Phantoms of the Archive: Kwame Nkrumah, a Nazi Pilot Named Hanna, and the Contingencies of Postcolonial History-Writing

Abstract

Jean Allman teaches African History and chairs the Department of History at Washington University. Her recent books include Fashioning Africa: Power and the Politics of Dress (Indiana University Press, 2004) and Tongnaab: The History of a West African God (with John Parker, Indiana University Press, 2005). Her research on gender, colonialism, and African nationalism has appeared in the Journal of African History; Africa; Gender and History; the Journal of Women's History; History Workshop Journal; and Souls. Allman co-edits, with Allen Isaacman, the New African Histories series at Ohio University Press and is currently writing a book on gender, intimacy, and the state in Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana. In March 1962, as the West African nation of Ghana marked five years of independence from British colonial rule, the country's most popular newspaper, the Daily Graphic, introduced readers to yet another in a long list of high-profile international visitors. This visitor, however, was not the usual diplomat, artistic performer, or anticolonial freedom fighter. A prominent headline and accompanying photo announced her as “The Woman Who Dares the Heavens.”1 And who was this daring woman? She was, according to the news story, the famous West German pilot Hanna Reitsch, who was visiting the nation's capital, on President Kwame Nkrumah's invitation, to “advise” the government on flight and gliding. In addition to providing brief biographical information, which noted Reitsch's “carrying out [of] dangerous test flights” during the war and the fact that she had been awarded the Iron Cross First Class, the “highest German decoration,” the article focused primarily on the reason for her visit to Ghana and her notably demure appearance. “Anyone who has heard of Hanna Reitsch,” journalist Edith Wuver informed local readers, “would expect her to be tall and perhaps masculine in build. But she is only a small woman, hardly above five feet and feminine in every way … Hanna has the feminine approach to her profession.”2 What the journalist did not mention—nor any of her colleagues in the national news service who covered the visit—was that Flight Captain Hanna Reitsch was not just an extraordinary woman pilot, “feminine in every way,” in a profession dominated by men.3 In the post–World War II era, Reitsch was best known for her very close connection to Adolf Hitler. Perhaps most famously, in the last days of the war, she undertook a dramatic flight into Berlin, landing near the Brandenburg Gate under heavy Soviet army fire. Colonel-General Robert Ritter von Greim (reputedly Reitsch's longtime lover) had requested that she fly him to a meeting with Hitler, who intended to make von Greim the head of the Luftwaffe. Reitsch spent two days in the Führer's infamous bunker and was one of the last to leave alive. Although initially given a vial of poison by Hitler, she was subsequently ordered to fly out with von Greim in a last-ditch effort to reconstitute the Luftwaffe. She did so—departing under Soviet fire heavier than that which had greeted her two days earlier. Reitsch's was the last German plane to fly out of Berlin in the final days of the war. Shortly thereafter, both she and von Greim were captured by Allied forces. Reitsch was held and interrogated by U.S. military intelligence for eighteen months; von Greim committed suicide.4 After her initial visit to Ghana in 1962—a visit covered almost daily in the press—Reitsch would relocate there and devote her considerable energies to setting up a gliding school about fifteen kilometers from the capital, Accra, in the small town of Afienya. The West German and Ghanaian governments jointly supported her work. During Reitsch's years in Ghana, however, her notorious past did not feature once in the regular and extensive media coverage given her school by the daily press. Rather, she appeared as just one of the many energetic and devoted expatriates, from a diverse range of places and political persuasions, who were assisting with the work of nation-building and modernization in Nkrumah's newly independent state. Yet those individuals, for the most part, seemed to share at least some part of Nkrumah's nationalist and pan-Africanist dream—George Padmore, Conor Cruise O'Brien, W. E. B. and Shirley Graham Du Bois, Geoffrey Bing, and Maya Angelou, to name just a few.5 How do Flight Captain Hanna Reitsch into this How of flight and modernization in was known as the of to by many and to this very as an and an for the as not for a of yet and about and and about the very writing of African the of an infamous pilot nation-building and modernization there is the of that is by the the and of the the and the of African independence and and in is to and about about the with which the and be of and of at the of the has been almost on the colonial as was by the that only the most part, the of the