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Franz Halder
June 30, 1884 - April 02, 1972

Place of birth Würzburg, Germany
Place of death Aschau im Chiemgau, Bavaria
Allegiance Flag of German Empire German Empire (to 1918)
Flag of Germany Weimar Republic (to 1933)
Flag of Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Rank Generaloberst
Battles/wars World War I
World War II
Awards Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes


Franz Ritter Halder (June 30, 1884 – April 2, 1972) was a German General and the head of the Army General Staff from 1938 until September 1942, when he was dismissed after frequent disagreements with Adolf Hitler. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Würzburg (ˈvʏɐ̯ʦbʊɐ̯k is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Aschau im Chiemgau is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria in Germany. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Colonel General is a senior Military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ( German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was a grade of the Iron Cross Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH was Germany 's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945 Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Contents

Early life

Halder was born in Würzburg to General Max Halder. Würzburg (ˈvʏɐ̯ʦbʊɐ̯k is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany In 1902 he joined the 3rd Royal Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment in Munich. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1904 upon graduation from War School in Munich, then he attended Artillery School (1906–07) and the Bavarian Staff College (War Academy) (1911–14), both in Munich. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services

World War I

In 1914 during World War I, Halder became an Ordnance Officer, serving in the Headquarters of the Bavarian 3rd Army Corps. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In August 1915 he was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) on the General Staff of the Crown Prince of Bavaria's 6th Infantry Division. Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as Captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies During 1917 he served as a General Staff officer in the Headquarters of the 2nd Army, before being transferred to the 4th Army.

Interwar era

Between 1919 and 1920 Halder served with the Reichswehr War Ministry Training Branch. The Reichswehr ( German for "National Defence" formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935 when it was Between 1921 and 1923 he was a Tactics Instructor with the Wehrkreis VII in Munich. These are terms concepts and ideas that are useful to understanding the political situation in the Weimar Republic.

In March 1924 Halder was promoted to Major and by 1926 he served as the Director of Operations (Oberquartiermeister of Operations: O. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Qu. I. ) on the General Staff of the Wehrkreis VII in Munich. In February 1929 he was promoted to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel), and from October 1929 through late 1931 he served on the Training staff in the Reichswehr Ministry.

After being promoted to Oberst (Colonel) in December 1931, Halder served as the Chief of Staff, Wehrkreis Kdo VI, in Münster (Westphalia) through early 1934. Münster ( is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia (Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Bielefeld, Bochum, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster During the 1930s the German military staff thought that Poland might attack the detached German province of East Prussia. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part As such, they reviewed plans as to how to defend East Prussia.

After being promoted to Generalmajor (Major-General) in October 1934, Halder served as the Commander of the 7th Infantry Division in Munich. Please see " General " for other countries which use this rank General (genəˈraːl is presently the highest rank

Recognized as a fine staff officer and planner, in August 1936 Halder was promoted to Generalleutnant (Lieutenant-General). Please see " General " for other countries which use this rank General (genəˈraːl is presently the highest rank He then became the director of the Manoeuvres Staff. Shortly thereafter, he became director of the Training Branch (Oberquartiermeister of Training, O. Qu. II), on the General Staff of the Army, in Berlin between October 1937 and February 1938. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. During this period he directed important training maneuvers, the largest held since the reintroduction of conscription in 1935. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority

On February 1, 1938 Halder was promoted to General der Artillerie. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Around this date General Wilhelm Keitel was attempting to reorganize the entire upper leadership of the German Army. Wilhelm Bodewin Johann Gustav Keitel (22 September 1882–16 October 1946 was a German Field marshal ( Generalfeldmarschall) Keitel had asked Halder to become Chief of the General Staff (Oberquartiermeister of operations, training & supply; O. Qu. I ) and report to General Walther von Reichenau. Walter von Reichenau ( October 8, 1884 &ndash January 17, 1942) was a German Generalfeldmarschall. However, Halder declined as he felt he could not work with Reichenau very well, due to a personality dispute. As Keitel recognized Halder's superior military planning skills, Keitel met with Hitler and enticed him to appoint General Walther von Brauchitsch as commander-in-chief of the German Army. Heinrich Alfred Hermann Walther von Brauchitsch ( 4 October 1881 &ndash 18 October 1948) was an aristocratic German field Halder then accepted becoming Chief of the General Staff of the Army (Oberkommando des Heeres) on September 1, 1938, and succeeded General Ludwig Beck. Ludwig August Theodor Beck (29 June 1880 &ndash 21 July 1944 was a German General and the Chief of the General Staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres

