Erwin von Witzleben
Encyclopedia
Job-Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German
army officer (by 1940 a Generalfeldmarschall
) and in the Second World War an Army commander and a conspirator in the July 20 Plot
.
n family of old nobility and many officers. He completed the Prussia
n cadet corps programme in Wahlstatt
and Lichterfelde
and on 22 June 1901 joined the Grenadier Regiment (König Wilhelm I) No. 7 in Liegnitz
as lieutenant
. In 1910, he was promoted to first lieutenant
.
He was married to Else Kleeberg (who was born in Chemnitz, Saxony). The couple had a son and a daughter.
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
.
, 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 Infantry Regiment No. 8 in Frankfurt (Oder)
. Early in 1933 came a transfer to the post of Infantry Leader VI in Hanover
.
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, he was promoted to lieutenant-general and in September 1935, became Commanding General of III Army Corps in Berlin. In 1936, he received his promotion to general
of the infantry.
Even as early as 1934, von Witzleben had taken up a position against the Nazi regime
when he and Erich von Manstein
, Wilhelm von Leeb
and Gerd von Rundstedt
demanded an inquiry into Kurt von Schleicher
's and Ferdinand von Bredow
's deaths in the Night of the Long Knives
. As a result of this and also his criticism of Adolf Hitler
's persecution of General Werner von Fritsch
, von Witzleben was forced into early retirement. His "retirement", however, did not last, as Hitler would later need von Witzleben upon the outbreak of war.
By 1938, von Witzleben belonged to the group of plotters around Colonel General Ludwig Beck
, Generals Erich Hoepner
and Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel
, and Abwehr 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 role in the plan. However, Hitler's success in the Munich Agreement
thwarted the conspirators' plans, and they were not put into operation.
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.
Meanwhile, in November 1938, von Witzleben was posted as commander-in-chief of Army Group 2 to Frankfurt (Oder)
.
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 of the Iron Cross
, and on 19 July, 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 regime after Operation Barbarossa
.
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 ranking German soldier. However on 20 July 1944, the day of von Stauffenberg's attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
, von Witzleben did not arrive at the Bendlerblock
in Berlin from the OKH-HQ (Oberkommando des Heeres
Headquarters) at Zossen
to assume command of the coup forces until 8.00pm when it was already clear that the coup attempt had failed. He then expressed anger that it had been bungled and left after 45 minutes to return to Zossen, where he reported the situation to General Eduard Wagner
, after which he went to his country estate 30 miles away where he was arrested the next day by a General Linnertz.
He was then 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 a court-martial
.
; this event has been completely ignored in writings about contemporary German history, although records exist they have been cut in versions for German and foreign public.
In an attempt to humiliate Witzleben, he was made to appear before the court wearing trousers that were several sizes too big and, additionally, being denied a belt or suspenders, forcing him to continually hitch up trousers in court to prevent them from falling down. The presiding judge was Roland Freisler
, who was notorious for ranting and belittling defendants in court. At one stage during the trial of von Witzleben, he bellowed "You dirty old man – stop fumbling with your trousers!". Later that same day, he sentenced Witzleben to death for his part in the plot. Von Witzleben's closing words in court – addressed to Freisler – were:
Much of the Volksgerichtshof, including scenes showing the trial of von Witzleben, was filmed for the German weekly newsreel, Die Deutsche Wochenschau; however, the Propaganda Ministry decided against releasing the footage, firstly because Freisler's conduct in the courtroom might draw sympathy for the accused, and secondly, because the regime wanted to quell public discussion of the event.
Erwin von Witzleben was put to death that same day at Plötzensee Prison
in Berlin. He was hanged
on a meat hook
, with the execution filmed for Hitler's viewing.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
army officer (by 1940 a Generalfeldmarschall
Generalfeldmarschall
Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
) and in the Second World War an Army commander and a conspirator in the July 20 Plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
.
Early years
Erwin von Witzleben was born in Breslau to a ThuringiaThuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
n family of old nobility and many officers. He completed the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n cadet corps programme in Wahlstatt
Legnickie Pole
Legnickie Pole is a village in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Legnickie Pole. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
and Lichterfelde
Lichterfelde West
Lichterfelde West is part of Lichterfelde in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough of Berlin. It was developed from 1860 through 1900 by a wealthy businessman Carstenn from Hamburg and is a remarkable example of 19th-century Villenkolonie, a German concept of settlements completely made up of mansion...
and on 22 June 1901 joined the Grenadier Regiment (König Wilhelm I) No. 7 in Liegnitz
Legnica
Legnica is a town in south-western Poland, in Silesia, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the plain of Legnica, riverside: Kaczawa and Czarna Woda. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship. It is currently the seat of the county...
as lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. In 1910, he was promoted to first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
.
