Hans Speidel
| Hans Speidel | |
|---|---|
Speidel in 1944
|
|
| Born |
28 October 1897 Metzingen, Germany |
| Died | 28 November 1984 (aged 87) Bad Honnef, Germany |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany West Germany NATO
|
| Service/branch |
Army of Württemberg Reichsheer Army Bundeswehr |
| Years of service | 1914–45 1955–63 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars |
World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | Commander-in-Chief of NATO forces in Central Europe, 1957 − 1963 |
Hans Speidel (28 October 1897 – 28 November 1984) was a German general during World War II and the Cold War. The former chief of staff to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Speidel was a nationalist conservative who agreed with the territorial aspects of the Nazi regime's policies, but strongly disagreed with their racial policies. This led him to participate in the 20 July Plot to assassinate Hitler, after which he was jailed by the Gestapo. At the end of the world war, he escaped from Nazi prison and went into hiding.
After the world war, Speidel emerged as one of the leading German military figures during the early Cold War. He served as Supreme Commander of the NATO ground forces in Central Europe from 1957 to 1963, as the first German NATO commander during the Cold War, and with headquarters at the Palace of Fontainebleau in Paris.
Speidel was born in Metzingen. He joined the German Army in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I and was quickly promoted to second lieutenant. During the war he was a company commander at the Battle of the Somme and an adjutant. He stayed in the German Army during the interwar period and also studied history and economics at different universities. In 1926 he received his Ph.D. degree magna cum laude.
Speidel took part in the invasion of France of 1940 and in August became Chief of Staff of the military commander in France. In 1942 Speidel was sent to the Eastern Front where he served as Chief of Staff of the 5th Army Corps, and as Chief of Staff of 8th Army in 1943, where he was promoted to general. In April 1944, Speidel was appointed Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Commander-in-Chief of Army Group B, stationed on the French Atlantic coast. When Rommel was wounded, Speidel continued as Chief of Staff for the new commander of Army Group B, Field Marshal Günther von Kluge.
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