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Nikolaus von Falkenhorst | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 1944 portrait | |
| Birth name | Paul Nikolaus von Jastrzembski |
| Born | (1885-01-17)17 January 1885 |
| Died | 18 June 1968(1968-06-18) (aged 83) |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch | German Army |
| Service years | 1903–1944 |
| Rank | Generaloberst |
| Commands | Army Norway (Wehrmacht) |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Erich Dethleffsen (son-in-law) |
Paul Nikolaus von Falkenhorst (17 January 1885 – 18 June 1968) was a German general andwar criminal duringWorld War II. He planned and commandedthe German invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940, and was commander of German troops during the occupation of Norway from 1940 to 1944.
After the war, Falkenhorst was tried by a joint British-Norwegian military tribunal for war crimes. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1946. The sentence was later commuted to twenty years' imprisonment. Falkenhorst was released in 1953 and died in 1968.
Falkenhorst was born inBreslau (nowWrocław, Poland). He joined the army in 1903 and served inWorld War I in regimental and staff roles, including a stint in Finland. In 1919, after the end of the war, he joined the paramilitary groupFreikorps,[citation needed] and later theReichswehr. On 1 July 1935, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army. In 1939, he commanded theXXI Army Corps during theInvasion of Poland.
On 20 February 1940, Hitler informed Falkenhorst that he would be ground commander for the invasion of NorwayOperation Weserübung, and gave him until 5 p.m. the same day to come up with a basic plan. With no time to consult military charts or maps, Falkenhorst picked up aBaedeker tourist guidebook of Norway at a stationery store on his way to his hotel room, where he planned the operation from maps he found in it.[1] Hitler approved his plan.
The invasion was a success, aside from heavy losses inflicted upon theKriegsmarine (navy).Allied forces tried to counter the German move, but Falkenhorst's troops drove them out of the country. For his part in the success, he was promoted toGeneraloberst (Colonel General).
Between December 1940 and December 1944, von Falkenhorst remained commander of all German forces in Norway (Wehrmachtbefehlshaber Norwegen).
Falkenhorst was dismissed from his command on 18 December 1944 and transferred to theFührerreserve. He did not receive a further assignment.
After the war, Falkenhorst was tried by a joint British-Norwegian military tribunal for violating the rules of war. He had passed on theFührerbefehl known as the "Commando Order" which required capturedcommandos to be shot. The evidence at trial included Falkenhorst's order that commandos, if kept alive for interrogation, should not "survive for more than twenty-four hours".[2] He distributed the order in 1942, then reminded his subordinates about it in 1943, insisting that the captured commandos be handed over to theSD, the intelligence service of theSS, for execution. The defense argued that Falkenhorst was acting undersuperior orders. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1946.[3]
The sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison, after a successful appeal bySven Hedin. Hedin said Falkenhorst deserved mercy since he had successfully lobbied Hitler to spare the lives of 10 Norwegian resistance members who had been condemned to death for sabotage.[4] Falkenhorst was released fromWerl Prison on 23 July 1953, due to health issues. In 1968, following a heart attack, he died atHolzminden,West Germany, where his family had settled after fleeing fromLower Silesia.[5] He is buried in the Holzminden Cemetery.
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by None | Commander of32. Infanterie-Division 1 October 1936 – 19 July 1939 | Succeeded by GeneralleutnantFranz Böhme |
| Preceded by None | Commander ofXXI Army Corps 10 August 1939 – 1 March 1940 | Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by None | Commander of Army Group XXI 1 March 1940 - 19 December 1940 | Succeeded by None |
| Preceded by None | Commander ofArmy of Norway 19 December 1940 – 18 December 1944 | Succeeded by absorbed by the20th Mountain Army |
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