Werner von Haeften
Encyclopedia
Werner Karl von Haeften (9 October 1908 – 21 July 1944) was an Oberleutnant
in the Wehrmacht
, who took part in the military-based conspiracy against Adolf Hitler
known as the July 20 Plot
. He is considered a hero of the German resistance to the tyranny of the German Third Reich.
were born in Berlin
to Hans von Haeften, an army officer and President of the Reichsarchiv. He studied law
in his hometown and then worked for a bank in Hamburg
until the outbreak of World War II
, when he joined the German army
.
, Haeften became adjutant to Oberstleutnant
Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the leading figures in the German Resistance
.
On 20 July 1944, Haeften accompanied Stauffenberg to the military high command of the Wehrmacht
near Rastenburg, East Prussia
, where the latter planted a briefcase bomb in Hitler's Wolfsschanze
bunker. After the detonation, Stauffenberg and Haeften rushed to Berlin
and, not knowing that Hitler had survived the explosion, engaged in a coup d'état
, which would swiftly fail.
On the same day, Haeften, along with Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators General
Friedrich Olbricht
and Oberst
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
, was arrested and condemned to death by General Friedrich Fromm
. All four were shot after midnight by a ten-man firing squad
from the Grossdeutschland
Guard Battalion in the courtyard of the War Ministry, the Bendlerblock
. When Stauffenberg was about to be shot, in a last gesture of loyalty and defiance, Haeften placed himself in the path of the bullets meant for Stauffenberg.
Haeften's brother Hans
was executed on 15 August at Plötzensee Prison
.
, von Haeften was depicted by East German actor Hans-Edgar Stecher. In the 2004 German production, Stauffenberg
, von Haeften is portrayed by actor Hardy Krüger junior
. In the 2008 film Valkyrie
, Lt. von Haeften is portrayed by British actor Jamie Parker
.
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, who took part in the military-based conspiracy against 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...
known as 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...
. He is considered a hero of the German resistance to the tyranny of the German Third Reich.
Early life
Haeften and his brother HansHans Bernd von Haeften
Hans-Bernd August Gustav von Haeften was a German jurist and member of the German Resistance against Adolf Hitler....
were 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...
to Hans von Haeften, an army officer and President of the Reichsarchiv. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in his hometown and then worked for a bank in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when he joined the German army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
.
War service
In 1943, having recovered from a severe wound he had suffered on the Eastern FrontEastern 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...
, Haeften became adjutant 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...
Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the leading figures in 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...
.
On 20 July 1944, Haeften accompanied Stauffenberg to the military high command of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
near Rastenburg, 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...
, where the latter planted a briefcase bomb in Hitler's Wolfsschanze
Wolfsschanze
Wolf's Lair is the standard English name for Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führerhauptquartier or FHQs located in various parts of Europe...
bunker. After the detonation, Stauffenberg and Haeften rushed 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...
and, not knowing that Hitler had survived the explosion, engaged in a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, which would swiftly fail.
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Friedrich Olbricht
Friedrich Olbricht
General Friedrich Olbricht was a German general and one of the plotters involved in the attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolfsschanze in East Prussia on 20 July 1944.-Early life:...
and Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
Albrecht Ritter Mertz von Quirnheim was a German officer and a resistance fighter in Nazi Germany involved in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.-Biography:...
, was arrested and condemned to death by General Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm
Friedrich Fromm was a German army officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Early life:Fromm was born in Charlottenburg...
. All four were shot after midnight by a ten-man firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
from the Grossdeutschland
Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland
The Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland was an élite German Heer ceremonial and combat unit which saw action during World War II. The regiment served in the campaigns in France and the Low Countries in 1940. It then served exclusively on the Eastern Front until the end of the war...
Guard Battalion in the courtyard of the War Ministry, the Bendlerblock
Bendlerblock
The Bendlerblock is a building in Berlin, located on the Stauffenbergstraße , south of the Tiergarten. The building was erected between 1911 and 1914 for the Imperial German Navy Offices. During the Weimar Republic it served as the seat of the Reichswehr command and the Ministry of Defence...
. When Stauffenberg was about to be shot, in a last gesture of loyalty and defiance, Haeften placed himself in the path of the bullets meant for Stauffenberg.
Haeften's brother Hans
Hans Bernd von Haeften
Hans-Bernd August Gustav von Haeften was a German jurist and member of the German Resistance against Adolf Hitler....
was executed on 15 August 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...
.
Film portrayal
In the 1971 Eastern Bloc co-production Liberation: Direction of the Main BlowLiberation (film series)
Liberation is an epic five-part film series considered the most large-scale World War II film ever made in the Soviet Union. Filmed from 1967 to 1971, the first part was released during 1970 for the 25th anniversary of Victory Day...
, von Haeften was depicted by East German actor Hans-Edgar Stecher. In the 2004 German production, Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg (Film)
Stauffenberg is a German-Austrian TV movie released in 2004 by Das Erste , about Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and the 20 July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
, von Haeften is portrayed by actor Hardy Krüger junior
Hardy Krüger junior
Hardy Krüger junior is a German actor. He is the son of the German actor-writer Hardy Krüger and the Italian painter Francesca Marazzi.- Life :...
. In the 2008 film Valkyrie
Valkyrie (film)
Valkyrie is a 2008 American historical thriller film set in Nazi Germany during World War II. The film depicts the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country...
, Lt. von Haeften is portrayed by British actor Jamie Parker
Jamie Parker
Jamie Parker is an English actor and singer.-Biography:He trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , from which he graduated in 2002.Parker originated the role of Scripps in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys...
.
See also
- German ResistanceGerman ResistanceThe 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...
- List of members of the July 20 plot