Background
Walter von Seydlitz was born on 22 August 1888 in Hamburg, the descendant of a famous military family.
Walter von Seydlitz was born on 22 August 1888 in Hamburg, the descendant of a famous military family.
After joining the army as a cadet in 1908, von Seydlitz fought in World War I on both the eastern and western fronts. From 1919 to 1930 he held various regimental and adjutant appointments before being transferred to the Reichswehr Ministry.
Brigadier from 1934 to 1939, he was promoted to Major General at the outbreak of World War II and held a command in the French campaign. In August 1940 he was awarded the Knight's Cross (and was promoted to Lieutenant-General) for outstanding services during the Russian campaign.
General of Infantry from June 1942 and Commander of the Second Army Corps, von Seydlitz was captured by Soviet forces at Stalingrad in February 1943 and in the same year became the first German officer to broadcast from Moscow. One of von Paulus's divisional commanders at Stalingrad and known as a violent opponent of the Nazi conduct of the war, von Seydlitz was appointed by the Russians as President of the ‘League of German Officers' in September 1943. Its activities were identical to those of the Free Germany National Committee, formed in Soviet Russia a year earlier.
The aim was to persuade the German army and people to overthrow Hitler, to end the war and establish a ‘free' democratic Germany. Many captured German officers and rank-and-file soldiers joined the movement between the autumn of 1943 and the summer of 1944. The failure of the plot of 20 July1944 convinced the Russians that it had no further value. Von Seydlitz, though having served his purpose, was nevertheless held in prison by the Russians until October 1955.
Even after twelve years’ captivity he still found himself boycotted by some of the German generals who returned with him from Russia, and he had to wait another nine months until the death sentence passed on him in absentia by Hitler was finally annulled in July 1956. He died on 28 April 1976 in Bremen.