He was married to Else Kleeberg (who was born in Chemnitz, Saxony). 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 InfantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
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
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
, in the Champagne
Battle of Champagne
The Battle of Champagne is the name of three battles fought in the Champagne region of northern France during World War I.*First Battle of Champagne *Second Battle of Champagne...
Region, and in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, among other places. He was seriously wounded and was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, both first and second classes. After being wounded, he went to General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
Training and saw the war end as First General Staff Officer of the 121st Division
121st Infantry Division (German Empire)
The 121st Infantry Division was a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I. The division was formed on March 25, 1915 and organized over the next several weeks. It was part of a wave of new infantry divisions formed in the spring of 1915...
.
Between the wars
In the ReichswehrReichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
, von Witzleben was taken on as a Company Chief. In 1923, he found himself on the Fourth Division staff in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
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
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1931, he took over as head of Infantry Regiment No. 8 in Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
. Early in 1933 came a transfer to the post of Infantry Leader VI in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
.
In the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, von Witzleben was promoted to major-general on 1 February 1934 and moved to Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
as the new commander of the Third Infantry Division. He succeeded General Werner von Fritsch
Werner von Fritsch
Werner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch was a prominent Wehrmacht officer, member of the German High Command, and the second German general to be killed during World War II.-Early life:...
as Commander of Wehrkreis (Military District) III (Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
). In this position, he was promoted to lieutenant-general and in September 1935, became Commanding General of III Army Corps in Berlin. In 1936, he received his promotion to general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of the infantry.
Even as early as 1934, von Witzleben had taken up a position against the Nazi regime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
when he and Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein was a field marshal in World War II. He became one of the most prominent commanders of Germany's World War II armed forces...
, Wilhelm von Leeb
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb was a German Field Marshal during World War II. - Youth :...
and Gerd von Rundstedt
Gerd von Rundstedt
Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Army during World War II. He held some of the highest field commands in all phases of the war....
demanded an inquiry into Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
's and Ferdinand von Bredow
Ferdinand von Bredow
Ferdinand von Bredow was a German Generalmajor and former head of the Abwehr in the Reich Defence Ministry and deputy defence minister in Kurt von Schleicher's cabinet .Bredow was, along with Schleicher, among Adolf Hitler's bitterest...
's deaths in the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
. As a result of this and also his criticism of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's persecution of General Werner von Fritsch
Werner von Fritsch
Werner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch was a prominent Wehrmacht officer, member of the German High Command, and the second German general to be killed during World War II.-Early life:...
, von Witzleben was forced into early retirement. His "retirement", however, did not last, as Hitler would later need von Witzleben upon the outbreak of war.
By 1938, von Witzleben belonged to the group of plotters around Colonel General Ludwig Beck
Ludwig Beck
Generaloberst Ludwig August Theodor Beck was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II....
, Generals Erich Hoepner
Erich Hoepner
Erich Hoepner was a German general in World War II. A successful panzer leader, Hoepner was executed after the failed 20 July Plot in 1944.- Life :Hoepner was born in Frankfurt an der Oder, Brandenburg...
and Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, was a German general and a member of the July 20 Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
, and Abwehr Chief Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
. These men planned to overthrow Hitler in a military coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, 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 role in the plan. However, Hitler's success in the Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
thwarted the conspirators' plans, and they were not put into operation.
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.
Meanwhile, in November 1938, von Witzleben was posted as commander-in-chief of Army Group 2 to Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
.
Second World War
In September 1939, von Witzleben, now a colonel-general, assumed command over the First Army, stationed in the West. When Germany attacked FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
on 10 May 1940, von Witzleben's army belonged to Army Group C. On 14 June, it broke through the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, and within three days had forced several French divisions to surrender. For this, von Witzleben was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
, and on 19 July, 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 regime after Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
.
20 July 1944
In 1944, the conspirators around Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg saw Erwin von Witzleben as the key man in their plans. Whereas Colonel-General BeckLudwig Beck
Generaloberst Ludwig August Theodor Beck was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II....
was foreseen as provisional head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
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 ranking German soldier. However on 20 July 1944, the day of von Stauffenberg's attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, von Witzleben did not arrive at the Bendlerblock
Bendlerblock
The Bendlerblock is a building in Berlin, located on the Stauffenbergstraße , south of the Tiergarten. The building was erected between 1911 and 1914 for the Imperial German Navy Offices. During the Weimar Republic it served as the seat of the Reichswehr command and the Ministry of Defence...
in Berlin from the OKH-HQ (Oberkommando des Heeres
Oberkommando des Heeres
The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...
