World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAdolf Heusinger was born in Holzminden, Brunswick, German Empire. On 17 Jun 1915, he joined the German Army and was assigned to the infantry regiment 7. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 96. He was promoted to the rank of Fähnrich (a non-commissioned officer rank) on 31 Mar 1916. On 4 Jul 1916, he was commissioned a Leutnant. During WW1, he was wounded several times in combat, and was captured by the British on 31 Jul 1917. He received several awards during WW1, including the Iron Cross medal. After the war, he remained in the German military. In Apr 1925, he was promoted to the rank of Oberleutnant (upper lieutenant). In Oct 1931, he was assigned to the operations staff of the Troop Office in the War Ministry. In Oct 1932, he was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann (captain). In Oct 1935, he was named the chief operations officer of the German 11th Division. In Mar 1936, he was promoted to the rank of Major. In Aug 1937, he was assigned to the operations staff of the Army General Staff. In Apr 1939, he was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel).

ww2dbaseDuring the European War, Heusinger played a role in the planning of the invasion of Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, and the Low Countries. He was promoted to the rank of Oberst (colonel) on 1 Aug 1940. On 15 Oct 1940, he became the chief of the operations staff of the Army General Staff. On 1 Jan 1942, he was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor, followed by the promotion to Generalleutnant exactly one year later. On 10 Jun 1944, he was named the Acting Chief of the Army General Staff as General Kurt Zeitzler became ill. In this capacity, he was in the same meeting room as Adolf Hitler on 20 Jul 1944 when the bomb planted by Claus von Stauffenberg exploded. Wounded, he was hospitalized briefly. He was subsequently arrested by the Gestapo in connection to some of the July Plot conspirators, but he was eventually freed in Oct 1944 due to lack of evidence. He was kept on reserve, however, for nearly the rest of the war due to the government's distrust. On 25 Mar 1945, he was named the chief of the cartography section of the German Army.

ww2dbaseHeusinger was arrested by the Western Allies immediately after the end of the European War and remain imprisoned until 1947. He testified during the Nuremberg Trials. In 1950, he became a military advisor to Chancellor of West Germany Konrad Adenauer. In 1955, when the new German military Bundeswehr was established, he was given the rank of Generalleutnant and the responsibility of the chairman of the Militärischer Führungsrat (Military Leadership Council). Between Jun 1957 and Mar 1961, he served as the first Inspector General of the Bundeswehr at the rank of General. In Apr 1961, he was appointed the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Washington, DC, United States. He retired from service in 1964. He passed away in Cologne, Germany in 1982.

Adolf Heusinger Interactive Map

Photographs

Adolf Heusinger Timeline