Franz Halder

Franz Ritter Halder (June 30, 1884–April 2, 1972) was a German General and the head of the Army General Staff from 1938 until September 1942, when he was dismissed after frequent disagreements with Adolf Hitler. June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... The Oberkommando der Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ... Hitler redirects here. ...

Halder was born in Würzburg to General Max Halder. In 1902 he joined the 3rd Royal Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment in Munich. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1904 upon graduation from War School in Munich, then he attended Artillery School (1906–07) and the Bavarian Staff College (War Academy) (1911–14]), both in Munchen. Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... A 155 mm artillery shell fired by a United States 11th Marine regiment M-198 howitzer Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern). ... Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ...

World War I Service

In 1914, Halder became an Ordanance Officer, serving in the Headquarters of the Bavarian 3rd Army Corps. In August 1915 he was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) on the General Staff of the Crown Prince of Bavaria's 6th Infantry Division. During 1917 he served as a General Staff officer in the Headquarters of the 2nd Army, before being transferred to the 4th Army. Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Italy Russia United States Serbia Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Nicholas II Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von Hötzendorf İsmail Enver Ferdinand I Casualties... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Hauptmann (German: ) is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officers rank in the German Army. ...

Pre-World War II Service

Between 1919 and 1920 Halder served with the Reichswehr War Ministry Training Branch. Between 1921 and 1923 he was a Tactics Instructor with the Wehrkreis VII in Munich. This article is becoming very long. ... 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). ... These are terms, concepts and ideas that are useful to understanding the political situation in the Weimar Republic. ...

In March 1924 he was promoted to Major and by 1926 he served as the Director of Operations (Oberquartiermeister of Operations: O.Qu.I.) on the General Staff of the Wehrkreis VII in Munich. In February 1929 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel), and from October 1929 through late 1931 he served on the Training staff in the Reichswehr Ministry. Major is a military rank denoting an officer of mid-level command status. ... Oberstleutnant is the German Army (Bundeswehr) equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst. ...

After being promoted to Oberst (Colonel) in December 1931, he served as the Chief of Staff, Wehrkreis Kdo VI, in Münster (Westphalia) through early 1934. During the 1930s the German military staff thought that Poland might attack the detached German province of East Prussia to regain this former Polish territory.^{(dubious assertion—see talk page)} As such, they reviewed plans as to how to defend East Prussia. Town Hall in the Prinzipalmarkt Münster: the Prinzipalmarkt St Pauls Cathedral, Münster Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Westphalia (German: Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. ... 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. ...

After being promoted to Generalmajor (Major-General) in October 1934, Halder served as the Commander of the 7th Infantry Division in Munich. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

Recognized as a fine staff officer and planner, in August 1936 he was promoted to Generalleutnant (Lieutenant-General). He then became the director of the Manoeuvres Staff. Shortly thereafter, he became director of the Training Branch (Oberquartiermeister of Training, O.Qu.II), on the General Staff of the Army, in Berlin between October 1937 and February 1938. During this period he directed important training maneuvers, the largest held since the reintroduction of conscription in 1935. Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ...

On February 1, 1938 he was promoted to General der Artillerie. Around this date Gen. Wilhelm Keitel was attempting to reorganize the entire upper leadership of the German Army. Keitel had asked Halder to become Chief of the General Staff (Oberquartiermeister of operations, training & supply; O.Qu.I ) and report to Gen. Walther von Reichenau. However, Halder declined as he felt he could not work with Reichenau very well, due to a personality dispute. As Keitel recognized Halder’s superior military planning skills, Keitel met with Hitler and enticed him to appoint Gen. Walther von Brauchitsch as commander-in-chief of the German Army. Halder then accepted becoming Chief of the General Staff of the Army (Oberkommando des Heeres) on September 1, 1938, and succeeded Gen. Ludwig Beck. Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (September 22, 1882 – October 16, 1946) was a German Field Marshal (Generalfeldmarschall) and a senior military leader during World War II. // Early life and career The son of Carl Keitel, a middle-class landowner, he was born in Helmscherode, Brunswick, Germany. ... German cavalry and motorized units entering Poland from East Prussia during the Polish Campaign of 1939 Wehrmacht (Defence force) was the name of the armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945. ... Walther von Reichenau (August 16, 1884 - January 17, 1942), German military commander, was the son of a Prussian general and joined the German Army in 1902. ... Walther von Brauchitsch Von Brauchitsch in 1939 Walther von Brauchitsch (October 4, 1881, Berlin - October 18, 1948, Hamburg) was commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht in the early years of World War II. Brauchitsch was commissioned in the Prussian Guard in 1900. ... 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 Hesse-Nassau, he was educated in the conservative Prussian military tradition. ...

