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. During World War I he served on the Western Front. He won the Iron Cross and by 1918 was a captain. August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 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). ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... A stylized version of the Iron Cross, the logo 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. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ...

Reichenau stayed in the army under the Weimar Republic as a General Staff officer. From 1931 he was Chief of Staff to the Inspector of Signals at the Reichswehr Ministry, and later served with General Werner von Blomberg in East Prussia. His uncle, an ardent Nazi, introduced him to Adolf Hitler in 1932 and Reichenau became a convert, joining the Nazi Party soon after. Flag of Weimar Republic, 1919–1933 This article outlines political events from 1918 until the collapse of the Republic in 1933. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... 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). ... Werner von Blomberg Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (September 2, 1878-March 14, 1946) was a leading member of the German Army prior to World War II. Born in Stargard, Pomerania, Germany, Werner von Blomberg joined the army at a young age and attended Germanys War College in 1904. ... 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. ... (help· info) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 until his death. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... The Nazi swastika symbol The National Socialist German Workers Party ( German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ...

When Hitler came to power in January 1933, Blomberg became Minister of War and Reichenau was appointed head of the Ministerial Office, acting as liaison officer between the Army and the Nazi Party. He played a leading role in persuading Nazi leaders such as Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler that the power of Ernst Röhm and the SA must be broken if the Army was to support the Nazi regime. This lead directly to the "Night of the Long Knives" of July 1934. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was Nazi war criminal. ... (help· info) (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel (SS) and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ... Ernst Röhm Ernst Julius Röhm (often written as Roehm in English) (November 28, 1887, Munich; July 1, 1934, Munich-Stadelheim prison, murdered) was a German military officer and commander and co-founder of the Nazi Sturmabteilung or storm troopers (the SA). ... The seal of SA The â–¶ (help· info) (SA, German for Storm Division and is usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organisation of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. ... 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). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1935 Reichenau was promoted to Lieutenant General and was appointed commander in Munich. By 1938, when Blomberg was forced out of the Army command, Reichanau was Hitler's first choice to succeed him, but older leaders such as Gerd von Rundstedt and Franz Halder refused to serve under him, and Hitler backed down. 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Munich (German: München, (pronounced listen) is the largest city and capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 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. ... Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Adolf Hitler, a General Staff officer and General Franz Halder Franz Ritter von 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...

In September 1939, Reichenau commanded the 10th Army during the invasion of Poland. In 1940 he led the 6th Army during the invasion of Belgium and France, and in July Hitler promoted him to Field Marshal. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The German Tenth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... The 6. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ...

During the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Reichenau again commanded the 6th Army, which captured Kiev and Kharkov. Unlike many German Army commanders, Reichenau was an active anti-Semite and supported the work of the SS Einsatzgruppen in exterminating the Jews in the occupied Soviet territories. He encouraged his soldiers to commit atrocities against the Jews, telling them: "We have to exact a harsh but just retribution on the Jewish subhumans." For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... A monument to St. ... Kharkov (rus: Ха́рьков) or Kharkiv (ukr: Ха́рків) is the second largest city in Ukraine, a center of Kharkivska oblast. It is situated in the northeast of the country and has a population of two million. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... The infamous double-sig rune SS insignia. ... Einsatzgruppen (a German military term meaning mission groups, loosely translated as Task Force) were semi-military groups formed in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. These death squads belonged to the SS and followed the Wehrmacht in their attacks first on Poland and then the Soviet Union. ...

For this reason Reichenau was one of Hitler's favourite generals. In November 1941 Hitler sacked Walther von Brauchitsch as Commander-in-Chief and again tried to appoint Reichenau to the post. But again the senior Army leaders rejected Reichenau as being "too political" and Hitler appointed himself instead. For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... 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. ...

In January 1942 he suffered a severe heart attack, and it was decided to fly him to a hospital in Germany. He was killed when the plane carrying him to Leipzig crashed on landing. This article is about the year. ... (help· info) [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ...

External link

• The "Reichenau Order" from October 12, 1941.

October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ...