Fritz Lindemann
General Fritz Lindemann (11 April 1894 – 22 September 1944) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany and member of the resistance to Adolf Hitler.
Fritz Lindemann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 April 1894 Berlin-Charlottenburg, German Empire |
| Died | 22 September 1944 (aged 50) Berlin, Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} German Empire .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Weimar Republic .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Army |
| Rank | General of the Artillery |
| Commands held | Artilleriekommandeur 138 132nd Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
After serving in World War I, Lindemann participated in the suppression of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 as a member of the Freikorps. However, as a member of the Reichswehr and a loyalist to the Weimar Republic, he refused to participate in the Kapp Putsch.[1]
Lindemann served as commander of the 132nd Infantry Division from January 1942 to August 1943, before appointment as Chief of Staff of the Artillery Oberkommando des Heeres.[1]
Lindemann developed contacts with conspirators against Adolf Hitler including General Helmuth Stieff, and following the assassination of Hitler it was proposed that he would read the conspirators' proclamation to the German people over the radio, but he did not appear at the Bendlerblock on 20 July 1944 in order to do so.[2] After the failure of the 20 July plot, he went into hiding. When the Gestapo came to arrest him, Lindemann tried to jump out of a window. However, he was shot in his leg and stomach, and later died in hospital from his injuries.
After standing trial for helping Lindemann at the People's Court, Erich and Elisabeth Gloeden, Elisabeth Kuznitzky, Hans Sierks and Carl Marks were all sentenced to death. They were executed by guillotine at Plötzensee Prison in September 1944.[3]
Awards and decorations
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 September 1941 as Oberst and commander of Arko 138.
References
Citations
- Museum, Stiftung Deutsches Historisches. "Gerade auf LeMO gesehen: LeMO Biografie". www.dhm.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-10-20.
- Joachim Fest (1994). Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance to Hitler, 1933-1945. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-81774-4.
- "The Nazi Party: The "People's Court" (1934 - 1945)". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
Bibliography
- Bauer, Frank (1995). Sie gaben ihr Leben: Unbekannte Opfer des 20. Juli 1944, General Fritz Lindemann und seine Fluchthelfer; Chronos Publ.
- Bidermann, Gottlob Herbert (2000). In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front; Univ. Press of Kansas Publ.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.