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Wilhelm Heye

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Colonel General
Wilhelm Heye
Wilhelm Heye in a photograph byNicola Perscheid
3rdChief of the German Army Command
In office
October 9, 1926 – October 31, 1930
PresidentPaul von Hindenburg
Preceded byHans von Seeckt
Succeeded byKurt von Hammerstein-Equord
2ndChief of the German Troop Office
In office
March 26 1920 – October 9, 1926
Preceded byHans von Seeckt
Succeeded byOtto Hasse
Personal details
Born(1869-01-31)31 January 1869
Fulda
Died11 March 1947(1947-03-11)(aged 78)
Braunlage
RelationsHellmuth Heye(son)
AwardsPour le Méritewith Oak Leaves
Military service
AllegianceGerman Empire
Weimar Republic
Branch/servicePrussian Army
Reichsheer
Years of service1888–1930
RankGeneraloberst
Battles/warsWorld War I

Wilhelm Heye(31 January 1869 – 11 March 1947) was a Prussian and German officer who rose to the rank ofGeneraloberstand became Chief of the Army Command within theMinistry of the Reichswehrin theWeimar Republic.

Family

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Maximilian Henry Friedrich Wilhelm Heyewas born on 31 January 1869 inFuldaas the son of Wilhelm Heye (1824-1899), a PrussianOberstleutnant,and Charlotte,néevon Finckh (1834-1871). His paternal grandfather Ernst Heye was a lawyer inOldenburgand his maternal grandfather Alexander von Finckh was a senior official of theGrand Duchy of Oldenburg. His brother Alexander (1860-1915) was a PrussianGeneralmajorzur Dispositionand author.[1]His brother-in-lawEugen von Finckh[de](1860-1930) served asMinister-Presidentof theFree State of Oldenburgfrom 1923 to 1930.

Wilhelm was married on 29 September 1894 to Elisabeth ( "Else" ) Anna Karcher (1875-1961). The couple had two daughters and three sons.[1][2]The eldest son was the laterVizeadmiralHellmuth Heye.Their middle son, Friedrich Wilhelm (1898-1918), died of wounds as a lieutenant and their youngest son, Hans-Joachim (1901-1935), was an officer in the Reichsmarine.[3][4]Both daughters married army officers.

Military Career in the Prussian Army

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Heye graduated from the Prussian cadet corps (Kadettenkorps) and entered the Prussian Army on 22 March 1888 as aSeconde-LieutenantinInfanterie-Regiment Nr. 70.[2]He served as a battalion adjutant from 1892 to 1896 and was promoted toPremier-Lieutenanton 22 March 1895.[2]

Heye attended the War Academy (Kriegsakademie) from 1896 to 1899. As part of his preparation for general staff service, he spent several months aboard a naval vessel learning naval gunnery and several months in Russia studying the Russian language.[2]Heye was commanded to the Prussian Army GreatGeneral Stafffor one year on 1 April 1900 and, with his promotion to supernumaryHauptmannon 23 March 1901, he was officially transferred to the general staff.[2]He returned to troop service on 27 January 1904 as a company commander inInfanterie-Regiment Nr. 58but was transferred back to the general staff on 1 January 1906 with an assignment to the general staff of the5th Divisionin Frankfurt an der Oder.[2]

Heye served from 27 January 1906 to 31 March 1908 in theSchutztruppeinGerman South West Africa,participating in theHerero Warsas a staff officer.[1][2]While there, he was promoted to Major on 11 September 1907.[2]Upon returning to the Prussian Army from the Schutztruppe, Heye was assigned to the general staff of the33rd Divisionin Metz.[2]From 25 April 1910 to 18 April 1913, Heye was in charge of the counterintelligence section (Abteilung III b) of the general staff.[2][1]Heye was named a battalion commander inInfanterie-Regiment Nr. 74on 18 April 1913 and was promoted toOberstleutnanton 18 December 1913.[2]

At the start ofWorld War Ion 2 August 1914, Heye was named chief of the general staff of theLandwehr CorpsunderRemus von Woyrsch,which later evolved into theArmy Detachment Woyrsch,serving with distinction on theEastern Front.[1][2]He was promoted toOberston 18 August 1916 and named chief of the general staff ofArmy Group Woyrsch(Heeresgruppe Woyrsch) on 23 September 1916.[2]

