Erwin Planck
Encyclopedia
Erwin Planck was a German
politician
, and a resistance fighter in the Third Reich.
Born in Berlin
, Erwin Planck was theoretical physicist Max Planck
's and his first wife's fourth child. After his Abitur
in 1911, Planck went into the military
and pursued a career as an officer. In the First World War, Erwin rather quickly found himself a prisoner
of the French
in 1914. After he came back to Germany after the war ended, he was active on the General Staff, where he met Major Kurt von Schleicher
for the first time. They would become lifelong friends.
Schleicher, who headed the political branch, called Planck into the Reich Defence Ministry in 1920 and sent him as a liaison man to the Reich Chancellery, where he also became a government advisor after he left the Reichswehr
in 1926.
In 1932, he became Secretary of State under Franz von Papen
, and later also Schleicher in the Reich Chancellor's Office.
After Hitler seized power
in 1933, Planck left government work and went to East Asia
for a year. Shortly after he came back to Germany, Schleicher was shot by the Gestapo
. Planck tried in vain to get an explanation for his friend's murder.
In 1936, Planck changed career paths and went into business
, becoming a leading employee at the Otto-Wolff-Konzern
, a large conglomerate, in Cologne
. In 1939, he took over leadership of the Berlin branch office.
In August 1939, a group including Prussia
n Finance Minister Johannes Popitz
, Planck, and Reichsbank
president Hjalmar Schacht
approached General Georg Thomas
, head of the Defence Economy and Armament Office asking him to do something to thwart the outbreak of the forthcoming war
. He agreed to write a memorandum to his superior, Wilhelm Keitel
, head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
in which he stated that a war against Poland
would set off a world war that Germany could not win owing to massive supply (logistics)
problems. However, Keitel tried to allay Thomas's fears by telling him that the Führer was planning no such war. Such a war, of course, began the very next month.
In 1940, Planck, Popitz, Ulrich von Hassell
and Ludwig Beck
drafted a "Provisional Constitution
" on the assumption that the West's forthcoming attack would overthrow Hitler. Even afterwards, Planck vainly stayed in the resistance
against the régime and was involved in the July 20 plot
. This led to his arrest on 23 July 1944, after which he was taken to the Gestapo's Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA).
Planck was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed at Plötzensee Prison
in Berlin.
, Bundesallee 1-12.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and a resistance fighter in the Third Reich.
Born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Erwin Planck was theoretical physicist Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
's and his first wife's fourth child. After his Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
in 1911, Planck went into the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
and pursued a career as an officer. In the First World War, Erwin rather quickly found himself a prisoner
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1914. After he came back to Germany after the war ended, he was active on the General Staff, where he met Major Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
for the first time. They would become lifelong friends.
Schleicher, who headed the political branch, called Planck into the Reich Defence Ministry in 1920 and sent him as a liaison man to the Reich Chancellery, where he also became a government advisor after he left the Reichswehr
Reichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
in 1926.
In 1932, he became Secretary of State under Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
, and later also Schleicher in the Reich Chancellor's Office.
After Hitler seized power
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
in 1933, Planck left government work and went to East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
for a year. Shortly after he came back to Germany, Schleicher was shot by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
. Planck tried in vain to get an explanation for his friend's murder.
In 1936, Planck changed career paths and went into business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, becoming a leading employee at the Otto-Wolff-Konzern
Otto Wolff AG
Otto Wolff AG was a German steelmaker founded in Cologne by the industrialists Otto Wolff and Ottmar E. Strauß in 1904. One of the largest business in pre-war Germany, it exists today as an independent subsidiary of the ThyssenKrupp group.- History :...
, a large conglomerate, in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. In 1939, he took over leadership of the Berlin branch office.
In August 1939, a group including Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Finance Minister Johannes Popitz
Johannes Popitz
Johannes Popitz was a Prussian finance minister and a member of the German Resistance against Nazi Germany.- Life :...
, Planck, and Reichsbank
Reichsbank
The Reichsbank was the central bank of Germany from 1876 until 1945. It was founded on 1 January 1876 . The Reichsbank was a privately owned central bank of Prussia, under close control by the Reich government. Its first president was Hermann von Dechend...
president Hjalmar Schacht
Hjalmar Schacht
Dr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic...
approached General Georg Thomas
Georg Thomas
Georg Thomas was a German general and a resistance fighter in the Third Reich. He was also heavily involved in the planning and carrying out of the economic exploitation of the Soviet Union, including in particular the Hunger Plan.- Career summary :Thomas was born in Forst , Brandenburg...
, head of the Defence Economy and Armament Office asking him to do something to thwart the outbreak of the forthcoming war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
. He agreed to write a memorandum to his superior, Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Keitel
Wilhelm Bodewin Gustav Keitel was a German field marshal . As head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and de facto war minister, he was one of Germany's most senior military leaders during World War II...
, head of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
in which he stated that a war against Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
would set off a world war that Germany could not win owing to massive supply (logistics)
Military Supply Chain Management
Military supply chain management is a cross-functional approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services. The broad management scope includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, internal information and funds flow.-Supply:...
problems. However, Keitel tried to allay Thomas's fears by telling him that the Führer was planning no such war. Such a war, of course, began the very next month.
In 1940, Planck, Popitz, Ulrich von Hassell
Ulrich von Hassell
Ulrich von Hassell was a German diplomat during World War II. A member of the German Resistance against German dictator Adolf Hitler, Hassell was executed in the aftermath of the failed July 20 plot.- Family :...
and Ludwig Beck
Ludwig Beck
Generaloberst Ludwig August Theodor Beck was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II....
drafted a "Provisional Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
" on the assumption that the West's forthcoming attack would overthrow Hitler. Even afterwards, Planck vainly stayed in the resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
against the régime and was involved in the July 20 plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
. This led to his arrest on 23 July 1944, after which he was taken to the Gestapo's Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA).
Planck was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof and executed at Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison was a Prussian institution built in Berlin between 1869 and 1879 near the lake Plötzensee, but in the neighbouring borough of Charlottenburg, on Hüttigpfad off Saatwinkler Damm. During Adolf Hitler's time in power from 1933 to 1945, more than 2,500 people were executed at...
in Berlin.
Memorial plaque
A memorial plaque to Erwin Planck and two others can be found at his old school, the Joachimsthalsches Gymnasium in the Berlin borough of WilmersdorfWilmersdorf
Wilmersdorf is an inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.-History:...
, Bundesallee 1-12.