Ludwig Beck | |
|---|---|
 Beck in 1936 as Generaloberst | |
| Chief of the General Staff of the German Army High Command | |
| In office 1 July 1935 – 31 August 1938 | |
| Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
| Leader | Werner von Fritsch as Supreme Commander of the Army |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Franz Halder |
| Chief of the Troop Office | |
| In office 1 October 1933 – 1 July 1935 | |
| President | Paul von Hindenburg |
| Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Wilhelm Adam |
| Succeeded by | Himself as Chief of the OKH General Staff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ludwig August Theodor Beck 29 June 1880 Biebrich, Hesse-Nassau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Died | 20 July 1944 (aged 64) Berlin, Free State of Prussia, Nazi Germany |
| Spouse |
Amelie Pagenstecher
(m. 1916; died 1917) |
| Domestic partner | Amalie Christine Auguste Luise Pagenstecher |
| Children | Gertrud Beck |
| Parent(s) | Ludwig Beck Bertha Draudt |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch/service | Army |
| Years of service | 1898–1938 |
| Rank |  Generaloberst |
| Battles/wars | |
Ludwig August Theodor Beck (German: [ˈluːt.vɪç bɛk] ; 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Although Beck never became a member of the Nazi Party, in the early 1930s he supported Adolf Hitler's forceful denunciation of the Treaty of Versailles and the need to re-arm, although he believed Germany needed more time to rearm before starting a war.
In serving as Chief of Staff of the German Army between 1935 and 1938, Beck became increasingly disillusioned and stood in opposition to the rising totalitarianism of the Nazi regime and to Hitler's aggressive foreign policy. Public foreign-policy disagreements with Hitler made Beck resign as Chief of Staff in August 1938. Beck became a major leader within the conspiracy against Hitler. The 20 July plot failed, however, and Beck shot himself in the head but succeeded only in severely wounding himself. One of General Friedrich Fromm's men then shot him in the back of the neck.