Headquarters) at Zossen
Zossen
Zossen is a German town in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, and next to the B96 highway. Zossen consists of several smaller municipalities, which were grouped together in 2003 to form the city.-Geography:...
to assume command of the coup forces until 8.00pm when it was already clear that the coup attempt had failed. He then expressed anger that it had been bungled and left after 45 minutes to return to Zossen, where he reported the situation to General Eduard Wagner
Eduard Wagner
General Eduard Wagner was a German Artillery officer who was the quartermaster-general of the German Army and a member of the resistance to Adolf Hitler....
, after which he went to his country estate 30 miles away where he was arrested the next day by a General Linnertz.
He was then 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 a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
Trial before the 'People's Court'
On 7 August 1944, von Witzleben was in the first group of accused conspirators to be brought before the Volksgerichtshof. He approached the court making the Hitler's saluteNazi salute
The Nazi salute, or Hitler salute , was a gesture of greeting in Nazi Germany usually accompanied by saying, Heil Hitler! ["Hail Hitler!"], Heil, mein Führer ["Hail, my leader!"], or Sieg Heil! ["Hail victory!"]...
; this event has been completely ignored in writings about contemporary German history, although records exist they have been cut in versions for German and foreign public.
In an attempt to humiliate Witzleben, he was made to appear before the court wearing trousers that were several sizes too big and, additionally, being denied a belt or suspenders, forcing him to continually hitch up trousers in court to prevent them from falling down. The presiding judge was Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
, who was notorious for ranting and belittling defendants in court. At one stage during the trial of von Witzleben, he bellowed "You dirty old man – stop fumbling with your trousers!". Later that same day, he sentenced Witzleben to death for his part in the plot. Von Witzleben's closing words in court – addressed to Freisler – were:
Much of the Volksgerichtshof, including scenes showing the trial of von Witzleben, was filmed for the German weekly newsreel, Die Deutsche Wochenschau; however, the Propaganda Ministry decided against releasing the footage, firstly because Freisler's conduct in the courtroom might draw sympathy for the accused, and secondly, because the regime wanted to quell public discussion of the event.
Erwin von Witzleben was put to death that same day at Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
in Berlin. He was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on a meat hook
Meat hook
A meat hook is a two-sided hook normally used in butcheries to hang up meat or the carcasses of animals such as pigs and cattle on a moving conveyor line. There are many types of hooks, but meat hooks are the only ones used in butchering....
, with the execution filmed for Hitler's viewing.
Decorations
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1914)- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(1914)- in Black
- Knight's Cross of the House Order of HohenzollernHouse Order of HohenzollernThe House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...
- Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint John
- Honor Cross for CombatantsCross of HonorThe Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
- Sudetenland MedalSudetenland MedalThe The Sudetenland Commemorative Medal was a decoration of Nazi Germany awarded in the interwar period.-Description:...
- West Wall MedalWest Wall MedalThe West Wall Medal was a military decoration of Nazi Germany. It was instituted on 2 August 1939 and was given to those who designed and built the fortifications on Germany's western borders, known as the West Wall or, in English, the Siegfried Line, and to the troops who served there prior to...
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 24 June 1940 as Generaloberst and commander of 1. Armee
Depiction in media
- East German actor Otto Dierichs depicted Witzleben in the 1970 Eastern Bloc co-production LiberationLiberation (film series)Liberation is an epic five-part film series considered the most large-scale World War II film ever made in the Soviet Union. Filmed from 1967 to 1971, the first part was released during 1970 for the 25th anniversary of Victory Day...
. - Joachim BißmeierJoachim BißmeierJoachim Bißmeier is a German television actor.-Selected filmography:*Derrick - Season 2, Episode 5: "Zeichen der Gewalt" -External links:*...
portrays von Witzleben in the 2004, StauffenbergStauffenberg (Film)Stauffenberg is a German-Austrian TV movie released in 2004 by Das Erste , about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
. - English Actor David SchofieldDavid Schofield (actor)David Schofield is an English actor who was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Lancashire in 1951. He has appeared in numerous television programmes and feature films during his career.-Early life:...
portrays von Witzleben in the 2008 Bryan SingerBryan SingerBryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
thriller ValkyrieValkyrie (film)Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
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External links
- http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/WitzlebenErwin/index.html