colonial a given and focused on out and of in the of and in to the on of past to on the colonial by as as than a African in the on the that colonial … and the of as colonial the on the to of the colonial in been with one with than with colonial the to of to this The of with as and to the colonial both and the But is as to of and than to of or with the colonial But as up the of writing and national do to to of the or to the of to be in the of the the or the the with or by a colonial or that colonial as has of state … that the do the national of or those colonial to from and the according to the of a a of a very both and for the writing and the of African in which the of Kwame and Hanna Reitsch be on of In the the of Reitsch's in Ghana be the of both and a range of to and that by a of and But Nkrumah's and Reitsch's a of and in and into a of from to the of Kwame Hanna Reitsch, and the in not only the and of independent the very of a is an of by of the is not for those with and the of those of the the and and with the of in or the of the state. by that of Ghanaian and Reitsch's Kwame for Kwame that heard of Reitsch from the under she had up a gliding school in in In a Reitsch to to with him and government in to a flight school in During her visit in Reitsch with on as as with of the of the Ghanaian the head of the of the and of the to a flight school on the in the She with about who to be gliding in West at that Although the initial for the school to in out to be Reitsch was in Ghana in and the she the of for and a and for and up to She and her the Ghana that Ghana with international pilot the Reitsch's work was to in the government and The of for the of the and the of and The of the and the head of the on the Although Reitsch was in every to the work she was at Ghanaian government in Accra, in was known as infamous by a government had to she the daily to the school in a to her by Nkrumah's Her work was by the West German in the of the was to make as has for with in and a on gliding and Reitsch not only at the she the capital, at the and and as part of her of Hanna Reitsch, Kwame was not yet the school was and who was according to Reitsch, In were of the international West German and Ghanaian from and and from the The West German on of a to President Kwame and in the to the of Ghana and those who would fly in of and a Ghana the of the were to a by the woman for the of the famous German pilot Flight Captain Hanna the of a national gliding the be that the up the and head for the the the were in the on the or with a and of the to to the of the of the in was flight as as flight and had a with the Ghana to In at the the school with the in an as as and that to the from the in was on this that the school with to to was to Reitsch that the gliding school was Nkrumah's The at the a the in Ghana for and to the of into than the at near … the to Kwame to the of Reitsch's energies were focused on gliding she that many were not with the of she her to which a of the were from West by were and the of was into the In the school for with and on from The this effort was that the would be to in and in would to the of flight as as to in by the of had been at in Ghana, and an were to be in March as Reitsch in her was in this by any in the is at this that Reitsch's her with not at or at up a for a of the as she she had in at a were to a small in the Ghanaian for the of the Ghana in She that in Ghana, and had in to for to the for to to a and to in by a very focused on the a of Nkrumah's modernization only to the of the with which for in the daily with the not only in and the of in of flight for a In the school and the on a in of in March at the was a according to Reitsch, was to the with and in the had reason to be of had work in the years The was and covered in the on the with one of the Reitsch's in the the “The of the is a to the fact that the country's by the and the under the of is and Reitsch at the flight Reitsch, Kwame But was not just a part of Nkrumah's nation-building the gliding school was as part of for African for a of school had … the of Reitsch President had announced in that a of the school was to be part of every state visit from of was the to make an state In as as March were to a at to with the of African in Reitsch that her was for from the to the to gliding for as as to out She the of the and in her of the of that the of Du Bois, the who in in to as the once be that Kwame than at the of the and of the and to that this into the of the close of and the of the to be in the press. In two Ghanaian a national for and a of and in to a of the school in the with as coverage in the Daily with of a by and In her Reitsch the she the school had were for to be introduced into and that would to work with … would and She had for a to visit the school in to She had for the an of her in and for the in Afienya. A was about to into But of as she to an with the on The was one of the by the military the in the of Nkrumah's Shortly thereafter, Reitsch and her two German were to West But