Helmuth Groscurth
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Helmuth Groscurth (16 December 1898 – 7 April 1943) was a German staff and ''
Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
'' officer in the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
and a member of the German resistance. As an intelligence officer he was an early proponent of the Brandenburgers, commanded unconventional warfare operations in the
Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...
, and was an active conspirator against Hitler's agenda. He was later reassigned to the regular army following his criticism of war crimes committed by German forces in Poland. After commanding an infantry battalion in the invasion of France he assumed a variety of staff roles. He was involved in the events of the Bila Tserkva massacre where he attempted to avert the killing of Jewish children. He ended his active service as Karl Strecker's Chief of Staff in the 11th Army Corps. He participated in the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
and helped draft the final message from the German forces trapped there. After the surrender he contracted
typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
and died while in Soviet captivity. The recovery of his diaries and papers provided a significant source for historians researching the early resistance to Hitler within the German military.


Early life

Groscurth was born in Lüdenscheid to German
theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...
and
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
, . Groscurth was a devout Protestant and conservative nationalist. His older brother Reinhard, was a German lawyer who worked against corruption and Nazi influence in the Evangelical Church of Bremen. Groscurth joined the German 75th Infantry Regiment in 1916 and fought on the Western Front where he was severely wounded and taken as a POW by the British the following year. After the war he transferred to the
Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...
and then left the military to pursue studies in agriculture. He rejoined the Reichswehr in 1924 and in 1929 was appointed as the adjunct to Erwin von Witzleben, a fellow anti-Hitler conspirator who would go on to be executed for his participation in the
20 July plot The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German r ...
.


Military intelligence officer

He was recruited into the ''
Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
'' in 1935, eventually becoming an active conspirator in the extensive network of officers within military intelligence who were part of the German resistance under the direction of Admiral
Wilhelm Canaris Wilhelm Franz Canaris (1 January 1887 – 9 April 1945) was a admiral (Germany), German admiral and the chief of the ''Abwehr'' (the German military intelligence, military-intelligence service) from 1935 to 1944. Initially a supporter of Ad ...
. In 1938, Canaris assigned Groscurth, now a Major, to head the ''Abwehr'' II, the "Minorities and Sabotage" section of the military intelligence service responsible for
unconventional warfare Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces or actions such as subversion, diversion, sabotage, espionage, biowarfare, sanctions, propaga ...
in foreign countries. Canaris feared the growing power of the SS in such operations, particularly its influence over Konrad Henlein, and so he sent Groscurth to the
Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...
, border region of
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, in the run up to the planned annexation of the Sudetenland to prepare a pro-German
fifth column A fifth column is a group of people who undermine a larger group or nation from within, usually in favor of an enemy group or another nation. The activities of a fifth column can be overt or clandestine. Forces gathered in secret can mobilize ...
under the control of the ''Abwehr''. His mission included strengthening moderate ethnic Germans in the area in the hope that a negotiated solution could be found and a war avoided. He collected intelligence on Czechoslovak defenses, planted secret arms dumps, and trained potential insurgents in sabotage. These activities angered
Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...
and the SD, who were working to aggravate tensions in order to justify an invasion. As a part of the larger strategy of taking the Sudetenland, Hitler wanted the British to be as distracted as possible when Germany forced the issue. To this end, Canaris and Groscurth traveled to
Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
for a secret meeting with
Amin al-Husseini Mohammed Amin al-Husseini (; 4 July 1974) was a Palestinian Arab nationalist and Muslim leader in Mandatory Palestine. was the scion of the family of Jerusalemite Arab nobles, who trace their origins to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Hussein ...
, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Afterward Groscurth coordinated a weapons smuggling operation on behalf of Arab forces fighting the British in the Arab revolt in Palestine. Groscurth's plan set up an underground route for German weapons to be sent to by sea to Lebanon and then loaded onto local Arab fishing boats, which ferried the weapons to Palestine. Despite some successes by ''Abwehr'' elements, Henlein was greatly impressed with Hitler's victory in the Austrian
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
and decided to side with the radicals backed by Heydrich. Once the Germans occupied the Sudetenland, Heydrich turned on Henlein by undermining his power and murdering or imprisoning many of his friends and allies. Terrified, Henlein's wife begged Groscurth to protect them from the SS, which Groscurth and the ''Abwehr'' tried to do, with limited success. Although Henlein was not killed outright, he was removed from the proximity of power and was only allowed to live because of the personal relationship he had built with Hitler. After his assignment in the Sudetenland, Gorscurth successfully advocated on behalf of his subordinate Theodor von Hippel's proposal to form the Brandenburgers within ''Abwehr'' II. Groscurth was replaced by Erwin von Lahousen and promoted to be the chief of ''Abteilung Heerwesen zbV'', a newly created liaison unit between the ''
Abwehr The (German language, German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', though the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context) ) was the German military intelligence , military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ...
'' and the
OKH The (; abbreviated OKH) was the high command of the Army of Nazi Germany. It was founded in 1935 as part of Adolf Hitler's rearmament of Germany. OKH was ''de facto'' the most important unit within the German war planning until the defeat ...
. The new position proved to be key in his coordination of anti-Nazi activities between military intelligence, the regular army, and the German diplomatic corps.


