Walter von Brauchitsch (4 Oct. 1881 - 18 Oct. 1948)
Walther von Brauchitsch was Commander of the Heer when the war began, and was part of, or allowed, conspiracies against Hitler, stating that he if he did not get involved neither would he stop anyone from acting. He was against or disliked Nazism. When Hitler declared he would invade France, he read a memorandum to Hitler to convince him to delay. He did, in the end, delay, though not because of the Army General Staff’s memorandum. This, and Hitler’s furious reaction to the memorandum, convinced Brauchitsch that he could not overthrow Hitler and quit the conspiracy.
He became Generalfeldmarschall in 1940 and helped to wage the blitzkrieg against France. Hitler had planned for Brauchitsch to lead the invasion of Britain, but this never happened due to the Luftwaffe’s failure. He was transferred to invade the Soviet Union in 1941, suffering a severe heart attack in that year. Brauchitsch was relieved of duties and spent the rest of the war near Prague.
For more information on Walther von Brauchitsch:
Wistrich, Robert S. Who’s Who in Nazi Germany (London: Routledge), 2002.
He became Generalfeldmarschall in 1940 and helped to wage the blitzkrieg against France. Hitler had planned for Brauchitsch to lead the invasion of Britain, but this never happened due to the Luftwaffe’s failure. He was transferred to invade the Soviet Union in 1941, suffering a severe heart attack in that year. Brauchitsch was relieved of duties and spent the rest of the war near Prague.
For more information on Walther von Brauchitsch:
Wistrich, Robert S. Who’s Who in Nazi Germany (London: Routledge), 2002.
