Walther von Brauchitsch



Heinrich Alfred Hermann Walther von Brauchitsch (October 4, 1881 – October 18, 1948) was a German field marshal and the Commander-in-Chief (Oberbefehlshaber) of the German Army during World War II. Born into an aristocratic military family, he entered army service in 1901. During World War I, he served with distinction on the corps-level and division-level staff on the Western Front. He played a key role in the Battle of France and oversaw the German invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece. For his part in the Battle of France, he became one of twelve generals promoted to field marshal. After the war, Brauchitsch was arrested and charged with war crimes, but died in Hamburg in 1948 before he could be prosecuted.

Quotes

 * Soldiers! The great battle in the Vistula sector is finished. The Polish Army is annihilated. The operations against Poland are thus concluded.
 * To his troops. Quoted in "The World almanac and book of facts" - 1940 - Page 54


 * The German Army is tired. The vain effort to defeat Russia's armies has used up its equipment and reduced its morale.
 * Quoted in "Kaltenborn Edits the War News" - Page 25 - by Hans Kaltenborn - 1942


 * I myself won't do anything, but I won't stop anyone else from acting.
 * September 1938. Quoted in "Plotting Hitler's Death: The Story of German Resistance" - Page 128 - by Joachim C. Fest - 1997


 * Hitler is still such a popular man; we are afraid of the Hitler myth. We want to give to the German people and to the world the final proof by means of the Supreme Court-Martial and its verdict.
 * Quoted in "Trial of the Major War Criminals Before the International Military Tribunal" - Page 203 - Nuremberg, Germany - 1947


 * Hitler was the fate of Germany and this fate could not be stayed.
 * Quoted in "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" - Page I - by William L. Shirer - 1960