Franz Halder

Franz Ritter Halder (June 30th 1884, April 2nd 1972) was a German general and chief of staff of the German army of 1938 at September 1942, date on which it was relieved following frequent dissensions with Adolf Hitler.

Halder was born with Würzburg. In 1902, it united the 3rd royal Bavarian artillery regiment of Munich. In 1904, it obtained its diploma of the military academy of Munich and was promoted with the rank of lieutenant. He attended then the school of artillery (1906-07) and the Bavarian military academy (1911-14), located both at Munich.

First World War

In 1914, Halder becomes artillery officer for the general headquarter of the 3rd Bavarian body. In August 1915, it is promoted Hauptmann (captain) staff of the 6th division of Bavarian infantry of the crown prince. In 1917, he is staff officer at the general headquarter of the 2nd army before being transferred to the 4th army.

Military service before the Second world war

Between 1919 and 1920, Halder works with the ministry for the war of the Reichswehr, in the branch dealing with the formation. Between 1921 and 1923, he is instructor in tactic for Wehrkreis VII in Munich.

In March 1924, it is promoted with the rank of major and, in 1926, he becomes director of the operations to the staff of Wehrkreis VII in Munich. ( Oberquartiermeister ). In February 1929, it is promoted with the rank of Oberstleutnant (lieutenant-colonel) and, of 1929 until the end of 1931, it works with the training service of Reichswehr. In December 1931, it is promoted Oberst (colonel) and becomes chief of the staff of Wehrkreis Kdo VI with Münster (Westphalia) until the beginning of 1934.

In October 1934, it is promoted Generalmajor (general major) and becomes ordering the 7th division of infantry in Munich.

Recognized like an excellent planner and staff officer, it is promoted Generalleutnant (general lieutenant) in August 1936. He becomes director of the operations then. Little time afterwards, he becomes director of the training service ( Oberquartiermeister ) to the staff of the army with Berlin. It occupies this function of October 1937 at February 1938. For this period, it orders important operations of drive, most important since the reintroduction of the conscription in 1935.

February 1st 1938, it is promoted general of artillery. It is approximately on this date that the general Wilhelm Keitel seeks to reorganize the high command of the German army. Keitel offers to Halder the post of head of the staff under the orders of Walther von Reichenau. Halder declines the offer, feeling that it will not be able to get along with Reichenau because of a conflict of personality. Whereas Keitel recognizes the superiority of the military talent of planner of Halder, it meets Hitler and involves to name it Walther von Brauchitsch commander-in-chief of the German army. Halder accepts then the post of head of the state major of the army. September 1st, 1938, it succeeds the general Ludwig Beck.

One week later, Halder presents the plans of invasion of the Czechoslovakia to Hitler, which imply a pincer movement of the general Gerd von Rundstedt and of the general Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb. Hitler requires rather than Reichenau directs the principal attack on Prague. Its plans are not necessary any more when British the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain holds up the " Agreements of Munich " , which yields the area of the Sudètes to the Germany. Just before Chamberlain reaches at the requests of Hitler, Halder had studied with several other generals the idea to withdraw Hitler of the capacity, in order to avoid the war. However, on September 29th, Chamberlain at the requests of Hitler thus making die the plot of Halder yields since peace is preserved. Two days later, on October 1st, the German troops enter the area of Sudètes.

Second world war

In spring 1939, Halder takes part in the preparation of the plans of invasion of the Poland. Halder declares that he believes that the Polish soldiers are stupid and that the war can be gained into 2 to 3 weeks.

September 1st, 1939, Germany invades Poland, thus starting the Second world war. September 10th, Halder notes in its newspaper which it received the information of the commander SS Reinhard Heydrich that the S were going to begin the countryside from " nettoyage" Jews and intelligentsia in Poland. This note will make say to the historians that Halder was with the current of the Massacre of the Jews much earlier than than he admitted at the time of his interrogations after the war, and than he had not protested against this massacre. Halder had noted in its newspaper its doubts " as for the measurements taken by Himmler."

In November 1939, Halder conspires with the general Brauchitsch, declaring to him that it will support it if it tries to curtail the plans of Hitler relating to a future expansion of the war, but Brauchitsch declines the offer. While Halder is opposed to the plans of Hitler of expansion of the war, he judges that having personally lent oath of honesty towards Hitler, he will not be able to actively support those which want to reverse Hitler.

At the end of 1939, Halder supervises the preparation of the plans of invasion of the France, the Netherlands and the Balkans. Halder doubts, initially, that Germany is able to seize France. He however obeys the orders of Hitler to follow the plan of the general Erich von Manstein for the invasion of France by the forest of the Ardennes, which led indeed to the defeat of France. July 19th, 1940, Halder is promoted with the row of Generaloberst (general colonel). In August, he works with the preparation of the plans of invasion of the Russia. Little time after, Hitler limits the implication of Halder in the war by restricting it to the preparation of the battle plans of the Front of the East, in order to reduce its capacity of military command. Halder is on the cover of the magazine Time of the edition of June 29th, 1942.

During the summer 1942, Halder called to Hitler that it underestimates the number of Russian military units. Hitler claims that the Russians are practically dry. He does not appreciate the objection of Halder to his decision to send the 11th army of the Manstein general to support the attack against Leningrad, nor criticisms of expressing Halder that the German attack in the the Caucasus was badly considered. Finally, following the dissensions of Halder concerning the control of the war, Hitler decides that it does not have any more one warlike aggressive mentality and the met with the retirement on September 24th, 1942.

July 20th 1944, a group of German officers tries to assassinate Hitler. Halder is stopped by the Gestapo the next day, even if it is not implied in the attempted murder. Hitler sees Halder like a leader able to reverse it. He initially imprisons it with the concentration camp of Flossenbürg then to that of Dachau. January 31st, 1945, Halder is officially returned army. It is slackened on April 24th. May 4th, it goes to the American troops in the the Austrian Tyrol. Halder spends the two following years in a prison camp of war.

After the Second world war

In the years 1950, Halder works as an adviser in history for the historical division of the American army. It receives thereafter the highest American civil distinction, the presidential Médaille of freedom, president John F. Kennedy. He dies in 1972 in Bavaria.

Publications

Halder is the author of Hitler ace War Lord (1949) and The Halder Diaries (1976). The newspaper of Halder was used by the American historian William Shirer like independent source of its monumental work The Rise and Fall off the Third Reich , as well as other confidential documents and manuscripts.

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