A week later, Halder presented plans to Hitler on how to invade Czechoslovakia with a pincer movement by Gen. Gerd von Rundstedt and Gen. Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. Instead, Hitler directed that Reichenau should make the main thrust into Prague. Neither plan was necessary once British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain brokered the "Munich Agreement", by surrendering the Czech region of Sudetenland to Germany. Just before Chamberlain capitulated to Hitler, Halder -- in an attempt to avoid war -- discussed with several other generals the idea of removing Hitler from power. However, on September 29 Chamberlain gave in to Hitler’s demands, and Halder’s plot to remove Hitler died as peace had been preserved. Two days later, on October 1, German troops entered the Sudetenland. Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a field marshal of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war. ... 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 Bavarian Army in 1895 as an officer cadet. ... Prague (Czech: Praha (IPA: ), see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ... Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 – 9 November 1940) was a Conservative British politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940. ... 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. ... Sudetenland (German: Sudetenland; Czech: Sudety, Polish: Sudety) was the name used in the first half of the 20th century for the regions inhabited mostly by Germans in the various places of Bohemia, Moravia, and parts of Silesia. ...

World War II Service

During the spring of 1939, Halder began participating in drafting the invasion plans of Poland. Halder stated that he thought that Polish soldiers were stupid, and thought the war could be over within 2-3 weeks.

On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland and thereby started World War II. On September 10 Halder noted in his diary that he had received information from the SS Commander Reinhard Heydrich that the S.S. was beginning its campaign to “clean house” in Poland of Jews and all intelligentsia. This led to future criticism by historians that Halder knew about the killings of Jews much earlier than he later acknowledged during post-World War II interviews, and that he failed to object to such killings. Halder noted in his diary his doubts “about the measures intended by Himmler.” (See: Hitler Strikes Poland, pgs. 22, 116 and 176.) September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... Reinhard Heydrich as SS-Gruppenführer Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (March 7, 1904 – June 4, 1942, Prague) was an SS-Obergruppenführer, chief of the Reich Security Main Office (which included the Gestapo, security agency and criminal police) and Reich governor of Bohemia and Moravia. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ...

During November 1939, Halder conspired with Gen. Brauchitsch that he would support Brauchitsch if he were to try to curtail Hitler’s plans for further expansion of the war, but Brauchitsch declined (Zossen Conspiracy). While Halder opposed Hitler’s expanded war plans, Halder believed that as he had taken a personal oath of loyalty to Hitler, Halder could not actively support those who wanted to overthrow Hitler.

At the end of 1939, Halder oversaw development of the invasion plans of France, the Low Countries, and the Balkans. Halder initially doubted that Germany could successfully invade France. However, he obeyed Hitler’s order that Halder follow Gen. Erich von Manstein's plan for invading France through the Ardennes Forrest -- which proved to be successful in leading to the capture of France. On July 19, 1940 Halder was promoted to Generaloberst (Colonel-General). In August, Halder began working on the invasion plans into Russia. Shortly thereafter, to curtail Halder’s military-command power, Hitler limited Halder’s involvement in the war by restricting him to developing battle plans for only the Eastern Front. Halder appeared on the June 29, 1942 cover of TIME magazine. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 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... The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). ... Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. ... The Eastern Front of World War II was the theatre of war covering the conflict in central and eastern Europe from June 22, 1941 to May 9, 1945. ... Two distinct views exist on the meaning of time. ...

