| Werner Freiherr von Fritsch | |
|---|---|
Werner Freiherr von Fritsch |
|
| Born | 4 August 1880 Benrath, German Empire |
| Died | 22 September 1939 (aged 59) Warsaw, Poland |
| Allegiance | German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Years of service | 1898–1939 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite |
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 |
Von 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 (Preußische 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.
During the interwar period, von 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 disarmed Germany.[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 Lieutenant-General (Generalleutnant) 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, von 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 the Army High Command (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] He was named Commander-in-Chief of the Army the next year. He—alongside von Blomberg—set about rearming Germany. In late 1934-early 1935, Fritsch and von Blomberg successfully pressured Hitler into rehabiliting General von Schleicher, claiming that as officers they could not stand the press attacks on Schleicher, which portrayed him as a traitor working for France[6]
His initial enthusiasm for the Nazis soon waned. In particular, he was hostile toward the SS, which he saw as a rival to the Army. In his book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William Shirer recalled hearing von Fritsch make sarcastic remarks about the SS, as well as several Nazi leaders from Hitler on down, at a parade in Saarbrücken. He was also worried that Adolf 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 von Blomberg was promoted to Field Marshal, General von Fritsch received promotion to von Blomberg′s vacated rank of Colonel General (Generaloberst). Von 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.
Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring—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. His replacement—Walther von Brauchitsch—was recommended for the post by von Fritsch. Adolf Hitler took advantage of the situation through the replacement of several generals and ministers with Nazi loyalists, which strengthened his control of the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht). It soon became known that the charges were false, and an honour court of officers examined the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair, although it was presided over by Göring himself. The successful annexation of Austria into Greater Germany (Anschluss) of 12 March silenced all critics of Hitler, Göring and Himmler. Fritsch was acquitted on 18 March, but the damage to his name had been done.
Following his acquittal, Fritsch attempted to challenge SS leader Heinrich Himmler to a duel. Fritsch composed a formal challenge and reportedly practiced his pistol skills in his free time, of which he had plenty as an officer without a command. The letter was given to General Gerd von Rundstedt for delivery, but Rundstedt, seeking to bridge the distrust between the Wehrmacht and SS, ultimately convinced Fritsch to abandon the idea. (It is unlikely the encounter could have come about regardless, as Hitler had forbidden highly-placed party members, such as Himmler, from dueling.)[7]
Despite the false charges, Fritsch remained loyal to the Nazi regime, and maintained his firmly held belief Germany was faced with an international Jewish conspiracy out to ruin the Reich[8] After the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 1938, Fritsch wrote in a letter to a friend on November 22, 1938 that "Of course the battle with international Jewry has now officially began, and as a natural consequence that will lead to war with England and the United States, the political bastions of the Jews".[9] In another letter to his friend, the Baroness von Schutzbar on December 11, 1938 Fritsch wrote:
"It is very strange that so many people should regard the future with growing apprehension, in spite of the Führer′s indisputable successes in the past...Soon after the War, I came to the conclusion that we have to be victorious in three battles, if Germany were again to be powerful:.
(1) The battle against the working class. Hitler has won this;
(2) Against the Catholic Church, perhaps better expressed as Ultramontanism and
(3) Against the Jews.
We are in the midst of these battles, and the one against the Jews is the most difficult. I hope everyone realizes the intricacies of this campaign."[10]
Fritsch told Ulrich von Hassell—when the latter tried to involve him in an anti-Nazi plot—that Hitler was Germany′s destiny, and nothing could be done to change that fact.[11]
Just before the outbreak of World War II, Fritsch was recalled, and chose to personally inspect the front lines as the "Honorary Colonel of the 12th Artillery Regiment"[12] during the Invasion of Poland, a very unusual activity for someone of his rank. On 22 September 1939, in Praga during the Siege of Warsaw, a Polish bullet (either a machine gun or a sharpshooter) tore an artery in his leg.[13] Lieutenant Rosenhagen, adjutant of von Fritsch and an eyewitness to his death, wrote in his original, official protocol:
"[...] In this moment the Herr Generaloberst received a gunshot in his left thigh, a bullet tore an artery. Immediately he fell down. Before I took off his braces, the Herr Generaloberst said: "please leave it", lost consciousness and died. Only one minute passed between receiving gunshot and death."[13]
Werner von Fritsch was the second German general to be killed in combat in World War II—the first being Generalmajor der Ordnungspolizei and SS Brigadeführer Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig (KIA on 10 September 1939 (around 14:15) near Opoczno, Poland). As von Fritsch was the second general killed in action, the event was closely examined. It is believed that he deliberately sought death. Von Fritsch received a ceremonial state funeral four days later in Berlin.
William Shirer covers the event in his diary entry dated September 26, 1939.
"They buried General Von Fritsch here this morning. It rained, it was cold and dark – one of the dreariest days I can remember in Berlin. Hitler did not show up, nor Ribbertrop, nor Himmler, though they all returned to Berlin from the front this afternoon."
Freiherr von Fritsch Kaserne in Darmstadt was named after von Fritsch after his death. It was later combined with the adjoining Cambrai Kaserne. The facilities were combined when the United States Army occupied Darmstadt in 1945. Cambrai-Fritsch Kaserne was scheduled to be turned over to the German government on or about March 2009.[14]
Regarding personal names: Freiherr was a title, translated as Baron, not a first or middle name. The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin. In Germany, however, since 1919 Freiherr is no title any more but part of the surname, thus following the given name(s) and not to be translated.