazi organization.
The National Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD) was founded at Moscow on 12 July 1943; its president was the exiled German writer Erich Weinart. Its leadership consisted of 38 members, including 28 Wehrmacht POWs and 10 exiled communists.
[edit] League German Officers
After several failed attempts to recruit officers into the NKFD, it was suggested by Oberstleutant Alfred Brette to set up a special organization for officers so that they would not have to come in contact with communists and common soldiers.
Two months after the founding of the NKFD, the League of German Officers (Bund Deutscher Offiziere, or BDO) was founded; its leader was General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach. The main aim of the BDO was to specially deliver propaganda for the German armed forces. A number of highly ranking officers joined the BDO, the most prominent of them was Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus.
[edit] Ideology
Although the NKFD operated in the Soviet Union and partly consisted of communists, it had a right wing-conservative ideology. The NKFD goal's was a retreat to the borders of 1937, the opening of negotiation for peace, and the deposing and punishing of Nazi leadership. It also called to preserve the power of the Wehrmacht. The NKFD believed that German civilians and soldiers had to place their true interests (anti-Nazism) above the interest of their Nazis leaders.
As the war progressed and it became clear than an anti-Nazi putsch would not occur and an occupation of Germany was inevitable, the ideological line began to be more leftist until it become identical to that of the Stalinist communist party.
[edit] Activity
The NKFD and BDO activity focused on propaganda. They had their own newspaper and radio station. They sent leaflets to the German soldiers at the front and the POWs in the Soviet camps. General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach offered to raise an anti-Hitler army from the NKFD and BDO members, but the Soviets did not accept this offer.
Some NKFD members were attached to front line Soviets units to interrogate German POWs and spread propaganda to the Germans units that the Soviets were fighting against. Other NKFD members fought behind the German lines alongside Soviet partisan units.
As the Red Army entered Germany, NKFD members were appointed as officials in the local government of the Soviet occupation zone, replacing Nazi officials and the ones who fled from fear of the Soviets.
[edit] Post-War
After the defeat of Nazi Germany, NKFD members returned to the Soviet occupation zone in Germany and had a key role in the building the German Democratic Republic. BDO members had a key role in building the National People's Army.
