Nikolaus von Falkenhorst

Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Born	17 January 1885(1885-01-17) Breslau, Prussia
Died	18 July 1968(1968-07-18) (aged 83) Holzminden, Lower Saxony
Allegiance	German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Heer (Army)
Years of service	1907-1945
Rank	Generaloberst
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Erich Dethleffsen (son in law)

Nikolaus von Falkenhorst (17 January 1885 – 18 June 1968) was a German General in World War II. He planned and commanded the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940, and was commander of German troops in Norway from 1940 to 1944.

Life

Falkenhorst was born in Breslau into an old Silesian military family, the Jastrzembski; he changed this Polish name to the German Falkenhorst ("falcon's eyrie") early in his career. He joined the German army in 1907 and during World War I was given various regimental and staff appointments. He served in the Freikorps in 1919. He was transferred to the Reichswehr, and between 1925 and 1927 served in the Operations Division of the War Ministry.

Falkenhorst was promoted to Colonel on 1 October 1932, and was military attaché in the German embassies in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Romania between 1933 and 1935. On 1 July 1935, he was promoted to Generalmajor and Chief of Staff of the Third Army and in 1937 to Generalleutnant. In 1939 he commanded the Twentyfirst Army Corps during the Invasion of Poland, and was promoted to General der Infanterie.

On 20 February 1940, Hitler informed Falkenhorst that he would be ground commander for the invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung), and gave him until 5 p.m. the same day to come up with a basic plan. With no time to consult military charts or maps, Falkenhorst picked up a Baedeker tourist guidebook of Norway at a stationery store on his way to his hotel room, where he planned the operation from maps he found in that book. Hitler promptly approved his plan.

The invasion was a success, aside from losses to the German Navy. Allied forces tried to counter the German move, but Falkenhorst's troops drove them out of the country.

Falkenhorst remained in charge of the Norwegian garrison. In contrast to the civilian administration, the military forces aimed to form an understanding with the Norwegian people, and Falkenhorst ordered his men to treat them with courtesy. An apocryphal story, which was much believed by both sides, told of a Norwegian woman who complained that a German soldier had stolen some of her jam. The next morning, she was invited to come to the local army post to see the man shot by firing squad.

In December 1942, he made a plan for the invasion of Sweden if necessary (Operation Polarfuchs - "Artic Fox"). This plan required by ten German divisions. Falkenhorst thought it would succeed in ten days.

Falkenhorst was dismissed from his command on 18 December 1944, for opposing the policies of Josef Terboven, the Reich Commissioner for Norway. He held no other commands during the war.

After the war, Falkenhorst was tried by a joint British-Norwegian military tribunal for violating the rules of war. He had passed on the Führerbefehl known as the "Commando Order" which required captured saboteurs to be shot (several were), and was therefore convicted and sentenced to death in 1946. The sentence was later commuted to twenty years' imprisonment, after successful appeal by Sven Hedin.

Falkenhorst was released from Werl prison on July 23, 1953, due to bad health. He died in Holzminden in 1968. His daughter was married to General Erich Dethleffsen.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd and 1st Class
• Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin) 2nd Class
• Wound Badge (1914) in Black
• Order of the Cross of Liberty 2nd Class
• Order of St. John (Protestant Continental Europe)
• Cross of Honor
• Order of the White Rose, Commander, 1st Class
• Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Silver (20 January 1945)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (30 April 1940)
• War Merit Cross 2nd and 1st Class with Swords
• Order of the White Rose, Commander Grand Cross
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 10 April 1940

References in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
Thursday, 10 April 1940	Die militärischen Maßnahmen zum Schutz der Neutralität von Dänemark und Norwegen wurden am 9. April von starken Einheiten des Heeres, der Kriegsmarine und die Luftwaffe unter dem Oberbefehl des Generals der Infanterie von Falkenhorst, von Seestreitkräften unter dem Befehl des Generaladmirals Saalwächter und des Admirals Carls und von zahlreichen Verbänden der Luftwaffe unter Führung des Generalleutnants Geißler in engster Zusammenarbeit durchgeführt.	The military measures for the protection of the neutrality of Denmark were carried out on 9 April from strong units in close cooperation of the Heer, the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe under the high command of General of the Infantry von Falkenhorst, of naval forces under the command of Generaladmiral Saalwächter and Admiral Rolf Carls and from numerous Luftwaffe units under the leadership of Generalleutnant Geißler (sic).

References

• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.

Military offices
Preceded by none	Commander of 32. Infanterie-Division 1 October 1936 – 19 July 1939	Succeeded by Generalleutnant Franz Böhme
Preceded by none	Commander of 21. Armee 19 December 1940 – 18 December 1944	Succeeded by General der Infanterie Kurt von Tippelskirch