Werner von Blomberg

Werner von Blomberg was a prominent German military commander who served as the first Generalfeldmarschall of the Third Reich and played a pivotal role in the early expansion of the Wehrmacht. As Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the German Armed Forces from 1933 to 1938, he was a key architect of Germany's military resurgence, overseeing the abandonment of the Treaty of Versailles restrictions. His career ended abruptly in 1938 due to the Blomberg–Fritsch affair, a scandal orchestrated by rivals like Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, which allowed Adolf Hitler to assume direct control of the military.

Early life and career

Born in Stargard, Pomerania, into a Prussian military family, Blomberg entered the Prussian Army as an officer cadet in 1897. He attended the prestigious Prussian Military Academy and served with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War. As a staff officer in the 7th Army, he earned the prestigious Pour le Mérite medal for his planning during the Second Battle of the Aisne. After the war, he was retained in the scaled-down Reichswehr, holding various staff and training positions, including a role in the Truppenamt, the clandestine general staff forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles.

Role in the Weimar Republic and rise under Hitler

During the Weimar Republic, Blomberg rose to prominence, becoming Chief of the Truppenamt in 1927 and serving as military commander of East Prussia. In 1932, he was appointed the German military representative to the Geneva Disarmament Conference. A staunch anti-communist and nationalist, he viewed the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler as forces for national renewal. In January 1933, he was unexpectedly appointed Reich Minister of Defense by President Paul von Hindenburg, a move facilitated by Kurt von Schleicher. Blomberg immediately pledged the loyalty of the Reichswehr to the new Chancellor, Hitler, following the Machtergreifung.

Minister of War and expansion of the Wehrmacht

As Minister of War, Blomberg was instrumental in the rapid expansion and modernization of the German military, which was renamed the Wehrmacht in 1935. He actively supported Hitler's policies to dismantle the military restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, including the reintroduction of conscription and the creation of the Luftwaffe. In 1936, he was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall, the first in the Nazi era. He played a key administrative role during the remilitarization of the Rhineland and initial phases of German rearmament, though his influence began to wane as Hitler and more ideologically aligned officers like Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl asserted greater direct control through the newly formed Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.

Blomberg–Fritsch affair and downfall

Blomberg's career ended abruptly in early 1938 in the Blomberg–Fritsch affair. He married Erna Gruhn, a woman with a police record, which provided an opportunity for his rivals, including Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler, to discredit him. Concurrently, the commander of the Army, Werner von Fritsch, was falsely accused of homosexuality. Hitler used these scandals to remove the old conservative military leadership. Blomberg was forced to resign all his posts on 27 January 1938. The crisis allowed Hitler to abolish the War Ministry, assume the role of Supreme Commander himself, and replace Blomberg's office with the subservient Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, solidifying Nazi control over the military.

Later life and death

Following his disgrace, Blomberg and his wife were sent on a year-long "world tour" by Hitler to avoid publicity. He lived in obscurity for the remainder of the Second World War at his estate in Bad Wiessee. After the war, he was interrogated as a witness during the Nuremberg trials by the International Military Tribunal. He died of cancer while in detention at the Nuremberg Court Prison in March 1946, before he could be formally tried as a defendant in subsequent proceedings.

Category:1878 births Category:1946 deaths Category:German generals Category:German military personnel of World War I Category:Generalfeldmarschalls Category:People from the Province of Pomerania Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite Category:Wehrmacht generals of World War II