Günther Smend (29 November 1912 – 8 September 1944) was a German Army officer and a member of the resistance involved in the 20 July Plot to assassinate

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Life

Günther Smend was born in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

to Captain Julius Smend. After being wounded in battle, his father was posted to the War Ministry in Berlin. There, from 1921 to 1924, Günther Smend went to the Berlin-Friedenau '' Gymnasium''. Finally, the family moved to Mülheim an der Ruhr for job reasons. Günther Smend joined the army as an

officer cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Ai ...

in 1932, and was deployed along with his unit,

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

No. 18, in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and on the Eastern Front after the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. In December 1942, Smend was ordered to the General Staff, and as of June 1943 he was adjutant to Army Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General

Kurt Zeitzler Kurt Zeitzler (9 June 1895 – 25 September 1963) was a Chief of the Army General Staff in the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany during World War II. Zeitzler was almost exclusively a staff officer, serving as chief of staff in a corps, army, and a ...

. He was a lieutenant colonel on the General Staff, winner of the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

, first and second classes. He was awarded the

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...

in gold on 22 November 1941. Smend began to work together with the military opposition against

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. He shared the plotters' worry that the war would lead to defeat owing to Hitler's incompetence. He tried to get his superior Zeitzler to participate in the plot, but to no avail. After the attempt to assassinate Hitler with a briefcase bomb at the

Wolf's Lair The ''Wolf's Lair'' (german: Wolfsschanze; pl, Wilczy Szaniec) served as Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the small village of Görlitz in Ost ...

in East Prussia on 20 July 1944 failed, Günther Smend was arrested on 1 August 1944 as a consequence of his failed attempt at winning Zeitzler's support. On 30 August 1944 he was sentenced to death by the '' Volksgerichtshof'', with

Roland Freisler Roland Freisler (30 October 1893 – 3 February 1945), a German Nazi jurist, judge, and politician, served as the State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice from 1934 to 1942 and as President of the People's Court from 1942 to 1945. As ...

presiding, as an accessory, and on 8 September 1944 he was hanged at Plötzensee

Prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

in Berlin. In March 1939, he wed Renate von Cossel, whom he had met at a ball before the war. They had three children, despite long separations due to wartime service: Henriette, Rudolf and Axel.

References

Plötzensee Prison

External links

Biography at Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand Berlin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smend, Gunther 1912 births 1944 deaths Executed members of the 20 July plot People from Rhineland-Palatinate executed at Plötzensee Prison People executed by hanging at Plötzensee Prison German Army officers of World War II Recipients of the Gold German Cross Military personnel from Trier Military personnel from the Rhine Province Executed military personnel

Life

See also

References

External links