People We Would Be Surprised To See In Heaven

There was to be a daily service in the chapel lasting about an hour, but attendance was to be voluntary. Would any attend? Gerecke visited each cell and spoke encouragingly to each lone occupant saying that God had a message for each one and asking them to encourage one another to attend. Alfred Rosenberg, the tall, slender philosopher aged fifty-two, told the chaplain that he had no need of his help, and he never attended the services. He had dismissed Christianity and defined Nazi ideology in a book, The Myth of the Twentieth Century, which had sold a million copies and had greatly influenced Hitler. It propagated racial purity for German races, and because of this, evolutionary theories - especially 'survival of the fittest' - operated throughout the war, and elimination of inferior races such as the Jews was just one outcome. He believed there was a Jewish plot to rule the world.

Two others who never attended were Julius Streicher and Alfred Jodl the Chief-of-Staff. But, surprisingly, Goering attended all the services throughout the year during the time the trial was going on. He was heard to whisper that attendance could help their case but in any case it was a change to get out from the loneliness of their cells. Gerecke was relieved to find that all three attended regularly. (There were others who chose the Roman Catholic padre, who are not included here.)

• Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Himmler's Deputy and former chief of the security police, condemned to death by hanging


• Arthur Seyss-Inquart, Commissioner for occupied Holland, condemned to death by hanging


• Franz von Papen, diplomat and Ambassador to Austria and Turkey, discharged

As I said in my newspaper article fifty years ago, if such gatherings were not the strangest in history, to cap it all, the one chosen to join the prisoners to play the organ for the hymns was a lieutenant colonel of the dreaded notorious SS guards. Nevertheless he accepted Christ as his Saviour at the end of the year's services. The chaplain wrote: 'Towards the end of the series of services, this organist trusted in Christ, and took part in the communion service. The simple Gospel of the Cross had changed his heart.'

Twenty-two Signatures of Appreciation!

You may still wonder if the lure to the daily service was just to get away from the cell, but a beautiful action was taken which showed that this was not so. For these details we are indebted to Fred Grossmith whose book gives fuller additional information which he gleaned from his visit to Germany in 1984. See his book, The Cross and the Swastika (Word Books, Milton Keynes, 1988).

In his book, he records that after eight months of the prison services the prisoners heard the rumour that their padre might be called back to America. Henry Gerecke had not been home to see his wife for two and a half years and naturally both badly needed the reunion and rest, and Henry himself had let out a moan about their separation. Consequently, his wife received a most incredible letter back home pleading with her to let her husband remain as padre to the end of their tenure. The letter had on it all the signatures of the prisoners, which today must be the biggest collection of world famous - or infamous - signatures in history.

The letter was composed by Hans Fritzsche and translates as follows:

Figure 5.5. Letter containing 22 signatures of Nazis on trial for war crimes pleading with Mrs Gerecke to allow her husband to remain as padre during their trial. Source: F.T. Grossmith, The Cross and the Swastika, Word Books, 1984.

Your husband has been taking religious care of the undersigned for more than half a year. We have now heard that you wish to see him back home after his absence of several years. Because we also have wives and children we understand this wish of yours well. Nevertheless we are asking you to put off your wish to gather your family around you. Please consider that we cannot miss your husband now. During the past months he has shown us uncompromising friendliness of such a kind that we cannot be without him in these surroundings in which - but for him - we find only prejudice, cold disdain or hatred. It is impossible for any other to break through the walls that have been built around us, in a spiritual sense even stronger than a material one. We have simply come to love him. Please leave him with us. Certainly you will feel this sacrifice and we shall be deeply indebted to you. We send our best wishes to you and your family. God be with you.

Amazingly all twenty-two prisoners signed this letter.

What had moved them to write in this way? Gerecke simply says: 'My congregation used to sing three hymns; we read portions of the scripture, and then gave a short address, closing with prayer. There was never any trouble or difficulty.'

What an amazing assembly! It was just as if the leading figures of a country's government were before him to hear the gospel clearly explained step-by-step, day-by-day. Most of the power figures of an important and talented country were before him to listen to the former farm boy who was now a chaplain. Most of them had degrees, had held high office and had exercised great power over millions of people. It was as if nearly all the country's cabinet were before him to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, which they had opposed and tried to destroy. Their faith in the gospel had been destroyed by Rosenberg's application of evolution, and by the German school of criticism of the Holy Scriptures, and now they came daily to hear the liberating truth.

Before Chaplain Henry Gerecke sat most of the former Government:

• The Chief of the Air Force, the Luftwaffe, Hermann Wilhelm Goering


• The Foreign Minister, Joachim Ribbentrop


• Chief of the Army High Command, Wilhelm Keitel


• The Minister of the Interior, Wilheim Frick


• The Director of Manpower and Employment, Fritz Sauckel


• The head of the National Reichsbank and Finance, Walter Funk


• Chief of the Navy, Erech Raeder


• National Youth Leader and Governor of Austria, Baldur Schirach


• Armaments Minister, Albert Speer


• The Ambassador in London and Protector of Bohemia, Constantin Neurath


• Chief-in-Charge U Boats, Chief-in-Charge German Navy, and Fuehrer succeeding Hitler, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz


• Minister of Economics, and Reichsbank President, Hjalmar Schackt


• Propaganda Minister, Hans Fritzsche