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A few questions about General Halder. He was sacked by Hitler in 1942 and later possibly implicated in the failed ''July 20 Plot'' assassination attempt on Hitler and so was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to several concentration camps until the war ended.
1. If he was implicated then why didn't Hitler have him executed or forced to commit suicide as Rommel was made to do?
2. After he was freed by the allies from the German prison camp he then was arrested and imprisoned for possible war crimes and yet was never charged at Nuremburg (main or high command trials) as like general's Keitel and Jodl were and so thoughts about why he was released after two years from incarceration by the allies as after all he oversaw the the invasion of Poland, Low Countries and France as Chief of Staff of the German Army?
A few questions about General Halder. He was sacked by Hitler in 1942 and later possibly implicated in the failed ''July 20 Plot'' assassination attempt on Hitler and so was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to several concentration camps until the war ended.
1. If he was implicated then why didn't Hitler have him executed or forced to commit suicide as Rommel was made to do?
2. After he was freed by the allies from the German prison camp he then was arrested and imprisoned for possible war crimes and yet was never charged at Nuremburg (main or high command trials) as like general's Keitel and Jodl were and so thoughts about why he was released after two years from incarceration by the allies as after all he oversaw the the invasion of Poland, Low Countries and France as Chief of Staff of the German Army?
1) I don't think he was implicated in the actual plot. However, he was a threat of replacing Hitler given his prominence so he was imprisoned.
2) He was a military planner and while he was *aware* of some of the war crimes he was not directly involved and so escaped the nuremburg trials.
Basically, he was pretty much a pure military man and as such didn't get mixed up in much other than that. I think he generally considered Hitler a military idiot (correctly) and it was that logger-heads that had him moved to the side-lines in 42'.
A few questions about General Halder. He was sacked by Hitler in 1942 and later possibly implicated in the failed ''July 20 Plot'' assassination attempt on Hitler and so was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to several concentration camps until the war ended.
1. If he was implicated then why didn't Hitler have him executed or forced to commit suicide as Rommel was made to do?
2. After he was freed by the allies from the German prison camp he then was arrested and imprisoned for possible war crimes and yet was never charged at Nuremburg (main or high command trials) as like general's Keitel and Jodl were and so thoughts about why he was released after two years from incarceration by the allies as after all he oversaw the the invasion of Poland, Low Countries and France as Chief of Staff of the German Army?
Franz Halder being arrested had little to do with any actual or implied involvement in the July 20th assassination attempt on Hitler. Instead, his well remembered outspoken criticism of Hitler and the Nazi Party during his first year as Chief of the General Staff, plus his often contentious relationship with Hitler, was enough to cause some to suspect a possible role in the events of July 20th . The irony of it all was that, unlike the September 1938 and October 1939 plots to eliminate Hitler in which Halder had been deeply involved, the July 20th plot was as much a surprise to Halder as it was everyone else. The inability to link Halder to any of the actual July 20th conspirators plus the fact the existence of the first two plots was still unknown, ultimately saved Halder’s life.
Rommel was not as fortunate because four key figures (General Hans Stulpnagel, General Hans Speidel, Colonel Caesar von Hofacker, and Doctor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler) all falsely implicated him in the July 20th plot. Beyond expressing a belief the Western Front was a lost cause and that immediate armistice negotiations with the Allies should commence, Rommel never advocated or supported the assassination of Hitler as a way to bring the war to an end. If anything, when such talk took place in his presence, Rommel was quite vocal about his personal distaste for employing such methods. Rommel knew he was innocent insofar as the July 20th plot and believed he could prove it if given a chance to do so. But Rommel was convinced he would not be allowed to live long enough to see the inside of a courtroom, so when the option of suicide was given to him, he took it.
Halder seems to have escaped war crimes prosecution for a few reasons. For one, Halder, an avowed monarchist, never joined the Nazi Party and was by no means ever considered a Hitler loyalist. His opposition to certain practices implemented against the population of occupied territories was well documented. And though it is true he was directly responsible for the planning of the major campaigns on the Western and Eastern Fronts, there was nothing to tie him to any specific war crimes in either of those theaters. It should be noted that none of the individuals who survived the war and had served as Chief of the General Staff were ever tried for war crimes. These facts, as well as the revelation under Allied interrogation that he had been involved in at least two serious plans to take Hitler’s life, and his willingness to testify against other Nuremberg defendants, were apparently enough to spare him from being put on trial.
Franz Halder being arrested had little to do with any actual or implied involvement in the July 20th assassination attempt on Hitler. Instead, his well remembered outspoken criticism of Hitler and the Nazi Party during his first year as Chief of the General Staff, plus his often contentious relationship with Hitler, was enough to cause some to suspect a possible role in the events of July 20th . The irony of it all was that, unlike the September 1938 and October 1939 plots to eliminate Hitler in which Halder had been deeply involved, the July 20th plot was as much a surprise to Halder as it was everyone else. The inability to link Halder to any of the actual July 20th conspirators plus the fact the existence of the first two plots was still unknown, ultimately saved Halder’s life.
Rommel was not as fortunate because four key figures (General Hans Stulpnagel, General Hans Speidel, Colonel Caesar von Hofacker, and Doctor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler) all falsely implicated him in the July 20th plot. Beyond expressing a belief the Western Front was a lost cause and that immediate armistice negotiations with the Allies should commence, Rommel never advocated or supported the assassination of Hitler as a way to bring the war to an end. If anything, when such talk took place in his presence, Rommel was quite vocal about his personal distaste for employing such methods. Rommel knew he was innocent insofar as the July 20th plot and believed he could prove it if given a chance to do so. But Rommel was convinced he would not be allowed to live long enough to see the inside of a courtroom, so when the option of suicide was given to him, he took it.
Halder seems to have escaped war crimes prosecution for a few reasons. For one, Halder, an avowed monarchist, never joined the Nazi Party and was by no means ever considered a Hitler loyalist. His opposition to certain practices implemented against the population of occupied territories was well documented. And though it is true he was directly responsible for the planning of the major campaigns on the Western and Eastern Fronts, there was nothing to tie him to any specific war crimes in either of those theaters. It should be noted that none of the individuals who survived the war and had served as Chief of the General Staff were ever tried for war crimes. These facts, as well as the revelation under Allied interrogation that he had been involved in at least two serious plans to take Hitler’s life, and his willingness to testify against other Nuremberg defendants, were apparently enough to spare him from being put on trial.
Tony T, you ought to have taught history of WWII as your knowledge of the Nazi government and the Wehrmacht High Command is just awesome as i'm always learning new details about it all from you !!! Tony, you should seriously ponder about writing a book just about the Wehrmacht generals both battle and staff officers !!! (Mathguy, thanks for your thoughts about Halder also !)
Franz Halder was my Great Great Uncle and our Family has information that is amazing about what happened
Quote:
Originally Posted by Six Foot Three
A few questions about General Halder. He was sacked by Hitler in 1942 and later possibly implicated in the failed ''July 20 Plot'' assassination attempt on Hitler and so was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to several concentration camps until the war ended.
1. If he was implicated then why didn't Hitler have him executed or forced to commit suicide as Rommel was made to do?
2. After he was freed by the allies from the German prison camp he then was arrested and imprisoned for possible war crimes and yet was never charged at Nuremburg (main or high command trials) as like general's Keitel and Jodl were and so thoughts about why he was released after two years from incarceration by the allies as after all he oversaw the the invasion of Poland, Low Countries and France as Chief of Staff of the German Army?
Franz Halder is my relative and I met him. We have only started talking openly about it as we have put together the pieces. He was my Great Uncle however I was recently told that he was my Great Grandfather. The story behind this is mind boggling and amazing. We are writing the human aspect of it as Family members that he hoped would tell the truth one day. He tried desparately to overthrow Hitler's army- the rest - the truth is being told by his Family.
Rommel was not as fortunate because four key figures (General Hans Stulpnagel, General Hans Speidel, Colonel Caesar von Hofacker, and Doctor Carl Friedrich Goerdeler) all falsely implicated him in the July 20th plot. Beyond expressing a belief the Western Front was a lost cause and that immediate armistice negotiations with the Allies should commence, Rommel never advocated or supported the assassination of Hitler as a way to bring the war to an end. If anything, when such talk took place in his presence, Rommel was quite vocal about his personal distaste for employing such methods. Rommel knew he was innocent insofar as the July 20th plot and believed he could prove it if given a chance to do so. But Rommel was convinced he would not be allowed to live long enough to see the inside of a courtroom, so when the option of suicide was given to him, he took it.
Am I also right in recalling that Heinz Guderian had an axe to grind with Rommell as well?
Am I also right in recalling that Heinz Guderian had an axe to grind with Rommell as well?
Guderian was no fan of Rommel and vice versa. The two certainly had a rivalry, but I have seen little to suggest that their personal rivalry with each other had anything to do with the events surrounding the July 20th Plot.
Halder seems to have escaped war crimes prosecution for a few reasons. For one, Halder, an avowed monarchist, never joined the Nazi Party and was by no means ever considered a Hitler loyalist.
And I do wonder with those attitudes why he did survive in the Army as long as he did especially since Himmler knew him a bit. Halder, back in 1934, did pass on to his commanding generals reports critical of the SS, SA and Gestapo and the pressure Hitler was exerting on the German churches. The issue was Himmler knew all that and what Halder thought of the Nazi party at the time . Yet the future CGS got through all that in the sense that he never had a 'visit' from those ends of the party. I'd guess Hitler and Himmler gave him a 'pass' so to speak for some reason, i.e. his military planning skills????
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Franz Halder was my Great Great Uncle and our Family has information that is amazing about what happened
