Background
Hans Speidel was born on 28 October 1897 in Matzingen, Württemberg.
Hans Speidel was born on 28 October 1897 in Matzingen, Württemberg.
A professional soldier who served as an active officer from 1914 to 1944, Speidel became involved in the plot against Hitler after being called to France by his old friend, Rommel, to take charge of Army Group B. Appointed on 14 June 1940 Chief of Staff of the Military Governor of Paris, General Heinrich von Stuelpnagel, Speidel worked closely with him to draw Rommel into their plans, in the belief that the war was lost and Germany was heading for inevitable catastrophe. Following the failure of the July 1944 plot, Speidel was removed from his post in France and interrogated by the Gestapo, but denied all knowledge of the conspiracy. He was acquitted by a court of honour and thus avoided the fate of other members of the Resistance movement.
In 1949 he published Invasion 1944. Ein Beitrag zu Romrnels und des Reiches Schicksal, a glorification of Field Marshal Rommel, which provided a detailed account of the political conspiracy and an outspoken condemnation of Hitler’s lack of moral principles. According to Speidel, the rank-and-file in the army as well as the leaders had full confidence in Rommel’s rather than in Hitler’s leadership and supported the conspiracy.
After the war. General Speidel became Konrad Adenauer’s military adviser. He represented the Federal Republic of Germany in NATO and in November 1959 he was appointed head of the Army Department in the Federal Defence Ministry. From April 1957 to September 1963 he was Commander of all NATO forces in central Europe.
He retired on 21 March 1964 and henceforth concentrated on his academic work at Tubingen and his writing in the field of military science.