Chief of ''Abteilung Heerwesen zbV''

Canaris used Groscurth's new unit as a way of giving intelligence directly to senior army commanders, with the intention of combating the growing influence of the SS and its expanding intelligence capabilities. Groscurth's new duties made him extremely well-informed and connected. He used his position and the contacts that came with it to further the resistance to Hitler and the SS, including becoming one of the primary co-ordinators between the various elements of the
Oster conspiracy The Oster Conspiracy, also called the September Conspiracy (), of 1938 was a proposed plan to overthrow German ''Führer'' Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland. It was led ...
. On the behalf of Canaris, he acted as the handler for Josef Müller's covert mission to the Vatican to secure the Pope's support for the overthrow of Hitler. He went so far as to secure explosives for an assassination attempt. During the missions Groscurth took extensive notes for operational reference and to provide evidence of resistance to Hitler for posterity if they failed. Additionally, Groscurth was active in maintaining communications between the anti-Hitler elements in Germany and the Chamberlain government in Britain. The communications attempted to create a deal with the British to ensure the Allies would not attack Germany if Hitler could be deposed. After Himmler provoked outrage in the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
with his directive that SS men should breed as many children of "good blood" as possible, regardless of the marital status of the mother, Groscurth actively and publicly campaigned to have the order rescinded. In December 1939, Groscurth traveled throughout the Western Front during the
Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...
, disseminating reports and memorandums of atrocities committed during the
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
passed to him by a fellow objector
Johannes Blaskowitz Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz (10 July 1883 – 5 February 1948) was a German ''Generaloberst'' during World War II. After joining the Imperial German Army in 1901, Blaskowitz served throughout World War I, where he earned the Iron Cross for brav ...
in an attempt to convince commanders there to act against Hitler. He visited
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb (5 September 1876 – 29 April 1956) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field marshal, Field Marshal) of the ''Wehrmacht'' during the Second World War, who was subsequently convicted of war crimes. Leeb w ...
, Erwin von Witzleben,
Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...
, and
Fedor von Bock Moritz Albrecht Franz Friedrich Fedor von Bock (3 December 1880 – 4 May 1945) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) who served in the German Army during the Second World War. Bock served as the commander of Army Group ...
, but only Leeb was willing to take any official action by authoring a complaint to Hitler. That overall effort proved to be unsuccessful and, along with his open criticism of SS policies, created pressure on the Chief of the Army
Walther von Brauchitsch Walther Heinrich Alfred Hermann von Brauchitsch (4 October 1881 – 18 October 1948) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) and Commander-in-Chief (''Oberbefehlshaber'') of the German Army during the first two years of World War ...
from Himmler and other sources, leading to Groscurth's eventual dismissal from military intelligence by January 1940. He was then reassigned to command an infantry battalion in the West, where he took part in the invasion of France.


