Fritz Thiele (14 April 1894 – 4 September 1944) was a member of the German resistance who also served as the communications chief of the German Army during World War II. Thiele was born in Berlin and joined the Imperial Army in 1914. Working closely with Chief of army communications

General der Nachrichtentruppe General der Nachrichtentruppe (Literally: General of the Communications Troops) was a General of the branch OF8-rank of German Army, introduced by the Wehrmacht in 1940. The rank was equivalent to the long established '' General der Kavalleri ...

Erich Fellgiebel Fritz Erich Fellgiebel (4 October 1886 – 4 September 1944) was a German Army general of signals and resistance fighter in the 20 July plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. In 1929, Fellgiebel became head of the cipher bureau (german: C ...

, he was part of the assassination attempt against

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

on 20 July 1944. He was responsible as part of the coup attempt in the effort to sever communications between officers loyal to Hitler and armed forces units in the field and from the communications centre at the

Bendlerstrasse The Bendlerblock is a building complex in the Tiergarten district of Berlin, Germany, located on Stauffenbergstraße (formerly named ''Bendlerstraße''). Erected in 1914 as headquarters of several Imperial German Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine'') o ...

in Berlin; he relayed a crucial message from Fellgiebel to General Friedrich Olbricht and the other conspirators that the assassination attempt had failed but the coup attempt should still proceed. There are differing accounts of the time when he provided this report. Thiele himself did not want to proceed with the coup attempt when he knew that the assassination attempt had failed and he left the Bendlerstrasse and visited

Walter Schellenberg Walter Friedrich Schellenberg (16 January 1910 – 31 March 1952) was a German SS functionary during the Nazi era. He rose through the ranks of the SS, becoming one of the highest ranking men in the ''Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD) and eventually ass ...

at the Reich Central Security Office in an attempt to extricate himself. Following Fellgiebel's arrest he was directed to assume his duties before he was himself arrested by the Gestapo on 11 August 1944. He was condemned to death on 21 August 1944 by the '' Volksgerichtshof'' and hanged on 4 September 1944 at Plötzensee prison in Berlin.

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Plötzensee Prison

References

1894 births 1944 deaths Executed members of the 20 July plot People from Berlin executed at Plötzensee Prison German Army generals of World War II Executed people from Berlin History of telecommunications in Germany Telecommunications in World War II People executed by hanging at Plötzensee Prison Lieutenant generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht) {{Germany-WWII-stub Executed military leaders

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References