The Unsung Hero of the July 20 Plot: The Courageous Actions of Friedrich Olbricht
Early Years, On the 4th of October 1888, Friedrich Olbricht entered the world in Leisnig, Saxony. His father, Richard Olbricht, held the esteemed position of a mathematics professor and served as the director of the Realschule, a secondary school located in Bautzen.
Friedrich Olbricht embarked on his professional journey after successfully completing the Abitur, the university preparatory school exit examination, in 1907. Following his academic achievement, he embraced a commission as a Fähnrich (ensign) with Infantry Regiment 106 based in Leipzig. His dedication led him into the trenches of World War I, where he demonstrated valor and leadership, ultimately earning a promotion to the rank of captain. Even amidst the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles, which drastically reduced the military capacity of Germany (the Reichswehr), Olbricht chose to remain in its service.
In 1926, Olbricht found himself within the halls of the Reich Defense Ministry, assuming the role of leader of the Reichswehr’s Foreign Armies Bureau. His astuteness and resourcefulness were particularly evident during the tumultuous period following the Night of the Long Knives raid, where he intervened to spare several arrested individuals from execution by securing or fabricating positions for them within the Abwehr.
Continuing to ascend the ranks, Olbricht was appointed as chief of staff of the 4th Army Corps stationed in Dresden in 1935. This crucial post lasted until 1938 when he received a promotion to commander of the 24th Infantry Division. Notably, Olbricht stood among the minority of officers who staunchly supported General Werner von Fritsch, the commander in chief of the German armed forces, during accusations of homosexuality in January 1938. Subsequent events revealed the charges as baseless fabrications orchestrated as part of Hitler’s strategic maneuvering to consolidate power within the armed forces.
Demonstrating his prowess on the battlefield, Olbricht commanded the 24th Infantry Division during the German invasion of Poland in 1939, earning him the prestigious Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Recognizing his strategic acumen and leadership, on February 15, 1940, Olbricht was promoted to the distinguished rank of General of the Infantry. Subsequently, he assumed dual responsibilities as Chief of the General Army Office within the Army High Command and as Chief of the Armed Forces Reserve Office at the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.
Operation Valkyrie: A Coup in the Making.
During the harsh winter months of 1941–1942, Friedrich Olbricht meticulously crafted the blueprint for Operation Valkyrie, a strategic plan originating from the General Staff. Ostensibly designed to quell internal unrest, Valkyrie clandestinely harbored ambitions for a coup d’état. Collaborating closely with resistance figures such as Colonel-General Ludwig Beck, Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, and Major-General Henning von Tresckow, Olbricht sought to orchestrate the demise of Adolf Hitler’s regime through assassination and coordinated military action.
In 1943, Olbricht strategically enlisted the aid of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, assigning him a pivotal role in the impending assassination attempt on Hitler. Stauffenberg’s task entailed planting a bomb in close proximity to the Führer during a high-level meeting.
The fateful day of reckoning arrived on July 20, 1944, when Olbricht, alongside Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, initiated Operation Valkyrie by mobilizing the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer). However, the meticulously planned assassination plot took an unforeseen turn as Hitler narrowly escaped death, evading the fatal explosion intended to eliminate him.
With the failure of the bomb plot, the execution of Valkyrie’s subsequent phases faltered. Critical communication hubs remained under the control of loyalist forces, thwarting the rebels’ attempts to seize pivotal sites in Berlin. Hitler’s swift dissemination of propaganda further compounded the coup’s collapse, rallying support and quashing dissent within mere hours.
Ultimately, Operation Valkyrie stands as a testament to the resilience of Nazi control and the formidable challenges faced by those who dared to challenge its authority.
At 9:00 PM, Friedrich Olbricht found himself detained at his headquarters located within the Bendlerblock, apprehended by soldiers from the Berlin garrison. Later that same evening, Colonel-General Friedrich Fromm hastily convened a court martial, ostensibly in a bid to shield himself from any suspicion of complicity in the conspiracy. Subsequently, Olbricht, Quirnheim, Stauffenberg, and his aide Werner von Haeften were escorted to the courtyard, where they met their demise at the hands of a firing squad. This act defied Hitler’s explicit orders to capture the would-be assassins alive, as those who were taken alive faced excruciating and prolonged forms of execution. Olbricht, tragically, was the first among the condemned quartet to meet his end by gunfire.
