Brauchitsch was born in Berlin on 4 October 1881 as the sixth child of Bernhard Eduard von Brauchitsch, a cavalry general, and his wife Charlotte Bertha von Gordon. The Brauchitsch family had a long tradition of military service, and like his forefathers, Brauchitsch was raised in the tradition of the Prussian officer corps.
In 1895 Brauchitsch joined the military academy in Potsdam. He later transferred to the Hauptkadettenanstalt Groß Lichterfelde, where in his final year he belonged to the top class for gifted students and was chosen, as his brother Adolf five years before, as a page by Empress Augusta Victoria. During his time serving the empress at court, he learned manners and bearing that were noted for the rest of his life.
In 1900 he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards and soon afterward was transferred to the artillery. In 1912 he was assigned to the general staff, on which he served throughout World War I. Brauchitsch was discharged after the armistice, but when the German army was reorganized in 1919, in accordance with the requirements of the Peace Treaty, he was commissioned a major. In 1922 he was appointed head of the artillery section in the Ministry of Defense and in 1930 he was made a colonel and placed in charge of military training. He became a major general and chief of the artillery in 1931. Brauchitsch was placed in command of the East Prussia military area in 1933. Because of his admiration for the man and approval of his aims, Brauchitsch had little difficulty gaining the confidence of Adolf Hitler. In 1937 he was placed in charge of the Leipzig military area. In February 1938 Hitler appointed him commander in chief of the German army and a member of the secret council that advised on foreign policy. Brauchitsch personally led his troops in the occupation of Austria in 1938, and later in the occupation of the Sudetenland and the rest of Czechoslovakia. When Hitler decided to invade Poland in September 1939, Brauchitsch occupied the country in 19 days; France and the Low Countries were overrun in the spring of 1940. After these victories Brauchitsch was made a field marshal, July 19, 1940; in 1941 he conducted operations in the Balkans, and later led his troops in the invasion of the Soviet Union. Because of his failure to take Moscow, he was allowed to resign to make way for Hitler, who assumed personal command, December 20, 1941. Brauchitsch was arrested by Allied troops after the invasion of Germany. He died October 18, 1948, in a British military hospital in Hamburg, Germany, where he was being held for trial as a war criminal.
Brauchitsch served as Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1938 until December 1941. He played a key role in the Battle of France and oversaw the German invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece. For his part in the Battle of France, Brauchitsch became one of 12 generals promoted to Field Marshal.
Quotes from others about the person
Historian Helmut Krausnick characterizes Brauchitsch as "an outstanding professional who lived up to the traditions of his profession, but especially lacked the strength of personality to deal with Hitler". Historian Ian Kershaw on the other hand regards Brauchitsch as a "spineless individual, who was frightened by Hitler. He was no person to lead any type of front or revolt. "
In 1910, Brauchitsch married his first wife, Elizabeth von Karstedt, a wealthy heiress to 300, 000 acres in Brandenburg. The couple had two sons and a daughter. They were divorced in 1938 after 28 years of marriage, as Brauchitsch had developed another romantic interest.
In 1925, Brauchitsch met Charlotte Rueffer, the daughter of a Silesian judge. He wanted a divorce, but his wife refused. Rueffer later married a bank director named Schmidt, who drowned in his bath during a visit to Berlin. When Brauchitsch returned from East Prussia in 1937, the pair resumed their affair. They married immediately after Brauchitsch had divorced Karstedt.
Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief
