Hermann Foertsch

Hermann Foertsch
Hermann Foertsch
	Foertsch at the Hostages Trial
Born	4 April 1895; Drahnow, Deutsch-Krone
Died	27 December 1961 (aged 66); Munich, West Germany
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918); Weimar Republic (to 1933); Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Army (Wehrmacht)
Years of service	1913–45
Rank	General of the Infantry
Commands	Chief of General Staff of Army Group F X. Armeekorps; 19th Army; 1st Army
Battles / wars	World War I World War II Invasion of Poland; Battle of France; Balkan Campaign; Invasion of Yugoslavia; Battle of Narva (1944); Courland Pocket; Operation Undertone;
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Friedrich Foertsch (brother)

Hermann Foertsch (4 April 1895 – 27 December 1961) was a German general during World War II who held commands at the divisional, corps and army levels. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Foertsch was tried at the Hostages Trial in 1947. The trial resulted in Foertsch's acquittal because he was a staff officer at the time that the criminal orders were transmitted.

Hostages trial

As a chief of staff for several generals commanding Wehrmacht forces in occupied Greece and Yugoslavia, Foertsch passed on orders to subordinate units to take hostages or conduct reprisals. These orders were deemed criminal by the Tribunal, but staff officers were not considered culpable unless they drafted such criminal orders or made a special effort to distribute them to the troops that carried them out. Citing a lack of evidence of a commission of an unlawful act, the Tribunal acquitted Foertsch of war crimes.^[1]

Later life

After his acquittal, Foertsch collaborated with Hans Speidel in the development of concepts for Germany's rearmament many years before the official foundation of the Bundeswehr, the German army, in 1955.^[2] In 1950, Foertsch was the leading member of the select group of former Wehrmacht high-ranking officers invited by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to take part in the conference to discuss West Germany's rearmament (Wiederbewaffnung). The conference resulted in the Himmerod memorandum that contributed to the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht".^[3] Foertsch was involved in the establishment of the European anti-communist organisation Interdoc.^[4]

Awards and decorations

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 August 1944 as Generalleutnant and commander of 21. Infanterie-Division ^[5]

Works

York. Das Leben eines altpreußischen Generals., Verlag: Coleman, Lübeck, 1932
Wehrmacht und öffentliche Meinung, Verlag nicht ermittelbar, 1933
Der deutsche Soldat. - Leipzig: Seemann, 1934
Im gleichen Schritt und Tritt! Das tönende Buch vom deutschen Heer, Verlag: Knorr & Hirth, München, 1934
Die Wehrmacht im nationalsozialistischen Staat. Broschek, 1935
Unsere deutsche Wehrmacht. - Berlin: Zeitgeschichte-Verl., 1935
Der Offizier der neuen Wehrmacht - Eine Pflichtenlehre. - Berlin: Eisenschmidt, 1936.
Wehrpflicht-Fibel., Verlag "Offene Worte", 1937
Schuld und Verhängnis – Die Fritsch-Krise im Frühjahr 1938 als Wendepunkt in der nationalsozialistischen Zeit. DVA, 1951
Grundzüge der Wehrpolitik., Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, 1938
Kriegskunst heute und morgen. - Berlin: Zeitgeschichte-Verl., 1939
Der Offizier der deutschen Wehrmacht. - Berlin: Eisenschmidt, 1940
Psychologische Kriegführung: Vortrag, Evang. Akademie, 1953

English:

The Art of Modern Warfare, Veritas Press, 1940
My Opinions with Regard to Reports 1, Historical Division, Headquarters United States Army, 1947
Basic Concepts and Organization for the Conduct of War Prior to World War II, United States, Department of the Army, 1948

Italian:

L'arte della guerra di oggi e di domani., Nicola Zanichelli Editore, Bologna, 1940

References

Citations

^ Heberer & Matthäus 2008, p. 99.
^ Critchfield, James H. Partners at the Creation: The Men Behind Postwar Germany's Defense and Intelligence Establishments. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2003. p.220.
^ Wette 2007, pp. 236–238.
^ Scott-Smith p.357.
^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 154.

Bibliography

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
Heberer, Patricia; Matthäus, Jürgen (2008). Atrocities on Trial: Historical Perspectives on the Politics of Prosecuting War Crimes. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-1084-4. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
Scott-Smith, Giles. Interdoc and West European Psychological Warfare: The American Connection. Intelligence and National Security Vol. 26, Nos. 2–3, 355–376, April–June 2011.
Wette, Wolfram (2007). The Wehrmacht: History, Myth, Reality. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674025776.

Military offices
Preceded by None	Chief of General Staff of Heeresgruppe F 12 August 1943 - 15 March 1944	Succeeded by Generalleutnant August Winter
Preceded by Generalmajor Franz Sensfuß	Commander of 21. Infanterie-Division 28 March 1944 - 22 August 1944	Succeeded by Generalmajor Heinrich Götz
Preceded by General der Infanterie Friedrich Köchling	Commander of X. Armeekorps 21 September 1944 - 21 December 1944	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Dr. Ing. Dr. Johannes Mayer
Preceded by General der Infanterie Siegfried Rasp	Commander of 19. Armee 15 February 1945 - 28 February 1945	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder
Preceded by General der Infanterie Hans von Obstfelder	Commander of 1. Armee 28 February 1945 - 6 May 1945	Succeeded by General der Kavallerie Rudolf Koch-Erpach

[FOOTNOTEHebererMatthäus200899-1] Heberer & Matthäus 2008, p. 99.

[2] Critchfield, James H. Partners at the Creation: The Men Behind Postwar Germany's Defense and Intelligence Establishments. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2003. p.220.

[FOOTNOTEWette2007236–238-3] Wette 2007, pp. 236–238.

[4] Scott-Smith p.357.

[5] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 154.

[1]