Friedrich Hossbach

Friedrich Hossbach (22 November 1894 – 10 September 1980) was a German staff officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who in 1937 was the military adjutant to Adolf Hitler. Hossbach created the document which later became known as the Hossbach Memorandum.

Hossbach Memorandum

Hossbarch created the document which later became known as the Hossbach Memorandum. This was a report of a meeting held on 5 November 1937 between Hitler and Feldmarschall von Blomberg, General von Fritsch, Admiral Dr. Raeder, Generaloberst Hermann Göring, Baron von Neurath and Hossbach. His account was found among the Nuremberg papers, where it was an important piece of evidence.

In early 1938, Hossbach was present when Hitler was presented by Goering with a file purporting to show that General von Fritsch, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, was guilty of homosexual practices. In defiance of Hitler's orders, Hossbach took the file to Fritsch to warn him of the accusations he was about to face. Fritsch gave his word as an officer that the charges were untrue, and Hossbach passed this message back to Hitler. This did not, as it might have, cost Hossbach his life, though he was dismissed from his post as Hitler's adjutant two days later.

War crimes

Hossbach was responsible for planning and executing the operation at Ozarichi to set up typhus camps in the path of the advancing Soviet army so as to cause a typhus epidemic amongst the soldiers.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1914) 2nd Class (26 September 1914) & 1st Class (26 May 1916)
• Clasp to the Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (11 May 1940) and 1st Class (30 May 1940)
• Honour Roll Clasp of the Army (22 July 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 7 October 1940 as Oberst and commander of Infanterie-Regiment 82
  • 298th Oak Leaves on 11 September 1943 as Generalleutnant and acting commander of LVI. Panzerkorps
• Mentioned three times in the Wehrmachtbericht (18 October 1943, 6 April 1944, 31 October 1944)

• ^ Thomas 1997, p. 302.