Hermann Foertsch | |
|---|---|
 Foertsch at theHostages Trial | |
| Born | 4 April 1895 |
| Died | 27 December 1961(1961-12-27) (aged 66) |
| Allegiance | German Empire Weimar Republic Nazi Germany |
| Branch | German Army |
| Service years | 1913–1945 |
| Rank | General der Infanterie |
| Commands | Chief of General Staff ofArmy Group F 21st Infantry Division X Army Corps 19th Army 1st Army |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Friedrich Foertsch (brother) |
Hermann Foertsch (4 April 1895 – 27 December 1961) was a German general duringWorld War II who held commands at the divisional, corps and army levels. He was a recipient of theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross ofNazi Germany.
Foertsch was tried at theHostages Trial in 1947. The trial resulted in Foertsch's acquittal because he was a staff officer at the time that the criminal orders were transmitted.
As a chief of staff for several generals commanding Wehrmacht forces in occupiedGreece andYugoslavia, Foertsch passed on orders to subordinate units to take hostages or conduct reprisals. These orders were deemed criminal by the Tribunal, but staff officers were not considered culpable unless they drafted such criminal orders or made a special effort to distribute them to the troops that carried them out. Citing a lack of evidence of a commission of an unlawful act, the Tribunal acquitted Foertsch of war crimes.[1]
After his acquittal, Foertsch collaborated withHans Speidel in the development of concepts for Germany's rearmament many years before the official foundation of theBundeswehr, the German army, in 1955.[2] In 1950, Foertsch was the leading member of the select group of former Wehrmacht high-ranking officers invited by ChancellorKonrad Adenauer to take part in the conference to discussWest Germany's rearmament(Wiederbewaffnung). The conference resulted in theHimmerod memorandum that contributed to the myth of the "clean Wehrmacht".[3] Foertsch was involved in the establishment of the European anti-communist organisation Interdoc.[4]
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None | Chief of General Staff ofHeeresgruppe F 12 August 1943 - 15 March 1944 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantAugust Winter |
| Preceded by GeneralmajorFranz Sensfuß | Commander of21. Infanterie-Division 28 March 1944 - 22 August 1944 | Succeeded by GeneralmajorHeinrich Götz |
| Preceded by General der InfanterieFriedrich Köchling | Commander ofX. Armeekorps 21 September 1944 - 21 December 1944 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantDr. Ing. Dr. Johannes Mayer |
| Preceded by General der InfanterieSiegfried Rasp | Commander of19. Armee 15 February 1945 - 28 February 1945 | Succeeded by General der InfanterieHans von Obstfelder |
| Preceded by General der InfanterieHans von Obstfelder | Commander of1. Armee 28 February 1945 - 6 May 1945 | Succeeded by General der KavallerieRudolf Koch-Erpach |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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