Ludwig Beck

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General Ludwig Beck (June 29, 1880 – July 21, 1944) was Chief of Staff of the German Armed forces during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II.

Born in Biebrich in Hesse-Nassau, he was educated in the conservative Prussian military tradition. After serving on the Western Front in World War I, he rose through the ranks, eventually being appointed to the General Staff in 1933. Two years later, he was made Chief of Staff.

Beck gained some respect with the publication of his German Army tactical manual, Die Truppenführung, prepared during the period of 1931-33. The adoption of the manual made it obvious who was to be the German Chief of the General Staff in 1933 to replace General Freiherr Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord. It is interesting that both Beck and General Werner von Fritsch commanded the 1st Cavalry Divison, Frankfurt an der Oder prior to assuming their command positions, and they are both cited as being the only serious opposition to Hitler's power prior to the war.

Beck resented Hitler for his efforts to curb the army's position of influence. Though he was hardly a pacifist, he opposed wars of conquest and only supported ideological war, when he believed that the military was fully prepared for it. Beck tried very early as Chief of the General Staff to deter Hitler from annexing the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in 1938. Hitler was convinced that, since the United Kingdom and France had allowed him to annex Austria during the Anschluss earlier in the year, they would not stand in his way when he would try again to enlarge the Reich. Beck, however, believed that they would defend the country that they had created at the end of World War I and, if necessary, declare war on Germany to protect it. Since he knew that the Wehrmacht would not be strong enough to win a war against the Allies and since he was extremely respected by his fellow officers, he tried to convince all to resign en masse to prevent Hitler from carrying out his plans. While most of the generals rejected the war, none of them would confront Hitler with a refusal to carry out orders. He resigned alone in August to be replaced at the head of the General Staff by General Franz Halder. Alternatively it is reported that in August 1938, Hitler relieved him of command. Beck ceased to have any meaningful influence in German military affairs.

His opposition to Hitler brought him in contact with a number of individuals who shared his views. Many of them, including Carl Goerdeler and Ulrich von Hassell as well as himself, would later take part in the July 20 Plot in 1944.

Beck and his conspirators knew that Germany faced certain and rapid defeat if the Franco-British-Russian alliance came to the Czechs' aid in 1938. They hoped to avoid the defeat and occupation of Germany by deposing Hitler as soon as war started. Accordingly, they contacted the British Foreign Office, informed Britain of their plot, and asked Britain to oppose Hitler's plans clearly and as strongly. Unfortunately, the British regarded Nazism as a useful bulwark against Russia, and did not care to see his regime toppled. Instead, in September 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French President Edouard Daladier signed the Munich Pact and compelled Czechoslovakia to give up the Sudetenland.

In 1943, Beck planned two abortive attempts to kill Hitler by means of a bomb. In 1944 he was one of the driving forces of the July 20 Plot with Carl Goerdeler and Colonel Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg. It was proposed that Beck should become the head of the provisional government that would assume power in Germany after Hitler had been eliminated. The plot failed though, and by the next morning Beck was under the custody of General Friedrich Fromm, and ordered to commit suicide. In severe distress, Beck succeeded only in wounding himself, and a sergeant had to be brought in to help finish the job.

[edit] References

Hitler's Generals Barnett, Correlli, ed., 1989, Grove Weidenfeld, New York, NY.
German Resistance to Hitler Hoffmann, Peter, 1988, Harvard, Cambridge, MA.