Werner von Blomberg
| Werner von Blomberg | |
|---|---|
| 2 September 1878 – 14 March 1946 (aged 67) | |
 Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg in 1937 |
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| Place of birth | Stargard, German Empire |
| Place of death | Nuremberg, Germany |
| Allegiance |  German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1907–1938 |
| Rank | Generalfeldmarschall |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite Iron Cross |
Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 14 March 1946) was a German Generalfeldmarschall, Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces until January 1938.
Contents |
Early life
Born in Stargard, Pomerania, Prussia (present-day Stargard Szczeciński, West Pomeranian Voivodeship), Werner von Blomberg joined the army at a young age and attended the Prussian Military Academy in 1904. In April 1904 he married Charlotte Hellmich.
Military career
After graduating in 1907, Blomberg entered the General Staff in 1908. Serving with distinction on the Western Front during World War I, Blomberg was awarded the Pour le Mérite. In 1920, Blomberg was appointed Chief of Staff of the Döberitz Brigade and in 1921 was made Chief of Staff of the Stuttgart Army Area. In 1925, Blomberg was made Chief of Army Training by General Hans von Seeckt. By 1927 Blomberg was a major-general and Chief of the Troop Office. In 1928, Blomberg visited the Soviet Union, where he was much impressed by the high status of the Red Army, and left a convinced believer in the value of dictatorship as the prerequisite for military power[1]. After arguing with the powerful General Kurt von Schleicher in 1929, however, Blomberg was removed from his post and made military commander of East Prussia. During his time as commander of Wehrkreis I, the military district which comprised East Prussia, Blomberg fell under the influence of a Nazi-sympathizing Lutheran chaplain, Ludwig Müller, who introduced Blomberg to National Socialism[2]. Blomberg cared little for Doctrines per se, his support for the Nazis being motivated by his belief that only a dictatorship could make Germany a great military power, and that the Nazis were the best party to create a dictatorship for Germany[3]. In 1931, Blomberg visited the United States, where he openly proclaimed his belief in the certainty and the benefits of a Nazi government for Germany[4]. Blomberg's first wife Charlotte died in on 11 May 1932 leaving him with two sons and three daughters.[5][6]. In 1932, Blomberg served as of the German delegation to the World Disarmament Conference, where during his time as chief military delegate, he not only continued his pro-Nazi remarks, but used his status of chief military delegate to communicate his views to Paul von Hindenburg, whose position as President made Supreme Commander in Chief[7].
In 1933, Blomberg rose to national prominence when he was appointed Minister of Defense in Adolf Hitler's government. Blomberg became one of Hitler's most devoted followers, and as such was nicknamed "Rubber Lion" by some of his critics in the army who were less than enthusiastic about Hitler. As Minister of Defense, Blomberg worked feverishly to expand the size and power of the army. In 1933 Blomberg was made a colonel general for his services. In 1934, Blomberg encouraged Hitler to crack down on SA leader Ernst Röhm and his followers, whom he believed posed a serious threat to the army. As such, he condoned and participated in the Night of the Long Knives.
In the same year, after Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg had died, he personally ordered all soldiers in the army to pledge the Reichswehreid (oath of allegiance) not to Volk and Fatherland, but to the new Reichspräsident and Führer Adolf Hitler, which is thought to have limited later opposition to Hitler.
In 1935, the Ministry of Defense was renamed to Ministry of War; Blomberg became Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In 1936, the loyal Blomberg was the first General Field Marshal appointed by Hitler.
