Fritsch, Werner von

Fritsch, Werner von (1880–1939) German general and victim of Hitler's treachery Werner von Fritsch was born in Benrath, Germany. He served as a staff officer during World War I and remained in the interwar army, achieving promotion to lieutenant general and the post of commander in chief of the army in February 1934. Fritsch was highly respected by fellow officers, but he, in turn, was contemptuous of Adolf Hitler and was often heard to disparage him. He was especially outraged by Hitler's treacherous purge of Ernst Roehm and the Sturmabteilung (SA) in the "Night of the Long Knives" massacre in June 1934. As he became aware of Fritsch's doubts about Nazism, his disparagement of himself, and the objections he raised to many of his military plans, Hitler became determined to gain personal control of the army. He assigned Heinrich Himmler to investigate Fritsch secretly. Himmler apparently persuaded Hans Schmidt, a male prostitute, to claim that he had had a sexual relationship with Fritsch. Himmler presented this "information" to Hitler, who, on January 24, 1938, confronted Fritsch with the claims. It quickly became apparent to Fritsch that no one in the senior command was willing to step forth to support him against the trumped-up charges. He therefore yielded, on February 3, 1938, to Hitler's demand that he resign. It was subsequently discovered that Schmidt had lied and, in a military trial, Fritsch was exonerated. Nevertheless, Hitler declined to reinstate him as commander in chief of the army. Fritsch was, however, recalled to the army at the outbreak of the war, and he returned to his former regiment as its honorary colonel. He was killed in the attack on Warsaw on September 22, 1939, during the invasion of Poland. The Fritsch affair had a lasting effect on the army command's relationship with Hitler and the Nazi inner circle. Although his fellow officers had Fritsch, Werner von 367 not supported him, the failure of Fritsch's reinstatement turned a number of important commanders against Hitler and the Nazi regime. Most important among these was Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr intelligence organization, who deliberately sabotaged certain aspects of the German intelligence effort in order to embarrass Hitler. Others, including Colonel-General Hans Oster, Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben, and General Karl Heinrich von Stuelpnagel, actively conspired to bring about Hitler's overthrow. Their alienation began with outrage over the framing and subsequent treatment of Fritsch.