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Von Ribbentrop: The last fall of a Reich minister in Hamburg!
Learn more about Joachim von Ribbentrop, his role in the Third Reich and his arrest in Hamburg in 1945.
Von Ribbentrop: The last fall of a Reich minister in Hamburg!
On June 11, 2025 we will look back at the exciting but also tragic life story of Joachim von Ribbentrop, who was born on April 30, 1893 in Wesel. Ribbentrop, whose political career was closely linked to the NSDAP and Adolf Hitler, volunteered for the First World War and was awarded the Iron Cross. After his time at the front, he opened a wine trading company for French wines and married Anna Elisabeth Henkell in 1919. A good deal already seemed to be in store for him at this time, but it was joining the NSDAP in 1932 that would change his life forever. NDR reports that ...
Ribbentrop quickly rose in the Nazi hierarchy. In 1934 he became Hitler's foreign policy advisor and in 1938 took over the office of Reich Foreign Minister. Historian Lu Seegers describes Ribbentrop as having close ideological ties to Hitler and being instrumental in the aggressive foreign policy that led to World War II. The signing of the Hitler-Stalin Pact on August 23, 1939 is one of his most significant political actions. Under his aegis, not only diplomatic relations were maintained, but also atrocities such as the deportation of Jews were organized. Wikipedia adds that...
The last days in Hamburg
The withdrawal before the end of the war led to turbulent times for Ribbentrop. Shortly before Germany's surrender, he fled Berlin, had gold bars worth five million Reichsmarks transported to Schleswig-Holstein and tried to escape to Flensburg via the so-called “Rat Line North”. From April 20, 1945, he hid under the name “Riese” in Hamburg, where he planned to finance his escape to South America by selling cognac, which he had transported in two railway wagons. But his plan fell apart when he was betrayed by an acquaintance who contacted the British occupation authorities. On June 14, 1945, Ribbentrop was arrested by the British military police and was unable to use a poison capsule he was carrying. NDR reports that ...
His identification by British intelligence was made possible through a fake meeting with his sister Ingeborg. This paved the way for one of the most spectacular trials of the post-war period - the Nuremberg Trials. These began on November 20, 1945 and were the first trial of war criminals by a victorious nation. Ribbentrop was one of the 24 defendants who had to answer for their role in the Nazi regime. Planet Wissen states that...
Conviction and aftermath
During the course of the negotiations, Ribbentrop showed no remorse and described himself as innocent. On October 1, 1946, he was finally found guilty on all charges, including conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Just two weeks later, on October 16, 1946, Ribbentrop was executed by hanging. His body was cremated on October 17, 1946 and the ashes were scattered in the Wenzbach. The trial was not only a legal dispute, but also represented an important step in coming to terms with the National Socialist crimes and was intended to bring the atrocities closer to German citizens. Wikipedia adds that...