A week later, Halder presented plans to Hitler on how to invade Czechoslovakia with a pincer movement by General Gerd von Rundstedt and General Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt ( December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ( September 5, 1876 - April 29, 1956) was a German Field Marshal during World War II Instead, Hitler directed that Reichenau should make the main thrust into Prague. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Neither plan was necessary once British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain brokered the "Munich Agreement", by surrendering the Czech region of Sudetenland to Germany. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Arthur Neville Chamberlain (18 March 1869 &ndash 9 November 1940 was a British Conservative Politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Munich Agreement (Mnichovská dohoda Mníchovská dohoda Münchner Abkommen Accords de Munich was an agreement regarding the Sudetenland, which were areas along borders Sudetenland ( Czech and Polish: Sudety) is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the western regions of Just before Chamberlain capitulated to Hitler, Halder — in an attempt to avoid war — discussed with several other generals the idea of removing Hitler from power. However, on September 29 Chamberlain gave in to Hitler’s demands, and Halder’s plot to remove Hitler died as peace had been preserved. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Two days later, on October 1, German troops entered the Sudetenland. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela.

World War II

During the spring of 1939, Halder began participating in drafting the invasion plans of Poland. Halder stated that he thought Polish soldiers were stupid, and thought the war could be over within 2-3 weeks.

On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland and thereby started World War II. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied On September 10 Halder noted in his diary that he had received information from the SS Commander Reinhard Heydrich that the SS was beginning its campaign to "clean house" in Poland of Jews and all intelligentsia. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( 7 March 1904 &ndash 4 June 1942) was an SS - Obergruppenführer, chief PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ This led to future criticism by historians that Halder knew about the killings of Jews much earlier than he later acknowledged during post-World War II interviews, and that he failed to object to such killings. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as Halder noted in his diary his doubts "about the measures intended by Himmler". [1]

During November 1939, Halder conspired with General Brauchitsch that he would support Brauchitsch if he were to try to curtail Hitler’s plans for further expansion of the war, but Brauchitsch declined (the so-called Zossen Conspiracy). While Halder opposed Hitler’s expanded war plans, like all officers he had taken a personal loyalty oath to Hitler. Thus, he felt unable to take direct action against der Führer.

At the end of 1939, Halder oversaw development of the invasion plans of France, the Low Countries, and the Balkans. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt Halder initially doubted that Germany could successfully invade France. General Erich von Manstein's bold plan for invading France through the Ardennes Forest proved successful, and ultimately led to the capture of France. Erich von Manstein ( November 24, 1887 &ndash June 9 1973) served the German military as a lifelong professional soldier For the political subdivision of France see Ardennes (department. On July 19, 1940 Halder was promoted to Generaloberst (Colonel-General). Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Colonel General is a senior Military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries In August, he began working on Operation Barbarossa, the invasion plan for the Soviet Union. Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Shortly thereafter, to curtail Halder’s military-command power, Hitler limited the General's involvement in the war by restricting him to developing battle plans for only the Eastern Front. The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Halder appeared on the June 29, 1942 cover of Time magazine. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and

Franz Halder
Franz Halder

During the summer of 1942 Halder told Hitler that he was underestimating the number of Russian military units; Hitler argued that the Russians were nearly broken. Furthermore, Hitler did not like Halder’s objections to sending General Manstein’s 11th Army to assist in the attack against Leningrad. The Siege of Leningrad, also known as The Leningrad Blockade ( Russian: блокада Ленинграда ( transliteration: blokada Leningrada Halder also had thought that the German attack into the Caucasus was ill advised. Finally, because of Halder’s disagreement with Hitler’s conduct of the war, Hitler decided that the General no longer possessed an aggressive war mentality, and therefore retired Halder into the "Fuhrer Reserve" on September 24, 1942. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

