Albert Schnez

Albert Schnez (30 August 1911 – 26 April 2007) was an officer in three successive German armies: the Reichswehr, the Wehrmacht, and finally the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the modern Federal Republic of Germany. He was involved in the debate on the internal leadership of the newly formed Bundeswehr and was close to the German defense minister, Franz Josef Strauss. Schnez served from 1968 to 1971 with the rank of lieutenant-general (Generalleutnant) as the Inspector of the Army.

Albert Schnez
Albert Schnez in 1967
Born(1911-08-30)30 August 1911
Abtsgmünd, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire
Died26 April 2007(2007-04-26) (aged 95)
Bonn, Germany
Allegiance Weimar Republic
 Nazi Germany
 West Germany
Service/branch Reichsheer
 German Army
 German Army
Years of service1930–1945
1957–1971
Rank Generalleutnant
Unit25th Panzergrenadier Division
Commands held
AwardsGerman Cross in Gold (1944)
Federal Cross of Merit (1971)

From 1949, Schnez, together with other veterans of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, built a clandestine shadow army, the "Schnez-Truppe", that intended to fight against the Soviet Union in the event of an invasion.[1] By 1951, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had learned of the existence of this secret army and its head Schnez, but evidently declined to act against them.[1]

References
  1. Klaus Wiegrefe (14 May 2014). "Files Uncovered: Nazi Veterans Created Illegal Army". Der Spiegel.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.