and Reitsch's very about or this pilot a in the of Ghanaian nation-building and for the the is as from Du and Nkrumah's and the of to the … and the of … Reitsch of a in her of as a of her work in and Ghana, is an a and about is is and be many of her with the of the famous of the Reitsch for the had a that than that of in would to to a as a or or to him into She by a of about she as her and from an of and that and and the for and In an of her Reitsch her and the one of her flight an African who had spent years in the U.S. Reitsch, was who given to the of modernization and is an in her that the held by “The and in the as as the to the and … that in the who to for the to and a of After only two of was to out on to make of Reitsch's work in Ghana, most of with her in German her during the war and her days in with her years in and Ghana, which as to the of her that Reitsch was to and by the that her to her with in she was to and her Ghana years in of her to a that had been by her with the she in the to her The “The to this name in a was and and into a political … the fact that had been … was a pilot and a and for in her Hanna for the a Reitsch who in a political that she did not for was perhaps as as her of Hitler, was on a and as usual with the most of Hanna had on a political The most recent of Reitsch, an article by in German out to a woman with Reitsch's in the on to a during the of and the in the with as a the of and modernization in the of the and the of a German of which for the of and and the of the In Reitsch Ghana into a of as part of a that from her past by her to of in she did not to with the of an for Reitsch's at her to as a the very political of and that her The as in a some Reitsch and or were into an was the of national and national the to the and Reitsch was her as a pilot in was part of the and in the of both has and were the of at the of the not only from an African or the the flight would to modernization as was into the than any of the as has for the and and the national in the were very with has a … of … about and in and by and and the of Ghana into the of which was to an in had What Reitsch as a pilot in the and with Nkrumah's and with for a Ghana with the First In gliding had as a for nationalist the of the Reitsch her flight in was as for the of the gliding for and providing to the During the gliding and were to the of most on the that gliding of about and and that in and the of the First in the of of and as of The of the in was at and with the and that were as with In the the the very that Reitsch had been to in her has the of and for state of and Hanna Reitsch in of be into as in the of or to the in gliding an in which in and of a of and in the of and in the of a nation the that a long article in the Ghanaian out in the and by that most were is the for one and the for those to The were and and in to of who be in Ghana to the of the A nation is not only by and is by the and of and that is the of the be a pilot the of and for nation-building and in a and is that the be the from which of and gliding in the the of the the of Ghana the for the of above the The and most of the is that as a the the and one that is a of the that is the of the to the The the of and Reitsch two perhaps those in a and of nation-building and Reitsch not as some in the of African African and as part of a German for which many in the was the in the not the who the U.S. was to John and of the Reitsch's in Ghana, not only and of her for and the she and the she for the most part, and in many the of Nkrumah's state. the fact that only in this has for or the and the of the very that the for African the of of the or of the In the and that and in and to and perhaps to which in the of in dramatic In the of Kwame Hanna Reitsch, and the and the for a that is both and national and yet has to the of the of writing is the of the of state and local and which in and of the on Reitsch and her school that in the Ghana or from of her past or of her to Hitler. She is a of that and diverse of who to some of modernization But to the Ghana national which is the and Department government and the and which many of to for that the is at After the that Nkrumah's in the military the of and most of the the of and many of were and subsequently very from of way into the national Although military on the national of First has the of that and be were not as or as in and as one two at the in that at the of Nkrumah's some which would been by a government in the as and on a or or by in and in the national In not a of the of who were to Ghana in the and in the the for in in New the at University in the at the for in the University the in and in to name just a there has not been a or effort to or the of who were during in in national or in be not only and in the in a of modernization and In many the a and and to be by the of the for with Reitsch's which were on by her in the of the in her in Although very on the school has in Ghana, Reitsch's extensive Ghana government not in that the of the Nkrumah's with Reitsch and government about the at the of and West German and the of Ghanaian both in West and in Ghana. of the Ghana government by Reitsch in her is in almost of is in of Reitsch's to been very that to the of is of some that the of for this of nation-building is not in the nation in Although there is very in Reitsch's to just her in Ghana was, there is at least one to her in by an that her of in and in with the of that she is the for … is one small of in a by the military from in and on in national In an to the Ghanaian who that the be to that there some in places in The that the out about that Hanna a famous test pilot in The the to and of the and is she in Ghana, the she years A on the by in be from a But from that Reitsch's was of the African who had in Ghana in the in of the of were … the President announced that had Reitsch to be the of gliding Reitsch, some readers was the woman test pilot, and one of the last to Adolf alive. she had to the Berlin bunker and him to her fly him out to to her she “The that she with poison and to with her she was in a years about to the of some of of at to was not and had to the of the that was She was a woman at Shirley who she A Shirley and a to that her had a and was there she and Reitsch was one of the of the who Reitsch and Du were of Nkrumah's and had to him on a daily were very close to How was Reitsch's past by those who her in the some A from Shirley Graham Du to in of many the two that of for a of of this Hanna in the the above is her her the and and which and very small and Hanna not Her about her was she was with Nkrumah's research and of Reitsch in in the to her of Nkrumah's from years of in Hanna was did she a of political … she was of … Hanna would and her which be as as But she committed to any or to any her and were had her to fly him to she him in she would the her once to was at the Hanna would and But of What were about The and of that in Du this on the German a from the West German that held an to and that in Reitsch a of and is in Reitsch's to for the most part, is for the to any or of the is the of the and that were in the of the in in the of Nkrumah's years in and of Reitsch in work. But and of there in Reitsch's not only a very close and the to the of by a range of individuals, the that into the of Reitsch's that in March she to in to and to him had in this as Reitsch's one and only visit to and a most one of her of the of at that and Reitsch to the and that Reitsch him and which in the the at in that is the of the She that the in there was one from Reitsch, as as a of the that to in her that she Reitsch in in Reitsch her a of from on the in to Reitsch's in Reitsch's her that had not a from Reitsch's only that she the for to be her by her and of currently in Reitsch's in But of her to that she almost in she not to … of … and from to Nkrumah's of is by another of close who in her Kwame that most of not to leave the and to be up by from that there was an extensive and Reitsch the from in Shirley Graham Du with and yet there in and in the as she has in the very at the and out of which she her for Kwame The there in fact two very long from Reitsch to and in from him to her Ghanaian and the of that had and a of W. E. B. Du In her a that Reitsch to on is to the with to The is brief and with that Reitsch's to the news that the had from and her for Nkrumah's or is Yet the is a that name Reitsch that was an of in her or She on to some of the she had given about Ghana and a she had had to and news about She her about and about she him for the of she was for to do not to would a list would be for with of for about would be to of this or at least the she has of the were not for the and of on at that a very to in and and Reitsch was at any given a the two of and and as and to which in of the of would as the name of and and she would as her and out of the of those In of Nkrumah's in that was for the most part, the military in is some of a the A from Reitsch to in the series in national from the in Reitsch to for for out to be In she him as In the from on her way to she him for the to her her during the flight and and and with In her from she him of her seemed … this only were a to and to work for is only In a she him for and to to the She In a she a a for a long make the and this which in which to of the of the And would be in some from is a very Perhaps with or would be to those near and of as the in or in or in national of that be to Reitsch and there a of some a of who was In many the to the has or the has only with What and and do is the of in and to that not and to the of This is not the and of the colonial is not a not in one or two or is a from to from New to from to from to The that in and Accra, and in to the and by this of by the of the War The work of a of is the and of work that the many and in the U.S. for to a that work to the national of the state and the And for at African the by research and to in and perhaps dramatic just some of the most f

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