Georg Hansen
Encyclopedia
Colonel Georg Alexander Hansen (5 July 1904- 8 September 1944) was a German
army officer and a member of the German resistance
against Adolf Hitler's
Nazi regime.
and, after attending Casimirianum from 1914 to 1923, briefly studied law at the University of Erlangen before joining the Reichswehr in 1924. In 1927 he was promoted to leutnant and in 1931 he married Irene Stölzel from Michelau
and they went on to have five children. In 1935 Hansen was posted to the General Staff training office where he met General Ludwig Beck
and Colonel
Claus von Stauffenberg. He was then appointed to the department of espionage and foreign intelligence of the Abwehr
, headed by Rear Admiral Wilhelm Canaris
. He was promoted to Oberstleutnant
in the Foreign Armies East Department in 1942. Following the dismissal of Canaris in January 1944 he was appointed as his successor as the chief of the counterintelligence office and in March 1944 he attended a meeting with the SD
to set up a unified intelligence service.
and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. He attended the meetings where the conspirators discussed the assassination of Adolf Hitler
".
and his house in Rangsdorf
often served as the venue for the meetings. After the July 20 plot
coup attempt he returned from Bamberg
to Berlin
, despite the fact that he knew the coup attempt had failed and that Hitler had survived. He was invited to the office of Ernst Kaltenbrunner
where he was arrested by the Gestapo
in the waiting room. He was interrogated at length and dishonorably discharged from the army by a court of honor.
, Alfred Kranzfelder
, Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
and Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
. He was sentenced to death by Roland Freisler
and executed by hanging on 8 September 1944 at Plötzensee prison
, Berlin. His family were imprisoned, their property was confiscated and his five children were placed an orphanage near Bad Sachsa
under new names.
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...
army officer and a member of the German 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 Adolf Hitler's
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
Nazi regime.
Early life
He was born in SonnefeldSonnefeld
Sonnefeld is a municipality in the district of Coburg in Bavaria in Germany.-Notable residents:*Friedrich Geißhardt , a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace...
and, after attending Casimirianum from 1914 to 1923, briefly studied law at the University of Erlangen before joining the Reichswehr in 1924. In 1927 he was promoted to leutnant and in 1931 he married Irene Stölzel from Michelau
Michelau
Michelau is a small town in the commune of Bourscheid, in north-eastern Luxembourg. , the town has a population of 271.It is served by Michelau railway station, which lies on Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois' Line 10....
and they went on to have five children. In 1935 Hansen was posted to the General Staff training office where he met General 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....
and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Claus von Stauffenberg. He was then appointed to the department of espionage and foreign intelligence of the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
, headed by Rear Admiral Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Canaris
Wilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
. He was promoted to Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
in the Foreign Armies East Department in 1942. Following the dismissal of Canaris in January 1944 he was appointed as his successor as the chief of the counterintelligence office and in March 1944 he attended a meeting with the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
to set up a unified intelligence service.
Hitler assassination attempt
Hansen was a key member of the resistance group led by Generalmajor Henning von TresckowHenning von Tresckow
Generalmajor Herrmann Karl Robert "Henning" von Tresckow was a Major General in the German Wehrmacht who organized German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassinate Hitler in March 1943 and drafted the Valkyrie plan for a coup against the German government...
and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. He attended the meetings where the conspirators discussed the assassination of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
".
and his house in Rangsdorf
Rangsdorf
Rangsdorf is a municipality in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg in Germany. It has an airfield, from where on 20 July 1944 Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg flew in his unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at Wolfsschanze....
often served as the venue for the meetings. After 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...
coup attempt he returned from Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
to 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...
, despite the fact that he knew the coup attempt had failed and that Hitler had survived. He was invited to the office of Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was an Austrian-born senior official of Nazi Germany during World War II. Between January 1943 and May 1945, he held the offices of Chief of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt , President of Interpol and, as a Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei und Waffen-SS, he was the...
where he was arrested 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...
in the waiting room. He was interrogated at length and dishonorably discharged from the army by a court of honor.
Death
He was tried by the People’s Court on 10 August 1944 with Erich FellgiebelErich Fellgiebel
Fritz Erich Fellgiebel was a career German Army officer and a "July 20th" conspirator in the plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.-Military career:...
, Alfred Kranzfelder
Alfred Kranzfelder
Lieutenant Commander Alfred Kranzfelder was a German naval officer and a member of the German resistance against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime....
, Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenburg
Fritz-Dietlof Graf von der Schulenburg-Tressow was a German government official and a member of the German Resistance in the July 20 Plot against Adolf Hitler.-Personal development:...
and Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Berthold Alfred Maria Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg was a German aristocrat, lawyer and conspirator in the 20 July plot of 1944, along with his brother, Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, an army colonel...
. He was sentenced to death by Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler
Roland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
and executed by hanging on 8 September 1944 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...
, Berlin. His family were imprisoned, their property was confiscated and his five children were placed an orphanage near Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa
Bad Sachsa is a town in the district of Osterode, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the southern Harz, approx. 15 km south of Braunlage, and 25 km southeast of Osterode am Harz. It is well known for being the town where Berthold Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and his four...
under new names.