Theodor von Dufving

Theodor von Dufving was a German officer of the Second world war. Born in 1907, its last rank was that of Colonel.

Berlin, 1945

Colonel von Dufving was the chief of staff of the general Helmut Weidling whereas this one ordered the LVI Panzerkorps. During the Battle of Berlin, it followed its chief to occupy the same functions with the “Area of defense of Berlin”.

May 1st, 1945, a few hours after the Suicide of Adolf Hitler the previous evening, the new Chancellor, Joseph Goebbels, sent Von Dufving and the general Hans Krebs to transmit a message to the Soviet general Vassili Tchouikov. Krebs, which had formerly spoken Russian usually, did not practice it any more but while shaving; Von Dufving thus took a Latvian officer as interprets.

The letter given by Goebbels to Krebs and Von Dufving contained the conditions of rendering which the successor of Hitler was ready to consider. Tchouikov, chief of the 8th Army of the Guard, ordered the Soviet forces deployed in the center of Berlin. It did not have any intention to agree the terms of Goebbels nor to negotiate with Krebs; the Soviets wanted to hear only of one complete and unconditional rendering. Krebs not having any capacity to accept such an exit, the meeting is concluded without result. Krebs and Goebbels a little later committed suicide the second in company of his wife Magda.

Early the next day, Von Dufving was sent to prepare a meeting between Weidling and Tchouikov. Weidling left for this go with the Soviet general one hour before Von Dufving does not follow it with its entourage.

With 05:55 the May 2nd, Von Dufving, Hans Refior and Siegfried Knappe leave the Führerbunker. In company of a German major, they led a hundred German soldiers at the end of Bendlerstraße. The Soviets awaited them on the other side of the Canal Landwehr.

The Soviet officer more graded crosses the bridge with the meeting of the Germans; Von Dufving was presented and they exchanged some words. The Soviet officer passed by again on other side of the bridge, where two dozen Soviet armed with machine-guns and come soldiers waited in American Jeep S. The Germans followed the officer in Indian file. The soldiers of the Red Army smiled, and one of them shouted: Hitler kaput! with new the prisoner of war, making laugh his/her comrades.

The prisoners were led to the HQ of the Tchouikov general, close to the airport of Tempelhof. They found the Weidling general there. Once in this HQ, Weidling dictated in Knappe an order enjoignant with the last German troops still defending Berlin to put the weapons low.

After the war

According to a testimony delivered later on by Von Dufving, it would have crossed in February 1949, whereas he was prisoner of war in the USSR, the humanitarian Swedish Raoul Wallenberg. In transit towards the camp of Vorkouta, the German officer had met another prisoner equipped as a civilian and escorted by a guard personnel. The prisoner explained to him that it was a Swedish diplomat and that it was there by a great error . When Von Dufving asked to him whether he had worked with the Swedish embassy in Berlin, the other answered him Not, in Eastern Europe. . According to Von Dufving, this prisoner spoke almost perfect German and, though it is reading a Russian newspaper, declared to him that it did not practice this language as well.

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