Holocaust and Aviation

The Development of German Nazi Aviation as a Major Factor in the Annihilation of the European Jewish People

 

By: Avinoam Amizan

 

Karl Haushofer and the Living Space

 

Karl Haushofer was a geography professor who formulated ideas of geopolitics. But he was not just that. In parallel with his scientific and military career he was occupied also intensely in occultism, supported ardently German nationalism, and applied the idea of the 'living space' which he developed, to the political programs of the Nazis.

He taught Hitler to be a politician, designed the international pacts of Nazi Germany, and was the most influential intellectual in the axis states. He was, from the social sciences, the equivalent to the Nazi doctors.

 

He was born in Munich in 1869. His childhood and youth years were peaceful. He experienced development in spiritual groups who dealt with occultism. He became a German patriot, who turned into a professional soldier in the artillery corps.

 

His talents were identified quickly by the German general staff and he was appointed, in 1908, as the military attaché in Tokyo. It was a fateful mission, which planted in him the seeds of fascism and Nazism.

 

In Japan he learned not only army subjects, but also culture and art. He fell in love with the east, and translated mystic texts which had powerful techniques of mental development.

 

He brought them in his return to Germany, where his supernatural forces were already known. The new extent of his pretences for supernatural forces credited him with the nickname 'The great magician'.

 

Haushofer fought in the western front in the First World War, and progressed to the rank of senior general. After the defeat he felts bitter and betrayed. He left the army, accusing the communists and the Jews in the defeat.

 

In 1919 he founded in Berlin the 'Vril Society', and became a member of the Thule Society, which was the nucleus of the Nazi party. He taught that under the earth exists an advanced civilization, with access to the 'Vril energy ', the strongest power in the universe. By means of this energy it is possible to cancel gravity, and build flying objects.

 

The standard description of Haushofer is that of a respected scientist, and there is not a clue to the person that dealt in occultism, and was known in Germany as Harry Potter of the beginning of the 20'Th century.

 

As a citizen, he received a job in Munich University as a Geography teacher. In the age 45 he received his doctorate on a brilliant thesis in political geography. He continued to develop his ideas, to a new doctrine which he called: 'geopolitics'. The nucleus of this doctrine was the 'living space' concept.

 

Haushofer claimed that any state has the right for physical expansion in order to maintain her population, on account of inferior, less developed states. This doctrine already had extensive application in Colonialism. The innovation of Haoshopr was in the pretence for a development of a scientific objective model, with holistic approach.

 

In the heart of his doctrine is the idea that the state is a natural organism, a cosmic tree which has the practical right to grow and expand. The idea reduces the status of the citizen to a particle and legitimizes the cancellation of civil rights. Instead of a state that exists in order to provide rights and freedom, the citizens live for the sake of the state.

 

Haushofer yearned to the 'come back' of German power, and claimed for the authority to bring so by means of his doctrine. He justified the right for expansion on account of neighboring states by rights of cultural superiority, and therefore wanted to unite every citizen with German blood in these states under one flag.

 

He claimed that Germany must create treaties with states which have similar climate, terrestrial. Therefore he devised a terrestrial pact between Germany, Russia, China, India and Japan, against the colonial sea power of England, France and United States.

 

One of his geography students, Rudolph Hess, was captured by his spell. Haushofer for his part was interested very much in the young pilot, who invited him often to fun flights. Undoubtedly these flights were for him an important studding tool and a source of inspiration.

 

It is foolishness to think that Haushofer was not aware of aviation as identical in its importance to trains and vessels. Possibly aviation gave him the central propulsion to the development of the 'living space' idea. The British imperialism was developed following the invention of the steamship, and he surely thought about the development of the airship and the airplane in similar relation.

 

Germany at that time was leading in airship and airplanes technologies. The concept of 'living space' was not exactly new. Colonialism and imperialism were overlapping concepts. It was 'The same lady with a different dress'. What gave the incentive to the new German concept was not a formulation of a geography professor, but the new technology.

 

Haushofer offered Hess to be his academic aide. At the same time Hitler offered Hess to be his secretary. Hess did not hesitate and chose the second job, but he created also interconnection between Haushofer to Hitler. Haushofer visited Hitler and Hess few times when they were in jail, and aided them in writing 'Mein Kampf'. The disordered Hitler listened in excitement to the geopolitical theories. The 'living space' became the scientific political rationale for all the shapeless rage that was accumulated in him. He adopted the guidance he received in full heart, and copied the doctrine in its full significance to his interior and international policy.

 

Haushofer thought of the S-S as the German samurais and of the Japanese as the 'Arians of the east'. He pressed on Hitler to combine Japan in the pact with Germany. Hitler agreed. The agreement promised a reciprocal usefulness. The two states started each one in fascistic operations.

 

The Japanese air offensive on Pearl Harbor is considered outstanding intelligence and operational success. The spy who gave the Japanese the details of Pearl Harbor was one of Haushofer's students.

 

It was also a significant innovation in the doctrine of fighting: For the first time a large air offensive was carried out with airplanes that took off from ships. The endless oceans that up to here there were controlled by vessels surrendered finally to the new transportation.

 

Rienhard Hiedrich, who developed an impressive combat pilot career in parallel to his job as head of the secret German police, swooped down on the opportunity to boast and enforce his authority. Months previously he received from Goering an unclear order to solve in a final way the problem of the Jews. This thing needed cooperation between quarrelling institutes, that on most of them he did not know how to impose his authority.

 

At this time his record as pilot could impress much more. On January 20, 1942, a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he flew his light airplane from Prague, where he dwelled as governor of Czechoslovakia, to Berlin. Within only seventeen minutes he summarized the subject, and delegated his authority to Eichman. Without Pearl Harbor the final solution could end in a bureaucratic maze, like other great Nazi initiatives.

 

On May 3, 1941 Haushofer talked in four eyes with Rudolph Hess, who was titled, together with Goering, as Hitler's deputy. The two of them spoke on the future. The unstable, if not insane, actions of Hitler, exhausted Germany. They undermined the European-Asian block which Haushofer created. There were based apprehensions that Hitler will turn against Stalin, and impose the state into the war in two fronts.

 

Haushofer and Hess did not want it. Hess exited secretly to England, in a specially prepared airplane. The program did not succeed. Hess spoke frankly, but Churchill didn't want peace with the demonic crowd of Hitler. Hess was arrested for the rest of the war as a criminal of war.

 

Hitler acted rapidly. He dismissed all the aides and friends of Hess. For Haushofer this was the beginning of the end.

 

In June 22, 1941 Hitler invaded Russia. The vision of the European-Asian alliance evaporated. Like many others in the Nazi regime, Haushofer searched for a solution to the situation. After the defeat in Stalingrad it was clear that the Reich collapses. He became active in the organization that plotted the assault on Hitler. His son Albert joined.

 

In 1946, in the age 75, he ended his life in the spirit of the Samurai customs. The German professor lost his respect, his role, his homeland, and the single thing which remained for him was his soul. He murdered his Jewish wife, who collaborated, and later executed suicide.

 

 

 

Avinoam Amizan is the author of the book: Holocaust and Aviation
http://www.holylandmap.net/avho/enavhocover.htm
His home website is: The Human Shape of the Holy Land
http://www.holylandmap.net/