Franz Maria Liedig
Encyclopedia
Franz Maria Liedig was a German
Navy
Officer
and member of the military resistance against Adolf Hitler
.
and served as an Artillery Officer on a Torpedo boat
. After a short time of internment at Scapa Flow
in 1919, he started to study at the Technical University Munich. Liedig was a member of the Freikorps
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
, deployed in Berlin
and Upper Silesia
in 1919/20, and a participant of the Kapp Putsch
in March 1920. Liedig left the German Navy in September 1920 and was active in some rightwing organisations throughout the 1920s. Liedig studied law and worked as a lawyer.
In 1936 he rejoined the Navy at the instigation of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris
, who knew Liedig from the Freikorps episode. Here he came in contact to members of the German military resistance such as Hans Oster
and Hans von Dohnanyi
. Around September 20, 1938 the leading members of that opposition Erwin von Witzleben
, Hans Bernd Gisevius
, Hans Oster, Hans von Dohnanyi, and assumedly Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
met Abwehr
Captain Friedrich Wilhelm Heinz and Franz-Maria Liedig at Oster’s house in Berlin. Heinz and Liedig were instructed to form an assault group to arrest Adolf Hitler. After Witzleben left that meeting, both decided to shoot Hitler if possible. The plans were abolished after the Munich Conference.
On October 8, 1939 Liedig drove Hans Oster to the Dutch
Military attaché in Berlin, Colonel Bert Sas
. After Oster returned to the car, he told Liedig, that he just committed treason. In fact Oster informed Sas about the planned date of attack of the German Wehrmacht
in the West.
In 1940 Liedig became the Military attaché
at the German embassy in Sofia
and later on in Athens
. In February 1944 he was removed as the First Officer of the German cruiser Köln
in Oslo
.
After von Dohnanyi, Oster and Canaris were arrested by the Gestapo and the 20 July plot failed, the plans of 1938 were found on September 22, 1944 at the Abwehr
and Liedig was arrested in November 1944. He was imprisoned at several concentration camps like Flossenbürg
, Buchenwald
, Dachau and finally transferred to Niederdorf
amongst about 140 prominent inmates in late April 1945, where the SS left them behind .
Liedig was a founding member of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
in 1946 and their political executive in 1946 – 48.
Liedig died in 1967.
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...
Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
Officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and member of the military resistance against 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...
.
Biography
Liedig volunteered the German Imperial Navy in October 1916, was educated at the Naval Academy MürwikNaval Academy Mürwik
The Naval Academy at Mürwik is the main training establishment for all German Navy officers.It is located at Mürwik which is a part of Germany's most northern city, Flensburg. Built on a small hill directly by the coast, it overlooks the Flensburg Fjord...
and served as an Artillery Officer on a Torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
. After a short time of internment at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
in 1919, he started to study at the Technical University Munich. Liedig was a member of the Freikorps
Freikorps
Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
Marinebrigade Ehrhardt
The Marinebrigade Ehrhardt was a Free Corps group of around 6,000 men formed by Captain Hermann Ehrhardt in the aftermath of World War I, also known as II Marine Brigade or the Ehrhardt Brigade...
, deployed in 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...
and Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
in 1919/20, and a participant of the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
in March 1920. Liedig left the German Navy in September 1920 and was active in some rightwing organisations throughout the 1920s. Liedig studied law and worked as a lawyer.
In 1936 he rejoined the Navy at the instigation of Admiral 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 :...
, who knew Liedig from the Freikorps episode. Here he came in contact to members of the German military resistance such as Hans Oster
Hans Oster
Hans Oster was a German Army general, deputy head of the Abwehr under Wilhelm Canaris, and an opponent of Adolf Hitler and Nazism. He was a leading figure of the German resistance from 1938 to 1943.-Early career:...
and Hans von Dohnanyi
Hans von Dohnanyi
Hans von Dohnanyi was a German jurist, rescuer of Jews, and German resistance fighter against the Nazi régime.-Early life:...
. Around September 20, 1938 the leading members of that opposition Erwin von Witzleben
Erwin von Witzleben
Job-Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben was a German army officer and in the Second World War an Army commander and a conspirator in the July 20 Plot.-Early years:...
, Hans Bernd Gisevius
Hans Bernd Gisevius
Hans Bernd Gisevius was a German diplomat and intelligence officer during World War II. A strong opponent of the Nazi regime, he served as a liaison in Zürich between Allen Dulles, station chief for the American OSS and the German Resistance forces in Germany.-Pre World War II:Gisevius was born...
, Hans Oster, Hans von Dohnanyi, and assumedly Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler was a monarchist conservative German politician, executive, economist, civil servant and opponent of the Nazi regime...
met Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
Captain Friedrich Wilhelm Heinz and Franz-Maria Liedig at Oster’s house in Berlin. Heinz and Liedig were instructed to form an assault group to arrest Adolf Hitler. After Witzleben left that meeting, both decided to shoot Hitler if possible. The plans were abolished after the Munich Conference.
On October 8, 1939 Liedig drove Hans Oster to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Military attaché in Berlin, Colonel Bert Sas
Bert Sas
Bert Sas was the Netherlands military attaché in Berlin at the time of the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940....
. After Oster returned to the car, he told Liedig, that he just committed treason. In fact Oster informed Sas about the planned date of attack of the German 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:...
in the West.
In 1940 Liedig became the Military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
at the German embassy in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and later on in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. In February 1944 he was removed as the First Officer of the German cruiser Köln
German cruiser Köln
Köln was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln . The others in her class were the Königsberg and the Karlsruhe...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
After von Dohnanyi, Oster and Canaris were arrested by the Gestapo and the 20 July plot failed, the plans of 1938 were found on September 22, 1944 at the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
and Liedig was arrested in November 1944. He was imprisoned at several concentration camps like Flossenbürg
Flossenbürg concentration camp
Konzentrationslager Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Oberpfalz region of Bavaria, Germany, near the border with Czechoslovakia. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than 96,000 prisoners...
, Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
, Dachau and finally transferred to Niederdorf
Transport of concentration camp inmates to Tyrol
The Transport of Inmates of German Concentration Camps to Tyrol happened in late April 1945 and led to the only time such prisoners were liberated by German troops.- Transfer and liberation:...
amongst about 140 prominent inmates in late April 1945, where the SS left them behind .
Liedig was a founding member of the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
in 1946 and their political executive in 1946 – 48.
Liedig died in 1967.