Hitler does not bribe the German generals

Michele

What if Hitler did not bribe the German generals?

I know it would be a foolish mistake. But suppose that in 1940, for whatever reason Hitler does not even think to bribe marshals, generals and admirals on a standing basis from the discretionary Chancellery funds.
What will the effects be? The generals and admirals, not receiving kickbacks from the slush funds, might start being restive, earlier than in OTL. They were well paid, but the underhand payments more than doubled their incomes, and the purpose of those bribes was obvious: a reward for their supine acceptance of Hitler's wild dreams.
Might the generals start thinking about getting rid of Hitler, earlier than in OTL? In larger numbers than in OTL? Would they feel less bound? Would they voice more objections? When and how would they act upon those thoughts?
 

alt_historian

Um... I've never heard about these bribes, so... difficult to comment, really. Could you tell me where you learnt this, please? :)
 

OperationGreen

I must admit this is the first I heard of Hitler paying off his Generals. Wouldn’t their Oath and his whole “Fuhrer” position kind of take away the need to use money? The only use of money in such a way I remember from WW2 was Churchill paying off Franco and his generals to not join the war.
 

backstab

Banned
This is crap ... Hitler did not need to bribe any Generals with money ... promise of a strong German Army was enough
 

FlyingDutchman

AFAIK it was quite normal for high ranking officers to receive large bonuses.

I've heard of it before with Russian officers in Chris Bellamy's book about the Eastern Front and MacArthur who received large payments from the Philippine government, amongst others one he got as he left Corregidor.
 

carlton_bach

It's not a subject thatz received much research in the past, but the Third reich's power structure was heavily laced with slush funds. Hitler himself received millions in royalties for speeches, huge print runs of 'Mein Kampf' and the use of his face on postage stamps. Many senior Nazis used similarly 'grey' sources of income and the senior military commanders were among the beneficiaries of bonuses, complimentary goods and services and certain 'grace and favour' real estate deals. I doubt, however, that this was fundamental to securing their loyalty. Hitler bribed the army with power and status in '33-'35, any money that came their way afterwards was more in the way of sharing out the loot.
 

Michele

The bonuses were indeed described as reimbursements for expenses. What actually makes them bribes are the following factors:

- They weren't part of an out-in-the-open benefit package for marshalls, admirals and generals. They weren't listed in the officers' official payments by the Wehrmacht administration. They weren't mandated by a law or regulation, stating that an officer of rank X was entitled to a monthly amount of Y when campaigning.
- Instead, they came from the Chancellery discretionary funds (whose amounts, guess what, soared during Hitler's tenure). Nobody was accountable for the sums thus distributed, but the Führer himself. They came, in short, from slush funds.
- The administrative officials distributing them went to great pains in pointing out to the generals involved that the payments were discretionary and could be revoked at any time in the future. In other words, behave, or you won't get the money next month.
- The same administrative officials also insisted that correspondence on the issue should be avoided. Apart from the money transfer documents, the documents in writing, such as letters, memos and other documents we have on the topic refer to exceptional circumstances (Special requests, complaints etc.). Normally, the money would be pocketed in silence. In other words, they weren't something that did not need to be hidden.
- The payments remained under the radar of the German revenue service. This made them all the more valuable, given the taxation ratios applied to the generals' wages. All kickbacks are tax free.
- And, what cinches it, generals who fell from Hitler's grace did not get the money. Gen. Blaskowitz, to name one. They weren't fringe benefits that came with the rank, regardless of anything else, as an established, undeniable right. They were dependent on not displeasing Hitler.

In short, yes, they were bribes. The generals happily pocketed them. I suppose one could ask, what if they refused… but it seems too unlikely to happen. So I'm asking, what if Hitler did not even think about distributing the bribes?
 

Michele

backstab said:
This is crap ... Hitler did not need to bribe any Generals with money ... promise of a strong German Army was enough
Click to expand...

Until 1939. And "a strong German army" means something more than one might think at face value, anyway.
Then in 1940, the bribes started to flow, abundantly, into the pockets of the generals and admirals. Maybe you haven't read about them. That doesn't make them disappear.
 
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