Friedrich Olbricht | |
|---|---|
 Olbricht in 1939 | |
| Chief of the General Army Office | |
| In office February 1940 – 21 July 1944 | |
| Preceded by | Friedrich Fromm |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1888 Leisnig, Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | 21 July 1944 (aged 55) Berlin, Gau Berlin, Nazi Germany |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service |  German Army |
| Years of service | 1907–44 |
| Rank |  General der Infanterie |
| Commands | 24th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Friedrich Olbricht (4 October 1888 – 21 July 1944) was a German general during World War II. He is known for being one of the plotters involved in the 20 July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.
Olbricht was a senior staff officer, with the rank of infantry general. He was secretly in contact with most of the leaders of the resistance. They briefed him on their various plots and he placed sympathetic officers in key positions. Olbricht quietly encouraged field commanders to support the resistance. By late 1943, his office was the centre of Resistance plotting, under Claus von Stauffenberg.[1] Had the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler been successful, Olbricht would have assumed the position of minister of war in a post-Nazi regime.
- ^ Dieter K. Buse and Juergen C. Doerr, eds. Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture, 1871-1990 (2 vol. Garland, 1998) 2:724–25.