SBS - Hitlers Henchmen Vol. 2 (1998) Part 3 Ribbentrop The Errand Boy

Created, ordered and led by Hitler, the state apparatus of Nazi Germany rigorously controlled all aspects of life in the Third Reich from cradle to grave. To maintain his iron grip on the German people through the ministries of his dictatorial government, Hitler surrounded himself with a small clique of fanatical, devoted acolytes. Men such as Heinrich Himmler, the much-feared chief of the Waffen-SS and organiser of the Holocaust, and Hermann Goering, the bombastic head of the Luftwaffe, wielded enormous power and held the fate of millions in their corrupt hands. This series tells the inside story of the Third Reich, looking at the personalities, roles and rivalries of Hitler's closest associates; Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Reich's chief diplomat; Baldur von Schirach, the fanatic who moulded the thoughts of the youth of Germany; and Martin Bormann, Hitler's enigmatic advisor. The programs not only examine the actions of these infamous men, but probes their psychological makeup, determining how they earned Hitler's trust, became blindly loyal to the cause, committed deadly atrocities and remained unrepentant to the end. Made in association with Germany's leading TV producer, HITLER'S HENCHMEN features never-before seen footage from both government and private sources, rare photographs, documents and eyewitness testimony that proves conclusively that these men were not just following orders, but willing accomplices in Hitler's crimes. Among those interviewed are members of Hitler's staff, retired German army officers, and world- renowned historians. It's the definitive dossier of some of the most reviled men in history. “Hitler's Henchmen Volume 2” is a six-part sequel to “Hitler's Henchmen Volume 1”, portraying the men who aided Adolf Hitler in his rise to power and serviced the infernal machinery of the Third Reich. They were the men who consolidated Hitler's reign and turned his plans into action. Hitler's henchmen wove the complicities and plots without which Hitler could have never perpetrated the crime of the century. They helped to sway the judges and the bureaucrats, the armed forces and the police, the scientists and the industrialists, the students and their teachers to the regime's ways of thinking. What kind of men were they? What inspired them to serve a corrupt administration with such enthusiasm and devotion? How did their careers unfold and their fates end? This fascinating original German ZDF series answers all these and other burning questions by examining six of Hitler's most infamous cohorts. With the use of newly discovered film clips and sound recordings from international archives, the portraits of these aides-de-camp provide viewers with a revealing psychogram of 'Hitler's most willing executors', making it a must-have for anyone interested in military history.

Part 3 Ribbentrop The Errand Boy

Von Ribbentrop was the archetype of a careerist, who rose from humble origins to the highest levels of power. He was a versatile adviser and envoy, who quickly won Hitler's favor and was sent to London as Germany's ambassador. After that, he served as Foreign Minister, and was tasked with preparing the way for Hitler's high-flying attack plans. Largely thanks to Ribbentrop's efforts to bring about the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union, Hitler received the support he needed to invade Poland. As war succeeded diplomacy however, he lost prestige and to compensate that he and his entire staff worked to persuade Germany's neighbours to turn over their Jewish citizens for slaughter in “final solution.” He would meet his fate at Nuremberg…

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