During the summer of 1942 Halder told Hitler that he was underestimating the number of Russian military units; Hitler argued that the Russians were nearly broken. Furthermore, Hitler did not like Halder’s objecting to Hitler’s decision to send Gen. Manstein’s 11th Army to assist in the attack against Leningrad, nor to Halder’s criticism that the German attack into the Caucasus was ill advised. Finally, because of Halder’s disagreement with Hitler’s conduct of the war, Hitler decided that Halder no longer possessed an aggressive war mentality, and therefore retired Halder into the "Fuhrer Reserve" on September 24, 1942. Combatants Axis Powers, Spanish Blue Division Soviet Union Commanders Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Georg von Kuechler Kliment Voroshilov Georgy Zhukov Strength 725,000 930,000 Casualties Unknown 300,000 military, 16,470 civilians from bombings and estimated 1 million civilians from starvation The Siege of Leningrad (Russian: блокада Ленинграда) was the German...

On July 20, 1944 a group of German army officers attempted to assassinate Hitler. The following day Halder was arrested by the Gestapo, although he was not involved in the assassination attempt. As Hitler viewed Halder as a possible leader to overthrow Hitler, Halder was imprisoned at both the Flossenbürg and the Dachau concentration camps. On January 31, 1945 Halder was officially dismissed from the army. He was released from prison on April 24. On May 4 he surrendered to U.S. troops in the Austrian Tyrol. Halder spent the next two years in a prisoner-of-war camp. Claus von Stauffenberg The July 20 Plot was a failed coup détat and attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ... The Deaths Head emblem similar to Skull and crossbones, often used as the insignia of the Gestapo The (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; secret state police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... Flossenbürg concentration camp was a German prison built in 1938 at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria. ... poo ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... Tyrol (Tirol in German) is a state or Land, located in the west of Austria. ... Austro-Hungarian POWs in Russia; a 1915 photo by Prokudin-Gorskii German soldiers taken POW by the Polish Independent Highland Brigade during the Battle of Narvik of 1940 Image:Kilinski. ...

After World War II

During the 1950s, Halder worked as a war historian advisor to the U.S. Army Historical Division. He subsequently received the highest U.S. civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, from President John F. Kennedy. He died in 1972 in Aschau im Chiemgau, Bavaria. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, John Kennedy, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ...

Publications

Halder authored Hitler as War Lord (1949) and The Halder Diaries (1976). The latter diaries were later used by American historian William Shirer, as a major primary source for his monumental work The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, along with other confidential documents and manuscrips. William Lawrence Shirer (1904 - 1993), U.S. historian & journalist. ... In historical scholarship, a primary source is a document or other source of information that was created at or near the time being studied, often by the people being studied. ... Book cover The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by journalist William L. Shirer was the first definitive history of Nazi Germany in English. ...

In reviewing Halder's personality, the British author Hugh Trevor-Roper wrote: "Halder is a military snob, believing that no amateur can ever understand the mysteries of war." Author Kenneth Macksey wrote: "Quick, shrewd and witty, he was a brilliant specialist in operational and training matters and the son of a distinguished general. He supported Beck's resistance to Hitler, but when it came to a crunch was no real help. Flirt as he did, in September, with those opposed to Hitler, he toed the party line when extreme pressure was exerted for the return of the Sudetenland and its German nationals by the Czechs to Germany." Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton (January 15, 1914 - January 26, 2003) was a notable historian of early modern Britain and Nazi Germany, who became infamous for authenticating the Hitler Diaries, which were later proved to be a hoax. ...

For other insights regarding Halder's capabilities, see: Christian Hartmann and Sergei Slutsch, Franz Halder unde die Kriegsvorbereitungen im Fruhjahr 1939. Eine Ansprache des Generalstabschefs des Heeres in the journal Vierteljahrshefte fur Zeitgeschichte (July 1997); Christian Hartmann, Halder: Generalstabschef Hitlers: 1939-1942, (1991), and Hitler's Generals, edited by Correlli Barnett. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• The Halder War Diary 1939-1942, edited by Charles Burdick and Hans~Adolf Jacobsen (1988). Published by Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-302-2