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Walther von BrauchitschGerman Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief
Date of Birth: 04.10.1881
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Walter von Brauchitsch
Walter von Brauchitsch was a German General Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the German Army during the early years of World War II (1938-1941). He served in the German Army under three different regimes - the German Empire (until 1918), the Weimar Republic (until 1933), and the Third Reich.
Early Life
Walter von Brauchitsch was born in Berlin on October 4, 1881. He was the fifth son of a cavalry general and received his education at the best school in Berlin. In 1900, he was enrolled in the Guard Regiment. After graduating from the military academy, von Brauchitsch became an officer. During World War I, he was appointed to the prestigious General Staff, which was a significant achievement for a young officer.
Marriages
Von Brauchitsch was married twice. In 1910, he married Elizabeth von Karstedt, an incredibly wealthy heiress from Pomerania, with whom he had four children. However, the couple divorced in 1938 after living separately for five years. Von Brauchitsch then registered a second marriage to Charlotte Rüffer, the daughter of a prominent political figure and judge from Silesia. Charlotte was a devoted Nazi and was described by diplomat Ulrich von Hassell, later executed for his involvement in a plot against Hitler, as a "200% fanatical Nazi". The divorce process was scandalous, with Elizabeth demanding a large sum of money, which von Brauchitsch did not have. Hitler ordered 80,000 Reichsmarks to be allocated to the Field Marshal to settle his personal financial matters. After this, von Brauchitsch's loyalty to Hitler knew no bounds.
Career
Von Brauchitsch was known for being reserved, cold, always polite, and dignified. He was well-read, knowledgeable in economics and politics, and had a deep understanding of his profession as an artillery expert. Initially, like many other high-ranking military officers, he had reservations about the Nazis and disapproved of their interference in military affairs. However, his second wife easily swayed him towards the National Socialists, and von Brauchitsch later developed a reverence for Hitler.
After World War I, the General Staff was abolished as per the terms of the peace treaty. However, von Brauchitsch continued his service in military administration. In 1922, he was transferred to the Ministry of Defense, and in 1925, he joined the troops to organize maneuvers and practice the coordination between ground forces and aviation. In 1927, he became the Chief of Staff of the 6th Military District, and in 1931, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
When the Nazis came to power, Germany began to rapidly increase its military strength. Von Brauchitsch's talent proved invaluable to Hitler in this endeavor. In 1933, he was appointed Commander of the First Military District (East Prussia, with headquarters in Königsberg, now Kaliningrad), and in 1937, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the 4th Army Group.
On February 4, 1938, after the scandalous resignation of General Fritch (who was falsely accused of homosexuality, a condition considered inferior and subject to extermination in Nazi Germany), von Brauchitsch was promoted to the rank of General Colonel and appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces. In September 1938, a group of officers attempted a conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. They tried to persuade von Brauchitsch to support them and use the army for a coup. Von Brauchitsch made it clear to the conspirators that he would not interfere with their plans but completely distanced himself from their conspiracy. He is famously attributed with saying, "I am a soldier. My duty is to obey."
Von Brauchitsch played an active role in developing plans for the invasion of Poland, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, and the Soviet Union. In 1940, he was awarded the baton of a Field Marshal. However, after the complete failure of the lightning-fast capture of Moscow, von Brauchitsch was retired on December 19, 1941. He spent the remaining three years of the war in retirement, in a hunting lodge in the mountains near Prague.
In 1945, von Brauchitsch surrendered to the Allied forces as a prisoner of war. He passed away on October 18, 1948, in a military hospital for prisoners of war in Hamburg.
