Werner Karl Otto Theodor von Haeften(9 October 1908 – 21 July 1944[1]) was anOberleutnantin theWehrmachtwho took part in the military-based conspiracy againstAdolf Hitlerknown as the20 July plot.
Werner von Haeften | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 October 1908 Berlin,German Empire |
| Died | 21 July 1944(aged 35) Berlin,Gau Berlin,Nazi Germany 52°30′28″N13°21′44″E/ 52.507892°N 13.36219°E |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany(to 1943)German resistance(to 1944) |
| Service | Wehrmacht |
| Years of service | 1939–1944 |
| Rank |  Oberleutnant |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Relations | Walther von Brauchitsch(uncle) Hans Bernd von Haeften(brother) |
Early life
editHaeften and his brotherHanswere born in Berlin, the sons of Hans von Haeften, an army officer and President of theReichsarchiv(German National Archives). He studied law in his hometown and then worked for a bank inHamburguntil the outbreak of theSecond World Warwhen he joined theGerman Army.
War service
editIn 1943, having recovered from a severe wound he had suffered on theEastern Front,Haeften became adjutant toOberstClaus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg,one of the leading figures in theGerman Resistance.
On 20 July 1944, Haeften accompanied Stauffenberg to the military high command of theWehrmachtnearRastenburg,East Prussia(now Kętrzyn, in Poland), where Stauffenberg planted a briefcase bomb in a conference room at Hitler'sWolfsschanze(Wolf's Lair) headquarters. After the detonation, Stauffenberg and Haeften rushed to Berlin and, not knowing that Hitler had survived the explosion, attempted to launch the long-plannedcoup d'état,which would swiftly fail.
On the same day, Haeften, along with Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators GeneralFriedrich OlbrichtandOberstAlbrecht Mertz von Quirnheim,was arrested after a summary court martial and sentenced to death by GeneralFriedrich Fromm,who was himself later arrested and executed by the Nazi regime for his tacit complicity. All four plotters were shot after midnight by a ten-manfiring squadfrom theGrossdeutschlandGuards Battalion in the courtyard of the War Ministry, theBendlerblock.[2]
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.[3]
Haeften's brother,Hans,who had also been involved in the anti-Hitler plot, was executed on 15 August atPlötzensee Prison.
Awards and decorations
edit- Iron Crossof 1939, 1st and 2nd class
- Eastern Front Medal
- Wound Badgein Black
Fictional portrayals
editIn the Eastern Bloc co-productionLiberation: Direction of the Main Blow(1971), Haeften was depicted by the East German actorHans-Edgar Stecher.In the German productionStauffenberg(2004), his part was played by the actorHardy Krüger, Jr.,and in the filmValkyrie(2008) he was portrayed by the British actorJamie Parker.
In the 2000alternate historynovelFox on the Rhine,the bomb delivered by Haeften and Stauffenberg succeeds in killing Hitler, butHeinrich Himmleravoids their attempts to arrest him and seizes control of the Third Reich (although his reign lasts for less than a year). While Beck, Olbricht, and many others ultimately flee, Haeften refuses to abandon Stauffenberg. When the SS arrive to arrest his superior, he opens fire at them with a pistol and attempts to shield Stauffenberg with his body before both men are gunned down. The sequel novel,Fox at the Front,mentions that his brother Hans-Bernd managed to escape to neutral territory and, along with other surviving plotters, has formed a government-in-exile.
See also
editFootnotes
editReferences
edit- Fest, Joachim(1996),Plotting Hitler's Death (translation of 'Staatsstreich: Der lange Weg zum 20 Juli'),Weidenfeld & Nicolson,ISBN0-297-81774-4
- Moorhouse, Roger(2006),Killing Hitler,Jonathan Cape,ISBN0-224-07121-1
External links
edit- film and TV matches for Werner von Haeften
