Werner von Fritsch

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Werner Freiherr von Fritsch
Von Fritsch in 1932
Chief of the German Army High Command
In office 1 June 1935 – 4 February 1938
Chancellor	Adolf Hitler
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Walther von Brauchitsch
5th Chief of the German Army Command
In office 1 February 1934 – 1 June 1935
President	Paul von Hindenburg Adolf Hitler
Chancellor	Adolf Hitler
Preceded by	Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord
Succeeded by	Himself as Commander-in-Chief of the German Army
Personal details
Born	Thomas Ludwig Werner von Fritsch (1880-08-04)4 August 1880 Benrath, Landkreis Düsseldorf, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	22 September 1939(1939-09-22) (aged 59) Warsaw, Poland
Resting place	Invalidenfriedhof, Berlin
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Branch/service	German Army
Years of service	1898–1939
Rank	Generaloberst
Commands	1st Cavalry Division 3rd Infantry Division Supreme Commander of the Army
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Siege of Warsaw †
Awards	Order of the Red Eagle

Thomas Ludwig Werner Freiherr^[1] von Fritsch (4 August 1880 – 22 September 1939) was a member of the German High Command. He was Commander-in-Chief of the German Army from February 1934 until February 1938, when he was forced to resign after he was falsely accused of being homosexual. His ousting was a major step in Adolf Hitler's establishment of tighter control over the armed forces. Just over a year later, before the outbreak of World War II, Fritsch was recalled as Colonel-in-chief of the 12th Artillery Regiment. He died in battle in Poland early in the war, the second German general to perish in that conflict after Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig.