Donitz was not a Nazi-but was unquestioningly loyal to Hitler
Unusually for such a high-ranking and trusted senior officer, Donitz never at any point joined the Nazi party. Although his two sons joined the Hitler Youth and his daughter the League of German Girls, both Donitz, and his wife remained staunchly outside the party. “We Liked being non-political, ” said Ursula Hessler, Donitz’s daughter, “As for our feelings towards National Socialist party, we were fairly average for that time in Germany.”
However, even though Donitz never joined the Nazis, he did share some of their ideals. Several of his comments smacked of anti-Semitism. He blamed Sweden’s decision to close its international waters to Germany because of the country’s dependence on “international Jewish capital.” In August 1944, he said he would “rather eat dirt than see my grandchildren grow up in the filthy, poisonous atmosphere of Jewry.” This remark was explained away later as meaning that Germany would stronger in the war without the Jews. But Donitz also denied that he or his men would have advocated harm to Jews.
Despite his lack of party membership, Donitz advanced- because of his loyalty to Hitler. In a speech to his commanders in chief on German Heroes day, 1944, he reminded them of their debt to the Fuehrer:
“What would have become of our country today if the Fuehrer had not united us under National-Socialism? Split into parties, beset with the spreading poison of Jewry and vulnerable to it, and lacking, as a defense, our present uncompromising world outlook, we would long since have succumbed to the burdens of this war and been subject to the merciless destruction of our adversaries.”
Donitz’s loyalty to Hitler was unquestioning. He would not go against any of the dictates of his leader- even when he himself did not quite agree with them. When Albert Speer, Hitler’s Minister of Armaments wanted to stop Hitler’s scorched earth policy and tried to recruit Donitz’s heap, the admiral refused.
“In comparison to Hitler we are all pipsqueaks”, he declared loyally. “Anyone who believes he can do better than the Führer is stupid.”