Werner Freiherr von Fritsch

Werner Freiherr von Fritsch, 1932
Born(1880-08-04)4 August 1880
Benrath, German Empire
Died22 September 1939(1939-09-22) (aged 59)
Warsaw, Poland
Allegiance German Empire (to 1918)
Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Nazi Germany
Years of service1898?1939
RankGeneraloberst
Commands held1st Cavalry Division
3rd Infantry Division
AwardsPour le Merite
Iron Cross

Werner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch (4 August 1880 ? 22 September 1939) was a prominent Wehrmacht officer, member of the German High Command, and the second German general to be killed during World War II.
Contents

1 Early life

2 Interwar period

3 The Blomberg-Fritsch Affair

4 World War II

5 Legacy

6 Notes

7 References

8 Further reading


Early life

Fritsch was born in Benrath in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. He entered the Imperial German Army (Reichsheer) at the age of 18, and won the attention of the German General Staff with his superior military qualities. In 1901, at the age of 21, he transferred to the Prussian Military Academy (Preusische Kriegsakademie). As a First Lieutenant (Oberleutnant) in 1911, he was appointed to the General Staff. During World War I, he gradually increased in importance and received, among other awards, the Iron Cross First Class and a black wound badge for a head wound he received while visiting the front lines.
Interwar period

During the interwar period, Fritsch served in the Weimar Republic's Armed Forces (Reichswehr). Fritsch was heavily involved in the secret rearmament of the 1920s, in which Germany sought to evade the terms of Part V of the Treaty of Versailles, which had essentially disarmed Germany, limiting the country's Army to 100,000 soldiers, plus destroying all its aircraft and tanks.[1] As such, Fritsch who worked closely with the Soviet Union in secret rearmament favored a pro-Soviet foreign policy, and had an extreme hatred for Poland.[1] In 1928, Fritsch began work on the plan that became Fall Weiss, the invasion of Poland in 1939.[1] He was promoted to Major-General (Generalmajor) in 1932 by Kurt von Schleicher, who regarded him as a promising young officer.[2] Schleicher then assigned Fritsch and Gerd von Rundstedt the duty of carrying out the Rape of Prussia that saw the Reichswehr oust the Social Democratic government of Prussia.[3]

After the Nazis came to power in 1933, Fritsch was a warm supporter of the new regime, which he saw a radical force that provided it was influenced by people like himself would be a force for the good.[4]

Fritsch was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Army (Oberkommando des Heeres, or OKH), in February 1934 partly because Hitler saw him as a supporter of his regime and partly because the Defence Minister Werner von Blomberg valued Fritsch for his professionalism.[5] According to William Shirer in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Fritsch played a pivotal role when he balked at Hitler's initial overture to the Army to succeed ailing President von Hindenburg upon his death. Fritsch ultimately betrayed the officer corps to the Fuhrer by agreeing to this demand after consulting with his generals.[6] He was named Commander-in-Chief of the Army in 1935. In late 1934-early 1935, Fritsch and Blomberg successfully pressured Hitler into rehabilitating the name of the assassinated General von Schleicher, claiming that as officers they could not stand the press attacks portraying him as a traitor working for France.[7]

His initial enthusiasm for the Nazis soon waned. In particular, he grew increasingly hostile toward the SS, which he saw as a rival to the Army. Shirer recalled hearing Fritsch make sarcastic remarks about the SS, as well as several Nazi leaders from Hitler on down, at a parade in Saarbrucken. He was also worried that Hitler would cause a war with the Soviet Union; like most of his fellow officers, he had supported the Weimar liaison with Moscow. Fritsch's growing distaste for the Nazis was not lost on Himmler, who set about looking for an excuse to get rid of him.

In 1936, when Blomberg was promoted to Field Marshal, Fritsch received promotion to Blomberg's vacated rank of Colonel General (Generaloberst). Fritsch was among the officers present at the Hossbach Conference in 1937 where Hitler announced that he wanted to go to war as early as 1938. He was very critical of this demand, as he knew the army was not ready.
The Blomberg-Fritsch Affair Main article: Blomberg-Fritsch Affair

Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Goring?inspired by the resignation of Blomberg?accused the unmarried Fritsch of engaging in homosexual activity. Fritsch had never been a womaniser and had preferred to concentrate on his army career. He was forced to resign on 4 February 1938.