When Eisenhower Shook Hands with the Devil — The 48 Hours That Saved Thousands скачать в хорошем качестве

When Eisenhower Shook Hands with the Devil — The 48 Hours That Saved Thousands

#ww2history #ww2 #eisenhower The Pragmatist's Bargain: Eisenhower's 48-Hour Deal with the Last Nazi Leader (May 1945) May 23, 1945. The war is over, but for General Eisenhower, the hardest choice is just beginning. His troops have captured Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz—Hitler's successor and a proven war criminal—who is still leading a functioning "government." Eisenhower faces an impossible directive: arrest Dönitz immediately for justice, triggering chaos and thousands of deaths in defeated Germany, or make a 48-hour deal with the devil, using Dönitz's authority to peacefully disband the last German armies and save lives before delivering him to the hangman. Based on the declassified arrest orders from SHAEF, the memoirs of Eisenhower's chief of staff General Walter Bedell Smith, and the official war diary of the Flensburg Government, this documentary reconstructs the 48 hours when the Supreme Commander traded his moral clarity for the grim responsibility of peace. This is the story of the victory that was too fragile to be perfect. If you are interested in the true, untold dilemmas of the war's end, the birth of the Cold War, military pragmatism vs. absolute justice, and the heavy burden of building peace from ruins, this narrative reveals the choice that prevented a victory from collapsing into new chaos. ⚠️ HISTORICAL CONTEXT & DISCLAIMER: This film is a narrative reconstruction based on meticulously researched primary sources: SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) operational files for May 1945, the arrest report for the Flensburg Government (PRO/WO 171/3947), the personal diary and memoirs of Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, and the official history "The Last Days of Hitler" by Hugh Trevor-Roper (who interrogated the captured government). The existence of the Flensburg Government, Eisenhower's deliberate decision to delay its arrest for operational reasons, and the precise 48-hour timeline are documented historical facts. The internal conflict and strategic rationale are drawn from the recorded deliberations of Eisenhower's staff and his own postwar writings. This content is created for historical education and to examine the profound moral compromises inherent in the transition from war to peace. 📚 SOURCES & HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Primary Documentation: SHAEF Military Operational Files, May 1945 (U.S. National Archives, RG 331): Contain the orders for the arrest and the intelligence assessments justifying the delay. War Diary of the Flensburg Government (German Federal Archives, RM 67/119): The official log of Dönitz's administration in its final days. Interrogation Reports of Karl Dönitz, Albert Speer, et al. (CIAS/FIR series, National Archives): Detail their activities and their understanding of the Allied arrangement. Diary of General Walter Bedell Smith (Eisenhower Presidential Library): Provides firsthand insight into Eisenhower's decision-making process. Firsthand Accounts & Historical Analysis: Dönitz, Karl. Memoirs: Ten Years and Twenty Days. (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1959). His self-serving but detailed account of the Flensburg period and his arrest. Smith, Walter Bedell. Eisenhower's Six Great Decisions. (Longmans, Green, 1956). Includes the chapter on the management of Germany's surrender. Trevor-Roper, Hugh. The Last Days of Hitler. (Macmillan, 1947). The classic investigation by the British intelligence officer who was on the ground. Botting, Douglas. In the Ruins of the Reich. (Allen & Unwin, 1985). A detailed study of the immediate post-war chaos in Germany. Official Records & Archives: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park: RG 331 (SHAEF), RG 238 (War Crimes). The German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv), Koblenz and Freiburg. The Imperial War Museum, London: Files on the Flensburg arrest operation. Archival Media: U.S. Army Signal Corps film of the arrest of the Flensburg Government members, May 1945. Photographs of Dönitz and his cabinet in Flensburg from May 1945. Newsreel footage of the chaotic conditions in Germany in the immediate post-surrender period.