Abstract
The Swedish Red Cross rescue mission in Germany of February–May 1945,1 also known as ‘the Bernadotte mission’, was one of the most successful, yet most controversial humanitarian operations in the history of world wars. Finding out exactly what role Bernadotte played in that mission is important, because he was later accused of anti-Semitism and in 1948 of a bias against Israel. His conduct in the 1945 mission also throws light on his development as a leader and a statesman.
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Notes
The main sources of the description of the background to the Swedish Red Cross Expedition of 1945 are the Swedish Foreign Office documents of series HP39.VII to XIV (the old archive system); FO 371/4806–7, 51192–3, and 48026. The most valuable account of that mission is the Swedish Foreign Office publication 1945 års Svenska hjälpexpedition till Tyskland (Stockholm, 1956). See also L. Rotkirchen, ‘The final solution at its last stage’, Yad Vashem, vol. 8 (1971), pp. 7–27.
L. Yahil, ‘Scandinavian help and rescue of concentration camp inmates’, Yad Vashem, vol. 6 (1969) pp. 155–89.
D. S. Wyman, The Abandonment of the Jews, America and the Holocaust 1941–1945 (New York, 1984) pp. 229–31 and passim. I am also indebted to Prof. Koblick of Pomona College, California.
The leading publications on the Bernadotte-Kersten controversy which is in the centre of that dispute, are: H. Trevor-Roper, ‘Kersten, Himmler and Count Bernadotte’, Atlantic Monthly, February (1953) p. 44; idem, Introduction to The Kersten Memoirs, 1940–1945, (London, 1956); L. de Jong, ‘Hat Kersten Das Niederlandische Volk Gerretted?’, Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, Schriftenreihe, vol. 28 (1974); and J. Fleming, Die Herkunft des “Bernadotte Brief” an Himmler von Marz 1945’, Zeitgeschichte, no. 4 (1978).
See for insance B. Nadel, Retzah Bernadotte (Tel Aviv, 1968) and idem, Bernadotte Affaren (Copenhagen, 1970); Gali-Zahal, Radio interview with LHI man, Yehoshua Cohen, 1977.
Y. Bauer, The Holocaust in Historical Retrospect (Seattle, (1978) pp. 153–5; idem. ‘The Negotiation Between Sally Mayer and the SS Representatives, 1944–1945’, (Hebrew), Rescue during the Holocaust (Jerusalem, 1976) pp. 31–5 and ‘The Death March — January–May 1945, (Hebrew), Yahadut Zmanenu, vol. 1 (1984).
The Curtain Falls, p. 29; A. Bullock, Introduction to W. Schellenberg, The Labyrinth, (London, 1960).
Reports by Colonel Sutton-Prut. British Military Attaché, Stockholm, 27 February, FO 371/48046, N 2556 and N 2414; cf. G. Björck, ‘Hur Svenska rödakorsexpeditionen våren 1945 organiserades’; G. Rundberg, ‘Några intryck från Svenska röda korset och greve Bernadotte Action i Tyskland våren 1945’, Röda Korset årång 1945 (Stockholm, 1945).
Björck, op. cit.; interview with Mrs. Jerring; also S. Frykman, Roda korsexpedition till Tyskland (Stockholm, 1945). Captain Frykman’s image had been somewhat marred by black marketeering during the operation. However, he remained a respectable member of the veterans order of the Expedition, a social group where Bernadotte is still venerated.
Masur’s report, 23 April 1945, FO 371/51194, WR 1242; also N. Masur, En Jude taler med Himmler (Stockholm, 1945).
Reports by Mallet 22 April 1945 and following; FO 371/48047, passim; reports from Malmö in FO 371/48047, passim. The Red Cross record of those arriving in Sweden made no distinction between survivors who arrived before or after 8 May. It is hard to say exactly how many Jews were saved ‘during the war’. FBP, Box 33. A German official put on record his estimate of the Jewish inmates saved by the Bernadotte mission as follows: Danish Jews from Theresienstedt 450 Women from Ravensbruck 3000 Prisoners from other camps 1400 (Yad Vashem b/29–4) The exact number of Jews saved from Theresienstedt was 425. L. Yahil, The Rescue of the Danish Jews (Philadelphia, 1969) pp. 315–6.
H.R. Trevor-Roper, The Last Days of Hitler (London, 1947).
Cf. A. Besgen, Der Stille Befehl (München, 1960).
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© 1989 Amitzur Ilan
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Ilan, A. (1989). Fame and Contention: Bernadotte’s Rescue Mission in Germany. In: Bernadotte in Palestine, 1948. St Antony’s. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10427-7_3
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