Günther Smend
Encyclopedia
Günther Smend was a German
officer and a member of the resistance involved in the July 20 Plot
to assassinate
Adolf Hitler
.
to Captain Julius Smend. After being wounded in battle, his father was posted to the War Ministry in Berlin. There, from 1921 to 1924, Günther Smend went to the Berlin-Friedenau Gymnasium
. Finally, the family moved to Mülheim an der Ruhr for job reasons. Günther Smend joined the army
as an officer cadet
in 1932, and was deployed along with his unit, Infantry
Regiment
No.18, in France
and on the Eastern Front
after the outbreak of the Second World War. In March 1939, he wed Renate von Cossel, whom he had already come to know at a ball before the war, and with whom he had three children, despite long separations due to wartime service. In December 1942, Smend was ordered to the General Staff, and as of June 1943 he was adjutant to Army Chief of the General Staff
, Colonel General
Kurt Zeitzler
. Smend began to work together with the military opposition against Hitler. He shared the plotters' worry that the war would lead to defeat owing to Hitler's incompetence. He tried to get his superior Zeitzler to participate in the plot, but to no avail. After the attempt to assassinate Hitler with a briefcase bomb at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
on 20 July 1944 failed, Günther Smend was arrested on 1 August 1944 as a consequence of his failed attempt at winning Zeitzler's support. On 30 August 1944 he was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof, with Roland Freisler
presiding, as an accessory, and on 8 September 1944 he was hanged at Plötzensee
Prison
in Berlin.
Smend had three children: Henriette, Rudolf und Axel. He was a lieutenant colonel in the General Staff, winner of the Iron Cross
, first and second classes. He was awarded the German Cross
in gold on 22 November 1941.
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...
officer and a member of the resistance 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...
to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
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...
.
Life
Günther Smend was born in TrierTrier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
to Captain Julius Smend. After being wounded in battle, his father was posted to the War Ministry in Berlin. There, from 1921 to 1924, Günther Smend went to the Berlin-Friedenau Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. Finally, the family moved to Mülheim an der Ruhr for job reasons. Günther Smend joined the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
as an officer cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
in 1932, and was deployed along with his unit, Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
No.18, in France
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...
and on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
after the outbreak of the Second World War. In March 1939, he wed Renate von Cossel, whom he had already come to know at a ball before the war, and with whom he had three children, despite long separations due to wartime service. In December 1942, Smend was ordered to the General Staff, and as of June 1943 he was adjutant to Army Chief of the General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
, Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Kurt Zeitzler
Kurt Zeitzler
Kurt Zeitzler was an officer in the German Reichswehr and its successor the Wehrmacht, most prominent for being the Chief of the Army General Staff from 1942 to 1944.- World War I and after :...
. Smend began to work together with the military opposition against Hitler. He shared the plotters' worry that the war would lead to defeat owing to Hitler's incompetence. He tried to get his superior Zeitzler to participate in the plot, but to no avail. After the attempt to assassinate Hitler with a briefcase bomb at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
on 20 July 1944 failed, Günther Smend was arrested on 1 August 1944 as a consequence of his failed attempt at winning Zeitzler's support. On 30 August 1944 he was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof, with 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...
presiding, as an accessory, and on 8 September 1944 he was hanged at Plötzensee
Plötzensee
Plötzensee is a small glacial lake in Berlin. It is situated near the Rehberge public park in the former borough of Wedding, now a part of Mitte. The name stems from Plötze, one name for the roach in German, as the lake formerly teemed with it....
Prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Berlin.
Smend had three children: Henriette, Rudolf und Axel. He was a lieutenant colonel in the General Staff, winner of the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, first and second classes. He was awarded the German Cross
German Cross
The German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in gold on 22 November 1941.
Sources
External links
See also
- List of members of the July 20 plot
- Widerstand