Otto Herfurth

Otto Herfurth
Born	22 January 1893 Hasserode
Died	29 September 1944 (aged 51) Plötzensee Prison, Berlin
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918)  Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer
Years of service	1914–44
Rank	Generalmajor
Commands held	Infanterie-Regiment 117
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of France Operation Barbarossa Battle of Kiev (1941) First Battle of Kharkov Battle of Rostov (1942) Battle of the Caucasus
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Otto Herfurth (22 January 1893 – 29 September 1944) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Otto Herfurth was a conspirator in the 20 July Plot.

Role in the 20 July Plot

Otto Herfurth was the chief of staff of the III Military District which covered Berlin and Brandenburg. He initially supported the coup attempt, but later during the evening changed sides. On 14 August 1944, he was arrested and was tried by the Volksgerichtshof. He was hanged on 29 September 1944 next to Joachim Meichssner, Fritz von der Lancken, Wilhelm-Friedrich zu Lynar and Joachim Sadrozinski at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin.^[1]

Awards and decorations

• Military Merit Cross, 3rd class with War Decoration (Austria-Hungary)
• Iron Cross (1914)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Wound Badge (1914)
  • in Black
• Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg
• Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Eastern Front Medal
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 September 1942 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 117^{[2][Notes 1]}

See also

• List of members of the 20 July plot

Notes

Footnotes

1. Otto Herfurth, in connection with the 20 July plot, failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, was deprived of all honors, ranks and orders and dishonorably discharged from the Heer on 14 August 1944. The civilian Herfurth was sentenced to death by the Volksgerichtshof on 29 September 1944 and executed the same day.^[3]

Citations

1. Brakelmann, Günter (2010). Helmuth James von Moltke: Zeitgenosse für ein anderes Deutschland (in German). Forschungsgemeinschaft 20 Juli 1944. p. 259. ISBN 978-3-643-10453-3.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 185.
3. Scherzer 2007, p. 140.

References

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht
• Otto Herfurth @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived November 16, 2010)