On July 20, 1944 a group of German army officers attempted to assassinate Hitler. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The following day Halder was arrested by the Gestapo, although he was not involved in the assassination attempt. The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany As Hitler considered Halder a possible leader who could overthrow him, Halder was imprisoned at both the Flossenbürg and the Dachau concentration camps. Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the Schutzstaffel (SS Economic-Administrative Main Office at Flossenbürg, in the Dachau was a Nazi German Concentration camp, and the first one opened in Germany located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions Factory near the On January 31, 1945 Halder was officially dismissed from the army. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Together with some members of the July 20 plot and other notable prisoners he was transferred to Austrian Tyrol, where he was liberated by US troops on May 4 [2] after the SS guards fled. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Halder spent the next two years in a prisoner of war camp.

After World War II

During the 1950s, Halder worked as a war historian advisor to the U. S. Army Historical Division. He died in 1972 in Aschau im Chiemgau, Bavaria. Aschau im Chiemgau is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria in Germany.

Awards

Publications

Halder authored Hitler as War Lord (1949) and The Halder Diaries (1976). The latter diaries were later used by American historian William Shirer, as a major primary source for his monumental work The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, along with other confidential documents and manuscripts. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the William Lawrence Shirer ( February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and historian Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines In Historiography, a primary source (also called original source) is a Document, Recording The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by Journalist William L Shirer was the first definitive history of Nazi Germany in English.

In reviewing Halder's personality, the British author Hugh Trevor-Roper wrote: "Halder is a military snob, believing that no amateur can ever understand the mysteries of war. Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper Baron Dacre of Glanton ( January 15, 1914 – January 26, 2003) was a British Historian " Author Kenneth Macksey wrote: "Quick, shrewd and witty, he was a brilliant specialist in operational and training matters and the son of a distinguished general. Kenneth Macksey ( July 1, 1923 - November 30, 2005) was a British author and historian who specialized in Military history He supported Beck's resistance to Hitler, but when it came to a crunch was no real help. Flirt as he did, in September, with those opposed to Hitler, he toed the party line when extreme pressure was exerted for the return of the Sudetenland and its German nationals by the Czechs to Germany. "

For other insights regarding Halder's capabilities, see: Christian Hartmann and Sergei Slutsch, Franz Halder und die Kriegsvorbereitungen im Frühjahr 1939. Eine Ansprache des Generalstabschefs des Heeres in the journal Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte (July 1997); Christian Hartmann, Halder: Generalstabschef Hitlers: 1939-1942, (1991), and Hitler's Generals, edited by Correlli Barnett. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.

The historians Ronald Smelser and Edward J. Davies II in The Myth of the Eastern Front (Cambridge University Press, 2008) argue that, after 1945, Halder played a key role in creating a false and mythic view of the Nazi-Soviet war in which the Wehrmacht was largely blameless for both Germany's military defeat and its war crimes. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945

Notes

  1. ^ Hitler Strikes Poland, pp. 22, 116 and 176
  2. ^ Hartmann, Christian: Halder. Generalstabschef Hitlers 1938-1942, Paderborn: Schoeningh 1991, ISBN 3506774840
  3. ^ The Private War Journal of Generaloberst Franz Halder - Summary Guide. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. Retrieved on 2007-07-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium.

References

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Ludwig Beck		 Chief of the Army General Staff
September 1938 - September 1942		 Succeeded by
Kurt Zeitzler
Ludwig August Theodor Beck (29 June 1880 &ndash 21 July 1944 was a German General and the Chief of the General Staff of the Oberkommando des Heeres The Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH was Germany 's Army High Command from 1936 to 1945 Kurt Zeitzler ( June 9, 1895 &ndash September 25, 1963) was an officer in the German Reichswehr
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