The death of Hugo Junkers, any theories?

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

A few months back I was reading about the life and career of the man who brought us the cantilever monoplane, Hugo Junkers. It seems he had quite a reputation of being a rebel and clashing with authorities. As soon as the Nazis took power, he was one of the first people they arrested. He died a year later, exactly on his 76th birthday while under house arrest. He was given a full State funeral that was attended by no less a person than Herman Goering (along with Ernst Udet if I'm not mistaken). Given the fact that the Nazis hated him, then venerated him in death, this looks a bit suspicious to me. Given the maner in which Erwin Rommel died (forced to commit suicide then celebrated as a fallen hero) I've always wondered if the Nazis murdered him.

Is there anyone who is read up on this and knows some possible answers??

 

[Dr. O]

<yawn>

 

[AdamZ]

I have no idea how he met his end but given the disgusting history or the Nazi regime I'd say you theory is probably pretty close to accurate.

 

[German guy]

There is a website dedicated to Hugo Junkers, which says that he died because of a gall disease from which he suffered for some months.

Sadly the website is only in German, but you might want to use the Google translator:
http://www.junkers.de/leben_werk/hugo_junkers/1931_1935.html

Actually, I don't think that the Nazis took the efforts and the negative publicity to put this popular man into house arrest for one year, just to kill this ill old man on his birthday(!!). Also 1936 was just about 3 years after the Nazis came into power - back then they were already acting like jerks, however they generally stayed withing the boundaries of the at this point current laws.

 

[weilke]

Also 1936 was just about 3 years after the Nazis came into power - back then they were already acting like jerks, however they generally stayed withing the boundaries of the at this point current laws.

Mh, not really.

In 1934, 84* assorted competitors, enemies and former allies of Hitler got killed in the 'Roehm putsch' purge. The nazis tended to be quite direct if they wanted you dead, depending on how much they disliked you, the options were getting shot at close range or being hacked to death with an axe. The option of killing yourself was only afforded to some enemies who held military or paramilitary rank.


*more likely 200odd.

 

[John Baker]

"When the Nazis gained power, Erhard Milch was the obvious choice to build in secrecy a new air force. Professor Hugo Junkers had by now become an outspoken critic of the Nazis. He was one of the most powerful individuals in German aviation, and by far, the most brilliant. Milch decided that he could gain control of the aviation manufacturing industries by making an example of his one time benefactor and employer.

Milch sent police to arrest Junkers. He was accused of many offenses, including even treason. Armed with the terrible power of the totalitarian state, Milch broke Junkers. The end of the interrogations came only when Junkers assigned 51 per cent of his various companies to the state. This was not good enough for Milch. He then demanded and got, chairmanship of the companies for his own nominees. Still not satisfied, Milch put the ailing old man under house arrest, until he gave the state the remainder of his shares. Less than six months afterwords, Hugo Junkers died. Milch sent a delegation of mourners from the air ministry, with a suitably inscribed wreath.
This so angered the Junkers family that the men from the ministry returned to Berlin without attending the ceremony, rather than face their wrath."

From a book by Len Deighton, "Fighter". The true story of the battle of Britain.


John

 

[Capt.Crash'n'Burn]

This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the reasons I consider Hugo Junkers to be a hero.

 

[German guy]

Mh, not really.

In 1934, 84* assorted competitors, enemies and former allies of Hitler got killed in the 'Roehm putsch' purge. The nazis tended to be quite direct if they wanted you dead, depending on how much they disliked you, the options were getting shot at close range or being hacked to death with an axe. The option of killing yourself was only afforded to some enemies who held military or paramilitary rank. [...]

Well, I that's why I said generally. :wink2:
But even for the "Röhm Putsch" they tried to justify their acting with a imminent putsch which had to be avoided. The truth was that no putsch was planned, but that was their solution to the 'problem' of how they could 'legally' get rid of their enemies.
I don't think that in 1936 too many people (if any) simply 'disappeared' or were obviously murdered. I all cases I know, they always tried to find criminal acts for which they could blame people who they wanted to get rid off, afterwards these people were convicted by a (not so neutral) court.

I think that this is a part of what made them so dangerous - apparently acting perfectly legal, only 'protecting' their citizens from enemies.
They used the fears and hardships of the Germans back then to put themselves into power and to modify laws to keep 'danger' from the people away.

By the way - I have the feeling that changing laws and therewith reducing our freedom for 'our own safety', for the 'protection of our homeland' and to 'fight the enemy', has become popular again over the last years. In various countries, including Germany.

 

[ClimbnSink]

I would think being 76 years old in 1936 is a plausible cause of death.

 

[John Baker]

I would think being 76 years old in 1936 is a plausible cause of death.

You undoubtedly have never been subjected to torture. Interrogation under the Nazi regime would shorten even young mens lives. To subject a man in his middle seventies to it was just plain chicken sh*t, he never stood a chance.

John

 

[ScottM]

Is there anyone who is read up on this and knows some possible answers??

There are theories that it was actually the secret organization of the Pentavirate who orchestrated his and several other murders. The Pentavirate did this in order to allow Hitler to continue his march to power and thrust Europe into WW2. The idea was to change the economic powerhouses of Europe into a new world order that would prevent neo-nation states from becoming too powerful.

 

[John Baker]

Hitler, once firmly established in power, also artificially inflated the value of the mark (is that how you spell it?) This made it easy to buy needed materials at much lower rates from occupied and friendly countries, including the U.S. in the early years.

John

 

[Skip Miller]

mark (is that how you spell it?)

In German, all nouns are capitalized. Other than that, you are correct.

-Skip