The Flensburg government refers to the short-lived administration that attempted to rule Germany in May 1945 following the suicides of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels and the Fall of Berlin. Led by Hitler's designated successor, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, the administration was referred to as the Flensburg government as Flensburg, near the border with Denmark, was the headquarters of Dönitz by this time, and because the area the government controlled was limited to the vicinity of the town by the encroaching Allied armies. Dönitz appointed Ludwig von Krosigk as Chancellor on May 1, 1945 (Goebbels, who Hitler had appointed Chancellor, committed suicide in Berlin on that day). The cabinet had its first meeting in Flensburg on May 5th. Heinrich Himmler and Alfred Rosenberg were both dismissed from office on May 6th. Some accounts say this was done in an attempt to make the government more acceptable to the Allies, others because the two were interfering with the functioning of the new regime. Other members of the Flensburg government included Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, General Alfred Jodl, and Albert Speer. They attempted to direct what was left of Germany's armed forces towards the invading western armies in hopes that they would be captured by British and American forces rather than the Soviet Red Army. A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime. ... Look up May in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... It has been suggested that Suicide and culture be merged into this article or section. ... â–¶ (help· info) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 to his death. ... Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitlers Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. ... Combatants Germany Soviet Union, Poland Commanders Gotthard Heinrici Helmuth Weidling Helmuth Reymann Wilhelm Mohnke Georgy Zhukov Ivan Konev Vassili Chuikov Strength 1 million men, 1,500 AFVs, 3,300 aircraft 2. ... The last will and testament of Adolf Hitler were dictated by Hitler to his secretary Traudl Junge in his Berlin Führerbunker on April 29, 1945 the day he and Eva Braun married. ... Karl Dönitz â–¶(?) (pronounced ) (September 16, 1891 – December 24, 1980) was a naval leader in Germany during World War II. Despite never joining the Nazi Party, Dönitz attained the high rank of Grand Admiral (Großadmiral) and served as Commander in Chief of Submarines (), and later Commander in Chief... Flensburg (Danish: Flensborg, North Frisian: Flansborj) is an independent town in the North of the German state Schleswig-Holstein. ... Count Johann Ludwig (Lutz) Schwerin von Krosigk, EK, (August 22, 1887–March 4, 1977) was a German politician. ... The German head of government has been known as the Chancellor (German: Kanzler) ever since the creation of the post. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Heinrich Himmler â–¶ (help· info) (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ... Alfred Rosenberg in 1933 Alfred Rosenberg (January 12, 1893–October 16, 1946) was an early and intellectually influential member of the Nazi party, who later held several important posts in the Nazi government. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (September 22, 1882 – October 16, 1946) was a German Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) and a senior military leader during World War II. Early life and career The son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner, he was born in Helmscherode near Hanover, Germany. ... Generaloberst Alfred Jodl Alfred Jodl (May 10, 1890 - October 16, 1946) was a Wehrmacht officer. ... Albert Speer â–¶ (help· info) (March 19, 1905 – September 1, 1981) was born Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer in Mannheim, Germany, the second of three sons. ... The short forms Red Army and RKKA refer to the Workers and Peasants Red Army, (in Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия - Raboche-Krestyanskaya Krasnaya Armiya), the armed forces first organised by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War in 1918. ...

On May 7, 1945, Dönitz authorized Jodl, the Chief-of-Staff of the German Armed Forces, to sign the unconditional surrender of German forces to the Allies. The Flensburg government hoped to preside over post-War Germany as a provisional government but was not recognized by the Allies with its attempts to work with the occupation forces ignored by General Dwight Eisenhower, Allied Supreme Commander in Europe. May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Unconditional surrender refers to a surrender without conditions, except for those provided by international law. ... A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a previous administration or regime. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ...

Dönitz and his ministers attempted to run what was left of Germany communicating its orders through Radio Flensburg but was largely unsuccessful. The government was dissolved when its members were captured and arrested by British forces on May 23, 1945. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Dönitz Cabinet

• Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, Reich President
• Ludwig von Krosigk, Reich Chancellor
• Lutz von Schwerin-Krosigk, Foreign Minister, Minister of Finance, and presiding officer of the Cabinet
• Heinrich Himmler, Minister of Interior (dismissed May 6, 1945)
• Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart, Minister of Culture, succeeded Himmler as Minister of the Interior
• Albert Speer, Minister of Industry and Production
• Dr. Herbert Backe, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forests
• Dr. Franz Seldte, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
• Dr. Julius Dorpmüller, Minister of Posts and Communications

• General Alfred Jodl was Chief of Staff of the German Armed Forces and Dönitz' representative in negotiations with the Allies
• Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel was on the General Staff and represnted Dönitz in negotiations with the Red Army