Walther von Reichenau
| Walther von Reichenau | |
|---|---|
Walther von Reichenau in 1941
|
|
| Birth name | Walter Karl Ernst August von Reichenau |
| Born |
8 October 1884 Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire |
| Died | 17 January 1942 (aged 57) Poltava, Soviet Union |
| Buried at | Invalidenfriedhof, Berlin |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany
|
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held |
10th Army 6th Army |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Walter Karl Ernst August von Reichenau (8 October 1884 – 17 January 1942) was a field marshal in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. While in command of the 6th Army during Operation Barbarossa in 1941, he issued the notorious Severity Order which encouraged German soldiers to murder Jewish civilians on the Eastern Front. He was in charge of forces which helped to commit the massacre of over 33,000 Jews at Babi Yar as well as other massacres during the Holocaust.
Born in 1884, Reichenau served in World War I After the war, he joined the Grenzschutz Ost Freikorps. In 1919 Reichenau joined in the newly established Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic. The officer corps of the new armed forces' was limited to 4,000, and there was to be no German General Staff. Reichenau took a post in the Truppenamt, which was the "underground" equivalent of the General Staff formed by Hans von Seeckt. From 1931 Reichenau was Chief of Staff to the Inspector of Signals at the Ministry of the Reichswehr, and later served with General Werner von Blomberg in East Prussia.
Reichenau's uncle was an ardent Nazi and introduced him to Adolf Hitler in April 1932. Reichenau joined the Nazi Party, although doing so was a violation of the army regulations laid down by Seeckt to insulate the army from national politics.
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Wikipedia