On 9 September 1917, Heye was transferred to theWestern Frontand was named chief of the general staff of theArmy Group Duke Albrecht(Heeresgruppe Herzog Albrecht) under the command ofAlbrecht, Duke of Württemberg.[1][2]On 7 September 1918, Heye was transferred to the general staff of the field army (Generalstab des Feldheeres) and named chief of the operations section (Operationsabteilung) in theSupreme Army Command(Oberste Heeresleitung), serving underPaul von HindenburgandErich Ludendorff,as well as Ludendorff's successorWilhelm Groener.[1][2]

Wilhelm Heye (left), 1929

Military Career in the Reichswehr

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After theArmisticeending World War I, Heye participated in the defense of Germany's post-war eastern frontier (Grenzschutz Ost) as (from 26 April 1919) chief of the general staff of the Army High Command "Border Protection North (Armeeoberkommando Grenzschutz Nord) inEast Prussia.[2]He was the successor toHans von Seeckt,with whom Heye's military career in the subsequent years would remain closely connected.

On 1 October 1919, Heye became chief of staff of theTroop Office(Truppenamt) in theMinistry of the Reichswehrin Berlin.[2]The Truppenamt served as the covert general staff of theReichswehr;Seeckt, as chief of the Truppenamt, was effectively chief of the general staff of the Reichswehr, and Heye was his principal deputy.

In the aftermath of the failedKapp Putschin March 1920, Seeckt was named Chief of the Army Command (Chef der Heeresleitung), and Heye succeeded him as Chief of the Truppenamt (redesignated as the "Allgemeines Truppenamt" ).[1][2]Heye was promoted toGeneralmajoron 16 June 1920 and, with effect from 1 April 1922, simultaneously promoted toGeneralleutnantand named chief of the Army Personnel Office (Heerespersonalamt).[1][2]On 1 Novembver 1923, he was named commander of the Reichswehr's 1st Division inKönigsbergin East Prussia, in which capacity he also commandedMilitary District I(Wehrkreis I).[1][2][5]

On 9 October 1926, Heye once again succeeded Seeckt, being namedChef der Heeresleitung.During his tenure, the Heeresleitung lost much of the political influence it had under Seeckt, while the authority of the Ministry of the Reichswehr increased, principally underWilhelm Groenerand his protegéKurt von Schleicher.[1][2]Heye was promoted toGeneral der Infanterieon 1 November 1926 and toGeneraloberston 1 January 1930.[2]He retired on 31 October 1930 and was succeeded byKurt von Hammerstein-Equord.[1][2]

Gravesite in Braunlage

Later Years

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Generaloberst Heye was placed "zur Verfügung des Heeres"(at the disposal of the army) on 1 November 1938 but was not called up during World War II.[6][2]He died on 11 March 1947 inBraunlagein the Harz mountains and was buried there.

Decorations and awards

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Notes

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  1. ^Although Heye entered service in 1888, he reached 25 years of service in 1911 as Prussian regulations allowed for the double-counting of war years.
  2. ^The Kaiser Wilhelm I Centenary Medal was not typically listed in rank lists, but the award was automatic for active Prussian Army personnel at the time it was instituted.

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklThilo Vogelsang:Heye, Wilhelm,in:Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 9,Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-428-00190-7, p. 79
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatauavawaxayazbabbbcbdGerman Federal Archives, Army Personnel File for Wilhelm Heye, BArch PERS 6/35
  3. ^Verein für Computergenealogie, Verlustlisten 1. Weltkrieg
  4. ^Berlin Marriage Register, 29 June 1929
  5. ^Ministry of the Reichswehr: Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres, Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1926, p. 9
  6. ^German Federal Archives, Generalskartei von Wilhelm Heye, BArch PERS 6/299856
  7. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyMinistry of the Reichswehr:Rangliste des Deutschen Reichsheeres,Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn, Berlin 1926, p. 109

Bibliography

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Thilo Vogelsang:Heye, Wilhelm,in:Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 9,Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-428-00190-7, p. 79 (https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016326/images/index.html?seite=93).

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