People We Would Be Surprised To See In Heaven

I was telling a colleague of mine at UCB about him and that even before he knew his sentence he told his chaplain: 'The neglect of genuine Christianity (by the German nation) caused the downfall of the Nazi regime.'

Does that sound like a warning to Britain, I wonder?

The other Nazis who trusted in Christ were:

• Joachim Ribbentrop, Hitler's Foreign Minister and at one time Ambassador to London, condemned to death by hanging


• Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the German High Command, condemned to death by hanging


• Wilhelm Frick, Protector of Bohemia-Moravia, condemned to death by hanging


• Fritz Sauckel, Director of Manpower under the Nazis, condemned to death by hanging


• Baldur Schirach, Youth leader responsible for indoctrinations and helping to deport Jews, condemned to twenty years' imprisonment


• Hans Fritzsche, Goebbel's assistant at the Propaganda Ministry, discharged

An eighth converted Nazi was the lieutenant colonel of the SS who attended prison services as the organist.

Those who Refused

Then of course there were those condemned to die who openly refused to accept the mercy of Christ, and scoffed at the offer. They were:

• Field Marshall Goering, Hitler's second-in-command, and Luftwaffe Chief who sent thousands of planes to bomb Britain's cities, condemned to death by hanging


• Julius Streicher, the Jew-baiter and publisher of the provocative anti-Jewish newspaper, condemned to death by hanging (refused to attend any meetings with the padre)


• Alfred Rosenberg, the propagandist of Nazism and evolution, condemned to death by hanging (refused to attend any meetings with the padre)


• Martin Bormann, Hitler's former Deputy, condemned to death by hanging


• Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff, condemned to death by hanging (refused to attend any meetings with the padre)

Several other Nazis imprisoned for various terms attended services led by the chaplain but made no commitment for Christ as far as we know.

The Chaplain

But who was the chaplain who was used to convert seven hard-bitten Nazis? He was Rev Captain Henry F. Gerecke. It was his report that I received within two years of the whole drama. I used it to reply in a newspaper to a report published by Airey Neave, MP that we do not know what passed at these interviews between the chaplain and the men condemned to die. The newspaper printed a half-page article with practically all I had written with only a few sentences omitted, under the title 'The Goering Story - What He Told the Chaplain', by Victor Pearce (Fig 5.3).

Figure 5.4. Picture of Rev Captain Henry F. Gerecke, American padre to Nazi war criminals in 1946. Source: F.T. Grossmith. The Cross and the Swastika. Word Books. 1VX4.

With six or seven of the other Nazis he had more success, as I have said, but first he had to deal with his own misgivings. He was an American and both of his sons had been killed in the war; should not these Nazis receive the divine punishment, which was due to them? The Chaplain General urged him to accept the task of chaplain to the most notorious group of men that perhaps the world has known. In many ways he was very suitable because he could speak and preach fluently in German, and he had a reputation for helping hardened men. Gerecke asked for two weeks to think and pray about it. He wanted to be sure that it was God's task for him. He reminded himself that Jesus said that he came to save sinners; he welcomed the repentant dying thief on the cross and said he would be with him in paradise.

St Paul described himself as the chief among sinners because he'd killed or imprisoned thousands of Christians but said that God had amazing mercy on him because he had had a misguided zeal for formal religion.

Eventually Henry Gerecke accepted the task looking for God's grace.