God's Grace in Their Last Hours

The following is a report made by an American, H.F. Gerecke, who was appointed to the spiritual care of the German War Criminals, and it proves that God's grace exceeds all our thoughts.

In August 1943 I went on active service. After having passed through an obligatory instruction course, I was then stationed in a large hospital. From 1944 for fourteen months, I ministered to the sick and the wounded. In 1945 we crossed the Channel to France and arrived in Germany on July 15th. A few months later, I was appointed chaplain to the high Nazi Criminals during their trials at Nurnberg.

Before having to visit these Nazi leaders in their cells, I asked myself the question: Must I greet these men who had bought such unspeakable suffering on the world, and the cause of the sacrifice of so many millions of lives? My two only sons were also victims of their misdeeds. How should I comport myself before such men so that they would be willing to receive God's word?

First of all I went into Goering's cell. The former Air Marshal took a military attitude, clicked his heels and gave me his hand. Then I made them all a short visit. This was on November 20th just before the trial took place. The night I passed in prayer, asking God to give me a message for them. These men must hear something of the Saviour who suffered and died also on the cross for them.

There were 21 prisoners. Six of them chose the Roman Catholic Church for their spiritual aid; 15 others desired Protestant Ministry. Four out of the six were Roman Catholics, 7 of the 15 were members of the Lutheran Church. Streicher, Jodl, Hess and Rosenberg never attended a service.

A double cell of the prison was made into a small chapel, where we could hold our services. A former Lieut.-Col. of the S.S. was our organist for both the Roman Catholic and Protestant communities. Towards the end of my service in Nurnberg, this organist trusted in Christ and took part in the communion service. The simple gospel of the Cross had changed his heart.

Frank, Seyss-Inquart, Kaltenbrunner and Von Papen attended the Roman Catholic service. Keitel, Von Ribbentrop, Raeder, Donitz, Von Neurath, Speer, Schacht, Frick, Funk, Fritsche, Von Schirach, Sauckel and Goering formed my congregation. We used to sing three hymns, read portions of the Scripture, and then give a short address closing with prayer.

Sauckel was the first who opened his heart to the gospel. He was the father of ten children and had a Christian wife. After a few visits, we knelt down by his bed and prayed the publican's prayer: "God be merciful to me a sinner." I know that he was perfectly sincere. Then Fritsche, Von Schirach and Speer asked permission to take the communion. As I saw these three men receiving the bread and wine I was seized with emotion, for God had worked mightily through His Word and Spirit in their hearts, and as repentant sinners they accepted pardon through Christ.

Raeder, the Chief of the German Navy, read zealously his Bible. He often came to me with difficult passages.
Keitel, the Chief of the German Army staff, asked me to convey his thanks to those who had provided for their spiritual welfare, being criminals. With tears he said, "They have helped me more than they could have imagined; may Christ sustain me."
With Von Ribbentrop, at first I found no response, but later on he commenced also to read the Bible.

There was never any trouble or difficulty. Keitel, Von Ribbentrop, Sauckel, Raeder, Speer, Fritsche and Von Schirach took part in the communion service. Then followed the promulgation of the sentences. Goering, Von Ribbentrop, Keitel, Kaltenbrunner, Rosenberg, Frank, Frick, Streicher, Sauckel, Jodl and Seyss-Inquart were condemned to death by hanging. Hess, Funk an Raeder to prison for life. Von Schirach and Speer to twenty years. Von Neurath to fifteen and Doenitz to ten years. Schacht, Von Papen and Fritsche were acquitted.

The greater part of the remaining time I spent in the condemned cells.
Through a favour of the prosecution, the condemned men were allowed to see once more their wives. It was a very sad meeting. I heard Von Ribbentrop ask his wife to promise to bring up their children in the fear of the Lord. Sauckel asked his wife to vow to bring up their numerous family beneath the Cross of Jesus. Goering asked what his little daughter Edda said when she heard his sentence, and had to hear that the child hoped to meet her Daddy in heaven. This affected him, and it was the first time I saw him in tears.

Day and night I remained with those who had committed their souls to God. I visited some of them often five times daily. Von Ribbentrop read his Bible the greater part of the day. Keitel was most moved by the portions which spoke of the redeeming power of the blood of Christ. Sauckel was very upset and said many times that he would collapse before the execution of the sentence. He prayed out loud continually, "O God be merciful to me a sinner." These three took the communion for the last time with me in their cells. God had changed their hearts, and now in the presence of death, having lost all material things and their unworthy lives, they were able to rely on the promises of God for lost sinners.

On the evening before the execution of the sentences, I had a long interview with Goering. I put before him the necessity of preparing himself to meet God. In the course of our conversation, he ridiculed certain Bible truths, and refused to accept that Christ died for sinners. It was a conscious denial of the power of the blood. "Death is death" was the substance of his last words. As I recalled to him the hope of his little daughter to meet him in heaven, he replied, "She believes in her manner and I in mine."
An hour later I heard many agitated voices and then I learned that Goering had taken his life. His heart was still beating when I entered his cell, but when I questioned him, there was no answer. A small empty glass tube lay on his breast, and he had gone into eternity - a frightful end!

As the hour of the execution of the sentences approached, now that Goering was dead, Von Ribbentrop was the first to mount the gallows. Before he left his cell, he declared that he put all his confidence in the blood of the Lamb that took away the guilt of the world, and he prayed that God would have mercy on his soul. Then came the order to proceed to the execution chamber. His hands were bound. He mounted the 13 steps to the gallows, I uttered a last prayer, and he was no more. Keitel also went into eternity confiding in the pardoning grace of God. Then Sauckel went to his death, and with a last greeting to his wife and children and a last prayer, he exchanged his earthly life for an eternal one.

Frick assured me before his death that he believed also in the cleansing blood, and that during our simple gospel services he had personally met Jesus Christ.
Of the last group was Rosenberg, who had constantly refused all spiritual aid. To my request that I might pray for him, he replied with a smile, "No, thank you." He lived and died without a Saviour.

Now came Streicher's end. At first he refused to give his name, but as the moment of the execution came, he mentioned the name of his wife, and went into eternity with a cry of "Heil Hitler." A dreadful end!

The sincere repentance that God worked in the lives of those who, according to human estimation, were only worthy of the deepest infamy, may give perhaps a ray of hope to those who have corrupted their lives through sin. "The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL sin."

Nearly two thousand years ago, three crosses were erected at Golgotha. In the midst hung Jesus Christ crucified, the Saviour of the world. On either side were crucified two malefactors. One of them in the last moments of his sinful life repented and appealed for pardon, and was transported into paradise. The other died unsaved and passed into eternity.

The cross is no longer there, but the value and the preciousness of the perfect work of redemption remain unchanged. Salvation in Christ is still the same for all seeking souls as it was in that day. The attitude to the cross decides the eternal destiny. Faith in Jesus and His shed blood gives evidence of sins forgiven. God's merciful hand saves from the place of eternal torment where the fire is not extinguished and the worm dieth not for those whose faith is in Christ.