The Surrender That Never Was

On the 27th March 1945, for a period of about two weeks, General Günther Blumentritt assumed command of the 1st Parachute Army whose commander (General Alfred Schlemm) had been wounded in action.



General Günther Blumentritt who in February 1945 was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross

On the 10th April he commanded "Army Group Blumentritt"—a number of understrength units that was tasked with delaying the Anglo-Canadian advance into northern Germany and keeping the Baltic sea ports open as long as possible so that German troops and refugees could escape from the Russian advance in the east.

On 2 May, after the death of Hitler on the 30th April, Blumentritt ordered his men to give no further resistance to the Allies and to fall back gradually.
He wished to surrender his Army Group to General Montgomery but, early on the 3rd May, the British were informed that he would not be attending a scheduled meeting as "something is going on above my level".

That something was a delegation of senior German officers driving south from Flensburg heading for Lüneburg.