Army staff officer

After France he became the
General Staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
for the
295th Infantry Division The 295th Infantry Division () was an Infantry Division, infantry division of the German German Army (1935–1945), Heer during World War II. Operational history Formation The division was formed on 10 February 1940 as part of the eighth ''A ...
. In August 1941, Groscurth attempted to prevent the execution of approximately 90 Jewish children in
Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( ; , ) is a city in central Ukraine. It is situated on the Ros (river), Ros River in the historical region of right-bank Ukraine. It is the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (which does not include the city of Kyiv) and serves as the ...
. Groscurth became aware of the children's situation after several '' Heer'' soldiers confronted the SS
Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
in charge of guarding a church locked full of crying children who had been recently orphaned by the execution of their parents. After being turned away by the SS, the soldiers went to their
chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a ho ...
, who in turn went to Groscurth. On 8 August 1941, Groscurth reported his concerns to the Chief of the General Staff of
Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
, General Georg von Sodenstern. Although Sodenstern took his report, he told Groscurth that he was unable to intervene. Groscurth continued his objection all the way to Field Marshal
Walther von Reichenau Walter Karl Gustav August Ernst von Reichenau (8 October 1884 – 17 January 1942) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was nicknamed "The Bull" ( German: ''Der Bulle) ...
at a meeting in the field commander's office on 21 August 1941. Reichenau echoed the position of the local SS Feldkommandant( de), Josef Riedl, who "regarded the extermination of Jewish women and children as absolutely necessary." Also present was Paul Blobel, the head of Einsatzgruppe C, who responded by saying any commanders in the army who objected should be made to carry out the executions themselves. Some reports assert that Groscurth was then beaten although Groscurth did not mention that in his own report on the matter. The next day, the SS took the children out to a mass grave where they were all shot by the Ukrainian auxiliaries. To the displeasure of Reichenau, Groscurth filed a
official report
with the army, protesting the killings as inhumane and demoralizing for the army troops in the vicinity, calling it "a horror". The criticisms that Groscurth made in his report were, however, directed exclusively at the failure by local commanders to carry out such mistreatment and killing of children away from German troops, some of whom had already been disturbed by the children's "whimpering". Groscurth's report did not officially object to the children's plight itself but the inefficiency of the process and the potential detrimental effect on the fighting spirit of nearby German soldiers. Despite his public rebuke, Groscurth was promoted to
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
and appointed Chief of the General Staff for XI Army Corps, commanded by Karl Strecker, which was subsequently committed to the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
. As the situation of the 6th Army in Stalingrad deteriorated, Groscurth again became convinced that the only way to avoid calamity was to remove Hitler. To that end, he asked a friend, Major Alred von Waldersee, to travel to Berlin and contact officers who might listen and act. Waldersee first met with
Friedrich Olbricht Friedrich Olbricht (4 October 1888 – 21 July 1944) was a German general during World War II. He is known for being one of the plotters involved in the 20 July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. Olbricht was a senior staff o ...
and
Ludwig Beck Ludwig August Theodor Beck (; 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general who served as Chief of the German General Staff from 1933 to 1938. Beck was one of the main conspirators of the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. ...
. Beck advised Waldersee to travel to see
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel Carl-Heinrich Rudolf Wilhelm von Stülpnagel (2 January 1886 – 30 August 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who was an army level commander. While serving as military commander of German-occupied France and as com ...
in Paris as well as solicit
Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...
for support. His efforts proved fruitless. Groscurth and Strecker were the last senior German officers trapped in the city to surrender their command and, on the morning of 2 February, drafting the final communication sent by the 6th Army and signing it "Long Live Germany!" That was an intentional deviation from the standard "Heil Hitler," although the signal was changed before it reached Hitler himself, to include a "Long live the Führer!" Strecker, Groscurth and the rest of the 6th Army were taken as
prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
and marched to labour camps in the Soviet Union. Groscurth was placed in an officer's prison camp in
Frolovo Frolovo () is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the Archeda River ( Don's basin), north of Volgograd, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History Frolovo grew out of the Cossack settlement of Frolov. The firs ...
, where he later died of
typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
.


Legacy

Groscurth was one of the first Army officers to join the resistance and became known, along with Oster, as the "soul of the Resistance within the Abwehr" since the summer of 1938. After the war Groscurth's diary was published, revealing his role as one of the key members of the
Oster Conspiracy The Oster Conspiracy, also called the September Conspiracy (), of 1938 was a proposed plan to overthrow German ''Führer'' Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland. It was led ...
. He was also one of the authors of a secret memorandum written in October 1939 titled, "An imminent disaster," with diplomats Hasso von Etzdorf and Erich Kordt, outlining a potential coup against Hitler. His diaries and the documents that he saved gave important insights for historians into the workings of the early resistance to Hitler by conservatives and military officers, as well as the process of the eventual submission of the Wehrmacht to Nazi policies and SS atrocities. His papers from handling Müller's secret activities in Rome also provided a substantial body of evidence on the correspondence between the German resistance, the British government, and the Vatican. Historian Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen described Groscurth as "a determined opponent of Nazism".


See also

*
Oster conspiracy The Oster Conspiracy, also called the September Conspiracy (), of 1938 was a proposed plan to overthrow German ''Führer'' Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Germany, Nazi regime if Germany went to war with Czechoslovakia over the Sudetenland. It was led ...
* Schwarze Kapelle * List of Germans who resisted Nazism


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Groscurth, Helmuth 1898 births 1943 deaths Abwehr personnel of World War II People from Lüdenscheid German Army personnel of World War I Protestants in the German Resistance German Army officers of World War II German people who died in Soviet detention German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union Nazi-era German officials who resisted the Holocaust