Wilfred von Oven
Encyclopedia
Wilfred von Oven was between 1943 and the German capitulation in 1945 the personal Press adjutant
of Propaganda Minister
Joseph Goebbels
.
He was born of German parents, the father's side having a strong military tradition. His father fell in Flanders in 1917: two uncles held high rank in the German Army, and of these Ernst von Oven (1859-1945) was the highest ranking German officer in the field at the Armistice and subsequently reported directly to the Minister of Defence. Both helped form Freikorps
to combat communism and the revolutionary movement in Germany.
Wilfred von Oven joined the SA
and Nazi Party on 1 May 1931, but resigned from both exactly one year later in protest at the shift of Nazism
to the Right (the "Stennes Revolt
"). Oven was interested in journalism and served with the Legion Condor in Spain as a war correspondent. After obtaining an Army commission in 1939 he served with the Propaganda Ministry as a war correspondent reporting from the fronts in Poland
and the Soviet Union
during World War II
. In 1943 in the rank of Leutnant the OKW
appointed him became Goebbel's Press adjutant, which he remained until the end of the war.
In a German TV documentary on the "German Resistance
", von Oven described the events of the July 20 plot
which he witnessed. On the afternoon in question the Propaganda Ministry on the Wilhelmstrasse, with Goebbels inside was surrounded by disloyal troops. Goebbels ordered Oven to discover whether escape was possible. He found they were trapped but reported that the telephone system was still working, an oversight by the plotters which assisted in their downfall.
At the capitulation in 1945 von Oven went into hiding under an assumed name to escape Allied internment: Werner Naumann
, the replacement Propaganda Minister for Goebbels whose assistant von Oven would have been, fled to Argentina in 1946, where von Oven arrived in 1951. Von Oven was declared "persona non grata
" by the Federal German Embassy in Buenos Aires and remained a committed Nazi. He continued to reject Christianity for Germanic Neopaganism
until his death. He was married, and the author of several books and numerous magazine articles.
Wilfred von Oven: Mit ruhig festem Schritt- Aus der Geschichte der SA, 1998.
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of Propaganda Minister
Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was Nazi Germany's ministry that enforced Nazi Party ideology in Germany and regulated its culture and society. Founded on March 13, 1933, by Adolf Hitler's new National Socialist government, the Ministry was headed by Dr...
Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
.
He was born of German parents, the father's side having a strong military tradition. His father fell in Flanders in 1917: two uncles held high rank in the German Army, and of these Ernst von Oven (1859-1945) was the highest ranking German officer in the field at the Armistice and subsequently reported directly to the Minister of Defence. Both helped form Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
to combat communism and the revolutionary movement in Germany.
Wilfred von Oven joined the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
and Nazi Party on 1 May 1931, but resigned from both exactly one year later in protest at the shift of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
to the Right (the "Stennes Revolt
Stennes Revolt
The Stennes Revolt, led by Walter Stennes , the Berlin commandant of the Sturmabteilung , erupted in the summer of 1930 and again in the spring of 1931...
"). Oven was interested in journalism and served with the Legion Condor in Spain as a war correspondent. After obtaining an Army commission in 1939 he served with the Propaganda Ministry as a war correspondent reporting from the fronts in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1943 in the rank of Leutnant the OKW
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
appointed him became Goebbel's Press adjutant, which he remained until the end of the war.
In a German TV documentary on the "German Resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
", von Oven described the events of the July 20 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
which he witnessed. On the afternoon in question the Propaganda Ministry on the Wilhelmstrasse, with Goebbels inside was surrounded by disloyal troops. Goebbels ordered Oven to discover whether escape was possible. He found they were trapped but reported that the telephone system was still working, an oversight by the plotters which assisted in their downfall.
At the capitulation in 1945 von Oven went into hiding under an assumed name to escape Allied internment: Werner Naumann
Werner Naumann
Werner Naumann was a State Secretary in Joseph Goebbels' Propagandaministerium during the Third Reich. He was appointed head of the Propaganda Ministry by Führer Adolf Hitler in his political testament after Dr. Goebbels was promoted to Reichskanzler.-Early life and political career:Naumann was...
, the replacement Propaganda Minister for Goebbels whose assistant von Oven would have been, fled to Argentina in 1946, where von Oven arrived in 1951. Von Oven was declared "persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
" by the Federal German Embassy in Buenos Aires and remained a committed Nazi. He continued to reject Christianity for Germanic Neopaganism
Germanic Neopaganism
Germanic neopaganism is the contemporary revival of historical Germanic paganism. Precursor movements appeared in the early 20th century in Germany and Austria. A second wave of revival began in the early 1970s...
until his death. He was married, and the author of several books and numerous magazine articles.
External links
Wilfred von Oven: Mit ruhig festem Schritt- Aus der Geschichte der SA, 1998.