On 18 October 1943, Guenter Paschen, retired naval captain [in German navy] from Flensburg, was sentenced to death by the People’s Court for assisting the enemy and for undermining the morale of the army.

Paschen, whose family on his mother’s side comes from Denmark and who is married to an English woman, was a veteran in World War I and took part in the Skagerrak battle and later on in the Finland operation. Last, he was liaison officer with General von der Goltz. Having retired after the collapse, he was a naval training officer from 1926–1936.

Paschen, since his retirement, is a resident of Flensburg and moves in the circle of the Danish minority. He had a political discussion at the end of August 1943 with two Danes, unknown to him, who wanted to rent a furnished room in his house. He then expressed the view that he did not believe in a German victory and that he thought the secret weapons to be propaganda bluff. Furthermore, he stated that Denmark had been treated unjustly in 1864 and that the Reich must give Schleswig back to Denmark.

One of the Danes adopted these views as his own and tried to shake the confidence in victory of a woman naval auxiliary with whom he had an affair.

The sentence will be executed.

Berlin, .... November 1943

(Expert on the case: Chief Public Prosecutor Dr. Franke)

[Initials] R [Rothenberger]

V [Vollmer]