Unfortunately for Blomberg, his position as the most influential man in the army alienated Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, who conspired to oust him from power. After the Hossbach Memorandum meeting of November 1937, Hitler was dissatisfied with him. They struck in January 1938, when Blomberg, then fifty-nine, married (on 12 January[8]) Erna Gruhn (sometimes referred to as "Eva" or "Margarete"), a 26-year-old typist and secretary. A police officer discovered that Gruhn in 1932 had posed for pornographic photos and reported this to the Gestapo and Göring (who had served as best man to Blomberg at the wedding). The claim that Frau von Blomberg had a criminal record for prostitution is false; Göring chose to misrepresent Frau Blomberg's criminal record as being for prostitution as a way of smearing her husband[9]. Göring then informed Hitler (who had also been a best man at the wedding), and Hitler ordered Blomberg to annul the marriage in order to avoid a scandal and to preserve the integrity of the army. Blomberg refused to annul the marriage, and consequently resigned all of his posts on 27 January 1938 when Göring threatened to make his wife's past public knowledge.
A few days later, Göring and Himmler accused Commander-in-Chief of the Army Werner von Fritsch of being a homosexual. Hitler used these opportunities for major reorganization of the Wehrmacht. Fritsch was later acquitted; together the events became known as Blomberg-Fritsch Affair.
Blomberg and his wife were subsequently exiled for a year to the isle of Capri. Spending World War II in obscurity, Blomberg was captured by the Allies in 1945, after which time he gave evidence at the Nuremberg Trials. Blomberg died while in detention at Nuremberg in 1946.
His daughter Dorothea got engaged to Lieutenant Karl-Heinz Keitel (General Wilhelm Keitel's eldest son) in January 1938, and they got married in May the same year.[10]
Dates of Rank
- Leutnant - 13 March 1897
- Oberleutnant - 18 May 1907
- Hauptmann - 20 March 1911
- Major - 22 March 1916
- Oberstleutnant - 20 December 1920
- Oberst - 1 April 1925
- Generalmajor - 1 April 1928
- Generalleutnant - 1 October 1929
- General der Infanterie - 30 January 1933
- Generaloberst - 31 August 1933
- Generalfeldmarschall - 20 April 1936
Flags
Werner von Blomberg had flags as Minister of War and Commander-In-Chief of the German Armed Forces.
 The flag for the National Defence Minister (14.3.1933 - 23.7.1935) |
 The flag for the War Minister and Commander-In-Chief of the Wehrmacht (23.7.1935 - 5.10.1935) |
 The flag for the Minister of war and Commander-In-Chief of the German Armed Forces (5.10.1935 - 4.2.1938) |
See also
- Axel von Blomberg - His son
Sources
- Heiber, Helmut, and Glantz, David M. (2005). Hitler and His Generals: Military Conferences 1942-1945. New York: Enigma Books. ISBN 1-929631-09-X.
- Wheeler-Bennett, Sir John, The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945 Palgrave Macmillan, London, 1953, 1964, 2005
- schoah.de
References
- ↑ Wheeler-Bennett, John The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945, London: Macmillan, 1967 pages 295-296.
- ↑ Wheeler-Bennett, John The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945, London: Macmillan, 1967 page 296.
- ↑ Wheeler-Bennett, John The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945, London: Macmillan, 1967 pages 296-297.
- ↑ Wheeler-Bennett, John The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945, London: Macmillan, 1967 page 297.
- ↑ Barnett, Correlli; Barnett, Corelli (1989). Hitler's Generals. Grove Press. pp. 131. ISBN 0-8021-3994-9.
- ↑ Kirstin A. Schäfer (2006). Werner von Blomberg: Hitlers erster Feldmarschall : eine Biographie. Schöningh. pp. 22. ISBN 3506713914.
- ↑ Wheeler-Bennett, John The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918-1945, London: Macmillan, 1967 page 297.
- ↑ Nicholls, David (2000). Adolf Hitler: a biographical companion. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 29. ISBN 0-87436-965-7.
- ↑ Deighton, Len Blitzkrieg, Castle Books: Edison, 1979, 2000 page 46.
- ↑ Wilhelm Keitel, Walter Görlitz (1966). The memoirs of Field-Marshal Keitel. Stein and Day. pp. 41, 77.
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