Otto Herfurth (22 January 1893 – 29 September 1944) was a general in the
Wehrmacht of
Nazi Germany during
World War II. He was a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
. Herfurth was a conspirator in the
20 July Plot
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...
.
Herfurth was the chief of staff of the III Military District which covered Berlin and Brandenburg. He initially supported the coup attempt, but later during the evening changed sides. On 14 August 1944, he was arrested and was tried by the
People's Court. He was hanged on 29 September 1944 next to
Joachim Meichssner,
Fritz von der Lancken,
Wilhelm-Friedrich zu Lynar and
Joachim Sadrozinski at
Plötzensee Prison
Plötzensee Prison (german: Justizvollzugsanstalt Plötzensee, JVA Plötzensee) is a juvenile prison in the Charlottenburg-Nord locality of Berlin with a capacity for 577 prisoners, operated by the State of Berlin judicial administration. The d ...
in Berlin.
Awards and decorations
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The Knight' ...
on 14 September 1942 as ''
Oberst'' and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 117
See also
*
List of members of the 20 July plot
On 20 July 1944, Adolf Hitler and his top military associates entered the briefing hut of the Wolf's Lair military headquarters, a series of concrete bunkers and shelters located deep in the forest of East Prussia, not far from the location of t ...
Notes
Citations
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herfurth, Otto
1893 births
1944 deaths
Executed members of the 20 July plot
Executed military personnel
Major generals of the German Army (Wehrmacht)
People condemned by Nazi courts
People executed by hanging at Plötzensee Prison
People from the Province of Saxony
People from Wernigerode