◆ SpookStack

• • Juot what the factii are It ifl impossible to I t ia Alleged that his war record haa been badly tampered ilth and , r that TOU. Schleicher wae eliminated during the Blood Purge because he knew the true fsc'tfi. Straaser who served In the s.nm& divi&ion has probably as good an explanation as any* Ee flays that during the laet months of the war there ware so HGJIJ First Clccs Cro£5*s being given out that Genar.'jl Heed quarter £ irefl no longer able to paae on the flerita of each individual, cafie- To Jfacilitdts matt«rd a number of these decorations w»re allotted to each regiont tenth to be Issued by tha Cofona&ding Officers. Tljoy^in ttirn, tified the Hifch CoaunAnd of the award and the deed wbicfc merited it- According to StrnBPer, *h&n the anay began to.collEp^e, the Regi- f • ^ •eatal HeadCiiiartere had in thsir paBflefifiiou a nunb«r of decorationB which had not been awarded* Since few member e of the Headquarter a Staff ever recalled an award of this type they took advantage of the general melee and gave thefr to each other and forced the signa- ture" of the conunahdiij£ offio«r in sending i t to the High CouuAnd, • The thing that srpenka in favor of this explanation 1B the curious bond which exists between Hitler and hie regimental^ ae Mai Amaiid who was later to become the head of the flazi Eher < • TbJ.fi ia ofle of the mo&t lucratiTe position* in the entire hierarchy and Anmnn wac called to the" position by Hitler*. The only eiplnnatioit for the lack of promotion thet has been published is the cogent of one of hie of fie era to the effect that ha would never Hake a noa-fromiscloned officer "out of that • neurotic fellow, Hitler*, {tauochning (947J giYeo a dlffarwit explon- / v • atioo. Bo clelj»a that ft high Wasi had once confided in hin thet'he REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES