Job-Wilhelm Georg "Erwin" von Witzleben (born 4 December 1881 in Breslau; died 8 August 1944 in Berlin, executed) was a German army officer (by 1940 a Generalfeldmarschall) and in the Second World War an Army commander and a resistance fighter in the July 20 Plot. December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Wrocław, (Polish pronunciation: (?), Czech: , German: ( (help· info)), Latin: Wratislavia or Vratislavia) is the capital of Lower Silesia in southwestern Poland, situated on the Oder River (Odra). ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Shoulder boards of a Generalfeldmarschall Generalfeldmarschall ( ▶(?)) (General Field Marshal, usually translated simply as Field Marshal, and sometimes written only as Feldmarschall) was a rank in the armies of several German states, the Holy Roman Empire, and Austrian Empire. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Widerstand (German: resistance) is the name given to the resistance movements in Nazi Germany. ... Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was a failed coup détat and attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ...

Erwin von Witzleben

Image File history File links Erwinvonwitzleben. ... Image File history File links Erwinvonwitzleben. ...

Early years

Erwin von Witzleben came from a Thuringian family of officers. He completed the Prussian cadet corps programme in Wahlstatt and Lichterfelde and on 22 June 1901 joined the Grenadier Regiment (King Wilhelm I) No. 7 in Liegnitz as lieutenant. In 1910, he was promoted to first lieutenant. The Free State of Thuringia (German: Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), being eleventh in size with an area of 16,200 km² and twelfth most populous with 2. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (Old Prussian: Prūsa, German: Preußen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad... Legnickie Pole (German Wahlstatt) is a small village near Legnica in Lower Silesia, Poland. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Legnica (pronounce: , formerly Lignica, German Liegnitz) is a town in south-western Poland. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... -1... First Lieutenant is a military rank. ...

He was married to Else Kleeberg. The couple had a son and a daughter.

First World War

At the beginning of the First World War, von Witzleben served as brigade adjutant in the 19th Reserve Infantry Brigade, before he rose to captain and company chief in the Reserve Infantry Regiment no. 6 in October 1914. Later, in the same regiment, he became battalion commander. Von Witzleben's unit fought at Verdun, in the Champagne Region, and in Flanders, among other places. He was seriously wounded and was awarded the Iron Cross, both first and second classes. After being wounded, he went to General Staff Training and saw the war end as First General Staff Officer of the 121st Division. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers or marines who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Combatants France Germany Commanders Philippe Pétain Robert Nivelle Erich von Falkenhayn Strength About 30,000 on 21 February 1916 About 150,000 on 21 February 1916 Casualties 162,000 dead or missing, 214,000–380,000 wounded 100,000 dead, 236,000–334,000 wounded or missing They shall... The Battle of Champagne is the name of three battles fought in the Champagne region of northern France during the First World War. ... Flanders (Flemish, Fleming) (Dutch: Vlaanderen (Vlaams, Vlaming)) has two main designations: a geographical region in the north of Belgium, corresponding to the Flemish Region, a consituent part of the federal Belgian state. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the German Armed Forces The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ...

Between the Wars

In the Reichswehr, von Witzleben was taken on as a Company Chief. In 1923, he found himself on the Fourth Division staff in Dresden as a major. In 1928, he became Battalion Commander in Infantry Regiment No. 6 and retained that position as lieutenant-colonel the following year. After being promoted to full colonel in 1931, he took over as head of the Infantry Regiment No. 8 in Frankfurt (Oder). Early in 1933 came a transfer to the post of Infantry Leader VI in Hanover. The Reichswehr (help· info) (literally National Defense or Imperial Defense) formed the military organization of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when the government rebranded it as the Wehrmacht (Defence Force). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... From left to right: Brühls Terrace; the Hofkirche and the castle; the Semper Opera House. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Frankfurt (Oder) [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Frankobord) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the river Oder, on the German-Polish border, directly opposite to the city of Słubice. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...

In the Wehrmacht, von Witzleben was promoted to major-general on 1 February 1934 and moved to Potsdam as the new commander of the Third Infantry Division. He succeeded General Werner von Fritsch as Commander of Wehrkreis (Military District) III (Berlin). In this position, was promoted to lieutenant-general and in September 1935, became Commanding General of IIIrd Army Corps in Berlin. In 1936, he received his promotion to General of the Infantry. German cavalry and motorized units entering Poland from East Prussia during the Polish Defensive War of 1939 Wehrmacht (help· info) (Defence force) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Potsdam is the capital city of the state of Brandenburg in Germany. ... Werner Freiherr von Fritsch (1880-1939) was a prominent Wehrmacht officer prior to 1938. ... is the capital city and a single state of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... General is a high military rank, used by nearly every country in the world. ...

Even as early as 1934, von Witzleben had taken up a position against the Nazi régime when he and Erich von Manstein, Wilhelm Leeb and Gerd von Rundstedt demanded an inquiry into Kurt von Schleicher's and Ferdinand von Bredow's deaths after the Night of the Long Knives, after criticizing which, von Witzleben was forced into early retirement. He also criticized Adolf Hitler's persecution of General Werner von Fritsch, which contributed to his fall from grace. His "retirement", however, did not last, as Hitler would later need von Witzleben upon the outbreak of war. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein Erich von Manstein (November 24, 1887-June 10, 1973) was a lifelong professional soldier who rose to become one of the most prominent commanders of Nazi Germanys Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) during World War II; he attained the rank of Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall), although he was... Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (September 5, 1876 - April 29, 1956) was a German field marshal during World War II. Born in Landsberg am Lech, he joined the Imperial German Army in 1895 as an officer cadet. ... Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Field Marshal of the German Army during World War II. He was one of Germanys more competent generals, and is remembered for remaining apolitical throughout his career. ... Kurt von Schleicher (4 April 1882–30 June 1934) was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. ... Major General Ferdinand von Bredow (b. ... The Night of the Long Knives (June 30 and Sunday July 1, 1934) (German, Nacht der langen Messer), also known as Reichsmordwoche or the Blood Purge, was a lethal purge of Adolf Hitlers potential political rivals in the Sturmabteilung (SA; also known as storm troopers or brownshirts). ... (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... Werner Freiherr von Fritsch (1880-1939) was a prominent Wehrmacht officer prior to 1938. ...

By 1938, von Witzleben belonged to the group of plotters around Colonel General Ludwig Beck, Generals Erich Hoepner and Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, and Defence Chief Wilhelm Canaris. These men planned to overthrow Hitler in a military coup d'état, which seemed feasible at the time of the Sudeten Crisis in 1938. Von Witzleben's command, through the key Berlin Defence District, was to play a decisive rôle in the plan. However, Hitler's success in the Munich Agreement thwarted the conspirators' plans, and they were not put into operation. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ludwig Beck General Ludwig Beck (June 29, 1880- July 21, 1944) was Chief of Staff of the German Armed forces during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Born in Biebrich in the Rhineland, he was educated in the conservative Prussian military tradition. ... Erich Hoepner Erich Hoepner (September 14, 1886 - August 8, 1944) was a German general in World War II. Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany and served in the German Army during World War I. He remained in the army in the post-war years and reached the... It is requested that this article, or a section of this article, be expanded. ... Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris (January 1, 1887 in Aplerbeck near Dortmund – April 9, 1945 at Flossenbürg concentration camp) was head of the German military intelligence service, the Abwehr, for much of World War II. He was born in Aplerbeck, in Westphalia. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government against the volonté générale formed by the majority of the citizenry, usually done by a smaller supposedly weaker body that just replaces the top power figures. ... Chamberlain holds the paper containing the resolution to commit to peaceful methods signed by both Hitler and himself on his return from Germany in September 1938. ...

Von Witzleben was likewise involved in Colonel General Kurt Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord's 1939 conspiracy plans. Von Hammerstein-Equord planned to seize Hitler forthrightly, in a kind of frontal assault. It was to be von Witzleben's job to shut down Party Headquarters, but this plan also fell through. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Meanwhile, in November 1938, von Witzleben was posted as Commander-in-chief of Army Group 2 to Frankfurt (Oder). Frankfurt (Oder) [ˈfraŋkfʊrt] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Frankobord) is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the river Oder, on the German-Polish border, directly opposite to the city of Słubice. ...

Second World War

In September 1939, von Witzleben, now Colonel General, assumed command over the First Army, stationed in the West. When Germany attacked France on 10 May 1940, von Witzleben's army belonged to Army Group C. On 14 June, it broke through the Maginot Line, and within three days had forced several French divisions to surrender. For this, von Witzleben was decorated with the Knight's Cross, and on 19 July 1940, he was promoted to Generalfeldmarschall. In 1941, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief West, but only a year later, he took his leave of this position for health reasons. Some sources, however, claim that he was forcibly retired at this time after criticizing the régime after Operation Barbarossa. Combatants Allies (France, Britain, Canada, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) Germany, Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di Savoia (Army Group West) Strength... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ... The Maginot Line (IPA: [maÊ’ino], named after French minister of defense André Maginot) was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, machine gun posts and other defences which France constructed along its borders with Germany and with Italy in the wake of World War I. Generally the term... The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of Germany which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Combatants Axis Powers Soviet Union Commanders Supreme commander: Adolf Hitler Supreme commander: Josef Stalin Strength ~ 3,200,000 ~ 2,600,000 Casualties 830,903 (174,000 dead, 36,000 missing, 604,000 injured) unknown Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet...

In 1944, the conspirators around Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg saw Erwin von Witzleben as the key man in their plans. Whereas Colonel General Beck was foreseen as provisional head of state and Colonel General Hoepner as Commander of the Ersatzheer ("Reserve Army"), Generalfeldmarschall von Witzleben was to take over supreme command of the whole Wehrmacht as the highest German soldier. Von Witzleben, however, was arrested on 20 July 1944 – the day of von Stauffenberg's attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia – upon arriving at OKH-HQ (Oberkommando des Heeres Headquarters) in Berlin to assume command of the coup forces. He was then unceremoniously cast out of the Wehrmacht by the so-called Ehrenhof der Wehrmacht ("The Regular Army's Court of Honour"), a conclave of officers set up after the attempted assassination to remove officers from the Wehrmacht who had been involved in the plot, mainly so that they could be tried at the Volksgerichtshof rather than at court-martial. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Claus von Stauffenberg Claus Philipp Maria Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg (15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German aristocrat and army colonel during World War II. He was one of the leading figures of the July 20 Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... One of larger bunkers in Wolfsschanze complex. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... The Oberkommando der Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ... The Volksgerichtshof (German for Peoples Court) was a court established by Hitler after the Reichstag fire to handle those accused of political criminal offences, such as treason. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ...

On 7 August 1944, von Witzleben was in the first group of accused conspirators to be brought before the Volksgerichtshof. The presiding judge was Roland Freisler, and that same day, he sentenced von Witzleben to death for his part in the plot. Von Witzleben's closing words in court – addressed to Freisler – were: August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... Roland Freisler (October 30, 1893 - February 3, 1945) was a prominent Nazi. ...

"You can hand us over to the hangman. In three months, the disgusted and harried people will bring you to book and drag you alive through the dirt in the streets!"

Erwin von Witzleben was put to death that same day at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin. According to some accounts, he was hanged naked. Some sources also claim that he was hanged with piano wire, and that the execution was filmed on Hitler's orders. Plötzensee is a lake in Berlin with an area of 7. ... Suicide by hanging. ...

Decorations

• Cross of Honour for Front Fighters
• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st class
• Cross of the Königlicher Hausorden von Hohenzollern with Swords
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
• Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
• Wound Badge

A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the German Armed Forces The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the emblem of the German Armed Forces The Iron Cross (German: Eisernes Kreuz) is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813. ... A black version of the Badge A silver version A gold version Wound Badge (Das Verwundetenabzeichen) is a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organisations (after March 1943 due to the increasing number of allied bombings — also for civilians). ...

Notes about personal names

• The term Graf in "Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg" is a title, not part of Stauffenberg's name as such. It means "Count".

• The term Freiherr in "Kurt Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord" is also a title, similar to "Baron".

Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Countess redirects here. ... Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ...

External link

• http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/WitzlebenErwin/index.html