30. Why did Hitler choose Karl Doenitz as his successor?
From Quiz The End of the Reich
Answer:
He felt betrayed by the German Army and the Luftwaffe
During one of Hitler's final conferences with his staff, he learned that an attack he had ordered through SS Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner to repulse the Russian onslaught had never even mobilized. At this, Hitler dismissed everyone from the room except for Generals Keitel, Jodl, Krebs, and Burgdorf. He then flew into a rage, saying that the army had betrayed and fought against his orders from the very beginning. For the first time, he admitted that all was lost. Later that evening, Hermann Goering sent a telegram reminding Hitler of his Order of Succession that made him next in line as leader of the Reich should something happen to him. He said that if he didn't hear back from Hitler by 10:00 PM that evening, he would consider him "incapacitated", and assume command. Martin Bormann got his hands on the telegram first, and made it sound as though Goering was giving Hitler an ultimatum, and trying to stage a coup. Hitler ordered that Goering be stripped of all offices and expelled from the party. The Luftwaffe was now out of the picture. The final straw for the SS came when, a few days later, Hitler received news of Himmler's secret negotiations with the Western powers. Heartbroken at the betrayal of "Loyal Himmler", he also ordered his expulsion from the party. The German Navy was the only branch of the armed forces not proven treacherous, even though they had ceased to be any kind of decisive force long ago, so Grand Admiral Doenitz was named as Hitler's successor. Later, Doenitz blamed Speer for his sudden rise, saying "This is all your fault" while they were imprisoned in Spandau after the Nuremberg trials.